Drawn Blood

Scenes like this were happening all across the battlefield. With Tsunade providing long-range healing, trading wounds for kills was the perfect strategy for the Konoha Ninja.

While Tsunade still had enough chakra, they had to wear down Sunagakure's fighting strength as quickly as possible.

This situation also made Ebizo, who had been keeping a close eye on the battlefield, realize something was wrong. The Konoha Ninja seemed far too fierce.

Some Konoha Ninja didn't even bother defending against nonlethal jutsu, taking the attacks head-on just to kill their Sunagakure opponents. They even ignored attacks from shuriken and kunai.

Though his heart was filled with hatred, it didn't cloud Ebizo's judgment. After watching carefully for a moment, he immediately realized something was wrong.

With a Body Flicker, he entered the fray and killed a Konoha Chunin with one strike. Then he reached into the Chunin's clothes.

Watching the struggling Katsuyu in his hand, Ebizo's expression darkened as he understood everything.

"First Sunagakure unit, retreat! Send in the Puppet unit! Wind Release squad, get ready!"

After a moment's thought, Ebizo immediately came up with a response. The Konoha Ninja couldn't keep fighting like this for long. They had to switch to puppets to counter them.

"That's exactly what we've been waiting for. Seiichi, tell the Konoha Vanguard to fall back and recover! Sakumo, we're counting on you."

Nara Rurin, who had been watching the battlefield, brightened at the sight. He immediately gave instructions to the Yamanaka Ninja beside him, then spoke softly into the empty air in front of him.

"Understood."

On the right side of the battlefield, Hatake Sakumo, hidden in the windblown sand, nodded slightly when he heard the voice in his ear.

"Anbu First, Third, and Seventh Squads, with me. The rest, follow the plan."

Hatake Sakumo rose to his feet, drew the White Fang from his back, and spoke coldly.

"Yes!"

Nearby, Uchiha Gen saw Tsunade stop using the Creation Rebirth technique. He nodded to her, then used the Body Flicker to head straight for the battlefield.

Tsunade, feeling weak from the heavy chakra expenditure, smiled faintly as she watched the spot where Uchiha Gen had disappeared. Then she lay down and promptly fell asleep.

"Kid, come back alive."

On the battlefield.

Uchiha Gen walked across the sand with Mingzun at his waist. Seeing the mutilated corpses around him and the bloodstained ground, he felt remarkably calm.

Just as I expected. I seem to have gotten used to blood long ago. Still, this scene really is disgusting.

A crimson light flickered in his eyes. The three tomoe spun together, then quickly separated again.

Whoosh!

A sharp whistle cut through the air as an iron barb shot toward him from a distance.

Clang!

Mingzun leaped from its sheath in a flash of white. The iron barb, which had been flying straight at his face, was knocked away.

"Look what we've got here—a little brat! Hahahaha! Is Konoha really that short on people? They're sending a snot-nosed kid to the battlefield.

"Guys, looks like we're in luck. He knocked away my Ant Puppet's barb, so this kid must be a Konoha prodigy, right?

"Just thinking about killing a shinobi like that gets me excited!"

In the direction the iron barb had come from, a Sand Ninja with several strings attached to his hand glared viciously at Uchiha Gen. Beside him stood a pitch-black puppet with its mouth agape.

The iron barb had been fired by that puppet.

Behind the puppet-user stood several more Sunagakure Ninja. They wore white cloth over their heads, leaving only their bloodshot eyes exposed.

"Yeah, you're pretty lucky."

Uchiha Gen looked up and smiled at the three Sunagakure Ninja before him.

"Still smiling when you're about to die, brat? You've made me angry! Puppet Technique: Ant—Wait! Those eyes! No way! No, don't look at his eyes!"

Seeing Uchiha Gen smile, the Sand Ninja flared with anger and moved to send his puppet forward to tear him apart. But the instant he saw the crimson glow in Uchiha Gen's eyes, shock flooded his face and he shouted.

Too late.

The Uchiha's eyes were not something to look at so casually.

Pfft!

The sound of metal piercing flesh rang out. The Sunagakure Ninja's Ant Puppet stabbed the companion beside him through the stomach. At the same time, a flash of lightning bloomed across the necks of another Sunagakure Ninja and the puppeteer controlled by the Sharingan.

"Thunder Breathing: First Form—Thunderclap Flash."

Blood splattered onto the sand, then trickled across it.

Uchiha Gen flicked the blood from Mingzun and calmly returned it to its sheath.

[Defeated a D-rank target. Obtained 1 draw from the D-rank card pool.]

[Defeated 2 C-rank targets. Obtained 2 draws from the C-rank card pool.]

"Sure enough, the battlefield is where I belong."

Hearing the system notifications in his ear, Uchiha Gen spoke softly.

It was his first time killing someone, but he felt no discomfort. He had spent so much time in the Medical Department performing countless surgeries, and his strength had continued to improve. It seemed he simply wasn't that averse to death and blood.

He didn't choose to draw from the card pool right away. A golden aura rose around him—his next opponent had arrived.

"Did you kill them?"

The Sunagakure jōnin stared grimly at Uchiha Gen, whose body was wreathed in golden flames. The three men Uchiha Gen had just killed had been his subordinates.

"No, they killed each other. Look—it's obvious."

Uchiha Gen's smile didn't falter. He even pointed cheerfully at the Ant Puppet that had stabbed the Sunagakure Ninja through the stomach.

"Kid, you may be strong to have beaten Fubei and the others, but even against a jōnin—let alone an elite jōnin—that's no reason to act so arrogantly."

Seeing Uchiha Gen's taunting smile, the Sand Ninja's expression turned icy, and his eyes filled with murderous intent. He told Uchiha Gen how strong he was, wanting him to be tortured to death in despair as revenge for his three disciples.

"Enough talk."

Uchiha Gen's voice suddenly came from far away, then close by. A deadly sense of danger swept over the Sand Ninja.

Without hesitation, the Sunagakure jōnin used the Body Flicker to dodge.

Boom!

Sand billowed everywhere. A huge crater appeared in the ground where the Sunagakure jōnin had just been standing.

The Sunagakure jōnin, who had used the Body Flicker to dodge, watched the swirling sand and felt his heart sink. This Konoha kid seemed more formidable than he'd expected.

Crackle!

Lightning tore through the sandstorm, and a harsh, grating sound rang out across the battlefield.

A streak of lightning reached the Sunagakure jōnin in an instant.