Shin had lost track of how long he'd been using the Flying Thunder God to move. Those two Elite Jonin were certainly tireless, chasing him without stopping. If he hadn't been an Uchiha with a vast supply of chakra, he might have run out of steam long ago.
After blinking away a few more times, he stole a glance at Hyuga Tamamo on the distant hillside. The Elite Jonin beside her still showed no sign of joining the fight. Shin frowned slightly and began to consider retreating.
"Looks like I won't get a chance to grab that girl. I'd better withdraw for now and try again next time. You dared to scheme against me? I'll make you pay."
After dodging another assault from the two Elite Jonin, Shin kept evading them while using the Flying Thunder God Technique's unique connection to search for the kunai he'd left at the Fujiwara Mine Outpost.
Just then, the Elite Jonin who'd been standing guard in front of Hyuga Tamamo finally moved. He leaped off the hillside and charged straight at Shin.
There wasn't a single guard left beside Hyuga Tamamo now. One of Shin's Flying Thunder God Kunai lay not far from her feet.
"Bait? A trap? Did I let my guard down...?"
Countless thoughts flashed through Shin's mind, but there wasn't enough time to sort them out. His body reacted on instinct.
A flash of light, and he was on the hillside. The opportunity would vanish in an instant. One of the lessons taught to shinobi in this world was to seize every chance that presented itself—and ever since his transmigration, Shin had been taught the same lesson until it was almost instinctive.
His Three-Tomoe Sharingan turned slowly, taking in everyone's position and instantly analyzing the situation.
"I'm two meters from Hyuga Tamamo. I can reach her in 0.2 seconds and restrain her while she's still reacting. The two Elite Jonin chasing me are fifty meters from the hillside. Judging by their speed, even if they use the Body Flicker Technique at full strength, it'll take about 0.7 seconds to cover that distance. The Elite Jonin charging at me will need at least one second to arrive, counting his momentum and the time it'll take to turn around. I can do this!"
In scarcely a thousandth of an instant, Shin had calculated the timing. He lunged at Hyuga Tamamo like a black panther, a kunai gleaming in the moonlight as he pressed it to her neck. Her face was still blank with confusion, as though she hadn't yet understood what was happening.
"Got you!" Shin said coldly.
Whoosh! Whoosh!
Two figures landed on the hillside. They were the Elite Jonin who'd been chasing him, both staring at him anxiously. One of them shouted, "Let the princess go!"
Shin tightened his grip on the kunai and sneered. "Let her go? Don't be ridiculous. It took everything I had to capture her. You two, on the other hand, want her to live? Then seal the flow of chakra in your bodies first. Otherwise, there's nothing to discuss!"
Shin felt he was becoming more and more suited to playing a villainous boss. It was his first time taking a hostage, yet he was already so good at it. Sigh... He'd fallen into depravity after transmigrating. It was all the system's fault!
While his thoughts wandered, his eyes remained fixed on the two Elite Jonin. Seeing the anxiety on their faces, he silently considered how to threaten them next.
Suddenly, something felt wrong. The one who'd charged at him from the hillside was also an Elite Jonin. He should have had plenty of time to catch up while Shin was speaking, so why hadn't he appeared yet? And why was Hyuga Tamamo in his arms so unnaturally quiet?
Even the calmest person would tremble ever so slightly when held hostage with a blade at their throat. It was a natural reaction, nothing more. But the person in front of Shin showed no such signs. Her heartbeat hadn't even sped up.
"Oh no. It's a trap!"
By the time Shin realized it, it was already too late. He only had time to turn the Three Tomoe in his eyes.
"I'm the one who caught you."
"Hyuga Tamamo" suddenly spoke, but her voice wasn't the childlike voice of an eight-year-old girl. It was a grown man's voice. Before he'd even finished speaking, a kunai had pierced Uchiha Shin through the chest.
Amid a puff of smoke, "Hyuga Tamamo" transformed into an adult man from the Hyuga Clan: the third Elite Jonin, Hyuga Tenpu.
Meanwhile, the "Hyuga Tenpu" who'd charged down the hillside now ambled back up and joined the other two Elite Jonin. Another puff of smoke later, he had transformed into Hyuga Tamamo.
The two Elite Jonin stared at the transformation in shock, but clearly felt relieved. "Princess, thank goodness you're safe. You scared us half to death!"
