Just then, Uchiha Chonhua abruptly stopped and held back Ono and the others.
Ono looked over at him in confusion.
Uchiha Chonhua pointed at his eyes, then toward a corner beneath a tree ahead. It was buried under weeds and fallen leaves, blending in with the surroundings.
The child Lord Hokage had taken a liking to wouldn't stop for no reason. Ono came to attention and studied the area closely. Sure enough, he spotted something.
Ono's heart tightened. His expression grave, he kept silent and signaled with his hands.
They'd agreed on this signal beforehand.
Explosive Tags!
Chapter 32: First Kill!
Ono and the others held their breath and carefully went around the spot with the Explosive Tags.
As they moved along, Ono glanced back at Uchiha Chonhua, surprised.
His senses were incredibly sharp. Honestly, if Uchiha Chonhua hadn't warned him, he wouldn't have noticed the Explosive Tags at all.
Uchiha Chonhua furrowed his brow. Suddenly, his right hand brushed over his forehead, and an eerie, crimson light flashed in his eyes before fading away.
The next moment, he nudged Ono and signaled with his hands.
Ono's expression sharpened. He gestured for Hizashi Hyuga to look around.
Hizashi nodded. Veins bulged around his eyes as he activated his Byakugan.
He hadn't noticed the Explosive Tags earlier. He'd already let down his Byakugan once. This time, he would stay focused and keep watch over the area for the team!
Hizashi's expression stiffened. The enemy was far easier to spot than the Explosive Tags had been.
He held up six fingers, then changed his hand signals to show that they were Mist Village ninja.
Six Mist Village ninja...
Ono considered it for a moment. He had no intention of charging in to fight. He told Hizashi to keep watch on the enemy while they crawled forward, staying out of sight.
Whoosh!
Uchiha Chonhua suddenly threw a Kunai at the enemy.
The sharp whistle of its flight rang across the area, and Ono's face went stiff.
"Chonhua, what are you—"
Before he could finish, Uchiha Chonhua hurriedly explained the situation.
"Senior, it's the Hidden Mist Technique. They've already spotted us."
Ono fell silent and looked around. He realized that mist had begun to spread without him noticing.
"I can't see them anymore," Hizashi said tensely. The mist was saturated with chakra. Through his Byakugan, the monochrome scene was filled with a huge patch of blue light.
He couldn't find the six Mist Village ninja.
"Take formation!"
They immediately stood back-to-back, weapons in hand, warily watching their surroundings.
Clang!
Sparks burst as a Kunai clashed with a short blade, ringing out with a piercing shriek.
Ono and the others looked toward the sound. In front of Mikoto Uchiha, Uchiha Chonhua was gripping his Kunai in reverse and fighting an enemy at close quarters.
The enemy's eyes widened in shock. This kid was no ordinary opponent...
His attack missed, and he vanished into the mist. Uchiha Chonhua chased after him!
"Wait! Chonhua..."
Ono's expression changed. Uchiha Chonhua had charged straight into the mist.
"Chonhua!"
Mikoto Uchiha's face paled with fear.
They were on the enemy's home turf. The Hidden Mist Technique was the signature jutsu of Mist Village ninja, and they paired it with the Mist Assassination Technique. They could appear and disappear without a trace, striking from the shadows to kill in one blow and leaving their enemies no chance to defend themselves.
Mikoto Uchiha didn't stop to think. Her body moved on its own as she tried to rush into the mist to find Chonhua.
Ono quickly grabbed Mikoto Uchiha and stopped her.
"Hm?"
Ono sensed something was wrong. Mikoto Uchiha had gone completely still. Had she... fallen under a genjutsu?
Did the enemy have a genjutsu specialist, too!?
"Hizashi, keep an eye on Mikoto!"
Hizashi nodded, sweating profusely. His Byakugan swept the area again and again, but the chakra-filled mist blocked his view, and he couldn't find the enemy.
Ono gave a low shout.
Earth Release: Earth-Style Wall!
The earth shifted beneath their feet. Five earthen walls rose up and joined together, forming a crude shelter that enclosed and protected the three of them.
Bang!
Ono created a Shadow Clone and had it open a gap in the wall.
"Wind Release: Great Breakthrough!"
"Fire Release: Great Fireball Technique!"
One of them used Wind Release and the other Fire Release. The wind-fed flames surged out through the opening in the wall and spread in every direction.
"Hah!"
Ono controlled the jutsu, raising a fiery tornado around the earthen walls. The mist scattered at once, and the hazy world came into focus.
Ono sent his Shadow Clone underground to scout the surrounding area.
Thud!
The sound of something heavy hitting the ground came out of nowhere, followed by Uchiha Chonhua's voice.
"Senior, take down the walls. I've caught the six Mist Village ninja."
"Huh?"
Ono's first instinct was not to believe him, but after receiving information from his Shadow Clone outside, he fell silent.
After a long pause, he asked hoarsely, "Are you really Chonhua?"
