Mission Complete

"Cough, cough... That was a pretty good tactic."

Shirokumo Hayama slowly turned his head and spoke weakly.

There was a hint of unwillingness in his voice, but he wasn't overly agitated. As someone who had roamed the Shinobi World for many years, he had long foreseen the possibility of dying in defeat.

The frost gradually fell away from the ice sculpture behind Shirokumo Hayama, revealing Uesugi Shinji within. His chest had been pierced by Shirokumo Hayama's weapon, and his injuries were severe. His face was pale, without a trace of color.

Just after Shirokumo Hayama had stabbed him from behind, Shinji had immediately turned his back to Hayama and performed two jutsu.

The first jutsu formed the ice shards that had just scattered nearby into an Ice Release Clone, drawing Shirokumo Hayama's attention.

The second jutsu used Ice Release chakra to encase Shinji in ice, making him look like an Ice Release Clone and leading Shirokumo Hayama to believe he had stabbed nothing more than a clone.

With other types of clones, such as Shadow Clones or Earth Release Clones, Shirokumo Hayama could have relied on the sensation of his weapon in his hand to make the right call from experience.

But because of the unique nature of Ice Release, Uesugi Shinji could instantly freeze his entire body, physically taking on the properties of ice. Not only would no blood flow when his body was pierced, but Shirokumo Hayama would also feel as though he had struck a block of solid ice rather than a human body.

That momentary misjudgment in the heat of battle had ensnared even the battle-hardened Shirokumo Hayama, leading to his defeat at Uesugi Shinji's hands!

Uesugi Shinji gave no response to Shirokumo Hayama's final sigh.

As the saying went, "The villain dies from talking too much." When you had an overwhelming advantage, you should say less and finish the job decisively!

A curved flash of steel cut through the air. Uesugi Shinji brought his blade down and severed Shirokumo Hayama's head.

His movements were swift and fluid. One moment he had drawn his blade and struck; the next, he had sheathed it and was already holding Shirokumo Hayama's head.

"Shirokumo Hayama... As you'd expect, renowned elite jonin are no easy opponents."

Uesugi Shinji sighed, then coughed violently several times, spitting out several flecks of blood that had frozen into ice.

As a fellow jonin, he knew his raw strength was a step below Shirokumo Hayama's. In truth, he had won this battle while holding a massive advantage.

Shirokumo Hayama knew nothing about the Kirigakure attackers. He also didn't know whether any other enemies were lurking nearby. He needed to end the fight quickly and help his comrades, which put him at a severe psychological disadvantage.

Fights between ordinary shinobi were, in reality, largely a battle of wits. Once you were deceived by an enemy's jutsu, the result was often a gruesome death on the spot.

If they had been fighting on equal terms and Shirokumo Hayama had been able to calmly capitalize on his strengths, then perhaps Uesugi Shinji would have been the one to die with regrets.

But in this world, no one was ever given the chance to say "if"!

Uesugi Shinji quickly treated his wound, then immediately set off in pursuit of the other two Konoha shinobi.

His injuries were serious. Although Shirokumo Hayama's blade had missed his heart, it had pierced part of his lung.

But with the help of his Light Brain and Ice Release, Uesugi Shinji could precisely use Ice Release chakra to freeze the injured areas inside his body without damaging the surrounding tissue. That allowed him to keep moving and fighting.

A moment later

Uesugi Shinji successfully reunited with the members of his team. Besides Kisame Hoshigaki, who had teamed up with him from the beginning to fend off the enemy, there was now another shinobi present: a woman with long black hair tied into a ponytail.

She was about the same age as Uesugi Shinji. Her beautiful face wore a cool, aloof expression, making her look like an emotionless assassin. Her name was Rin Onodera, and she was the covert support member of their three-person team. She was a shinobi with the Shadow Release Kekkei Genkai.

Shadow Release was an extremely unusual Kekkei Genkai ability. Unlike the Nara Clan's ability to manipulate shadows, Rin's Shadow Release allowed her to conceal herself within light and shadow.

The "light and shadow" in question weren't limited to shadows cast by objects blocking the light. They also included reflections on mirrors and water.

Before Kirigakure went through the dark period of its history known as the "Bloody Mist Village," it had more types of Kekkei Genkai than any other shinobi village in the Shinobi World. Among them were many exceptionally powerful and strange Kekkei Genkai. But after the Bloody Mist period, almost all of Kirigakure's Kekkei Genkai clans and shinobi were wiped out, vanishing into the long river of the Shinobi World's history.

Because of the unique nature of Rin's Kekkei Genkai, she usually concealed herself in the shadow of Uesugi Shinji or Kisame during missions, waiting for an opportunity to act. She only stepped in to provide support at crucial moments.

"It looks like the target's been dealt with. Let's get back and report in as soon as possible."

Seeing Kisame carrying a corpse in a Kirigakure shinobi uniform over his shoulder, Uesugi Shinji spoke calmly.