Friends

"Shorty!"

"Clang!"

"Hana?"

Uchiha Sarina suddenly heard Uchiha Hana's voice beside her. Just as she was about to turn and look at Hana...

"Splurt!"

A warm liquid splashed across her right cheek.

A shadow flashed past her eyes, followed by the thud of a heavy body hitting the ground.

The warm liquid on her cheek gave off a sticky, salty, metallic smell that stung her nostrils.

"That's the smell of blood!"

Uchiha Sarina instinctively touched her right cheek.

"Stay focused, Sarina!"

"Now's no time to let your guard down!"

During the fight, Uchiha Hana had caught sight of Sarina's peril out of the corner of her eye.

Although Hana disliked Sarina for trying to get close to Lord Shin, she couldn't stand by and watch Sarina die right in front of her. That was her bottom line.

So, when she found an opening, Hana had stepped in and saved Sarina from certain death!

No one wanted to die...

The rescued Sarina quickly got back to her feet. They were still on the battlefield, after all.

"Why did you save me?"

Taking advantage of the opening, Sarina hurried over to Uchiha Shin and Hana.

The three of them formed a Swastika Formation in perfect unison and began fighting off their enemies together!

"Even though I hate that you're trying to get close to Lord Shin, we're still friends!"

"Aren't friends supposed to help each other?"

Hana knocked away a Kunai aimed at Shin's back with her short blade, then quickly explained to Sarina.

"Friends?"

As she fought alongside Hana and Shin to repel the enemy's attacks, Sarina quietly turned the word over in her mind.

So Hana had always thought of me as a friend...

The realization filled Sarina with joy.

"Hana, when we finish this mission, let's go play at our secret base again!"

Sarina suddenly realized how awful she'd been before. Hana had always treated her as a friend, and yet she'd acted so despicably. But there was still time to make things right.

"Holy crap!"

Shin had just slit the throat of an enemy Genin when Sarina's words to Hana reached his ears. His heart lurched.

What the hell.

How could she jinx them at a time like this?

It was just like saying, "Once this battle's over, I'm going home to get married," or "After this job, I'm quitting for good."

Shin immediately extended his sensory range as far as he could, hoping Sarina wasn't a jinx. Otherwise, he and Hana might get caught in the crossfire because of her.

But sometimes fate had a strange way of working...

Maybe it was because Shin, Hana, and Sarina worked together so well and were cutting down enemy Genin with such ease.

Or maybe that unlucky kid Sarina really was a jinx.

Whatever the reason, an enemy elite Chunin finished off his opponent and surveyed the battlefield. His attention immediately settled on the trio of Shin, Hana, and Sarina.

In just a short time, the three Uchiha Genin had worked together to kill six of his comrades.

They had to be dealt with.

Using the chaos of battle as cover, the enemy elite Chunin silently crept toward Shin, Hana, and Sarina.

"What's that Chakra source?"

As the elite Chunin drew close to them, Shin's sixth sense made the hairs on his body stand on end.

Boosted by the dynamic vision of his One-Tomoe Sharingan, Shin quickly spotted the enemy elite Chunin trying to sneak up on them.

"Hana, get ready to fight for your life!"

"Based on the Chakra source, an elite Chunin is coming!"

As soon as he spotted the target, Shin gripped five Shuriken in his left hand and shouted a warning to Hana behind him.

"Understood, Lord Shin!"

Hana's heart sank...

She had to protect Lord Shin, no matter what—even if it cost her life!

Hana also gripped five Shuriken in her left hand, steeling herself.

"So, you noticed me!"

"You little Uchiha brats!"

"This'll be a bit of a hassle, but no matter!"

"Heh heh!"

Seeing that Shin, Hana, and Sarina had noticed him, the enemy elite Chunin stopped hiding and suddenly charged at his targets.

"Whoosh! Whoosh!"

When they saw the enemy elite Chunin stop concealing himself and charge straight at them, Shin, Hana, and Sarina threw their Shuriken at once!

They hoped to slow the enemy elite Chunin's assault.

Uchiha Goichi, who had been told by Uchiha Tajima to look after Shin, caught sight of an enemy elite Chunin sneaking toward Shin and the others amid the battlefield chaos.

He panicked at once. Shin was the future clan head!

"What, is one of those three Genin an important figure in the Uchiha Clan?"

Masai Shoichi, who was fighting Uchiha Goichi, immediately noticed the subtle change in Goichi's expression.

Trusting his ninja instincts, he followed Goichi's gaze and quickly spotted Shin, Hana, and Sarina.

"You're asking for death!"

Goichi flew into a rage at Shoichi's words.

"If you want to save your comrades, you'll have to get past us!"

"For the sake of our lord, that important Uchiha will die here!"

"My men will take good care of the three of them!"

"Hahaha!"

"Forget about getting away from us!"

Shoichi saw that Goichi was enraged...

He immediately signaled to Okune Daisan, his deputy captain, who was attacking Goichi alongside him.

Ninjas were trained to keep their heads in any situation on the battlefield.

Even a moment of panic could leave an opening!

And that could decide who lived or died!

Captain Shoichi and Deputy Captain Daisan both understood this very well...

If Shin, Hana, and Sarina fell to their elite Chunin, Goichi's resolve would inevitably waver...

In other words, if their elite Chunin could seize the opportunity to kill those three Uchiha brats, he and Daisan would be able to exploit the opening in their formidable Uchiha opponent's defenses!

Then they could settle the fight—and decide who lived or died!

All Shoichi and Daisan had to do now was avoid the brunt of Goichi's attacks and keep the dangerous man in front of them tied down as long as possible!