"That was a powerful A-rank ninjutsu to keep in reserve." The Hyuga Jonin gritted his teeth. The more he fought these two children, the more shocked he became. How could such monstrous talents exist—and there were two of them?
The two fire dragons arrived in the blink of an eye. The Hyuga Jonin leaped to dodge one, while gathering all his chakra into his blade. "Sky-Breaking Moon-Slicing Slash!"
He unleashed another A-rank ninjutsu. A beam of sword energy, bright as moonlight, slashed out and split the fire dragon in two.
Bang!
Uchiha Madara fell onto the rooftop and lay motionless. Blood seeped out, staining the tiles beneath him red. He was now completely unable to move. The Dragon Flame Song Technique was his last trump card, a technique he'd secretly learned after sneaking into the Uchiha Ancestral Hall's lower level and finding a scroll.
Even among the Uchiha Clan, famed for Fire Style, this technique was top-tier. It could summon several fire dragons, depending on the user's chakra, each with the power of an ordinary A-rank ninjutsu. With Madara's current strength, he could summon three at most. Even so, that gave the technique three times the power of a standard A-rank ninjutsu.
Naturally, a technique with such immense power also consumed a tremendous amount of chakra. Even with far more chakra than anyone his age, he could only use it three times. And he'd already been fighting this Jonin for over ten minutes that night, suffering serious injuries. That final attack had completely drained his chakra.
"Shin, I'm counting on you now," Uchiha Madara murmured weakly. He could barely turn his head, let alone see how Shin was faring against the Jonin.
The instant the Hyuga Jonin broke through the fire dragon, Shin appeared. His blood-red eyes met the man's gaze, the eerie Three Tomoe turning slowly.
"Damn...!"
The Hyuga Jonin had crossed paths with Uchiha Clan ninja countless times on the battlefield. The instant he saw the Sharingan, he realized his opponent was trying to cast a genjutsu. Without a moment's hesitation, he spun his blade around and thrust it into his own abdomen.
His body shuddered. The Hyuga Jonin felt as though he'd suddenly been transported somewhere else. Before he could make sense of his surroundings, a piercing pain struck his abdomen. His chakra surged wildly through his body, and then, as if a mirror had shattered, he returned to reality.
The moment he came to, he saw a sphere of chakra in Uchiha Shin's hand, spinning furiously as it pressed toward his heart.
"What kind of ninjutsu is that?"
Another unfamiliar technique. But the Hyuga Jonin didn't dare take it lightly. He could sense its devastating power. In his current state, being struck by it would mean certain death.
He punched Shin in the arm, knocking it slightly off course, then twisted his body and barely dodged the fatal blow. Even so, he managed to kick Shin hard beneath the ribs. But in doing so, he let Shin slap an Explosive Tag against his chest with his other hand.
They fell apart, crashing onto the rooftop with two heavy thuds.
The instant he landed, the Hyuga Jonin threw off his jacket. The Explosive Tag stuck to it detonated with a boom, blasting the garment to pieces.
He gasped for breath, his heart still pounding with fear. Thankfully, he had plenty of experience dealing with genjutsu. He'd used pain to keep his mind connected to his body, then disrupted the flow of his chakra. That was the only reason he'd come to his senses at the crucial moment. If he'd stayed trapped for even one second longer, he might not have survived.
His chakra was in disarray, and he could no longer use ninjutsu. But he was still confident he could win with Taijutsu alone. All he had to do was watch out for that spinning-ball technique.
"So the Rasengan's been exposed."
Shin touched his side, a stabbing pain flaring through him. At least two of his ribs were broken. It was the worst injury he'd suffered since arriving in this world.
Ever since he'd obtained the Rasengan, he'd held back from using it, waiting for a chance to kill his opponent in one strike. The Rasengan had many strengths, but one weakness: it was a close-range technique. Against someone faster than him, it was easy to dodge.
And the Hyuga Jonin was exactly the kind of opponent who excelled at Taijutsu. If Shin used the technique outright, he had no confidence he could land a hit.
The Three Tomoe in his eyes slowly faded, and they returned to their normal color. He'd just forced himself to use the Fox Decapitation Technique, pushing his Sharingan past its limit because he was running low on chakra.
Without the Sharingan, he couldn't keep up with his opponent's speed. The Rasengan had been exposed, so the man would be on guard against it. Shin silently checked his chakra reserves. After such a long battle, he had very little left—enough for about one Rasengan and one Great Fireball. By all appearances, he was already at the end of his rope.
Even so, Shin rose to his feet, trembling, and drew two Kunai, taking up a defensive stance.
If he gave up, he had no chance. If he kept fighting, there might still be a miracle. Surrendering without a fight wasn't in Uchiha Shin's nature.
The Hyuga Jonin pulled the long blade from his chest and coughed up a large mouthful of blood. As he watched Shin struggle to his feet, admiration flashed in his eyes. He couldn't help but sigh inwardly. If only this kind of genius had been born into my clan.
No matter what, he had to kill both children tonight. Otherwise, they would become a grave threat in the future!
The Hyuga Jonin's expression hardened. He gripped his blade and charged. With his chakra in disarray, he could only rely on Taijutsu.
Clang!
The Hyuga Jonin and Uchiha Shin passed each other. A fresh wound opened on Shin's left arm, and bright red blood spilled out, soaking his sleeve.
The Hyuga Jonin spun around and sent his long blade flashing through the air, launching a relentless assault on Shin.
Shin struggled to defend himself, finally understanding how Uchiha Madara had felt. He'd lost count of his wounds. His muscles were all tightening, as if his body might fall apart at any moment, and his vision was growing blurry. He knew he'd lost too much blood.
If this keeps up, I'll die for sure. I have enough chakra for one more Rasengan. If I can hit him, I can finish him in one strike—but with his speed, how can I land it?
Shin's mind raced through every possibility. Finally, he gritted his teeth and thought, I have to risk it! Sharingan, activate!
He used what little chakra he had left to stimulate his eyes. A stabbing pain shot through him as his Sharingan activated once more. Now he could clearly follow the path of his opponent's blade.
The man was moving at high speed, his blade thrusting toward Shin's heart.
Now! I can do this—I have to! The Three Tomoe spun wildly as Shin fixed his gaze on the incoming blade. Instead of retreating, he charged forward, abandoning his defense entirely. He threw a Kunai straight at the man's neck, aiming for a mutual kill.
"Fool..." The Hyuga Jonin's eyes lit up. He didn't know why the clever child had suddenly lost his mind, but a Kunai thrown at that speed could never hurt him.
Thwack!
The long blade slid in without resistance, and the Hyuga Jonin smiled. He tilted his head to dodge the Kunai. It was finally over. This had been even more exhausting than fighting another Jonin. He couldn't help reflecting on that.
"Got you!"
The sudden voice startled the Hyuga Jonin. He tried to retreat, only to discover that Chakra Threads had somehow filled the space around him, binding him in place.
It was that Kunai from before! He understood at once, but it was too late.
A sphere made entirely of condensed chakra appeared in Shin's other hand. He drove it straight into the man's chest.
A tremendous force struck the Hyuga Jonin's chest. He spat out blood mixed with pieces of his organs and felt his heart shatter.
"Ding! You killed a Hyuga Clan Jonin. Reward: 5,000 points."
"Support Uchiha Madara and kill the Hyuga Clan's leading Jonin. Mission complete. Reward: 5,000 points."
When the system's voice rang out, Shin let out a long breath. Fatigue and pain surged over him all at once. At the critical moment, he'd used his Sharingan's vision to shift his body just enough to avoid a direct hit to the heart. His eyes closed, and he fainted.
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