Fierce Battle (Part 1)

"Be careful, and find an opportunity to leave this place immediately."

Uchiha Sou looked at the two people in front of him, took a deep breath, and then whispered to Uchiha Shizuka behind him.

To be honest, he wasn't entirely sure how things would escalate once they started fighting in earnest.

He wasn't even certain if he could hold his own against these two, let alone defeat them!

After all, these two were not the nameless Mist Ninja from before; they were two of the legendary Seven Ninja Swordsmen of the Mist!

"Captain So, you are the one who should be leaving."

However, to Uchiha Sou's surprise, Uchiha Shizuka suddenly said in a low, firm voice.

"You are the commander here, and everything revolves around you. Everyone else can afford to fall, but you cannot, Captain So!"

"Enough with the useless talk. You are no match for them; even if you were prepared to die, you couldn't stop them, and I wouldn't be able to escape either."

Uchiha Sou couldn't help but roll his eyes at her words. Did this woman think he didn't want to leave? It was simply impossible to get away!

Of course, deep down, Uchiha Sou didn't actually want to leave, especially since his eyes were on the verge of breaking through their limits.

As they spoke, Uchiha Sou suddenly noticed mist beginning to appear all around them.

The mist was saturated with dense chakra, and under the obstruction of such chakra, his vision began to be affected.

Although he loathed this technique, he had gradually adapted to its presence over time.

Moreover, it had to be said that in the three-plus years he had spent on the battlefield, his sensory abilities had improved significantly due to his constant struggle against this very technique.

Although his system interface had yet to show a progress bar for 'Sensory Perception', he felt that if things continued like this, it wouldn't be far off.

"Get ready."

The chakra within Uchiha Sou's body began to surge continuously, and his aura grew increasingly powerful.

"As soon as I pin them both down, you leave immediately and find Shisui to bring reinforcements, understand?"

As soon as he finished speaking, he exploded with chakra beneath his feet and lunged forward in an instant, his movements incredibly swift.

The kunai in his hand tore through the thick fog as he thrust it fiercely toward the front!

Even though he was shrouded in the thick mist, he could vaguely sense someone approaching him, so he didn't hesitate for a second.

In an environment like this, retreating blindly would only let opportunities slip away, and besides, he was not the type to play passively!

"Interesting!"

The mist was cut away by the wind generated by the kunai, revealing the slightly surprised face of Juzo Biwa.

However, Juzo Biwa was a master in his own right; he sidestepped to avoid Uchiha Sou's thrust, and even had the leisure to throw an elbow strike at Uchiha Sou.

Uchiha Sou quickly performed a step-dodge to evade the blow, and at the same time, he spun the kunai in his hand, immediately following up with another strike at an awkward angle toward Juzo Biwa!

But Juzo Biwa's reaction speed was not slow either. The thick mist was his home turf; he turned sideways to avoid the reach of the kunai, while simultaneously swinging his Kubikiribōchō fiercely toward Uchiha Sou.

At this moment, however, Uchiha Sou smiled, because he had discovered something interesting.

After dodging the edge of the Kubikiribōchō, he leaped backward and said mockingly: "You keep your head down the whole time; how exactly do you plan to fight me?"

"The Sharingan is a terrifying thing. I'm not a fool, so save your breath. Instead of wasting words here, you should be thinking about what last words you haven't had the chance to say yet."

Juzo Biwa ignored Uchiha Sou's taunt and said coldly, his blade pointing once again toward Uchiha Sou.

Uchiha Sou didn't bother with any more chatter, though he sighed slightly in his heart. The advantage brought by the Sharingan was undeniable.

But in the current situation, it was clear that the advantage of the Sharingan had been neutralized; the opponent didn't dare look into his eyes, and his own field of vision was locked down within the thick fog.

"Lightning Style: Lightning Strike!"

Suddenly, while Uchiha Sou was carefully observing and sensing everything around him, he felt a terrifying thunderclap erupt behind him.

At the same time, Juzo Biwa quickly circled around, shifting his position to avoid the 'Lightning Strike' and charging toward his flank!

Uchiha Sou raised an eyebrow and quickly stepped back. Unless absolutely necessary, he would never take an enemy's attack head-on.

It was neither rational nor would it bring any benefit.

But just as he dodged, the ninja sword in Juzo Biwa's hand changed its trajectory rapidly, the terrifying edge slashing toward him and cutting off his path of retreat!

"Damn it."

Uchiha Sou couldn't help but curse under his breath. The next moment, he activated the Body Flicker Technique, and at that very instant, the lightning strike slammed fiercely into the ground.

"BOOM!"

Accompanied by a massive roar, the terrifying thunder shattered the earth, and countless fragments of rock shot wildly in all directions.

Countless trees were pierced by these stone fragments at that moment, and many were even cut clean in half!

Uchiha Sou had just landed after using the Body Flicker Technique; he had put a fair amount of distance between them, but at that moment, he sensed a gale force coming from behind him.

"Clang!"

Without a moment's hesitation, he braced his kunai against his back, stopping the strange ninja sword cold just centimeters away from him!

"Not bad, kid."

Raiga Kurosuki sneered, but this time he had learned his lesson and also avoided meeting Uchiha Sou's gaze, though a look of madness appeared on his face.

"I just wonder if you can withstand the thunder!"

Hearing these words, Uchiha Sou's expression shifted, but the ninja blades of Raiga Kurosuki were already erupting with violent arcs of electricity!

"Lightning Style: Kiba!"

The intense thunder instantly engulfed both him and Uchiha Sou, yet the madness on Raiga Kurosuki's face only grew more intense.

Having used Lightning Style for years, he didn't care at all about being covered in lightning, and he certainly didn't believe this brat before him could do the same!

Bang!

However, his expression soon froze, because as a puff of smoke emerged from Uchiha Sou's body, all that remained on the ground was a shattered boulder.

"Substitution Technique, how was it so fast? And..."

Raiga Kurosuki quickly turned around to look behind him, only to see Uchiha Sou landing on a piece of rubble, breathing slowly.

"And why could his Substitution Technique displace him so far? What on earth is going on?"

As the most basic of the Three Body Techniques, there probably wasn't a single ninja who didn't understand the Substitution Technique, but the level Uchiha Sou had just displayed truly exceeded Raiga Kurosuki's understanding.

It was truly his first time seeing someone use what was essentially a sleight-of-hand trick to such an extent!

"Huff, huff..."

Uchiha Sou had no idea what Raiga Kurosuki was thinking; he wasn't feeling well at all right now.

His speed had been fast enough, but those damned thunderbolts had still touched him, leaving his entire body with a numbing sensation.

In the middle of a battle, such a situation was absolutely fatal!

"Caught you, brat!"

Just then, Juzo Biwa suddenly appeared in his line of sight, accelerating abruptly while wielding the Kubikiribōchō, charging straight toward Uchiha Sou.

"Go to hell, brat!"

Not far away, Raiga Kurosuki moved at this exact moment as well; arcs of electricity appeared on his ninja blades once more, and he flashed forward, charging toward Uchiha Sou.

Seeing this, Uchiha Sou couldn't help but take a deep breath. A fierce glint flashed in his eyes, and then he used the kunai in his hand to stab fiercely into his own left arm!

Whether pain could alleviate numbness, he honestly didn't know, but at the very least, it provided a psychological effect, and it served as a warning to himself.

"At a time like this, I have to go all out!"

Watching the blood flow from his left arm, Uchiha Sou's eyes seemed to turn even more scarlet.

As the two of them were about to reach him, he also quickly activated