"Pfft!"
A muffled thud sounded. As Qi pulled the blade from the man's body, a corpse was left on the floor.
But the original corpse had already disappeared. There wasn't even a drop of blood to be found...
"I wasn't lying, was I? They really are trying to kill you."
The door swung open, and a boy walked in. He was Uchiha Xiu, the teammate Qi had met during his first time on the battlefield.
"What I'm more concerned about is whether this was your personal decision or your clan's."
Qi's expression was grim. He looked past Xiu to another Konoha Ninja, the one who had just cast a genjutsu on the Rock Ninja.
This man was also a member of the Uchiha Clan—and a powerful one, with a Three-Tomoe Sharingan.
"Of course this was the Uchiha Clan's decision. That man wants to deal with us, and we're not exactly brainless."
The Uchiha Ninja smiled faintly.
"Your situation is dangerous right now. At least until this matter is settled, you're in danger. Kaguya Ogata alone probably can't protect you, because that man is eager to see you dead tonight."
"So I don't have a choice."
Qi's face darkened as he tightened his grip on the short blade.
Damn it, Konoha's internal conflicts really were just as fierce as they'd been in the anime from his previous life. As long as it was worth it, they wouldn't hesitate to sacrifice even their own people. Apart from not being oppressed by the daimyo, they were hardly any different from Kirigakure...
If there was one real difference, it was that Kirigakure was extremely hostile toward bloodline bearers. It went beyond mere prejudice; they were killed on sight.
"You never had a choice to begin with. You're a bloodline bearer too, so your interests align with ours. Even the Uchiha and Hyuga Clans, despite fighting each other under normal circumstances, stand together when it matters."
"No wonder Xiu came to find me today. I always thought bloodline prejudice was something unique to the Land of Water. I figured you Uchiha only fell out with the Senju Clan because of Madara, and as for the Hyuga..."
Qi's mouth curled up slightly.
"They're your mortal enemies!"
"If we didn't act this way in public, the Senju faction would have made a move against us long ago. In every ninja village, bloodline clans are all in the same boat. No one's foolish enough not to realize that."
The Uchiha Ninja gave a cold laugh as well.
"We bloodline bearers may seem impressive, but we're always the smallest group, and it's hardest for us to produce true masters. Unity is what keeps us alive. After all, neither the Hyuga nor the Uchiha are as strong as we used to be."
He looked at Qi with a mocking expression.
"Ninja are tools, and bloodline ninja are tools among tools. When they become difficult to control, they have to be destroyed. The Yuki Clan is the best example. And I think the Kaguya Clan will eventually be wiped out by Kirigakure too."
"Hmph."
Qi slid the short blade back into its sheath behind him and grunted, tacitly accepting the man's words.
"Let's go. We can't stay here long. Once you're on clan territory, no one will be able to touch you. You can trust me. My father isn't the clan head, but he still carries weight in the clan."
Xiu stepped over and patted Qi on the shoulder.
"Bloodline bearers are targets of suspicion wherever they go. The only difference is how bad it gets. You'll get used to it in time."
As he spoke, he suddenly copied one of Qi's favorite gestures and shrugged.
"What can you do? You just had to be born with a powerful bloodline. You win some, you lose some..."
"I'm already used to it, especially after seeing Hyuga and Uchiha people show up together in front of me today..."
Qi's eyes widened. He could still remember the scene from that afternoon. At the time, he'd thought the Hyuga and Uchiha had come to use his training ground for a duel. Everyone in Konoha knew the two clans "didn't get along."
He'd secretly hoped to see that kind of live show, but unfortunately, that wasn't what was happening. Their words had nearly scared him to death instead...
"Qi?"
Xiu seemed puzzled to see Qi staring blankly, and waved a hand in front of his face.
"You don't still distrust us, do you?"
"I was thinking about something else."
A little awkwardly, Qi dodged the hand waving back and forth in front of him.
"But I have to go to my master first. If they're coming to kill me, then my master probably isn't safe either."
"You don't need to worry about that. The clan has already sent people to your master's place. Besides, your master is a well-known fighter in the Land of Water. Under these circumstances, there's no way that man could take him out too."
The Uchiha Ninja spoke again...
"Nothing is impossible."
Qi clearly wasn't about to accept the offer. He had never trusted anyone other than Ogata.
"I can't leave my master behind and run away. And I'm not some helpless victim who'll just let people hack me to pieces. There's no reason to let someone come after me without fighting back!"
After saying this, Qi turned and pulled more ninja tools from the bag on the floor, stuffing them into his pouch. Then he pushed off and vaulted straight out the window...
"That boy's interesting, Young Master. Looks like you've made an intriguing friend."
Through the window, the Uchiha Ninja watched Qi disappear after a few bounds across the rooftops and nodded.
He didn't seem to mind Qi's complete lack of warmth toward the Uchiha Clan.
"Sorry about that, Master. That's just how he is. He doesn't mean anything by it."
Xiu smiled and discreetly put in a few good words for Qi.
"He's always had people protecting him, so he probably hasn't truly experienced how hard it is for bloodline ninja to survive in the Shinobi World. Once he understands, he'll naturally end up on our side!"
"How unusual, Young Master. You're actually saying something nice about someone. Looks like you two built quite a bond on the battlefield."
The Uchiha Ninja whom Xiu called Master narrowed his eyes. He looked at Xiu as if he were an amusing toy.
"Don't worry, I'm not that petty. I expected him to react this way. If he'd obediently come with us, I'd have thought less of him."
"Yeah, he's a loyal person... Do you know how things are going with Tong?"
A little embarrassed, Xiu scratched the back of his head, thinking of his other teammate, Hyuga Tong...
"Every skilled fighter in the Hyuga Clan will be waiting at their compound for tonight's unwelcome guests. And it's not just a dozen or so people. Even a whole ninja army would be wiped out."
The Uchiha Ninja patted Xiu on the head. As Xiu glared at him in "anger," the man casually mussed his hair into a complete mess. Then he climbed out the window and chased after Qi.
"Damn it, stop ruffling my hair! I'm a grown man now!"
Fuming, Xiu smoothed down his hair, which had been mussed into a bird's nest, and climbed out the window after them...