Time seemed to stretch endlessly in that moment.
Tobirama Senju's figure rapidly grew larger in Uchiha Sou's Sharingan vision. His icy killing intent was like a tangible needle, pricking Sou's skin and nearly freezing his blood and thoughts. His opponent was too fast, his angle too tricky, and every possible escape route was completely blocked!
Was this the strength of a Kage Level fighter? His targeted killing intent alone had nearly robbed Sou of the courage to fight back!
"I'm going to die!" "I'm definitely going to die!"
His brain was frantically sounding the alarm, and fear surged over him like a tide. But beneath that crushing pressure of death, something deep in the Uchiha bloodline was ignited—resentment, anger, and the most primal desire to survive!
"No!!!"
A hoarse roar burst from Uchiha Sou's throat. His body, stiffened by fear, was driven by instinct to survive. The Chakra inside him surged at an unprecedented speed, all of it rushing toward his eyes!
A ripping pain shot through his eye sockets, and the world in his vision abruptly changed!
Tobirama Senju was hurtling toward him. His movements, the minute tremors in his muscles, the paths of his Chakra, even the way dust might rise where he could land next... All this impossibly complex information flooded into Uchiha Sou's brain like a rushing torrent, clearer than ever before!
The Single Tomoe Sharingan spun frantically at an unprecedented speed. The edge of its lone Tomoe seemed to blur, as if it were about to split! Under the pressure of death, his Dojutsu Power erupted beyond its limits!
He could see it! Tobirama was still impossibly fast, but no longer an untraceable blur!
The cold arc traced by the specially made Kunai in Tobirama Senju's hand was aimed precisely at Sou's throat!
He couldn't dodge! There was no way he could dodge!
The decision came in an instant. Uchiha Sou made the most instinctive, and most helpless, choice he could—he threw himself backward with all his strength, while desperately raising his Kunai to block, trying to deflect the killing blow. He could even feel the chill of the Kunai's tip as it pierced the air!
At that critical moment—
"Get away from him, Tobirama!"
With a furious roar, a blazing red figure slammed in from the side and behind like a meteor! It was Izuna Uchiha!
He had clearly pushed himself beyond his limits, even taking the brunt of the lingering force from Tobirama's earlier attack, all just to seize that life-saving instant! Flames compressed to their limit coiled around his blade. He wasn't slashing; he was charging with the most direct, savage impact, straight at Tobirama's ribs, forcing him to defend!
If Tobirama insisted on killing Sou, he would inevitably be badly wounded by Izuna's furious blow!
Tobirama Senju's icy expression finally shifted ever so slightly. It was the displeasure of having his calculations disrupted. In a flash, he weighed his options.
Killing a promising young Uchiha was certainly important, but trading it for a grievous injury wasn't worth it. Especially when facing an enraged Izuna Uchiha.
His wrist flicked with the utmost subtlety, shifting the Kunai's trajectory by a hair's breadth. The deadly thrust at Sou's throat became a slash at the Kunai he was using to block and at his chest. At the same time, Tobirama twisted in midair in a way that defied the laws of physics, completing Hand Seals with his other hand.
"Water Style: Water Blade Slash!"
A high-pressure blade of water met Izuna's fiery charge.
Ssshh—!
A piercing clash of energy rang out!
Thud!
At the same time, Tobirama's redirected Kunai easily knocked aside Uchiha Sou's futile block. Its sharp tip sliced across Sou's chest, drawing a line of blood and nearly exposing the ribs beneath!
The immense impact sent Uchiha Sou flying. He slammed into a charred boulder, spat out a mouthful of blood, and nearly blacked out. A scorching pain burned in his chest; every breath felt like a knife slicing into him.
But in the end... he had barely survived!
"Sou!" Izuna cried out in shock and fury, but Tobirama had him thoroughly occupied. The two clashed fiercely once more, the explosions of water and fire ringing without pause as the shock waves continued to tear the ground apart.
"Cough, cough..." Uchiha Sou coughed violently and struggled to get up, but the pain in his chest and his excessive Chakra depletion left him nearly drained. Leaning against the boulder, he panted with difficulty, his Sharingan still fixed on the battlefield.
