The man was so furious that he raised his hand to strike.
But just then, a gust of wind suddenly whistled toward the back of his head.
He instinctively dodged. An iron rod slammed into the chair beside him, shattering it to pieces as if it were a biscuit.
He looked up and saw the little brat.
Though Uchiha Cheng had obeyed Mika and returned to his room, he had been keeping an eye on what was happening outside.
He gripped an iron rod, leaving the door ajar so he could rush out at any moment.
The moment the man first slapped his mother, he had rushed out. But when he saw that she was determined to argue, he held back and hid to one side.
Now that the man was about to hit her again, he attacked him from behind without hesitation.
The man's face flushed with rage. He cursed, "You unfilial little beast! How dare you attack your own father? I'll beat you to death today, you little bastard!"
Uchiha Cheng sneered inwardly. He was a Transmigrator, and he had been an adult in his previous life. This man had given him neither life nor care, and had even tried to kill him. And now he had the nerve to call himself his father? What a joke. The man was utterly shameless.
For someone like him, Cheng was already showing great restraint by not turning into Lü Bu and killing his adoptive father.
Without offering any explanation, Uchiha Cheng continued his attack.
The man strode forward and kicked viciously at Uchiha Cheng. He was trying to use the same trick as before, when one kick had nearly killed the boy.
But a month had passed, and Uchiha Cheng was no longer the same. He used the Body Flicker Technique to dodge the man's attack, then swept the iron rod toward his waist.
When Uchiha Kenji saw Uchiha Cheng use the Body Flicker Technique, he immediately realized something was wrong. He hadn't expected the little brat to have already refined chakra and gained a ninja's strength, enough to dodge his attack.
But he reacted quickly, retreating at once and raising both arms to shield his waist.
The iron rod smashed into the man's arms. He was sent flying and crashed to the ground.
That little bastard! The man's eyes bulged with fury. He had noticed the boy rushing out of the room earlier, but hadn't taken him seriously. The brat had been weak and powerless, no threat to him at all.
He hadn't expected to let his guard down and get hurt.
Ninjas were all offense and little defense. Even though Uchiha Kenji was stronger, the blow from the iron rod had left his arms numb. His hands couldn't move well enough to form Hand Seals, so he temporarily couldn't use ninjutsu.
Seeing his first strike succeed, Uchiha Cheng prepared to press his advantage. He rushed forward, bringing the iron rod down in a flurry of blows.
But the man sprang to his feet and dodged Uchiha Cheng's attacks with quick, agile movements.
Uchiha Cheng cursed inwardly. In the end, his mastery of fighting with a rod was poor. He had no technique and could only swing wildly. That was why the man could dodge his attacks so easily.
After dodging several times, the man gradually regained feeling in his arms. He flexed his hands, pulled a kunai from his bag, and raised it to block the iron rod.
Clang—
Clang—
Clang—
Relying on his combat experience, the man easily blocked Uchiha Cheng's attacks. He could tell that Cheng wasn't skilled at fighting with an iron rod.
He raised the kunai to block a hard downward strike, knocked the rod aside, then darted forward and thrust at Uchiha Cheng's throat.
"Die, you disobedient little bastard!"
But a sharp whistle cut through the air as a kunai flew straight at him. If he kept attacking, it would hit him head-on.
Being selfish by nature, he had no intention of dying alongside anyone. He drew back his kunai to block, and Uchiha Cheng seized the chance to retreat.
The kunai had been thrown by Mika.
"Uchiha Kenji, stop! I'll give you the money!" Mika shouted.
She hadn't expected the man to try to kill his own child over a tenth of the money. Worried for her child's safety, she was willing to give up her entire paycheck if it would make him stop.
"You shameless woman! It's too late to beg now! You and that little brat are in cahoots, and you dared to attack me. I'm going to kill you both today!"
"Uchiha Kenji, have you gone mad? If you kill someone, do you think the village and the clan will let you get away with it? A-Cheng is your child and a member of the Uchiha Clan. Even a tiger won't eat its own cub. How can you try to kill him?"
"Heh. If that disobedient little beast dies, so be it. After I kill you both, I'll hide your bodies. The clan will cover for me, so who can touch me? Who would even care about a child with a One-Tomoe?"
Uchiha Kenji's expression twisted with madness. His pupils gradually turned blood-red, and a Tomoe appeared.
"No matter what, I'll make you pay."
Seeing this, Mika realized the man truly intended to kill them.
"Mother, we have to give this everything we've got. I'll fight him, and you distract him with kunai," Uchiha Cheng said calmly, aware of how the situation had changed. He showed no fear or hesitation.
Mika wanted to stop him. She didn't want her child to put himself in danger.
