Boom!
A violent explosion rang out in the forest, and thick smoke billowed across the area.
A massive crater had been blasted into the ground, and the six members of Uchiha Sou's team had been scattered in every direction.
Thanks to Hyuga Tetsu's warning, none of them had been caught off guard by the attack.
But they all knew this wasn't meant to kill them. It was meant to break up their formation!
"How many are there?"
Amid the thick smoke, Uchiha Sou activated his Sharingan. Three Tomoe spun slowly in his scarlet eyes.
He shouted the question, unsure of Hyuga Tetsu's exact location. This was the only way he could reach him.
"Twelve! Three Anbu are dealing with that Uchiha squad. The rest are coming this way!"
Hyuga Tetsu's voice rang out almost immediately. It came from about fifty meters away, and Sou could tell which direction it was coming from!
Without hesitation, he leaped toward the sound. But just then, he saw someone heading his way.
That made him feel a little relieved. Now he had an opening!
Uchiha Sou was genuinely worried about the Hidden Mist Jutsu. At its strongest, it could even obscure the Rinnegan's vision!
But the Hidden Mist Jutsu's strength depended heavily on how much chakra was poured into it. So Sou could still see the others' movements through the thin veil of chakra.
Of course, he could only make out their chakra vaguely. His visibility was severely limited.
"But that's enough for me!"
Uchiha Sou's muscles tensed, and the Three Tomoe in his eyes spun faster and faster. But at that very moment, a long blade silently plunged into his body!
"Another little brat from Konoha."
Uchiha Sou seemed not to have reacted at all. His body froze in place as the figure of a Mist Ninja quietly appeared behind him.
"Did you come to help? You're nowhere near as good as those other brats!"
"Those brats? Sounds like there's more to this than I thought. Even the Anbu have been deployed. Can you tell me what they did?"
As soon as the Mist Ninja finished speaking, a clear voice suddenly came from behind him. His expression changed instantly.
Poof!
A muffled sound rang out. As smoke rose, the figure struck by the Mist Ninja's blade turned into a log!
"Substitution Technique? When did he—?"
The Mist Ninja didn't have time to think. He yanked his blade from the log and tried to turn around and attack.
But Uchiha Sou had already struck from behind him. His eyes swept from side to side as the kunai in his hand shot toward the Mist Ninja's neck.
"Water Style: Water Dragon Jutsu!"
Just as the kunai was about to hit, a powerful surge of chakra burst from Sou's flank. The next instant, a roaring water dragon came hurtling toward him.
Crash!
The violent impact rang out. The Mist Ninja had leaped to the side the moment the water dragon appeared, barely managing to dodge it.
He landed in a heap and glanced back at the water-swept ground. Relief flickered across his face, but then he angrily shouted, "Damn it! Are you trying to kill me too?"
"If you hadn't let your guard down, we wouldn't have had to!"
As he spoke, two more Mist Ninjas hurried over. They warily scanned their surroundings, then one of them said in a low voice, "Don't waste time. That brat isn't dead—and he's a Uchiha!"
"Another Uchiha?"
At those words, the first Mist Ninja's face darkened, despite the relief he still felt.
That brat was impossibly fast. He hadn't even seen the kid's eyes, and he'd nearly been killed!
And the brat's Substitution Technique seemed almost supernatural.
They hadn't seen him form Hand Seals or sensed any chakra flaring up, yet he'd already completed the technique.
Even if it was only the most basic Substitution Technique, it was enough to put them on edge.
"What a pain."
While the Mist Ninjas were stewing in anxiety, Uchiha Sou landed steadily on a tree branch. Unlike them, he seemed relatively calm.
He admitted that the three Mist Ninjas sticking together made things difficult for him. After all, ambushes were what he was best at.
And because he hadn't had much time to train, his Taijutsu still wasn't particularly advanced.
But with his Three-Tomoe Sharingan, there was no way he feared these guys!
"Fire Style: Phoenix Flower Jutsu!"
Uchiha Sou took a deep breath and quickly formed Hand Seals. Countless sparks shot toward the three Mist Ninjas in an instant.
The three Mist Ninjas reacted quickly, scattering in every direction at once.
But that was the moment Uchiha Sou moved!
He gripped his kunai as chakra surged through his body. His Body Flicker Technique, now at A-rank, sent him forward at an unbelievable speed.
In the next second, he was beside the nearest Mist Ninja!
"Damn!"
The Mist Ninja realized something was wrong. Years of combat experience let him dodge immediately.
He quickly retreated, slipping his left hand behind his back as he swung the long blade in his right hand at Uchiha Sou.
Uchiha Sou's eyes shifted slightly, and his body subtly turned.
He skimmed past the edge of the blade, dodging it with a movement that looked impossibly close and yet effortless. His kunai was already thrusting toward the Mist Ninja.
But just as it was about to strike, the kunai paused. Sou turned his wrist, redirecting it toward a puddle in the hollow.
"Aah!"
A scream rang out through the dense fog. The puddle turned crimson.
The next moment, the puddle became a Mist Ninja, while the Mist Ninja in front of Sou dissolved into a large pool of water.
"I have to say, I admire your courage."
Uchiha Sou looked at the Mist Ninja pinned through the left side of his chest by the kunai, then silently turned to look aside.
Soon, the two other Mist Ninjas appeared faintly in his field of vision. He reached out, pulled out another kunai, and calmly said, "You have no secrets from these eyes. I saw through your little tricks long ago.
"Don't forget—I'm a Uchiha, you know!"
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