The lone Tomoe in his eye gradually slowed, but its shape had become clearer and more solid than before. That brief glimpse, when he had pushed his potential beyond its limits, had raised his understanding and use of the Sharingan to another level. It seemed the Two-Tomoe Sharingan was truly just a thin veil away.
More importantly, he had personally experienced death brushing past him at the hands of a top-tier fighter! That crushing pressure, those killing techniques perfected to the utmost precision, were etched deeply into his mind.
He watched Uncle Izuna abandon all defense to save him, attacking Tobirama with near-madness. Every strike was vicious, a desperate fight with life on the line. For the moment, he had actually managed to suppress Tobirama.
Was it because of him? Had Uncle Izuna been pushed into even greater danger because of him, this "unexpected complication"?
If he hadn't been trying to save Sou, Uncle Izuna could have handled Tobirama with much more ease...
That thought of "change" surfaced again, now accompanied by a heavier sense of guilt and confusion.
Just then, a Senju ninja seemed to realize that Uchiha Sou was at the end of his strength. A vicious glint flashed in his eyes as he broke past an Uchiha clansman's interception and charged at Sou, swinging his Ninja Blade!
"Damn brat, die!"
Uchiha Sou's pupils contracted. He tried to struggle to his feet, but the movement pulled at his wound and slowed him down. The blade was about to reach him—
Whoosh! Whoosh! Whoosh!
Several Shuriken shot in from the side with pinpoint accuracy, cutting off every route of attack and forcing the Senju ninja to retreat and block.
Uchiha reinforcements had arrived!
Several Uchiha ninja quickly gathered around Uchiha Sou, protecting him as they fought the Senju ninja trying to rush over and take advantage of him.
"Can you still move?" one of his clansmen asked quickly, keeping his eyes fixed on the enemy.
"I can..." Uchiha Sou gritted his teeth, endured the pain, and used his Kunai to support himself as he stood. He knew that on the battlefield, falling down usually meant death.
As reinforcements from both sides continued to arrive and the clashes between powerful fighters reached a stalemate, the battle gradually descended into even greater chaos and deadlock. The entire valley had become a living hell, and people were falling every moment.
After another fierce clash with Izuna, Tobirama Senju used the force to leap backward, his cold gaze sweeping over the entire battlefield. He saw that the Uchiha were still resisting stubbornly, while Izuna's desperation to save someone had brought out more fighting power than expected. If they kept fighting, even if he won, the cost would be great—and he had already achieved his original goal of "silencing" them.
He made his decision without hesitation.
"Retreat!" Tobirama's icy voice rang clearly in every Senju ninja's ears.
The Senju Clan's ninja were well trained. At the command, they immediately disengaged from their opponents, covering one another as they quickly retreated out of the valley, moving briskly without lingering to fight.
"You think you can run?!" Izuna roared, trying to pursue them.
But Tobirama turned back and formed Hand Seals.
"Water Style: Great Exploding Water Colliding Wave!"
A colossal wave appeared out of nowhere, surging like a burst dam. It swept away the burning wreckage in an instant and flooded the entire valley floor, forcibly blocking the Uchiha from pursuing.
Izuna could only stop in frustration, using Fire Style to evaporate the oncoming water as he watched the Senju disappear into the dark forest.
The battle had begun abruptly, and ended just as abruptly.
The valley was in ruins. All that remained was the crackling of flames, the sound of flowing water, and the pained groans of the wounded.
Uchiha Sou slumped back against the boulder, panting heavily. Blood still seeped from the wound in his chest, staining his dark clothes red. He stared in the direction where Tobirama Senju had disappeared, his expression impossible to read.
He had survived... But had all of this really been just a coincidence?
He lowered his head and looked at his still slightly trembling hand. The Kunai clenched in it still bore faint scratches from clashing with Tobirama's weapon.
The butterfly's wings seemed to have already stirred an unpredictable storm. And he, too, was being swept along by it toward an unknown future. The barrier to the Two-Tomoe Sharingan seemed to have begun to give way in the face of life and death.
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