Did the Script Go Wrong? (Seeking Follow-up Reads)

"I need to find a way to resolve the issue of my identity."

Deep in the dense forest of the Land of Grass, Uchiha Hikari followed far behind Haori, though her mind was occupied with other matters.

Although she truly loathed the ninja system of this world, and detested the Uchiha Clan that had once treated her as nothing more than a tool, her feelings toward Haori—the one who shared her experiences and had rescued her—were complicated.

He was the one who had allowed her to feel a long-lost warmth, and her inner thoughts were conflicted.

Whether it was the things Haori had said to her or the small details of their daily life, everything indicated that Haori genuinely cared for her and truly considered her a friend.

Even if that guy Haori seemed to treat everyone more or less the same.

"Also, why do you have to be an Uchiha?"

Haori's identity as an Uchiha still made Hikari feel somewhat uncomfortable, even though he had invited her to burn the clan down.

But until she saw the situation for herself, Hikari remained cautious.

Regardless, she had silently come to regard Haori as half a friend in her heart.

Her insistence on following him this time was naturally because she did not want to see this "half-friend" run into any trouble.

Back in the day, as a weapon for the Uchiha, she had experienced the most brutal slaughter; she knew all too well how terrifying the battlefield could be.

However, she also noticed that her insistence on coming along seemed to have caused Haori quite a few problems.

Although Haori claimed it was no big deal, she wasn't truly foolish.

"I need to find an opportunity to see if I can find someone from the Uchiha Clan so I can borrow their identity."

She had no idea that her thoughts perfectly aligned with Haori's own.

And as she thought of this, her gaze turned dangerous.

"If that doesn't work, I'll just find a suitable person and take care of them myself; that will work too!"

She was, after all, a person from the Warring States period who had been on the battlefield and awakened the Mangekyo Sharingan; it was only natural for her to have some extreme thoughts.

But just as she was pondering, she suddenly sensed that a battle had broken out ahead.

Her brows furrowed slightly, and she immediately accelerated, rushing toward Haori's direction.

Yet, just as she was about to arrive, she suddenly noticed that fog was beginning to rise all around.

In the mist on the other side, the sound of clashing metal and the roar of jutsu rang out incessantly as Haori dodged and looked for opportunities to counterattack.

He was only one person, after all, and the Shadow Clone explosion from earlier still left him feeling quite unwell.

"Uchiha Itachi is a real freak; he can actually endure the agony of exploding a Shadow Clone."

Although Haori didn't like Uchiha Itachi, that didn't mean he couldn't imitate some of his tactics.

It was just that he had slightly underestimated the toll that exploding a Shadow Clone would take on his own body.

And it had to be said, the Kirigakure Ninja were worthy of their reputation.

They didn't seem to care at all about the death of their comrade; in fact, to them, it might even be for the better!

Zabuza was, after all, a ruthless man who had killed all his classmates, and while Kisame had not yet fully turned to darkness, he was already a man of cruel character.

Otherwise, he wouldn't have been able to strike down the only person who had truly cared for him, even if his heart had shattered afterward.

It could be said that the death of that Hozuki Clan ninja did not cause them any negative emotions; if anything, it only made them more ferocious.

Having a teammate killed right in front of them—after being toyed with the whole time—was simply unacceptable to them!

They had learned their lesson, and facing an opponent like Haori, they tacitly began to coordinate, with one attacking while the other provided support with jutsu.

However, neither of them had reached their full potential from the original story, and they had been left battered by the previous explosion.

As a result, even with their ferocious display, they held no advantage, and Haori was even beginning to regain the initiative as he slowly recovered.

"Die!"

Taking advantage of Haori dodging Kisame's Water Style, Zabuza launched an attack from behind.

Yet, even though Haori felt unwell, his attack was instantly seen through. Haori used the ninja sword he had taken from the Hozuki Clan ninja to block the strike.

Almost at the same time, he drew a kunai with his left hand and thrust it toward Zabuza's heart!

Although Zabuza kept his head down to avoid Haori's eyes as much as possible—which caused his reactions to be a beat slower—he immediately dodged when he saw Haori's movement, and Haori threw the kunai at him instead.

"Ninja Art: Kunai Rain!"

The moment he threw it, Haori performed a one-handed seal, and in an instant, the kunai multiplied into several, heading straight for Zabuza.

The Senbon Rain was a technique Haori had obtained from Shiranui Genma, but this jutsu wasn't limited to just senbon.

"Water Style: Water Wall!"

Kisame, who had been looking for an opening, reacted with extreme speed upon seeing the dense swarm of kunai.

The thick wall of water blocked all the kunai, and the moment the wall vanished, Zabuza, hidden behind it, had already finished his seals.

"Water Style: Water Dragon Jutsu!"

"Fire Style: Great Fireball Technique!"

Watching the water dragon roar toward him, Haori did not show the slightest bit of panic; he performed the hand seals rapidly without a moment's hesitation.

BOOM—

A massive fireball was spewed directly from his mouth, and the next second, the two techniques collided violently!

The deafening roar shook the air, and steam began to permeate the area rapidly. At that very moment, Haori suddenly swung his ninja blade fiercely toward his side.

CLANG—

Another crisp metallic ring echoed out; his blade had blocked a surprise attack from Kisame!

Seeing that his strike had failed, Kisame immediately leaped backward, then stood side-by-side with Zabuza.

"To be honest, I'm a bit disappointed."

Seeing this, Haori had no intention of pursuing them. He knew his own condition well, and right now, he was also feeling deeply puzzled.

Why were these two guys, Kisame and Zabuza, appearing here? It didn't seem like they were part of the original story.

After all, in the original work, those Kirigakure Anbu were all wiped out, which made him feel like the script had gone wrong.

However, he still needed to observe these matters further, and besides, he needed a moment to recover his strength.

"Because you two guys can't even manage to entertain me."

Damn Uchiha!

Hearing Haori's words, Kisame and Zabuza nearly lost their composure, and they couldn't help but curse fiercely in their hearts.

But they did have some self-awareness; they truly felt helpless when facing this young Uchiha!

That sense of powerlessness made them feel a touch of despair. Were all these Uchiha monsters?

Yet, they could only think these things to themselves, and they remained on high alert, ready to attack at any moment.

"It seems our battle must continue, then."

Haori shrugged indifferently, raised the ninja blade in his hand, and said chillingly.

"I hope that next, you can at least make me feel some pressure!"

As soon as his voice fell, Haori's chakra began to surge wildly, but at that very moment, a violent, booming sound suddenly erupted!

The intense shockwave was enough to make even Haori struggle to keep his footing, and at the same time, the mist that had been permeating the surroundings began to dissipate.

Most importantly, Haori was stunned to discover a ring of black flames appearing right at his feet!

These flames did not explode directly, but seemed to be protecting him instead. Just seeing these flames left Haori momentarily dazed.

And at this moment, he felt more and more that the script had truly gone wrong, all because of these flames.

"This is... Amaterasu?"

Thanks to the big boss Xizhuang Haishi Baicunshan for the tip, thank you, thank you!

Damn it, I forgot to set the timer, sliding on my knees to apologize QAQ

A newbie begging for follow-up reads; current follow-up reads determine everything for a book, and letting a book sit in your library too long will easily kill it.

Thank you, everyone! Onz