The group kept moving at a steady pace and encountered nothing out of the ordinary along the way.
At their current speed, they would reach Konoha in about three hours.
Torifu was looking forward to the reward he was about to receive, but judging by the system's hint, it would probably just be Calmness Points.
After all, mysterious items had an extremely low drop rate, and Torifu didn't think he was lucky enough to get one. He didn't dare hope for too much; he just wanted a few more Calmness Points.
As they passed a large river, Torifu suddenly felt the same sensation he'd experienced while sparring with Chirori on the mountaintop that day.
He understood at once, but didn't let it show.
He followed the group for a little longer, then suddenly clutched his stomach and crouched down.
"Torifu, what's wrong?"
Chirori noticed his condition immediately and asked anxiously.
"I'm fine. My stomach just hurts, and I need to use the bathroom. You go on ahead."
Torifu clutched his stomach with an embarrassed expression. Hiruzen and the others couldn't very well stay there.
They told Torifu to catch up as soon as he could, then continued on, though they slowed their pace.
Once the group had gotten some distance away, Torifu straightened up and said coldly, "Come out. There's no point hiding."
The surroundings were perfectly still. A few birds took flight, but nothing else happened.
"Quit pretending. You were the one who attacked me on the mountaintop last time, weren't you? Uchiha Setsuna!"
As soon as he spoke, a huge, blazing fireball roared out of the woods to Torifu's right. It was unmistakably the Uchiha Clan's signature jutsu!
Fire Style: Fireball Jutsu!
"Water Release: Water Severing Wave!"
Torifu spat out a torrent of water that formed a powerful wave. It collided head-on with the incoming fireball, and the hiss of water evaporating into steam filled the air.
The steam quickly spread through the woods. Within the thick haze, a figure slowly emerged.
"You had a chance to live. You have only your arrogance to blame, you foolish brat."
A pair of scarlet Three-Tomoe Sharingan opened, their gaze piercing through the layers of steam and settling on Torifu.
Unbothered by Setsuna's threat, Torifu even taunted him. "You think you've got me cornered? You've only got three tomoe. Who do you think you are, Madara Uchiha?"
At that, Setsuna burst out laughing. "Hahaha! 'Only three tomoe'? I can't believe a six-year-old kid is looking down on me."
He then wore a twisted expression. "Then I'll show you the power of the Sharingan!"
"Tsk, tsk, tsk. You might not get the chance."
Before Setsuna could fly into a rage, Torifu rapidly formed Hand Seals, a faint smile appearing at the corner of his mouth.
"Cloud Release: Cloud Mist Jutsu."
Torifu exhaled a puff of Cloud Qi, which quickly spread through the steam. In moments, the mist had transformed all the steam.
To Setsuna's shock, his Sharingan could no longer see through it! The water vapor before him now looked just like white clouds!
"What kind of jutsu is this? Damn it!" Setsuna roared.
But no one answered. He'd meant to use the steam to create an advantage for himself, but instead, it had been turned against him!
Even the Sharingan he prided himself on had become useless!
In truth, Setsuna had only himself to blame. He was too arrogant to investigate Torifu properly—or perhaps he simply hadn't taken the six-year-old seriously.
Only now did he begin to regret it. But there was no turning back!
"Even without the Sharingan, I can still kill you!"
"By all means, give it a try."
The instant Torifu spoke, Setsuna hurled three shuriken toward the sound. They struck something, making a noise like metal hitting stone, but nothing else happened.
"What a devious guy. He even used reverse psychology."
After failing to land a hit and getting taunted over and over, even the most easygoing person would lose patience—let alone a proud Uchiha!
"Fire Release: Katon: Gōka Mekkyaku!"
A fan of blazing flames burst from Setsuna's mouth. The heat burned away some of the Cloud Qi, but clouds from elsewhere quickly rolled in to fill the gaps.
After all that effort, he had nothing to show for it. Setsuna grew increasingly agitated, a voice in his mind constantly goading him: Kill him! Kill him!
"Are you only brave enough to hide in this thick fog? You're a coward, cowering like a turtle!"
Torifu chuckled. "This is Cloud Qi, the Kekkei Tōta unique to my Kumonaka Clan! Didn't you do your homework before coming to kill me?"
Setsuna was struck dumb, frozen in place! What had that brat said? Kekkei Tōta? A Kekkei Tōta, even more advanced than the Sharingan?
Impossible! Absolutely impossible! He's just trying to throw me off! That's right—what a conniving little bastard!
Setsuna kept feeding himself reassurances, and, strangely enough, his mind settled down.
Just then, a short figure appeared in the Cloud Qi. It was Kumonaka Torifu!
"Why are you so weak? Didn't you say you were going to kill me?"
This time, Setsuna ignored Torifu's taunts and simply drew his sword, swinging at him!
But Torifu only stepped back once to evade the strike.
"Impossible!" Setsuna couldn't believe it. Few people in his clan could dodge his slash, yet this kid had avoided it with a single step! How could that be?
Torifu seemed to want him to die knowing the truth, so he explained.
"Inside the Cloud Qi, all your functions gradually slow down. As you inhale it, your body begins to freeze from within, starting with your internal organs."
"In other words, from the moment you entered the Cloud Qi, you began to die."
Setsuna had no desire to thank Torifu for the explanation. He couldn't believe that something as simple as a cloud could kill him!
Setsuna frantically hacked at Torifu, his swordplay now completely wild and without form. He looked as if he'd gone mad, shouting at the top of his lungs.
"Impossible! I'm a Uchiha genius! How could I die at your hands? Fire Style: Fireball Jutsu!"
A massive fireball erupted from Setsuna. He poured nearly half the Chakra in his body into this attack, making the fireball more than twice its normal size!
Torifu reached out into empty space, gathering a large mass of Cloud Qi before him to form a thick Cloud Shield!
The fireball slammed into the shield, sending sparks flying and burning away the Cloud Qi around it.
For a moment, the view became much clearer.
"Hehehe! Your clouds are gone. It's time for you to die!"
A fierce glint flashed in Setsuna's eyes. Thinking Torifu had lost, he charged in with his sword.
"No."
As Torifu casually uttered the single word, two Crystal Vines suddenly sprang from beneath Setsuna's feet, binding his entire body and holding him fast.
"Crystal Release: Crystal Blade."
A crystal blade formed along Torifu's right arm. He swung it, and with a spray of blood, Setsuna's right arm was severed at the shoulder and fell into the grass beside him.
That strike was revenge for the last time.
The searing pain made Setsuna let out a bloodcurdling scream!
But Torifu didn't stop.
"Don't worry. Your younger brother probably won't survive either. He'll join you before long."
"Cloud Release: Cloud Transformation Jutsu!"
His left hand wreathed in Cloud Qi, Torifu slammed his palm into Setsuna's chest!
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