Uchiha Cheng formed Hand Seals, and his arms gradually turned black.
Mika immediately recognized the ninjutsu. It was the Earth Spear Technique she had left for Uchiha Cheng.
The scroll had been left to Mika by her father. It was his signature technique, said to defend against all physical attacks except those using Lightning Country chakra. She herself had never mastered it, and hadn't expected her child to learn it.
While she was distracted, Uchiha Kenji launched his attack. In the blink of an eye, he was in front of them, thrusting his kunai at Uchiha Cheng's neck.
Clang—
At the last moment, Uchiha Cheng raised the iron rod and blocked the attack.
Uchiha Kenji hadn't expected that. Based on what had happened before, the little brat shouldn't have been able to react in time.
His thoughts raced, but his hand didn't stop. He stabbed repeatedly at different parts of Uchiha Cheng's body.
Clang—clang—clang—clang—clang—clang—
The clash of metal rang through the room. Uchiha Cheng blocked five of the six attacks. The last struck his arm, but he ignored it. With the protection of the Earth Spear Technique, he didn't need to defend against attacks to anything but his vulnerable spots.
Behind his sunglasses, his eyes had turned blood-red as well.
The Sharingan's heightened visual acuity gave him a reaction speed no worse than his opponent's, making up for his lack of combat experience.
They both had the Sharingan, and they both had a One-Tomoe. Who was afraid of whom? Besides, he had the Earth Spear Technique to cover for his weak defense.
Taking advantage of the sixth strike landing on his arm, he counterattacked, swinging the rod between the man's legs.
He had been a man in his previous life, so he knew exactly which target would be most intimidating. And since he was so short, it was easy to reach.
Uchiha Kenji turned pale with fright and hurriedly pulled back his kunai to block.
Uchiha Cheng got a moment to breathe and immediately went on the offensive, aiming every blow between the man's legs. With the Sharingan's help, he had no trouble keeping up with the man's movements.
The man struggled to fend him off. Mika took the opportunity to throw kunai and disrupt his defense. For a moment, mother and son had the upper hand.
The man retreated, and the two of them stopped fighting. Neither Uchiha Cheng nor Mika wanted to kill anyone; they only wanted to drive him away.
"Uchiha Kenji, leave now. You're no match for us," Uchiha Cheng said.
"You little bastard!" Uchiha Kenji grew even more frantic. If he left now, what would the clan think of him? He would be fleeing in disgrace after being beaten by his woman and child. He'd never get another penny from them, and his gambling buddies would look down on him.
He couldn't bear the thought of that shameless woman and brat trampling on his pride and dignity.
"Die! Great Fireball Technique!"
Uchiha Kenji's face twisted as he formed Hand Seals. A one-meter-wide fireball burst from his mouth, blazing as it hurtled toward mother and son.
The madman! Mother and son dodged to the side.
Uchiha Cheng formed Hand Seals.
"Water Style: Water Wall!"
A torrent of water poured from Uchiha Cheng's mouth and formed a wall, blocking the surging flames.
The flames evaporated the water, releasing a thick cloud of steam. The already-ravaged room filled with mist, blocking all visibility.
Uchiha Cheng realized that continuing to fight in the room would put them at a serious disadvantage. Keeping his Sharingan active, he grabbed his mother, who couldn't see through the mist, and rushed toward the door to escape.
Just then, a kunai with a sparking tag attached flew toward them.
Thanks to the Sharingan, he could see clearly through the mist. It was an Explosive Tag.
The madman was actually using an Explosive Tag against his own family!
Alarm bells rang in his mind. He could withstand the Explosive Tag, but his mother couldn't, and he was too small to shield her from the blast.
There was only one thing he could do.
He poured all his strength into the Earth Spear Technique, hardening his entire body, then lunged forward and pinned the Explosive Tag down.
Boom—
A violent explosion shook the room, blowing away half the house.
Uchiha Cheng was hurled away by the blast. The door had already been blown off, and the shock wave sent mother and son flying outside. They crashed hard to the ground.
"A-Cheng!"
Mika screamed and scooped up the boy, who was covered in dust.
"Mom, I'm fine," he replied. He looked battered, but the Earth Spear Technique had protected him, and he wasn't injured.
But the man charged at them again and threw another Explosive Tag.
Just as Uchiha Cheng was about to shield them again, a figure appeared in front of them in an instant. He caught the kunai and casually threw it into an empty space more than ten meters away. A violent explosion followed.
The powerful gust of wind blew toward him, and he couldn't help squinting.
Through the flames of the explosion, Uchiha Cheng recognized the man's face.
It was Uchiha Shisui, whom he had met before.