Chapter 12: Uchiha Hana ()
"Ah!"
Uchiha Hana's young body was sent flying like a rag doll by a blow from the Giant Brown Bear Ninja Beast. She slammed hard into a nearby tree.
"Thud!"
Dizziness, pain...
Uchiha Hana's rosy face instantly turned deathly pale. A moment later, her throat burned, and she spat out a mouthful of bloody foam mixed with fragments of her organs...
"It hurts..."
Cold sweat beaded on her forehead, the tip of her nose, and her temples, soaking her hair and plastering it to her face.
Uchiha Hana grimaced in pain. Her pale face and taut veins made her expression look especially twisted.
There was no time to lose...
Instinctively, Uchiha Hana tried to struggle upright, but the moment she moved, a piercing pain shot straight through her.
"Haah... haah..."
Uchiha Hana had no choice but to stay where she was and take several deep breaths, trying to clear her head.
"Thud!"
"Thud!"
The Giant Brown Bear Ninja Beast approached Uchiha Hana with heavy, lumbering steps.
"Roar!"
It seemed utterly unconcerned that its prey might escape. The enormous bear opened its mouth and roared, saliva dripping from the corners of its mouth and splattering onto the ground.
A foul stench rode the wind straight to Uchiha Hana.
"Cough, cough..."
The pain in her chest made Uchiha Hana cough several more times, spitting up black blood mixed with fragments of her organs.
"Heh, looks like I'm done for!"
The searing pain made Uchiha Hana's facial muscles begin to tremble...
Even so, she forced a self-mocking smile.
Uchiha Hana struggled to keep her eyes open as she watched the Giant Brown Bear draw closer. Despair filled her heart.
"The day I became a ninja, I knew I had to be prepared to die in battle at any moment!"
"But I didn't get to die for my clan on the battlefield. Instead, I'm going to end up as bear food because of Mr. Rabbit..."
"Is it because I've eaten too many Mr. Rabbits? They couldn't reach Buddhahood, so their ghosts are making me die in a bear's jaws?"
In her despair, Uchiha Hana's thoughts began to wander.
"Heh, I never got to watch my little brother grow up..."
"I still haven't saved this world from darkness..."
"I never caught a rabbit and got to eat Mr. Braised Rabbit..."
"Ah, ah, Mom, it hurts so much!"
"Mom, my chest hurts so much..."
"Mom, where are you...? Sob..."
Big tears streamed from the corners of Uchiha Hana's eyes, rolled down her cheeks, and finally dripped onto the ground.
Dizziness and intense pain blurred Uchiha Hana's consciousness. Her mouth began to mutter nonsense without her realizing it.
After all, Uchiha Hana was only six years old.
The stench of the Giant Brown Bear's breath washed over Uchiha Hana's face. As she stared up at the huge figure towering over her, she resigned herself to her fate and closed her eyes.
Would Mr. Bear swallow her whole, or chew her up first?
She hoped Mr. Bear would just swallow her whole!
If he chewed her up first, it would hurt so, so much...
Who knew what Uchiha Hana was thinking? At that moment, such a strange thought had entered her mind.
Just as the Giant Brown Bear Ninja Beast was about to finish off its prey, a series of sharp whistles suddenly came from behind its head.
Driven by its animal instinct to avoid danger, the Giant Brown Bear Ninja Beast reluctantly abandoned its prey and dodged with a sidestep.
"Clang, clang!"
Four flying shuriken slammed into the tree Uchiha Hana was leaning against.
"Hey, are you okay?"
Uchiha Shin appeared beside Uchiha Hana in a flash.
Keeping an eye on the Giant Brown Bear Ninja Beast nearby, he crouched down and asked about Uchiha Hana's condition.
Why was Uchiha Shin in the forest?
He had just returned from wiping out bandits on the front lines and completing his clan's trial. As he passed through the forest, he spotted Uchiha Hana being attacked by the Giant Brown Bear Ninja Beast.
They were both members of the Uchiha Clan. Of course he was going to help!
"Looks like I'm saved..."
"Cough, cough!"
Uchiha Hana struggled to look up at Uchiha Shin, crouching beside her. A glimmer of relief flashed in her eyes.
Perhaps the tension that had been wound tight inside Uchiha Hana suddenly eased...
A moment later, her vision went black, and she fainted.
"Hey!"
Seeing Uchiha Hana unconscious and gravely injured, Uchiha Shin immediately decided he had to take down the Giant Brown Bear Ninja Beast as quickly as possible.
Otherwise, the person lying before him might die if treatment was delayed.
After all, every surviving clan member was precious to the Uchiha Clan.
And from the way this person was dressed, it was obvious she was a Genin...
But her strength was terrible. She'd been beaten this badly by a mere Giant Brown Bear Ninja Beast.
How had she even passed the clan trial? What a burden!
Uchiha Shin couldn't help thinking.
"Roar!"
The Giant Brown Bear Ninja Beast watched Uchiha Shin warily and let out a loud roar.
Its animal instincts told it that this two-legged prey was far stronger than the frail one from before.
So the Giant Brown Bear Ninja Beast watched Uchiha Shin carefully, roaring again and again.
It didn't actually want to fight him. Its instincts told it that if it did, things would end badly for it.
So it could only keep roaring, hoping to scare Uchiha Shin away and carry off its earlier prey.
"Heh, don't dare fight me?"
"So even beasts know to pick on the weak... Hahaha!"
In an instant, Uchiha Shin saw right through the Giant Brown Bear Ninja Beast.
Uchiha Shin took two steps forward, placing himself between it and Uchiha Hana.
"Sorry, I'm in a hurry today."
"So I'll finish you off in one move!"
Uchiha Shin stared coldly at the bear-like Ninja Beast and began forming Hand Seals rapidly.
"Multi-Shadow Clone Technique!"
"Poof, poof...!"
In an instant, Uchiha Shin's five Multi-Shadow Clones completely surrounded the Giant Brown Bear Ninja Beast from every direction.
"Fire Style: Great Fireball Technique!" ×6
Six enormous, blazing fireballs burst from the mouths of Uchiha Shin and his five Shadow Clones...
They flew straight at the Giant Brown Bear Ninja Beast trapped in their midst.
"Boom!"
A tremendous explosion rang out...
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