He wasn't an enemy in disguise, was he?
"It's definitely Chonhua's chakra signature, and..." Hizashi looked out with his Byakugan. With the chakra-laden mist gone, he could see the outside.
"The six Mist Village ninja are there, too. They're all unconscious on the ground."
At that, Ono swallowed and slowly dispelled the earthen walls.
Uchiha Chonhua stood there, Kunai in hand. The six Mist Village ninja lay sprawled at his feet.
"How... did you do that?"
It was because his Mist Assassination Technique was better than theirs, of course.
Even Uchiha Chonhua was surprised. He hadn't expected the Mist Village stranger's skill, which he'd drawn from the Genin Character Card not long ago, to come in handy so quickly.
The Mist Village stranger's signature techniques were the Hidden Mist Technique and the Mist Assassination Technique. But he was only a Genin, and not particularly capable, so he couldn't get much out of the village's signature techniques.
Uchiha Chonhua was different. In addition to the Mist Village stranger, he also had Uchiha Itachi's Character Card.
With the talent and insight he'd inherited from Uchiha Itachi's Character Card, he'd mastered the Mist Village's signature techniques and put them to brilliant use.
So much so that even the six native Mist Village ninja weren't as good at using them as he was.
The enemy had planned to use the Hidden Mist Technique and the Mist Assassination Technique to take them down. Little did they know, Uchiha Chonhua had the same idea.
Use the enemy's own methods against them.
He slipped into the enemy's mist. Before they noticed him, he used Lightning Flicker, his speed surging as he turned into a flash of lightning and dashed through the group in an instant, striking each enemy hard enough to knock them unconscious.
Faced with Ono's confusion, Uchiha Chonhua didn't answer. Instead, he asked, "Senior, what should we do with these enemies?"
Ono's attention shifted to the question. He looked at the six Mist Village ninja lying on the ground, his gaze turning sharp.
"Kill them."
Uchiha Chonhua was silent for a moment, then nodded. He threw a Kunai, striking one of them in the neck.
The sound of a blade piercing flesh rang out. Uchiha Chonhua's brow twitched as the clear trickle of blood reached his ears. The enemy died without ever waking.
Uchiha Chonhua took a deep breath. This was the first time he'd killed someone since coming to this world.
It made him uncomfortable, but he'd been prepared for it. He knew this day would come sooner or later.
This time, he didn't throw a Kunai. He walked over himself, crouched down, gripped the Kunai, and plunged it in. The sensation was even more intense than before. Uchiha Chonhua's hand trembled, but he quickly calmed himself and moved on to kill the next Mist Village ninja.
After he'd finished off four of them, Ono stopped him.
He looked at Uchiha Chonhua with approval. "You didn't hesitate, and you acted decisively. Chonhua, you're much better than I was at your age. You don't need to handle the last two."
Ono turned to the other two members of the team.
"You two, go. One each. Kill them."
Hizashi Hyuga and Mikoto Uchiha, who had just come around from the genjutsu, went pale.
Chapter 33: Arrival at the Capital of the Land of Whirlpools
"Ugh..."
Uchiha Chonhua gently patted Mikoto Uchiha's back. "How are you feeling? Any better?"
Mikoto Uchiha's face was pale. She glanced at what she'd thrown up, and her face instantly turned bright red.
Chonhua had seen her in such an embarrassing state.
Mikoto felt like she was about to explode. It was mortifying.
But more than that, there was something she was curious about.
"Chonhua, I was caught in a genjutsu. Was that your doing?"
Mikoto Uchiha recalled what had happened. She'd tried to rush into the mist, but then she'd seen a flash of red light. The next moment, she'd fallen under a genjutsu.
Red light...
Uchiha Chonhua nodded and said helplessly, "I couldn't let you charge into the mist, could I?"
As he spoke, he gently stroked Mikoto's head. "I know you were worried about me, but Mikoto, you have to trust me. You know how strong I am. These enemies couldn't put me in any real danger."
Mikoto felt the warmth on her head and murmured, "I was just worried about you. My body moved on its own."
Uchiha Chonhua felt a warmth in his heart at her words.
"Don't be so impulsive next time. You worry about me, and I worry about you, too."
"Have a little more faith in me." Uchiha Chonhua gave her a light pat. "Come on, let's keep moving."
Mikoto Uchiha nodded and followed behind Chonhua, her lovely eyes fixed on his back.
A question lingered in her mind. Could that flash of red light have something to do with the Sharingan?
Or was she overthinking it? Maybe it had been some kind of genjutsu that could produce red light...
Uchiha Chonhua and the others rejoined Ono. He glanced at Hizashi Hyuga, whose reaction had been much better than Mikoto's, though his face was also rather pale.
"Good. You've become true ninja."
Ono looked over the three of them, a relieved smile on his face. "Remember this feeling. It will stay with you for the rest of your lives. This is the path of a ninja. Face it bravely!"
"Move out!"
Before you continue