The Akimichi Clan's medicine was truly effective. After resting for less than ten minutes, Uchiha Kei had nearly recovered all his chakra.
He glanced at Namikaze Minato and Imai Kenta, then nodded. The three of them silently crept toward Kannabi Bridge.
Kannabi Bridge was several kilometers away, but for ninjas like them, that was only a few minutes' run. Before long, they reached their destination.
Hidden in the forest, Uchiha Kei sized up the bridge before them. Kannabi Bridge was undeniably impressive, but no matter how impressive it was, it was still destined to be destroyed.
"Kenta-kun, hide first," Namikaze Minato whispered. "Once Kei-kun and I start fighting, look for a chance to get across."
"Yes, Captain Namikaze." Imai Kenta nodded quietly. He seemed a little nervous.
Namikaze Minato said no more. He turned to Uchiha Kei, who immediately activated his Sharingan.
That was the best answer he could give. On the battlefield, it was a perfect show of resolve.
Sure enough, Namikaze Minato nodded, then signaled to Uchiha Kei. The two of them charged out, one after the other.
The Land of Grass was flat, and the area where Uchiha Kei and the others were positioned was covered in vast forests, with thick, lush foliage. A place like this, however, called for even greater caution.
Who knew what kind of traps might be hidden in these woods? Their enemies might not be numerous, but the Iwa Ninja Explosion Corps was among them.
Sure enough, as they raced forward, Uchiha Kei keenly spotted traces of unusual chakra.
Ninjas were warriors who would stop at nothing to win. It didn't matter whether someone was a Kage, a Jonin, or a Genin. Uchiha Kei himself was an old hand at ambushes and setting traps.
"Careful. There's an ambush here."
Uchiha Kei quickly pulled out several kunai and hurled them toward the spots where he sensed unusual chakra. They didn't cause any explosions, but the chakra emanating from those spots vanished.
Uchiha Kei didn't want to draw too much attention to himself. He suspected the enemy already knew they were coming, but being a little more careful could only help.
Sure enough, a figure suddenly appeared right in front of Uchiha Kei!
He was incredibly fast, and, more importantly, his fist was glowing with the same strange chakra!
A Kekkei Genkai. Uchiha Kei recognized it instantly, and he could also sense that it was extremely dangerous!
Now that his chakra had fully recovered, Uchiha Kei could stop abruptly even while moving at high speed, without any stiffness or discomfort. His movements were fluid and sharp.
His Sharingan only looked like the Three Tomoe, but in truth, it was on the level of the Mangekyo.
A Sharingan of this caliber had given Uchiha Kei's body coordination an unbelievable boost!
He also saw the man's attack trajectory clearly. The instant the ambusher's attack missed and his body stiffened, Uchiha Kei swiftly drew the Ninja Sword at his waist.
The blade traced a strange arc, slicing straight down toward the ambusher's head.
In the blink of an eye, the ambusher was decapitated. But Uchiha Kei felt no joy—he had clearly seen the man escape long before then.
Uchiha Kei was exceptionally skilled at ambushes himself. Of course he knew that when ambushing someone, you couldn't commit everything to the attack. You had to hold something back.
Unless you were prepared to make the worst-case scenario a last-ditch trade of your life for theirs, failure meant you were done for. Clearly, the man who had ambushed Uchiha Kei hadn't been prepared to go that far.
"Are you all right?" Namikaze Minato stopped and looked back at Uchiha Kei.
"Go on ahead." Uchiha Kei scanned the area. The attacker had burrowed underground, making him difficult to locate. "Is that guy Shū?"
"Yes." Namikaze Minato nodded. "Can you handle him?"
"I think so." Uchiha Kei nodded. "Besides, even if you stayed, Han would probably show up too. Just keep going."
Uchiha Kei saw the situation clearly. If it came down to a two-on-two fight, he and Namikaze Minato probably wouldn't work well together. Their enemies, on the other hand, were a different matter.
They had to guard against the enemy splitting up to overwhelm one of them two-on-one, but their opponents wouldn't be foolish enough to try that lightly.
Not only was there no guarantee they could take someone down quickly, but splitting up their forces would also give Uchiha Kei and Namikaze Minato an opening. That was hardly a wise choice.
Namikaze Minato understood that too. He nodded, then ran straight ahead.
"Being cautious, are you?" Once Namikaze Minato had left, Uchiha Kei sneered. "I know you're worried Namikaze Minato will come after you, but I have to admit, you've got a smooth way of staying alive."
After saying that, Uchiha Kei fell silent for a while, waiting for the other man to respond. But unfortunately, the man called Shū didn't seem affected by his words at all.
Uchiha Kei sighed. This guy really knew how to hold back. He was probably worried that Namikaze Minato hadn't gone far enough yet.
Still, Uchiha Kei remained on guard. The problem was, he really didn't have the Byakugan, so he couldn't find the hidden Shū.
"After the ambush failed, you used an Earth Clone first, then the Double Suicide Decapitation Technique."
Uchiha Kei looked from side to side and continued, "I have to say, you're pretty good. You're a lot more interesting than Kitsuchi. Compared to him, I'd much rather fight someone like you, because you prefer hiding. Works out well for me. I haven't had a proper rest in a long time, so running into you is a stroke of luck."
Uchiha Kei kept talking, all the while searching for Shū's position.
Unfortunately, Shū remained just as calm. Uchiha Kei frowned. Could this guy really be that patient?
Maybe he wasn't being sarcastic enough. Or maybe his taunts still weren't cutting it. If Uchiha Sasuke were here, perhaps all it would take was for him to stand there, and the other guy would come out just to punch him.
"Fine. If that's how you want it..." Uchiha Kei sheathed his Ninja Sword and started walking toward Namikaze Minato. "If you want to watch, go ahead. Maybe you hate Jinchuriki too, right? Let me guess—maybe your parents were killed while they were subduing a Tailed Beast. You want to use us to kill the Five-Tails Jinchuriki, don't you? You could've just said so."
With that, Uchiha Kei suddenly leaped into the air, as if to catch up with Namikaze Minato.
Yet at that moment, he focused his mind to its absolute limit. Turning your back and being airborne were the most dangerous moments for a ninja. Even Uchiha Kei wouldn't have passed up an opportunity like that.
Sure enough, just as Uchiha Kei was about to land on a tree trunk, the figure burst out once more, his fist wreathed in dangerous chakra!
But at that moment, Uchiha Kei smiled.
"Finally, I've lured you out, you poisonous snake!"
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