Shin, impaled through the chest by a single strike, watched the scene in shock and smiled bitterly. "So it was the Transformation Technique. I actually got fooled by such a basic D-rank ninjutsu. Cough... cough..."
Hyuga Tamamo chuckled. "Ninjutsu isn't about rank. The best technique is the one that defeats your enemy, don't you agree? But you're far more troublesome than I expected. That space-warping technique of yours was a first for me. If you hadn't been so greedy, we might not have been able to do anything to you today.
"Perhaps perfect ninjutsu exists in this world, but the people who use it are still human, and humans are never perfect. The human heart always has a weakness. I only hope you'll be more careful in your next life.
"But I paid a steep price to deal with you, too. Do you know how much strain it puts on a Chunin's body to disguise herself as an Elite Jonin and force herself to use the Body Flicker Technique? My whole body aches!"
A trickle of blood escaped Shin's lips. He nodded solemnly. "I've learned my lesson. But I won't wait until my next life to be careful—I'll be more cautious next time. And your name is Hyuga Tamamo, right? I've suddenly become very interested in you. You'd better stay inside the Hyuga Clan compound. Even if you do, someday I'll come in and kill you. Just wait."
Shin was clearly at the end of his rope, but for some reason, Hyuga Tamamo suddenly felt a chill of dread and took an involuntary step back.
"Hmph. What nonsense. I've pierced your heart. No one in the world can save you." Hyuga Tenpu still held his arm thrust into Uchiha Shin's body, the wound dripping blood one drop at a time.
A strange smile touched Shin's lips. "I usually like to leave myself a way out. I wouldn't have rushed in if I weren't sure I could escape unscathed, even if it was a trap. A shinobi should seize every opportunity, without fear or hesitation. But I'm a coward who's afraid to die, so I doubt I'll ever become a good shinobi. Not that becoming one is my goal, anyway.
"Finally, a shattered heart would certainly kill me—but are you sure you pierced mine?"
As Shin spoke, his body underwent an astonishing transformation...
Caw... caw... caw...
A flock of crows spiraled into the air, and Uchiha Shin's body split apart completely, scattering into crows.
"The line between reality and illusion isn't always easy to distinguish. Tonight taught me a lot. Hyuga Clan, until we meet again. And you, little Tamamo—I'll remember you."
Several crows gathered on a tree trunk and reformed into Shin. He didn't dare linger for even a moment, immediately using the Flying Thunder God to escape.
"Eight Trigrams Air-Shattering Slash!"
"Eight Trigrams Mountain-Severing Slash!"
"Gentle Fist Lion King Roar!"
Three powerful waves of force struck the tree Shin had been standing on at the same time. With a crash, the century-old giant tree shattered into pieces.
"He got away!" one of the Elite Jonin beside Hyuga Tamamo said.
Hyuga Tenko held his kunai up before his eyes and studied the blood dripping from it. "He didn't completely evade my strike. He's wounded."
Hyuga Tamamo said nothing, gazing into the distance as if lost in thought. After a while, she said, "Let's return to the clan!"
"Oh, you're leaving already? You came all the way to the Uchiha Clan, but you didn't even come in the front gate. Isn't that a little rude? People might think the Uchiha Clan doesn't know how to welcome guests!"
A voice suddenly rang out from the shadows between the trees. The three Elite Jonin started and immediately surrounded Hyuga Tamamo. Hyuga Tenpu said gravely, "Who's there? Show yourself!"
"Heh, I'm right here." A figure in a loose robe appeared on a tree trunk. The One-Tomoe in his eyes was clearly visible as he looked down at them.
"Uchiha Madara?" Hyuga Tamamo's expression changed. At the same time, five figures emerged from the shadows, surrounding them. All five had Three Tomoe in their eyes, a sight that chilled the blood under the moonlight.
"Four Elite Jonin and one Peak Jonin!" Hyuga Tenpu assessed their strength, his heart sinking lower and lower.
Hyuga Tamamo's face went deathly pale. She couldn't figure out where they'd gone wrong, and asked reluctantly, "When did you get here?"
Uchiha Madara lifted his chin and sneered. "When? At the very beginning, of course."
"Then why didn't you show yourselves while we were hunting down Uchiha Shin?" Hyuga Tamamo asked, biting her lip.
At that, Uchiha Madara looked up at the bright moon and gave a dry, awkward chuckle without answering.
Come to think of it, that kid Shin said last time he wanted me to hold out for five more minutes... Yeah, I think that was it...
Before you continue