A Hard-Fought Battle

"To think they would have such a powerful A-rank ninjutsu as a trump card." The Hyuga Clan jonin gritted his teeth. The more he fought these two children, the more alarmed he became. How could such monsters exist in this world, let alone two appearing at once?

Two fire dragons arrived in the blink of an eye. The Hyuga jonin leaped to dodge one while simultaneously condensing all his chakra onto his blade. "Sky-Breaking Moon-Slicing Slash!"

Another A-rank ninjutsu was unleashed. A sword aura resembling moonlight slashed out, cleaving the fire dragon in two.

Bang!

Uchiha Shin fell onto the rooftop, motionless. Blood spilled out, staining the tiles beneath him red. He was now completely unable to move. The Dragon Flame Song Technique was his final trump card, one he had secretly learned after sneaking into the lower levels of the Uchiha ancestral hall to find the scrolls.

Even within the Uchiha Clan, famous for their Fire Release, this technique was top-tier. It could release several fire dragons based on the user's chakra, each with the power of a standard A-rank ninjutsu. With Uchiha Shin's current strength, he could manage three at most, which still amounted to three times the power of a normal A-rank technique.

Naturally, such immense power came with a massive chakra cost. Even with his chakra reserves, which far exceeded those of his peers, he could only release it three times. Coupled with the fact that he had been fighting this jonin for over ten minutes tonight and was already severely wounded, this final move had completely exhausted his chakra.

"Shin... the rest is up to you," Uchiha Madara whispered weakly. He could barely even turn his head now, let alone see the situation between Uchiha Shin and the jonin.

The moment the Hyuga jonin shattered the fire dragon, Uchiha Shin suddenly appeared. His blood-red eyes locked directly with the opponent's, the eerie and ghostly three tomoe spinning slowly.

"Not good...!"

This Hyuga jonin had encountered Uchiha Clan ninjas on the battlefield countless times. The moment he saw the Sharingan, he realized the opponent intended to use a genjutsu. Without a second thought, he swung his long blade back and stabbed it into his own abdomen.

His entire body shuddered. The Hyuga jonin felt as if he had suddenly been transported elsewhere. Before he could even see clearly, a piercing pain erupted in his abdomen, and his internal chakra began to churn wildly. In a daze, it felt as if a mirror had shattered, and he returned to reality.

The moment he returned, he saw a sphere of chakra, condensed to the limit, spinning crazily in Uchiha Shin's hand and being pushed toward his heart.

"What kind of ninjutsu is this?"

It was another technique he didn't recognize, but the Hyuga jonin dared not be careless. He could feel the immense destructive power contained within it. In his current state, if he were hit by this, it would undoubtedly be fatal.

He punched Uchiha Shin's arm, forcing it to deviate slightly, and shifted his body to the side, narrowly dodging the lethal blow. That wasn't all; in the heat of the moment, he managed to kick Uchiha Shin hard in the ribs. However, because of this, the opponent managed to slap an Explosive Tag onto his chest with his other hand.

The two fell away from each other, landing on the rooftop with two loud thuds.

The moment the Hyuga jonin landed, he threw off his outer coat. With a boom, the Explosive Tag attached to the coat detonated, blowing the garment to shreds.

He gasped for air, a lingering fear gripping his heart. It was fortunate he had extensive experience dealing with genjutsu; he had used pain to maintain a sliver of connection between his mind and body, then disrupted his own chakra flow to snap out of it at the critical moment. Otherwise, even one more second of immersion would have spelled his doom.

His internal chakra was now in chaos, rendering him unable to use ninjutsu. However, he was confident he could win using taijutsu alone, provided he stayed wary of that spinning ball-like technique the boy had used.

The Rasengan has been exposed.

Uchiha Shin touched his ribs, feeling a piercing pain. At least two ribs were broken; it was the most severe injury he had sustained since transmigrating into this world.

After exchanging for the Rasengan, he had hesitated to use it, waiting for an opportunity for a one-hit kill like the one he just had. The Rasengan's characteristics were excellent, but its only weakness was that it was a melee skill. If he faced an opponent faster than himself, it was easily dodged.

