Opening Eyes

"Juri, fall back. I'll take the lead."

"Hey, Senju! How dare you order me around—"

Before she could finish, Diejian rushed in front of Juri and drew his short blade from his bosom.

The sound of the tsuba clashing—a sliver of silver blade emerging from the scabbard blocked the enemy's strike.

A hair's breadth away.

Juri gasped.

Body Flicker Technique.

This is a fundamental taijutsu that gathers chakra in the feet to exceed the user's limits in an instant, providing a leap in speed.

Due to its nature, it is difficult to sustain, but it is one of the most suitable techniques for surprise attacks and escapes.

Though the principles differ, a perfected Body Flicker Technique can unleash a surprise factor in close-quarters combat that rivals the signature Flying Thunder God of the Second Hokage, Tobirama.

Diejian pulled the blade that had blocked the enemy's strike fully from its sheath in one motion, parrying the enemy's sword.

The Kumogakure Genin leaped backward in sync with Diejian's movement, creating distance.

Diejian dashed forward without a moment's hesitation.

He dodged the enemy's Kunai with movements that seemed to skim the ground, fully utilizing his gale-like speed.

"Don't mess with me!!"

This outburst contained all of Juri's frustration.

The glance Diejian had thrown at her before rushing out, as if speaking were a waste of time, had wounded her pride.

Are you trying to say I'm a burden?!

Juri pulled a scroll from her ninja tool pouch and snapped it open in mid-air.

Inscribed on the scroll was a Weapon Summoning Formula.

With a "poof" of smoke, the scroll hit the ground.

Emerging from the smoke was a throwing weapon far too massive to be called a mere shuriken.

Its size was large enough to cover Juri's upper body, and she grabbed it as if dragging it out.

Along the line of her downward swing—toward the back of Diejian, who was currently clashing with the enemy—she threw the shuriken.

Diejian, pursuing the enemy, aimed for the opponent's neck and swung his short blade in a backhand horizontal slash.

The Kumogakure Genin skillfully deflected Diejian's blade upward with the tip of his own backhanded short sword.

Not only that, but he formed hand seals with his free hand right in front of Diejian.

Normally, ninjutsu requires both hands to form seals.

However, there are occasionally those capable of activating techniques with one hand alone.

This Kumogakure Genin was evidently one of them.

With cheeks puffed out like a frog and his head tilted back, Diejian recognized the telltale signs of a technique being activated.

At this rate, he would be hit "in every sense of the word"—Diejian quickly retracted his extended arm and performed a sweep kick against himself to break his balance, using it as an evasive maneuver.

"Lava Release: Rubber Bullet Technique!!"

The rubber bullet shot from the Kumogakure Genin's mouth grazed the hair of Diejian, who had been forced to change his posture.

Enduring the pain of his hair being torn out, Diejian planted his hands on the ground to support his falling body.

"What!?"

The Kumogakure Genin let out a cry of astonishment.

The massive shuriken appearing before his eyes—it was the Fuma Shuriken Juri had thrown from behind Diejian.

The Kumogakure Genin leaned back at the last second to dodge, watching the giant Fuma Shuriken fly past his face in a cold sweat, while simultaneously firing a rubber bullet into its side.

"Hiyah!"

The Fuma Shuriken was knocked upward, drawing his attention.

Taking advantage of the opening, Diejian launched a sweep kick at the Kumogakure Genin.

The opponent reacted to the low attack with lightning speed, performing a back handspring just as he was about to be knocked down.

But it wasn't over yet.

"It's not over!!"

"These guys!!"

Juri roared—the shuriken that should have been deflected changed its trajectory in mid-air following the downward motion of her hands.

The vertically plummeting shuriken aimed for the Kumogakure Genin's exposed abdomen.

Targeted while unable to gain leverage in the air, the Kumogakure Genin could not dodge and let out a cry of resentment.

However, this was a team battle.

"Water Release: Water Bullet Technique!"

The Kumogakure ninja, who had been keeping his distance, unleashed the Water Release: Water Bullet Technique.

This was a basic water-style ninjutsu that Diejian had also once excelled at.

It was a technique that spat a mass of water from the mouth, the size of which varied according to the user's chakra reserves.

Judging by the size of the water sphere, the Kumogakure Genin did not have much chakra. Diejian, supporting himself on all fours, used the strength of his arms to leap into the air.

His triceps bulged, and veins stood out on his biceps.

"Good, I deflected it!"

