Desperate

"Akai!"

As time resumed its normal flow, Kitsuchi let out another roar. The crimson line on his neck stood out even more.

Only then did he realize what he had just faced. He hurriedly clutched his neck and felt around, his gaze fixed on Uchiha Kei with unprecedented wariness.

In that instant, Uchiha Kei had suddenly burst into incredible speed—faster even than when he had first killed Ishiwo and Genboku!

Kitsuchi couldn't understand how this brat had suddenly gained such speed. Nor could he understand why Kei had waited until his teammates were nearly finished off before using this power.

If he'd used it sooner, his teammates might not have ended up in such a sorry state.

Still, whether he understood it or not, Kitsuchi knew this brat had to die.

If Kitsuchi hadn't been so alert and taken precautions against the brat's tricks, he might have become another name on the brat's list of achievements!

"You're impressive, Uchiha brat." Kitsuchi lowered the hand pressed to his neck. "Your speed is astonishing. Even Namikaze Minato probably couldn't do much better. But unfortunately for you, you ran into me—and you don't have the strength to fight back anymore, do you? If only you'd used your ability sooner..."

Uchiha Kei couldn't be bothered to answer. If Kakashi hadn't been beaten to the brink of death, Hyuga Aya hadn't been seriously injured, Kitsuchi hadn't kept avoiding his gaze, and Imai Kenta hadn't been too busy to help him, Kei probably wouldn't have used the Mangekyō's power so soon.

Though powerful, this ability felt almost "nonrenewable" at this stage. More importantly, Uchiha Kei didn't want anyone else to know he possessed it!

Kei knew all too well how much trouble a Mangekyō Sharingan could bring. Just look at the current Clan Head, Uchiha Fugaku. He probably had a Mangekyō too, yet he'd never dared to use it.

His end hadn't been good, but that had been his choice. Compared with the others who used their powers without restraint, he'd probably had it easiest.

Uchiha Shisui had one eye stolen. Uchiha Itachi had been burdened with crimes he could hardly clear himself of. Uchiha Obito was a walking tragedy, and Uchiha Madara had been treated like a tool and toyed with from beginning to end.

Uchiha Sasuke might seem to have turned out fine, but if he hadn't shared an unbreakable bond with Uzumaki Naruto and Kakashi—the Sixth Hokage and Seventh Hokage—his actions would have gotten him killed countless times over!

Uchiha Kei had no such bonds. Maybe that would change in the future, but for now, he had none!

And with the Uchiha family's current relationship with Konoha, he couldn't risk inviting trouble upon himself.

Drawing a deep breath, Uchiha Kei staggered to his feet. He was running low on chakra, but Kitsuchi clearly wasn't going to let him go.

"Die, Uchiha brat!"

Just as expected, Kitsuchi didn't waste a word. He clenched his fists, chakra erupting wildly around him, then kicked off the ground and charged at Uchiha Kei, leaving dust in his wake!

Uchiha Kei watched the terrifying man. He could see the trajectory of Kitsuchi's attack, but the sad truth was that he could no longer dodge it.

The Mangekyō Sharingan had taken too much out of him. On top of that, he'd been fighting for so long. He was at his limit!

"Damn it, where the hell is Namikaze Minato?"

As he stared at the man before him, Uchiha Kei began to wonder for the first time if that clean-cut, kind-hearted, honest-looking Namikaze Minato had tricked him.

There was no time to dwell on useless thoughts. Uchiha Kei tried to make a simple sidestep to avoid Kitsuchi's fist, but just then, someone grabbed him by the collar.

A force that was neither weak nor particularly strong yanked the exhausted Uchiha Kei out of the way!

"Boom!"

The tremendous noise made Uchiha Kei's ears ache. Shattered stones flew past him.

The impact left Uchiha Kei momentarily stunned. When he came to, he was on the ground, being dragged backward for more than ten meters.

The jolt made his neck and back ache. He turned his head slightly and realized that the one who had saved his life was Imai Kenta!

"You..." Uchiha Kei stared at him in disbelief.

"Shut up. How long until Minato Jonin gets here? And can you move?" Imai Kenta didn't look at him. He fixed his gaze ahead and spoke quickly.

"I don't know when he'll arrive. As for me, I need some time to recover."

"I can hold out for one minute. If you haven't regained basic combat ability by then, I'm running."

"Then you should run now."

Though surprised, Uchiha Kei quickly figured out what was going on.

So this guy, like Uchiha Kei, was still hesitating over whether to take the most tragic option. But he was giving Kei far too little time. What could Kei possibly do in one minute?

Even if he took the Akimichi Clan's special medicine to restore his chakra, he couldn't possibly recover his basic combat ability within a minute.

Imai Kenta ignored Uchiha Kei's sarcasm and complaints. He gripped the short sword in his hand and watched the smoke ahead. He might have looked a little more confident if his hands weren't trembling.

"He's coming!"

As Imai Kenta spoke, Kitsuchi charged straight out of the smoke. He rushed forward while forming Hand Seals. When he finished, the ground beneath Uchiha Kei and Imai Kenta began to shake and split apart.

As the tremors grew more violent, Imai Kenta could barely stay on his feet. Uchiha Kei, who had only just managed to stand, was knocked back to the ground.

Uchiha Kei lost his balance and landed sitting on the ground. From there, he saw Kitsuchi use a remarkably deft maneuver to slip past Imai Kenta. Kitsuchi drew a Kunai with his left hand and stabbed it toward Imai Kenta's chest.

At the same time, his right hand, brimming with terrifying chakra, slammed toward Uchiha Kei!

At that moment, Uchiha Kei felt utterly hopeless. Desperate to survive, he no longer cared about the state of his body. He forcibly opened his Mangekyō Sharingan again, hoping to buy himself some time.

But Uchiha Kei really was out of chakra. He even regretted not using it sooner. Why hadn't he just killed the damned Iwa Ninja first, then dealt with his teammates afterward?

As Kitsuchi drew closer, Uchiha Kei pulled out his Kunai. He thought of his first time on the battlefield—the same helplessness, the same fragility.

In a panic, Uchiha Kei clutched the Kunai and tried to raise his hand. Fear now filled his eyes.

But just as he felt the wind from the fist rushing toward his face, and Imai Kenta felt the blade about to pierce his chest—

Kitsuchi suddenly vanished.