Kitsuchi!

Uchiha Kei's words were brazen. He knew perfectly well that they were meant to boost morale and intimidate the enemy.

The Iwa Ninja who had died at Uchiha Kei's hands had actually been quite strong. But even the strongest ninja feared a sneak attack.

Even Uchiha Madara had a dark history of having his heart ripped out, let alone this guy in front of him, whose name Uchiha Kei didn't even know.

Uchiha Kei was already exceptionally skilled in the Body Flicker Technique. On top of that, this guy had been distracted by Kakashi, and then several more Konoha Ninja had suddenly appeared. It completely shattered his expectations, leaving him too stunned to react. All those factors combined had allowed Uchiha Kei to kill him with a single strike.

But now the enemy was prepared, and things were going to be much harder for Uchiha Kei and the others.

Still, Uchiha Kei wasn't too worried. After all, he had two trump cards: the Mangekyō Sharingan and the ability to summon Namikaze Minato.

Having to wait until the most critical moment to summon Namikaze Minato was a bit of a pain, but Uchiha Kei believed that if he really used it, Minato would definitely appear.

As for what counted as the most dangerous moment, that was up to Uchiha Kei to decide.

As long as I use my powers wisely, I can always summon Namikaze Minato as a last resort. I refuse to believe I can't handle you!

Uchiha Kei thought to himself as the Iwa Ninja launched their attack without another word.

Uchiha Kei wasn't intimidated by the Iwa Ninja charging at him. He quickly pulled several shuriken from his pouch and hurled them at the man with practiced ease.

The Iwa Ninja looked a little dim-witted. He charged straight into Uchiha Kei's shuriken, and in the next moment, they all struck him. But Uchiha Kei immediately leaped into the air.

The Iwa Ninja had already used the Earth Clone Technique. Uchiha Kei had seen right through it.

As soon as the shuriken pierced the Iwa Ninja, he turned into a puddle of mud. But at some point, the ground beneath Uchiha Kei's feet had already become a swamp!

Earth Style: Swamp of the Underworld. Uchiha Kei recognized the technique at a glance; it wasn't the first time he'd encountered it.

But the ninja using it seemed unusually skilled. The moment he saw Uchiha Kei leap high into the air, he formed Hand Seals again, and a massive Earth Dragon sprang out of the swamp!

Uchiha Kei frowned, but he didn't take it too seriously.

Chakra quickly flowed into his Sharingan, and he saw through the entire course of the technique's attack!

With a simple twist in midair, he easily avoided the technique. Then he kicked off the dragon, using the force to land beyond the technique's range.

The whole maneuver was as graceful as a dragon rising from the water and soaring into the sky. The enormous Earth Dragon had become little more than a spectacular prop for his performance.

Uchiha Kei had avoided every attack with ease, but Hyuga Aya and the others were in a much worse state. While evading their own opponents, they had also had to scramble and roll to escape the technique, leaving them covered in dust and splashes of muddy water.

The Iwa Ninja who had cast the technique noticed that Uchiha Kei seemed unaffected, but he didn't pay it much mind.

Facing a Uchiha one-on-one was always like this. Their Sharingan could see through Ninjutsu, Taijutsu, and even Genjutsu!

Even if their opponent was a Chunin or a kid with a certain level of strength, no one dared underestimate them. You needed superior speed and strong resistance to Genjutsu—or a technique powerful enough to end the fight in one blow.

This Iwa Ninja clearly didn't think he was faster than the kid, and simple Earth Style didn't seem capable of taking him down either. He would have to go all out.

That made the Iwa Ninja wary of the kid, but it also suddenly piqued his interest.

"Who are you?" the Iwa Ninja asked. "Why have I never heard of someone like you? Is this your first time on the battlefield?"

"No, I've been on the battlefield for a while," Uchiha Kei replied. He didn't mind exchanging a few words; it would give him a chance to recover a little chakra. "Who are you?"

"You don't know me?" The Iwa Ninja paused, then said with a hint of amusement, "All right, then. I'll give you a proper introduction, so you at least know who killed you."

As he spoke, the Iwa Ninja's gaze turned dangerously cold. Through his Sharingan, Uchiha Kei could easily see that the man's chakra had grown so vast it was almost suffocating!

Who the hell was this guy?

Uchiha Kei cursed inwardly. Could this bastard be the Tsuchikage in disguise? No, wait!

Uchiha Kei seemed to realize something. This guy was nothing like that short Tsuchikage, but he did look somewhat familiar.

"My name is—" Just as Uchiha Kei was thinking, the Iwa Ninja suddenly burst forward at an unbelievable speed and threw a punch at him. "Kitsuchi of Both Scales!"

"Damn it!" At that moment, Uchiha Kei was almost certain who the bastard was.

He really was a bastard. Ōnoki of Both Scales was practically a living fossil, having survived from the First Shinobi World War all the way to the Fourth Great Ninja War!

The man's longevity was downright tortoise-like. His son, Kitsuchi, shouldn't have been too old either. Uchiha Kei remembered that he was in his forties during the Fourth Shinobi World War.

By that reckoning, Kitsuchi should have been in his twenties or thirties now, which fit the man in front of him perfectly!

Uchiha Kei quickly dodged the punch, but the terrifying force of it smashed the ground to pieces.

If Uchiha Kei hadn't jumped fast enough, that blow would have sent him straight to the next world. But Kitsuchi of Both Scales had no intention of letting him go.

His first strike missed, but he immediately pressed forward and attacked Uchiha Kei again. He didn't care at all about how much chakra he used; he was clearly determined to wear Uchiha Kei down, even if he couldn't kill him outright.

There was no denying that this style of fighting was the perfect counter to Uchiha Kei. He couldn't match this guy's chakra reserves, and he didn't have time to wear him down either!

As feedback came in from the Shadow Clones disappearing in other areas, Uchiha Kei knew the other Iwa Ninja must have realized what was happening too.

All it would take was a quick check with the Summoning Technique, and they would soon figure out which area was their real escape route.

By then, even if Uchiha Kei summoned Namikaze Minato, would it really help?

Thinking this, Uchiha Kei's hand quietly found the Kunai at his side.

But just then, a sound like a thousand birds chirping suddenly rang out behind him.