"Is that really so?"

"What, could it be!?"

While the Kumogakure Genin was immersed in the sense of accomplishment from protecting his comrade, Juri scoffed at him.

The shuriken that should have been deflected was still aimed at the Kumogakure Genin.

He wanted to use water-style again, but the shuriken was already too close to the Kumogakure Genin.

"Fuma Shuriken—Shadow Windmill. Witness the shurikenjutsu passed down through the Uchiha Style!"

In truth, it was nothing special.

It was merely a simple concealment technique where another shuriken was hidden in the shadow of the giant Fuma Shuriken.

But precisely because it was simple, the effect was superb.

Furthermore, by infusing her own chakra into the shuriken, Juri achieved a degree of remote control.

The moment before the water bullet was about to strike, she slowed the shuriken hidden in the shadow, sacrificing the lead one to ensure the other would hit.

"Got you!!"

"It's a Substitution Technique..."

Juri shouted.

Diejian whispered calmly.

The result—at the moment of impact, the Kumogakure ninja turned into a log amidst a puff of smoke.

Diejian scanned his surroundings, his ears reacting to the sound of rustling leaves.

The source of the sound was not too far away, but it was not close enough to close the distance immediately.

What Diejian caught in the corner of his eye was the Kumogakure Genin, whose movements had stalled in surprise.

He had been observing since a moment ago; the ninja's strength was a cut below the Kumogakure Genin.

After making a split-second decision based on reflex, Diejian threw a shuriken at the Kumogakure Genin.

The Kumogakure Genin scoffed at the single shuriken, but the next instant, his eyes widened in shock.

"Ninja Art—Shuriken Shadow Clone Technique."

This technique, which turns one shuriken into dozens through shadow clones, requires very little chakra compared to its performance and high versatility.

Moreover, it only consumes one shuriken, making it one of Diejian's favorite ninjutsu—friendly to both his chakra reserves and his wallet.

There was no escaping the barrage formed by the countless shuriken.

The Kumogakure Genin wore a cowardly expression, shielding his face with his arms.

"Lava Release: Rubber Wall!"

"Sorry, I'm saved!"

Countless shuriken pierced into the rubber wall created by the Kumogakure Genin who had rushed over.

The Kumogakure Genin who had just breathed a sigh of relief and the Kumogakure Genin who had just finished casting his technique—Diejian would not let this opening pass.

"Body Flicker Slash!!"

Hidden in the shadow of the shuriken barrage, Diejian circled to the side and activated the Body Flicker Technique.

Diejian approached at an astonishing speed, causing the Kumogakure Genin to react, albeit a half-beat too late.

Diejian, having underestimated the opponent, could not counter this retaliation, never expecting a counterattack at such a moment.

Sword lights crossed, and blood splattered.

He pressed his hand tightly against his left eye—blood gushed out from between his fingers.

"Senju..."

Returning to Juri's side, Diejian had a red sword mark running from his cheek to his shoulder.

By hunching his shoulders a split second earlier to protect his neck, Diejian had narrowly avoided having his carotid artery severed.

Diejian's expression twisted in agony—the wound split open on his cheek was deep enough to reveal bone, and blood flowed down like a waterfall.

Moreover, the wound extended all the way to his shoulder, and one of Diejian's arms hung limply, soaked in blood.

One lost an eye, the other lost an arm.

With the Kumogakure Genin missing half his field of vision and Diejian's techniques suppressed—facing such an unfavorable situation, Shuri could not hide her astonishment.

Senju Diejian was the peak that Uchiha Shuri had challenged many times yet failed to reach; he was an object of hatred, yet also the very target she strove to surpass.

Shuri knew that even though Diejian had once lost his techniques and fallen to the rank of a dead-last, over these past two years, he had returned to the ranks of the top combatants among the Konoha Genin.

Though she was unwilling to admit it, Shuri, who had always burned with a fierce sense of rivalry, held a shred of respect for Diejian.

His strength was guaranteed, and she had assumed those noisy days would last forever, with Diejian always wearing that infuriating, foolish face—

"Shuri, don't space out!!"

Diejian's angry roar and the discordant sound of clashing metal pulled Shuri's consciousness back.

Diejian, who had rushed forward to protect Shuri as she was targeted once again, was currently being suppressed by the Kumogakure Genin, who had seized the moment to swing his short blades with both hands.

Although the length of the blade gave him the advantage, the distribution of power between one hand and two was entirely different.

