Uchiha Rei had spotted Tōdō Xiao Dong long ago, and had also noticed the two Akatsuki Organization members lurking in the shadows. He hadn't acted right away, instead quietly watching from a tall tree. No one had noticed him.
With Lady Tsunade's strength, dealing with two enemies should have been no problem. But Tōdō Xiao Dong's sudden self-detonation had shattered her resolve. Her fear of blood had been forcibly awakened, leaving her on the verge of collapse. Shizune fought desperately to protect her, but the situation had already turned against them.
He watched as Shizune carried Lady Tsunade through the forest, fleeing, only to be caught by Biwa Juzo and Umino Fuga soon after. If Lady Tsunade died, there would be no one to remove the poison in his body.
Uchiha Rei knew he could no longer stand by and watch.
Seeing the red-cloud cloaks they wore, Rei knew they were members of the Akatsuki Organization.
Perhaps they were the members Uchiha Rekka had mentioned, the ones sent to support Obito.
Rei didn't recognize either of the two. Most of the members he knew had joined years later, people like Deidara and Hidan.
But from his observations, one of the two specialized in Wind Release and the other in Water Release. They were clearly meant to counter the Uchiha Clan's Lightning Release and Fire Release.
Seeing that Shizune was about to be taken out, Uchiha Rei stood atop the tree and called out.
"Who said she was alone?"
A deep voice rang through the forest, carrying an undeniable authority.
Biwa Juzo froze, halting his attack. He instinctively looked up, and in an instant, a Genjutsu mark reached his ears, momentarily stopping him in his tracks.
Beneath the night sky, a dark figure swooped down from above. He spun through the air like a falling leaf caught in a spiral of wind, his right leg raised high. He moved so quickly that his body seemed to leave afterimages.
"Konoha Great Whirlwind!"
Konoha Great Whirlwind. It discarded the unpredictability of Konoha Whirlwind. A normal Konoha Great Whirlwind started low and ended high.
Rei struck directly from above, his leg sweeping down like a blade as it tore through the air.
Biwa Juzo's chest tightened. Before he could react, the kick landed hard. He flew backward like a kite with its strings cut, crashing through three trees before finally coming to a stop.
The wind died. The shadow landed.
Under the moonlight, he touched down, his handsome face just as it had been in her dreams.
"Uchiha... Rei," Shizune whispered. In that moment, it was as if a ray of hope had fallen from the night sky.
"You came just in time." She gritted her teeth and struggled to her feet.
"Take care of Lady Tsunade. I'll handle the rest." Uchiha Rei's voice was calm. He didn't turn around, leaving only an unquestionable figure between them and the enemy.
By then, Lady Tsunade had lost consciousness from her fear of blood and was no longer able to fight.
Biwa Juzo slowly got back to his feet. Blood ran from the corner of his mouth, and his gaze turned cold. He sneered through clenched teeth. "Another idiot come to die?"
But before he could finish speaking, Uchiha Rei had already closed the distance in a single step. He kicked out, striking Biwa Juzo squarely in the face.
"Power Prelude."
It was a Taijutsu technique that relied on a frontal assault and overwhelming momentum. There were no flashy moves, only the force of a thunderbolt. Caught off guard, his opponent was sent flying again.
It could be used for surprise attacks as well as direct assaults.
Biwa Juzo's expression finally changed. His opponent had hit him twice in a row. For a member of the Akatsuki, that was a tremendous humiliation. Enraged, he stopped holding back.
His hands formed Hand Seals at lightning speed. Chakra surged like water, and moisture quickly gathered in the air.
"Water Style: Water Dragon Bullet Technique!"
Beneath the moonlit sky, a water dragon made of chakra soared into the air, roaring as it lunged toward Uchiha Rei, Lady Tsunade, and Shizune, who lay on the ground. Its tremendous force seemed capable of swallowing the entire forest.
Just as Uchiha Rei was about to counterattack, a figure suddenly rushed in front of him.
"Don't move!"
It was Shizune.
She knew she was no match for the enemy. She knew charging forward might mean death. But she still threw herself in front of Uchiha Rei without hesitation.
In an instant, the roaring water dragon slammed into her. Water splashed everywhere, and the air seemed to split beneath the icy, murderous force. With her own body, she forcibly halted the Water Release attack.
