Art Is an Explosion

Since Misaka Mikoto might become one of his followers, there was nothing wrong with being a little "enthusiastic" toward the girl.

Uchiha Fucheng's previously cold demeanor changed.

After all, he had finally found a follower recognized by the system. His most pressing task now was to increase her approval rating.

Perhaps once it reached one hundred percent, he would be able to use the reward.

Fucheng casually sealed the heads of the Sand Ninja Chunin and puppet master inside a scroll.

In a gentle tone, he asked Mikoto, "Why were you Chunin and Genin operating alone on the battlefield?"

Mikoto's eyes dimmed slightly.

She pointed to the roadside, where two Konoha Genin lay dead, their blood still fresh.

She said sadly, "We had four Chunin squads escorting supplies when Sand Ninja ambushed us halfway. A few Genin and I ran alongside the supply carts, but we got separated from the main force.

"Just now, we ran into the Sand Ninja puppet master and that masked Chunin in these woods.

"His puppets killed two of us with poisoned needles. The three Genin who are still here and I are all that's left."

As they spoke, Uchiha Hezi, who had just withdrawn, returned with two civilian-born Genin and the supply carts that had spooked and run off.

Looking at the Sand Ninja corpses scattered around them, Hezi was visibly excited. "Lord Fucheng, I'm the Second Elder's granddaughter! My name is Uchiha Hezi. We'd have been done for if you hadn't saved us!"

The flushed-cheeked girl stared at him with a pair of One-Tomoe Sharingan, eagerly recounting what had happened.

Uchiha Hezi looked as though she had just survived a catastrophe.

The experience of standing on the brink of life and death had scared her Sharingan into awakening.

Uchiha Fucheng encouraged her. "You did well, too. A twelve-year-old girl who can awaken the Sharingan will soon be able to become a Chunin."

Hezi lowered her head slightly. "My comrades protected me. Otherwise, I wouldn't have awakened it."

Following Hezi's gaze, Fucheng saw the body of a Genin lying on his back beside the road.

The position of his body and the green wound on his arm suggested he had taken a poisoned kunai meant for someone else.

Hezi murmured, "This poison the Sand Ninja call 'Chiyo Poison' is too strong. The antidotes we brought didn't work."

Fucheng sighed inwardly. Whatever the case, they're only twelve-year-old children. War is too cruel for kids who haven't even grown up yet!

Before his rebirth, Li Fucheng had made his fortune as a small-time mining boss on Earth by "relying on his brothers and having the biggest fists." He admitted that he wasn't exactly a "good person."

He was just ruthless, bold, and had some basic moral standards that his brothers respected.

But compared to the people in the shinobi world, his values were practically as pure as a "white lotus."

At fifteen or sixteen, according to the memories he had inherited, he had personally killed at least a hundred people.

What did that even mean? Even the most deranged serial killer on Earth might not have killed a hundred people.

No wonder so few of the Uchiha on the battlefield ever lost control.

The psychological strain of battle was simply too great.

Though Fucheng wasn't their Jonin squad leader, he was currently the only Jonin combatant there, so he quickly assigned everyone their next tasks.

"Quickly clear the area and move the supplies back to the southwest. The main force of our reinforcements is on its way here from the southwest."

After arranging for the others to retreat, Uchiha Fucheng planned to return to the battlefield first.

Perhaps now that he was stronger, he'd be safer if he reunited with Uchiha Yashiro and the others.

But Mikoto, who had just left, hadn't gone far before running into even greater trouble!

Once again, Uchiha Hezi was the first to sense danger. With the Sharingan's keen vision, she noticed something unusual beneath the roadside sand.

"Watch out, there's an ambush! Fire Release: Great Fireball Technique!"

Uchiha Hezi knew her Fire Release wasn't very powerful.

But she wasn't trying to hurt anyone. She remembered Uchiha Fucheng was still nearby, so she wanted to use a conspicuous Fire Release technique to alert him that an enemy had appeared.

The enemy beneath the sand leaped straight out when struck by the Fire Release.

It was as if he had been moving freely underground just moments ago.

"A shinobi from the Land of Fire actually managed to spot me. Not bad."

The shinobi, wearing a Sand Ninja Forehead Protector, showed no sign of anxiety at being discovered. Instead, he brazenly emerged from beneath the sand.

The Great Fireball Technique had been like a tiny firework going off beside him. It hadn't threatened him in the slightest.

The mysterious shinobi was not only masked but also wore goggles characteristic of the Land of Rain.

His style was a strange mix of unusual gear.

Were it not for the obvious stone armor on his body, marked with traces of Earth Release, he wouldn't have looked much like a normal shinobi at all.

Uchiha Hezi's Great Fireball Technique had done nothing more than blacken a small patch of his Earth Release defense.

He was strong!

Misaka Mikoto knew Fucheng wasn't far away and would come to their aid as soon as he heard the commotion.

So she was much calmer than she'd been when they encountered the puppet master.

As she watched the mysterious shinobi concealing his identity, Mikoto carefully shielded the few Genin around her.

She intended to stall for time until help arrived.

The enemy could clearly tell what Mikoto was trying to do, but he merely sneered in unconcern.

"The battle at the Sand Ninja front hasn't even ended. What kind of expert do you think is going to come help you? Why not quietly enjoy death and the art of explosions?"

To Mikoto, everything about the mysterious shinobi, from his Sand Ninja Forehead Protector to his Land of Rain goggles, seemed suspicious.

His ability to hide underground and the Earth Release technique that had withstood the Great Fireball both reminded Mikoto of a certain hidden village.

Iwagakure.

The technique he had used to lurk beneath the ground in particular resembled Iwagakure's signature technique, Earth Style: Subterranean Voyage.

The mysterious shinobi seemed supremely confident.

He was proud of his strength, and even his disguise was carelessly done.

Perhaps he thought that as long as he killed everyone, it didn't matter whether his disguise succeeded.

Before Misaka Mikoto could analyze the situation further, the enemy appeared right in front of her with the Body Flicker Technique.

His fist came swinging with the sound of a fiery explosion.

I can't block that!

Mikoto's heart jolted.

She used lightning to stimulate her body and darted left at top speed.

The flaming fist she had barely dodged slammed into the ground beneath her, leaving a crater three or four meters across.

"Explosion Release: Landmine Fist!"

Boom! Rumble!

A string of explosions and shock waves sent Mikoto, who had dodged the direct attack, flying more than ten meters.

A wound eight or nine centimeters long had torn through her Chunin vest.

A conical shard of rock, over ten centimeters long, had also pierced her left shoulder.

Uchiha Hezi and the other two Genin stood terrified behind the supply cart. All they could do was throw kunai and try to distract their enemy.

Explosion Release was devastatingly powerful.

The mysterious man used Explosion Release: Landmine Fist again, blasting away all seven or eight kunai thrown at him.

Because Mikoto was fast, the enemy didn't pursue her after she sustained only minor injuries.

Instead, like a charging bull, he swung his fists and rushed toward the three of them.

"Face death!"

The Explosion Release shinobi spoke with a twisted expression and a cruel tone.

"Art is an Explosion!"