"I, I'll provide support immediately—you jerk, get out of my way!!"

"I won't let you succeed. Useless Miss Uchiha."

"Oh... to dare spout such arrogant nonsense, you lowly commoner. Do not underestimate the Uchiha!!"

Facing the water bullet that grazed past her, Shuri, who was about to charge out, planted her feet firmly and leaped backward.

Sensing the advantage on his side, the Kirigakure Genin grinned, grating on Shuri's nerves.

With Konoha and Kirigakure clashing, Shuri instantly raised her staff and swung it down at the Kirigakure Genin with the momentum of someone trying to crush their opponent.

The Kirigakure Genin crossed his Kunai in an 'X' to block the strike, meeting Shuri's staff technique with his dual-blade style.

Diejian glanced at Shuri, who had been perfectly lured in, and sighed helplessly to himself.

His face was covered in blood, yet he bared his teeth, forming an unskilled, affected, and truly annoying smile.

To the Kumogakure Genin, who wore an expression questioning if he had gone mad, Diejian spoke casually.

"You're quite strong. Would you mind telling me your name?"

"I see... to be asked for my name by the Senju Diejian rumored in the wind, it seems I am not a nameless nobody after all."

In this bloody world of ninjas, it was not uncommon for those who acknowledged their enemies to request an exchange of names.

They were the so-called battle-maniacs who, not knowing when they might die, found joy in chanting each other's names.

Most Kumogakure ninjas valued loyalty and possessed passionate personalities.

The Kumogakure Genin "misunderstood" Diejian to be one of these people.

"My name is Dodai. Of Kumogakure—you bastard!!"

Before the Kumogakure Genin—Dodai—could finish his line, Diejian shifted to the offensive, drawing an angry roar from Dodai.

Diejian spat out a thin twig, sharp at the tip and the size of a bamboo skewer, from his mouth.

Do not underestimate it for its size; this small projectile could easily pierce human skin.

Taking advantage of the opponent's carelessness and aiming for the face at a distance where evasion was impossible, Diejian was certain of his victory.

But Dodai was no ordinary man.

He instantly lowered his head "forward," changing the point of impact.

The small projectile was deflected by the metal forehead protector.

The sure-kill move had been dodged; Diejian panicked, and the opponent seized the moment of his hesitation to land a knee strike to his flank.

Diejian was sent flying, his blade slipping from his hand.

He had wanted to kill the opponent since he had "revealed" his hand, but things did not go so smoothly.

He should be thankful the man only thought he was spitting a Senbon.

"You asked for my name only to use it as a distraction! What a despicable man!!"

The roar of the enraged Dodai crashed down upon Diejian.

Struggling to his feet despite the creaking pain in his ribs, Diejian smiled, "I think so too."

"Lava Release: Rubber Barrage!!"

"Damn it..."

Countless rubber bullets were created and fired at Diejian, attempting to pierce right through him.

Diejian sprinted across the ground like a gale, leaping between the trees.

If he continued to move like this while suffering from excessive blood loss, he would surely collapse soon.

"Senju, get back here first! Damn it! The nature transformation is at a disadvantage...!!"

She wanted to provide support with Fire Release, but Shuri was hindered by the Kirigakure Genin's Water Release.

Not only that, but her Fire Release, already at a disadvantage due to the elemental clash, was shattered, and she had endured the impact of Water Release multiple times.

To think that the flames of the Uchiha would lose to a guy of this caliber!

Even if Juri held the advantage in overall ability, this was ultimately a matter of elemental incompatibility.

Juri could unleash a Fire Style technique with a power of 100, only for the enemy to neutralize it with a Water Style technique of 10.

Such is the immense impact of elemental affinity within the nature transformation of ninjutsu.

Restricted to Fire Style and having yet to awaken the Sharingan, Juri's ninjutsu battle against the Kirigakure Genin was destined to become a war of attrition.

With no other choice, Juri transitioned back into close-quarters combat.

She raised her staff, thrusting, sweeping, and parrying.

The Kirigakure ninja dodged the thrust and sweep, blocking the parry with his arm guard.

Is this not working either? Juri frowned in frustration.

Exposed by the pause in her staff movements, Juri's flank was targeted by a roundhouse kick from the Kirigakure Genin.

Juri bent her knees to protect her abdomen while sliding the blocked staff along the enemy's arm guard.

