Sharingan Youth

"Six people, they're Kirigakure ninja."

As these dark figures entered the cave one after another, Uchiha Sou not only saw exactly how many there were, but immediately identified their affiliation.

Understanding this, Uchiha Sou's hand slowly moved to the ninja tool pouch at his waist, his thumb hooking a kunai.

However, he did not make a move, continuing to observe the situation of these six individuals.

While the Sharingan's effectiveness in reconnaissance cannot compare to the Byakugan, it still reveals quite a lot, such as the flow of the enemy's chakra.

Judging by their chakra capacity, Uchiha Sou knew that only one of them was a jonin.

This was good news, but they also had three chunin and two genin, which was a combat force not to be underestimated.

Strictly speaking, the world of Naruto is truly bizarre.

Even someone as strong as Uchiha Madara could still be killed by a sneak attack; one only needs to look at Black Zetsu, who spoke so intimately with Uchiha Madara, to know that.

In the original story, chunin were basically nameless nobodies, but in reality, the combat power of a chunin should not be taken lightly.

A qualified chunin, provided they don't make a mistake, is not so easy to deal with, even for a jonin.

Even for a jonin, killing a genin who isn't making any blunders while under the watchful eye of a peer-level opponent is an extremely difficult task.

The duel between Kakashi and Zabuza in the original story vividly demonstrated this.

Therefore, Uchiha Sou had always believed that a ninja's rank was more of a symbolic status, or perhaps a reflection of their standing within a village.

"Let's rest here and continue our journey tomorrow."

Just then, the leader of these Kirigakure ninja spoke, his voice sounding somewhat hoarse, sending a chill down one's spine.

"Yes, Captain." After his voice fell, the other Kirigakure ninja immediately responded.

"Takeda, stop thinking about it. Even if you are in pain, you cannot change anything."

The Kirigakure captain scanned everyone present before locking his gaze on the last figure.

"Your brother is already dead. I know you want to take revenge yourself, but we have a more important mission. I hope you can focus."

"Captain, my brother died a glorious death in battle; there is nothing to be sad about."

Unexpectedly, the young Kirigakure ninja shook his head coldly, his indifferent tone suggesting as if the person who died wasn't his brother at all.

"Besides, some people have already gone to chase those Konoha ninja who are like stray dogs. I believe they will never leave here alive."

"Is that so? I understand." The captain frowned, then could only nod and say no more.

Uchiha Sou, who had been hiding behind a rock, could clearly sense that the captain seemed to feel a trace of unease regarding this young ninja's attitude.

Uchiha Sou himself could also perceive that the scent of blood on this cold, indifferent young ninja was even thicker than that of the captain.

A product of the Blood Mist policy?

Uchiha Sou pondered silently. He knew this was Uchiha Madara's handiwork, though it had not yet reached its peak.

The true peak would come when Uchiha Obito took over Madara's political legacy and began his crazed retaliation in Kirigakure.

However, this was not what Uchiha Sou was most concerned about; he was most concerned about the Konoha squad these people had mentioned!

He never expected that he would encounter other teams so quickly.

"Who's there?"

Suddenly, the jonin captain who had just sat down let out a roar, and a kunai was fired directly toward a shadow in the cave.

Soon, a green figure was forced to jump out from the shadows; it was clear that Might Guy had been exposed.

The Kirigakure ninja reacted quickly, immediately becoming alert and drawing their weapons.

Damn it!

Seeing this, Uchiha Sou couldn't help but curse inwardly, though he didn't blame Might Guy.

Although Might Guy was already a qualified ninja, he only excelled in taijutsu, and his actual age was only twelve or thirteen.

Perhaps this guy couldn't control himself once he heard that Konoha ninja were in danger.

Thinking of this, Uchiha Sou knew he couldn't hide any longer. He immediately formed hand seals, and the chakra within him surged.

"Fire Style: Phoenix Flower Jutsu!"

Flames resembling seeds of the phoenix flower shot out in all directions. Although these flames were not very powerful, they covered a very wide area.

Almost all the Kirigakure ninja were covered by his flames, which also gave Might Guy a chance to break free.

"Ninja Art: Senbon Rain!"

Shiranui Genma also made his move at this moment, firing a dense barrage of senbon from the flank of the Kirigakure ninja.

These senbon were extremely fast. The two genin had just dodged Uchiha Sou's fire jutsu and were unable to react in time, getting pierced by several needles.

However, senbon were not kunai, and Shiranui Genma had not coated them with poison, so the damage they could inflict was indeed limited.

The two did not die instantly, but their mobility was severely restricted.

"Enemy attack! Three of them. Take them out."

The Mist ninja captain reacted with lightning speed; the moment he dodged Uchiha Sou's Fire Style, he drew his ninja blade to deflect Shiranui Genma's senbon.

He scanned his surroundings and quickly issued an order, yet he did not choose to act immediately, choosing instead to watch the area with vigilance.

Although three people could form a squad, these three figures were clearly just brats, so he had to be careful about whether there was another jonin leading them.

Just then, a sense of extreme, ominous danger suddenly welled up in his heart, the icy sensation making his hair stand on end!

He lowered his body almost instinctively while swinging his blade fiercely behind him, yet he still felt a stinging pain radiate from his shoulder.

Such speed was simply unbelievable!

In that split second, his gaze shifted slightly upward, and he instantly caught sight of a youth with scarlet eyes!

"Sharingan? The Uchiha clan?"

Because Uchiha Sou had been hiding behind a rock and had not emerged immediately, the Mist captain had only seen a vague silhouette by the firelight and had not noticed the presence of the Sharingan.

But now he saw it clearly, and he immediately identified exactly who he was facing.

What made his heart race even more was that this brat's Sharingan had actually reached the Three Tomoe state!

There was a saying in the ninja world: if you are alone against a Sharingan master, you must flee; if there are two of you, you can attempt to attack their rear.

As a long-time rival of Konoha, this Mist captain knew this better than anyone, yet no matter how well he knew it, he realized a terrifying truth.

"Damn it!"

His gaze had already locked with the Sharingan youth before him!

Even though he reacted with lightning speed and tried to close his eyes, he could already feel a bizarre chakra spreading through his mind.

At that very moment, his mind went blank, leaving only those scarlet Three Tomoe slowly spinning within his consciousness.