The Hyuga jonin was precisely the type who excelled in taijutsu. If he had used the move directly, Uchiha Shin would have had no confidence in landing the hit.

The three tomoe in his eyes slowly faded, and his irises returned to their normal color. Forcing the use of the Fox Decapitation Technique had caused the Sharingan to operate under an overload, all because his chakra was insufficient.

Without the Sharingan, he would inevitably fail to keep up with the opponent's speed. The Rasengan had been exposed, and the opponent would certainly be on guard. Uchiha Shin silently checked his chakra; after such a long battle, there wasn't much left—perhaps enough for one Rasengan and one Great Fireball. No matter how he looked at it, he was in a desperate situation.

Yet, in this state, Uchiha Shin stood up, his body trembling. He took out two more kunai and assumed a defensive stance.

Lying down meant certain death; continuing to resist might still offer a miracle. Surrendering was simply not in his nature.

The Hyuga jonin pulled the long blade from his chest, coughing up a mouthful of blood. Seeing Uchiha Shin standing up despite his injuries, a flash of admiration crossed his eyes, and he couldn't help but sigh. If only such a genius belonged to his own clan.

Regardless, he had to kill these two children today, or they would become an endless source of trouble!

The Hyuga jonin's gaze hardened. He raised his blade and charged at his opponent. With his chakra in disarray, he could only rely on taijutsu.

Clang!

The Hyuga jonin and Uchiha Shin brushed past each other. A new wound appeared on Uchiha Shin's left arm, and bright red blood spilled out, staining his sleeve.

The Hyuga jonin turned around immediately, his long blade creating a blur as he attacked Uchiha Shin frantically.

Uchiha Shin parried clumsily, finally understanding what Uchiha Madara had felt. He had lost count of how many wounds he had sustained. His muscles were contracting, as if they were about to collapse, and his vision was blurring. He knew it was because of excessive blood loss.

If this continues, I will definitely die. I have enough chakra for one more Rasengan. If I can hit him, I can definitely kill him in one blow, but with his speed, how can I land it?

Various methods flashed through Uchiha Shin's mind. Finally, he gritted his teeth and thought, I'll bet it all! Sharingan, activate!

Using his remaining chakra to stimulate his eyes, he felt a sharp pain as the Sharingan reactivated. Now, he could clearly perceive the trajectory of the opponent's blade.

At that moment, the opponent was moving at high speed, thrusting his blade toward his heart.

This is it. It can work, it must work! The three tomoe spun wildly. Focusing entirely on the incoming blade, he didn't retreat but instead lunged forward, abandoning all defense. He threw his kunai directly at the opponent's throat—a desperate move to take the other down with him.

"Seeking death..." A flicker of joy crossed the Hyuga jonin's eyes. He didn't know why the usually clever brat had suddenly made such a blunder. A kunai thrown at that speed could never hurt him.

Squelch!

The long blade pierced in without resistance. The Hyuga jonin couldn't help but smile. He tilted his head, dodging the kunai. Finally finished. This was more exhausting than fighting a jonin, he thought with a sigh.

"Got you!"

The sudden voice startled the Hyuga jonin. As he tried to retreat, he realized that his body was suddenly covered in chakra threads, binding him tight.

It was that kunai! He realized it instantly, but it was too late.

In the opponent's other hand, that sphere of pure, condensed chakra appeared once more and was pressed directly against his chest.

A powerful shockwave erupted from his chest. The Hyuga jonin coughed up blood mixed with internal organs, clearly feeling that his heart had been shattered.

"Ding! Killed a Hyuga Clan jonin. Reward: 5000 points."

"Assisted Uchiha Madara, mission to kill the Hyuga Clan's lead jonin completed. Reward: 5000 points."

As the system's voice rang out, Uchiha Shin let out a long breath. Exhaustion and pain surged up together. At the critical moment, relying on the vision of the Sharingan, he had shifted his body slightly to avoid a fatal blow to his own heart. He closed his eyes and collapsed into unconsciousness.