The accelerated staff carried heavy force; if successful, it would land a crushing blow to the defenseless Kirigakure Genin's flank.

Juri's staff possessed the strength of steel, and her own physical power was not to be underestimated.

The anxious Kirigakure Genin retracted his kicking leg and swiftly aimed a kick at Juri's knee.

This was less of an attack and more of an evasive maneuver.

The Kirigakure Genin leaped backward, and Juri lost her balance from the impact.

Her swung staff only grazed the Kirigakure Genin's clothing, and Juri clicked her tongue.

Using the staff to steady herself, Juri faced off against the Kirigakure Genin once more, the stalemate continuing.

"Senju Diejian!!"

"Shut up!!"

Using rubber bullets to bait him, Dodai closed in on Diejian once again.

Employing a close-quarters body flicker, he swung his short blade down at Diejian.

Dodai was aiming for Diejian's other shoulder.

Diejian used his palm to deflect the descending blade, guiding its trajectory toward the inside of his own body.

If his exposed shoulder or collarbone were slashed diagonally, he would lose all means of attacking next.

Since that is the case, even if the risk is greater, I must take the hit with my armored torso, he thought.

Enduring the sharp pain, Diejian moved his injured arm.

He drew a Kunai from the ninja tool pouch at his waist—the figures of Diejian and Dodai crossed.

"--As expected of the 'Senju of the Forest'."

"That sounds nice. But it's a bad deal."

Dodai praised Diejian while letting one of his arms hang limply at his side.

Diejian smiled sardonically.

Dodai's strike had easily sliced through Diejian's armor, the laceration deep enough to reach the muscle.

Diejian gritted his teeth against the agony of tearing muscle, forcing himself to endure it.

If I can pay the price with my own flesh, I will break the enemy's bones next.

Injecting chakra into his feet using the principles of the Body Flicker Technique, Diejian lunged upward.

The momentum of his flying kick transformed into a razor-sharp knee strike, slamming directly into Dodai's arm—shattering the bone.

Should one praise Dodai for shifting his arm at the last second to minimize the damage from Diejian's counter, or praise Diejian for damaging Dodai's arm and gaining the advantage of an eye in the result?

This—one only had to look at the fallen Diejian to understand.

A sea of blood was gradually spreading.

Seeing Diejian fall, Dodai dropped to one knee.

His thigh was stained red, with Diejian's Kunai embedded in it.

"Senju! No!! No!!!"

"Juri... stop screaming. Act... like a ninja."

Juri's wails echoed through the forest.

Even as she tried to run toward him, the Kirigakure Genin stood in her way.

Diejian rebuked the emotional Juri with a faint voice.

Diejian slowly extended his hand, and with a puff of smoke, a palm-sized, adorable slug appeared.

"Katsumaru, I'm counting on you."

"Leave it to me!!"

The slug, slithering across Diejian's body, was a split entity of Katsui, whom Diejian had summoned in the past.

By seniority, he is Ketsuyu's younger brother.

He is a newborn slug, unable to form a new summoning contract with Katsui.

"Anyway, it's fine now—" Staggering to his feet, Diejian flashed a smile.

Saying it's fine—Juri knew that because Katsumaru was still young, its healing power was not yet equal to that of a standard medical ninja.

"Summoning animals... this is bad."

Watching Diejian's shallow wounds gradually knit together, Dodai frowned in distress.

The presence or absence of recovery methods manifests as a massive advantage in a war of attrition.

"Lava Release: Rubber Wall Technique."

What Dodai spat from his pursed lips was a viscous liquid.

The liquid covering his broken arm dried before their eyes, hardening into a corrective cast.

"Guh—"

Neither side could move freely, but at this rate, the situation favored Dodai.

To put some distance between himself and Dodai, Diejian leaped into a tree.

But that single movement alone left his breathing ragged and rapid, his footsteps stumbling and unsteady.

"Senju! Don't do anything reckless!! Damn it—you, get out of my way!!"

Juri, attempting to rush over, was blocked by a Kirigakure Genin.

Veins bulged at Juri's temples as she unleashed a strike with all her might—the fastest blow she could muster against the Kirigakure Genin.

It didn't matter if he blocked it—she would just blast him away in one go!!

Her gaze sharp, the full-power strike infused with every ounce of her strength possessed, as its momentum suggested, the force to send the Kirigakure Genin flying, defense and all.

"This is..."

A faint mist enveloped Juri's surroundings.

