With the Sharingan's exceptional dynamic vision, Uchiha Kei deftly dodged the last Iwa Ninja's desperate attack, then finished him off.
He sighed. Looking at the eight motionless figures sprawled on the ground, Uchiha Kei still felt a faint stir within him.
The stench of blood spreading through the area made him feel sick, but he felt no sympathy for these Iwa Ninja.
At the heart of a war, it was kill or be killed. Uchiha Kei had long since grown numb to it. He wasn't a psychopath who took pleasure in this, but he certainly didn't dislike the feeling, either.
"Life is so fragile. I suppose you're free of it now." Uchiha Kei muttered to himself, then sighed and took out another Ration Pill.
This was already the third Ration Pill he had taken in the past twenty-four hours. Uchiha Kei didn't want to take it, but he had no choice.
Fortunately, although the pills had some side effects, they were just as minor as the benefits were slight. Something was better than nothing, and Uchiha Kei wasn't about to be picky.
He slid his Ninja Sword into its sheath and didn't spare the dead Iwa Ninja another glance. Turning around, he ran toward Imai Kenta.
Namikaze Minato's battle should be nearly over, too. He might already be helping Uchiha Kei and the others clear out these mediocre Iwa Ninja.
Imai Kenta's situation, on the other hand, was uncertain. Uchiha Kei didn't care whether he lived or died, but one more person meant one more pair of hands.
Especially since Imai Kenta's recovery was exceptionally strong. He was in better shape than either of them, and Uchiha Kei felt he really needed his strength.
After running about five hundred meters to his left, Uchiha Kei began to notice bodies on the ground. A quick inspection revealed that they all shared one thing in common.
They were much like the Iwa Ninja he had killed: each had suffered a fatal wound from a blade.
But unlike the Iwa Ninja Uchiha Kei had killed, nearly all of whom had died with a single strike, these bodies told a different story.
Some had been killed with a single blow, clearly taken by surprise. Others had fought for a while before suffering their fatal wounds.
Following the trail of bodies, Uchiha Kei tracked them onward. As luck would have it, Imai Kenta suddenly emerged from behind a large tree and charged at several Iwa Ninja not far away.
He moved like a streak of Flowing Light. In an instant, he was in front of an Iwa Ninja, and his blade flashed down like lightning, leaving the man no time to react.
The Iwa Ninja didn't even have time to raise his Kunai before he was sent to his grave.
"Look out!" the other Iwa Ninja finally called out.
But Imai Kenta didn't pause after his first strike. He swung his Ninja Sword again, instantly killing the Iwa Ninja who had shouted the warning.
Killing two Iwa Ninja at once jolted the rest of them into action. They immediately drew their weapons and prepared to face Imai Kenta, who paused for the moment.
Watching this, Uchiha Kei knew a surprise attack was no longer an option. Imai Kenta would have to fight the two Iwa Ninja in a prolonged struggle.
"Lucky you. I never thought taking this mission would turn me into someone who can't stop saving people."
Uchiha Kei gave a self-deprecating laugh. Ever since entering the battlefield, he had been utterly selfish. The fact that he hadn't killed any of his teammates was already a remarkable display of kindness.
Of course, Uchiha Kei had once used a teammate to block a Ninjutsu for him. But in a situation where he was almost certainly going to die, he'd had no choice.
As for saving people, the only reason he'd done it so far was that this damned mission had left him no choice.
The Konoha Ninja would never believe that Uchiha Kei, who had rescued so many prisoners behind enemy lines, was this kind of person, would they?
With that thought, Uchiha Kei hurled two Kunai. The Iwa Ninja, already on high alert in front of Imai Kenta, reacted like startled birds. Without even looking, they threw their own Kunai to meet the incoming weapons.
Imai Kenta's surprise attack had clearly shaken them. Now that someone else had appeared, they could only respond in haste, afraid Imai Kenta would attack again while their attention was elsewhere.
What they hadn't imagined was that the person they were up against was even better at surprise attacks than Imai Kenta!
The instant the Iwa Ninja threw their Kunai, Uchiha Kei sprang into action. Even without using the Body Flicker Technique, he was incredibly fast!
By the time Uchiha Kei's Kunai clashed with the Iwa Ninja's in midair, he had already reached the man's side.
The Iwa Ninja wasn't an idiot. Almost instinctively, he swung his Kunai. But against the Sharingan, his movements were slow, and Uchiha Kei could see his attack's trajectory perfectly clearly!
"Ah!"
A distorted scream rang out. Uchiha Kei had killed the Iwa Ninja with a single slash!
The horrifying sight deeply unnerved the last Iwa Ninja. The tremor was slight, but Uchiha Kei clearly saw the man's hand begin to shake around his Kunai.
Uchiha Kei silently shook his head. He didn't need to see what would happen next, because Imai Kenta had already reached the man's back as Uchiha Kei attacked.
"Thanks for the rescue, Captain." Imai Kenta flicked the blood from his blade, wearing a sincere, harmless-looking smile.
But in this place, steeped in blood and resembling a battlefield in hell, the sight of him looked unnervingly strange.
"Of course I had to rescue you. Who else would block Ninjutsu for me?" Uchiha Kei sheathed his sword. "Have you taken care of everything?"
"More or less." Imai Kenta paid no attention to Uchiha Kei's remark, keeping his sincere smile. "I'm not sure how many Namikaze Minato took care of for us, but I think we've gotten most of them."
It was clear he had noticed the commotion Namikaze Minato had caused earlier. He must have dealt with his enemies.
And since he'd taken care of his own enemies but still hadn't shown up, there was only one explanation: he'd gone on to take out some of the Iwa Ninja Uchiha Kei and the others hadn't had time to deal with.
Namikaze Minato might even have used his incredible speed and the Flying Thunder God Technique to get ahead and check out the situation.
Uchiha Kei nodded, then suddenly turned to look behind him. At some point, Namikaze Minato had appeared there like a ghost!
The Flying Thunder God Technique truly deserved its reputation as one of the most terrifying and uncanny Ninjutsu in the world of Naruto. It was practically unstoppable when used for assassination or surprise attacks!
"Kei-kun, I found the target." Namikaze Minato didn't waste any time. "But I'm afraid there's a problem."
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