"Shizune!" Uchiha Rei cried in surprise. He leaped forward, caught her soft but growing-cold body, and turned in the air before landing.
The person in his arms was breathing faintly, her chest warm and heavy against him.
Shizune had lost consciousness.
She went limp in Uchiha Rei's arms, a trace of blood still at the corner of her mouth.
"The interfering enemy is gone." The two of them said the same thing.
"No one can help you now," Biwa Juzo sneered. "You'll definitely lose next time."
The interference was gone, and all he could see was victory. He quickly formed Hand Seals, even faster than before. Chakra gathered behind him, and moisture condensed in the air like thunder, as if it might explode at any moment.
"There's no woman left to take a Ninjutsu for you. What are you going to use to block it this time?"
He was brimming with confidence. His earlier observations had told him everything.
His opponent had used only Taijutsu, showing no sign of Ninjutsu. That meant he had poor control over his chakra and had no chance against a large-scale technique.
The water dragon roared into the air, seeming ready to swallow the entire clearing.
However.
"Don't you think... you're taking a little too long to form your Hand Seals?"
A familiar voice suddenly rang out from behind him.
This was the most standard Water Style: Water Dragon Bullet Technique. How could it possibly take too long to form the Hand Seals? No, someone's behind me.
In an instant, Biwa Juzo felt as if he'd fallen into an icy abyss. His pupils contracted, and cold sweat immediately covered his back. He'd been on guard the whole time, yet he hadn't sensed Uchiha Rei approaching at all!
"No, that's impossible!"
He whipped around. The next moment, the world turned upside down, and his consciousness was swallowed by a giant wave, sucked straight into Uchiha Rei's Yellow Springs Space.
The wind had died in the forest, though the moisture still hung in the air. The Wind Release ninja had not shown himself. Uchiha Rei stood quietly where he was, his Mangekyō Sharingan slowly turning as he stared into the forest at night.
The wind blew, but it brought no trace of chakra. The Wind Release ninja seemed to have vanished into thin air, leaving not a single trace behind.
He narrowed his eyes slightly, then flickered out of sight.
Shizune and Lady Tsunade still lay quietly on the grass, moonlight falling over them like they were sleeping beauties.
After a while, he reappeared in the same spot, still unable to find any trace of the enemy.
He disappeared once more and searched again, but the result was the same.
There was no one there, and he couldn't sense even a trace of lingering chakra.
"Looks like he really did escape."
Uchiha Rei slowly deactivated his Sharingan and gazed up at the night sky.
"If Shizune hadn't stayed conscious all that time, the battle would have been over already."
"He got away."
"So being too strong really can make your enemies run without a fight."
In fact, while Lady Tsunade was fighting the enemy, he had quietly placed a Genjutsu mark on each of them.
Uchiha Rei looked down at Shizune in his arms. Her face was pale, her breathing faint, and she had a deep wound in her chest. Blood had soaked through her clothes.
He laid her gently on the soft grass and placed his palm against her chest, carefully channeling chakra into her to steady her heartbeat. The wound lay over the snowy whiteness of her chest. His expression grave, he performed the technique without taking his eyes off his work.
Shizune's complexion gradually regained its color, and her body was no longer cold.
He took off his outer robe and carefully wrapped it around her, covering her before finally letting out a sigh of relief.
Then he went to Lady Tsunade. She was only unconscious and had no external injuries. Her chakra flow was still stable. Her brows were furrowed, though, as if she were still trapped in a frightening illusion.
"Lady Tsunade..." he called softly, but she didn't respond.
Rei carried Shizune in his left arm and cradled Lady Tsunade in his right, hurrying through the forest toward the village.
He suddenly realized that Lady Tsunade and Shizune were about the same height, yet Lady Tsunade weighed twice as much. Maybe it's because she has more chakra? He gave a wry smile to himself. A woman's weight really shouldn't be underestimated.
As he made his way back to the village, Rei received a report from the Kurama Clan.
Two Uchiha Itachis had appeared in the village.
He stopped in his tracks.
Two Itachis?!
Were they clones? Was one the real thing? Or had the Night of the Uchiha Clan Downfall come early?
Before you continue