Ninja Art: Hidden Mist Technique—a Water Release ninjutsu passed down in Kirigakure, a high-level technique that creates mist in the surrounding area to obstruct vision.

The chakra-infused mist was an invisible barrier that Juri, lacking the awakened Sharingan, found difficult to penetrate.

With her field of vision shrouded by the mist, Juri shouted in frustration.

"Come back, Senju! They're planning to split us up!!"

She could no longer underestimate the Genin from other villages.

Although the two from Kirigakure and Kumogakure were a temporary team, in some aspects, they surpassed the teamwork of Diejian and Juri.

Moreover, one of them was a formidable enemy who had forced even Diejian, who could easily handle her, into a bitter struggle and left him severely wounded.

Even with Katsumaru providing treatment, if they were separated like this, Diejian would undoubtedly be killed.

"Juri, run."

We can't win.

Diejian's voice, drifting from the mist, made Juri's world go dark.

Senju Diejian—is going to die.

Flashbacks of her parents.

Memories of their lives and the warmth of the past surged into her heart.

Among the overlapping "three" smiling faces, one was that familiar, detestable, foolish face.

Am I going to lose someone again?

"Ah, ah..." A trembling voice, unlike her own, escaped from her beautifully shaped lips.

"I am Senju Diejian. Please, treat me well!"

The indignation of being placed on the same team as a hateful Senju, and the genuine irritation she felt toward the overly casual Diejian.

"Here, for you."

"Wow, thanks."

The Uchiha crest, the rose the color of the Great Fireball.

The reason she had accepted it so honestly was that it was the first time in her life she had ever received a flower.

"Wahahahaha!"

Unlike the reactions of those around her during her childhood, the days spent competing with Diejian were, honestly, not unpleasant.

"Why won't you come to me!"

Following Sakumo had actually been fun—like friends, she had been truly happy.

She realized one thing.

The reason Juri had always treated Diejian so harshly.

If she could make Diejian cry, she felt her own heart would be healed—she was deeply convinced of this.

Because atop the Face Rock, the Diejian who had once stood beside Hashirama—that "Senju" whom Juri took as her emotional pillar, the one who had saved her from pain, if only temporarily—had once held his forehead protector and quietly... wept.

Juri's heart had remained stagnant since she was a child.

Ever since the incident where her parents passed away, she had been running away, her emotional growth coming to a halt.

That was why today, when Diejian praised her appearance, Juri could not hide her agitation.

It was the realization that men and women—they would not be children forever; people grow.

With a little thought, she could understand the meaning of her inner unease, but Juri escaped the vortex of contemplation by transforming it into anger.

She thought that by doing so, she could return to her usual daily life.

However, that Diejian was now facing death.

If she did not move now, that daily life would be lost once again.

Something that had been sealed since childhood began to pulse, shattering Juri's mask from within.

The time of her frozen heart announced a roar of awakening, crawling out from a long slumber.

★

"If I don't... finish this quickly..."

Ragged breathing.

Although Katsumaru's healing was making progress, the blade seemed to have been coated in poison, causing Diejian's movements to become sluggish and dull.

If he hadn't summoned Katsumaru, he would likely be dead by now.

"It's just a matter of time, sooner or later."

He crouched down as if sliding, seemingly unable to stand back up.

Where exactly had things gone wrong? This was by no means an unbeatable opponent.

The mist had already spread to Diejian's feet.

Thinking of how things would be if Ina were here, or if Sakumo were here, Diejian let out a discouraged sigh, still unaware of his own "abnormality."

"Is it around here?"

"Yeah, right in this tree."

"--They're here."

From the base of the tree where Diejian was, voices drifted up.

It was Dodai and the Kirigakure Genin.

Whether the mist had detection capabilities or the Kirigakure Genin was a sensory type, their position had been exposed.

He wanted to move his body, but he could only manage slow, paralyzed motions.

If it were just the scroll being stolen, it would be fine, but judging by the level of anger from the pride-wounded Dodai, the possibility of being killed was much higher.

To die in a place like this--he gritted his back teeth tightly.

"Hey, Senju! Where are you!!"

"Ah, that idiot..."

Why didn't she run--hearing Juri's voice nearby, Diejian spat out bitterly.

It was as if she were saying, "Please find me."

He wanted to tell her to run, but his throat trembled, unable to form the words properly.

Juri's voice, wandering through the mist, was—whether by chance or fate—approaching the exact direction where Diejian was hiding.

Juri was not a sensory type by nature, and her ability to detect presence was very low; for her to wander through a mist filled with enemies meant death.

"Ignore her. Deal with the despicable Senju first."

"Ah—Dodai, behind you to the right!"

The Kirigakure Genin thinned the mist around himself, securing Dodai's line of sight.

As Dodai turned around, short blade raised, a massive Fuma Shuriken loomed before him.

"This is Uchiha's!"

The discordant sound of iron clashing—Dodai dodged the first Fuma Shuriken and deflected the second that followed closely behind.

From behind, the sound of a "poof" of smoke exploding echoed.

Dodai and his companion turned back, thinking Diejian had done something, but they could not see clearly through the dense fog.

Even if the Kirigakure Genin could grasp their general location, he could not discern the details.

Since that was the case, they decided to just kill him, and both threw Kunai toward the spot where Diejian had been.

"Did he escape..."

The dry sound of Kunai piercing wood rang out, and they realized Diejian had already fled.

The Mist Genin sensed it; Juri's chakra was right next to Diejian's.

Clicking their tongues in annoyance, they gave chase.

★

"Are you still alive, Senju?"

"Juri, you... how..."

Held in Juri's arms, Diejian sank into self-loathing, consumed by shame.

Snorting at the stuttering man, Juri leaped through the trees.

"I transformed into one of the blades of the Fuma Shuriken: Shadow Windmill to get close to them. They were too focused on the second blade and didn't notice the first one was me."

The "poof" sound that had echoed behind Dodai and the others earlier was the sound of Juri dispelling her transformation.

Juri smirked, wearing the expression of someone who had pulled off a successful heist.

"No, that's not what I meant. How did you know my location? You aren't a sensory type."

Juri remained silent in response to Diejian's question.

Even as they broke through the mist and continued their escape, Juri did not let Diejian see her face.

"Ugh."

Landing on the ground, Juri dropped the man she had been carrying.

Diejian let out a choked cry of pain.

Juri knelt on one knee, looming over Diejian as if to step over him while he tried to protest the rough treatment.

"Juri...?"

Juri leaned in close, nearly covering him, her gaze locking with his.

At a distance so close that her breath tickled his skin, Diejian felt bewildered; Juri pressed her cheek against his.

Whispering into his ear, she spoke with a teasing, ticklish tone.

"Actually... you know, Senju. I've always wanted to do this to you."

"Juri... gack!"

Juri suddenly straightened up and slapped the bewildered Diejian hard across the face.

Extremely weak, Diejian had no choice but to endure the storm of backhanded slaps.

One, two, three—as Diejian teared up and muttered that this was "too much," Juri hummed in boredom.

"Wahahahaha! Yeah, this isn't fun at all! That's right. I've always wanted to do this to you. But... not to the you of right now. What are you so anxious about, you idiot? You're the one who could even attack the Second Hokage; what are you afraid of now?"

Her gaze was absolute zero, as if to say she would never tolerate a falsehood—Juri would never forgive a man she recognized as at least her equal for showing such a pathetic posture, such a cowardly back.

Struck by Juri's words, Diejian finally realized his own abnormality.

Diejian, who should have valued teamwork, had indulged too much in a solo performance without consulting Juri at all.

Before entering this forest, he had been fine.

Separated from Ina and Sakumo, acting with Juri, encountering the enemy, getting injured—.

Getting injured—.

"I see..."

Three years ago.

Should he say it had already been three years, or that it had only been three years?

Simply put, Diejian had lost his nerve.

In a situation where Sakumo and Ina were absent and he had to face a powerful enemy "alone," Diejian had grown timid and anxious.

It was as if the phantom of the man who had once killed him was in this forest, and he had to leave as soon as possible—he was terrified.

And on top of that, he had been arrogant.

He had thought he could handle it all by himself.

How embarrassing.

He hadn't even realized it until Juri pointed it out, and as a result, he had suffered a severe, avoidable injury.

He had even caused trouble for Juri.

No, it was more than just trouble.

He could have truly died.

Even the direct descendants of the Senju would be speechless at this.

The Will of Fire would be speechless at this.

There were no elements to justify his actions like there were three years ago, nor was there any room for sympathy.

Diejian had truly been swallowed by his own weakness and arrogance, suffering a total defeat.

It was precisely for this reason that he felt it was a good thing Juri was the one here right now.

If it were Sakumo, he would surely pretend not to notice even if he knew everything.

Sakumo was a ninja who could shoulder everything for a friend and still have strength to spare.

If it were Ina, she would probably say, "You've always been this kind of useless man, just take your time changing," accept everything about Kasama, and then kick him in the rear.

Ina was a woman with the heart to embrace the status quo.

If it were Dai, he would likely say that shortcomings could become strengths, discuss the matter with Kasama as if it were his own trouble, and insist they stand up together.

Dai was a man who cared for his friends more than anyone else.

However, that would not do.

What Kasama needed right now was not gentleness.

It was a merciless severity that could break that nose of his, which had grown high without him even realizing it.

He would never make the same mistake again.

He had forgotten that the things one could do alone were limited.

He had become arrogant just because he had grown a little stronger.

With strength that didn't even measure up to Kakuzu, what kind of big shot was he acting like?

The goal Kasama pursued was still far off in the distance.

Out of embarrassment and absurdity, laughter welled up in his heart.

"Ha, hahahahaha."

"How gross—" Juri's face twitched as she jumped backward.

"Juri, I'm sorry. I was wrong. Thank you for saving me."

"Uh, ah, no, that, um, yeah. Don't mention it. Honestly, you Senju are just... if you're scared, just say you're scared, you coward."

Sitting back down with his legs crossed, Kasama pressed his fist to the ground and bowed his head in apology.

Perhaps flustered by these sudden words, Juri turned her head away sharply, not letting her flushed cheeks fall into Kasama's sight.

"Falling into such a bitter fight is all your fault, Senju. Do you understand? Did you hear me? Really. If it weren't for me, you wouldn't be able to do anything..."

"You..."

As if relieved, Juri smiled gently.

Seemingly drawn by that warm smile, Kasama stood up unsteadily.

With a "clatter," a Kunai rolled to Juri's feet.

"Are you alright, Senju?"

Kasama nodded to indicate he was saved.

Juri had knocked away the Kunai aimed at the immobilized Kasama.

Seeing Kasama's response, Juri tapped the rolled-away Kunai with her toe, then kicked it away fiercely.

"Ha!"

A joyful breath escaped from Juri's vibrant lips.

She reacted.

She was able to react!

Because of this overwhelming joy, Juri's body "trembled" slightly, and a deep smile appeared on her face.

"Aiming at the wounded so suddenly... that's hardly elegant, you guys. But, starting with the weak one first—hm. That is indeed... the standard procedure for battle. Hehehe."

"For the Uchiha, two against one is just right. Don't go calling us despicable."

Juri's voice, unable to suppress the fluctuations in her tone, sounded somewhat moist, and the atmosphere was bewitchingly seductive as never before.

At the end of the beautiful, alluring gaze Juri cast were those two Genin.

The Kumogakure men, pinned by Juri's stare, averted their eyes bitterly.

"Hey, Juri? You, could it be—"

Juri's abnormality.

The elevation of her spirit, the rise in her combat ability.

And just now, the sensory ability to find Kasama in the mist.

If there was a clue, it would be—

Before Kasama could finish his sentence, the scene changed abruptly.

Juri rushed in front of the falling Kasama and drew a Kunai from the ninja tool pouch at her waist.

The sound of blades clashing—Juri caught Dodai's short sword with her Kunai.

Juri unleashed a spinning kick, attempting to shatter Dodai's already broken arm.

Dodai clicked his tongue, instantly retreating to put distance between himself and Juri.

"I won't let you succeed so easily. To think that in our previous skirmish, you actually used that prestigious Senju as bait to probe our combat strength... The Uchiha clan, renowned as the strongest, truly lives up to the name. You are a remarkable one indeed..."

"Wahahahahaha! Kneel before the power of the Uchiha!!"

Juri toyed with a Kunai in her hand, tossing it upward and spinning on the spot—catching the Kunai backhanded with a sharp snap.

As her hair danced, a satisfied smile bloomed on her face.

Juri glanced back over her shoulder, "That 'Lava' of yours—" The words died on her lips, and she could only widen her eyes.

"Senju, stand down. You are not the one leading the vanguard. It is—me."

What pulsed there were the Two-Tomoe.

That pair of pupils dyed in crimson red.

The reason the Uchiha clan is called the strongest was revealed in this moment.

The legendary ocular technique that strikes fear into the hearts of countless ninja.

The most powerful Kekkei Genkai, passed down since the era of the Sage of Six Paths.

Its name is—