Black Clad Ninja

Flames erupted from the surface of the river, scorching the night sky into a shade of orange.

The fire spread rapidly from the front to the back of the twelve transport ships, leaping from vessel to vessel as if a series of fire dragons were dancing wildly through the fleet.

Naoki sent Uchiha Zongxin and the other away, then gripped his long blade and approached this "fire dragon."

He had been training for quite some time now, and today, he would see exactly what he was made of.

Clutching the long blade in his hand, his Sharingan appeared eerie under the reflection of the flames.

Before the first Kirigakure ninja to jump off the ship could even steady himself, Naoki had already closed the distance.

A flash of steel flickered, and the man let out a muffled groan, clutching his throat as he collapsed.

"We have an enemy approaching!"

More Kirigakure ninjas leaped from the burning ships; some landed directly on the shallows, while others sprinted across the water's surface.

Naoki did not retreat; instead, he charged straight toward the enemy.

His long blade carved an arc through the air, knocking aside an incoming kunai. Following the momentum, he spun, his blade sweeping across the chest of a second enemy.

Blood splattered onto his face, warm and metallic.

"Two-Tomoe Sharingan? It's an Uchiha!"

Three Kirigakure Chunin lunged at him simultaneously, their kunai striking at Naoki's vitals from different angles.

The Sharingan rapidly captured every movement of the three.

He leaned his body slightly backward to dodge the first strike, kicked the second man's wrist away, and drew a spare kunai from his waist with his left hand to parry the third man's attack.

Their coordinated assault was neutralized in an instant.

"You are all too slow!"

Naoki let out a low shout, sweeping his long blade horizontally to force the three back while forming hand seals with one hand.

Fire Style: Great Fireball Technique

Chakra erupted from his mouth, instantly condensing into a fireball that slammed head-on into the three Chunin.

Two of them failed to dodge in time and fell into the river, screaming as their bodies burned; the third managed to evade, only to be run through by Naoki's blade a moment later.

In this short span of time, he had killed five Kirigakure ninjas with lightning speed!

"Haa..."

Naoki exhaled a breath of stale air, his Sharingan scanning the surroundings.

The transport ships were still burning, and many more Kirigakure ninjas were leaping down. However, what caught his interest was a Jonin dressed in black, wearing a black mask that revealed only his eyes.

The opponent had also jumped onto the shore and was currently forming hand seals, seemingly intending to use Water Style to extinguish the fire on the transport ships, but Naoki would not give him the chance.

Naoki pulled three shuriken from his pouch, threw them with a flick of his wrist, and followed up with his blade.

The black-clad ninja was forced to interrupt his hand seals, sidestepping the shuriken attack, his eyes locked onto Naoki.

"Brat, you're courting death!"

His voice was low and raspy. His hands moved in a blur, completing the seals in an instant.

Water Style: Water Fang Bullet

The river water suddenly exploded, and several high-speed rotating water pillars, like sharp drills, shot toward Naoki from different angles.

Naoki's Two-Tomoe Sharingan spun wildly, tracking the trajectory of every water fang.

He pushed off the ground, weaving through the dense barrage like a nimble swallow. The hem of his clothes was torn by the grazing water blades, but his skin remained unscathed.

"Interesting."

The black-clad ninja snorted coldly, his figure flickering as he vanished from his spot.

The next moment, he appeared behind Naoki, his kunai striking toward his back with a cold, icy glint.

Naoki had anticipated this; his Sharingan had already seen through the opponent's attack pattern!

He twisted his body and blocked with his long blade.

"Clang!"

Sparks from the metal collision scattered into the night.

Naoki disengaged from the attack and landed steadily on the ground, as did the black-clad ninja.

The two stood in a close-quarters standoff when the opponent suddenly spoke.

"To have such reaction speed with only a Two-Tomoe Sharingan, it seems you are no ordinary Uchiha."

"This ambush must have been planned for a long time, right? But it ends here!"

With that, the black-clad ninja flickered away.

"So fast!"

Alarm bells rang in Naoki's mind as his Sharingan frantically searched for the opponent's trail.

Danger!

He instinctively rolled to the left, a kunai grazing his cheek and leaving a shallow trail of blood.

Before he could even steady himself, the second strike arrived.

Naoki rolled away in a sorry state, but this time the kunai sliced his arm, blood dripping down his sleeve.

"Not bad reflexes, but let's see how you dodge the next one!"

Naoki knelt on one knee, gasping for air.

The opponent's speed just now was too fast—so fast that even with the dynamic vision of his Sharingan, he could barely track it.

Such speed could surely not be maintained for long; Naoki sensed that his opponent would make a move soon, and as expected, mist began to rise, quickly enveloping the battlefield.

This was the signature technique of the Hidden Mist ninja...

"Hidden Mist Technique"

Naoki held his breath, his Sharingan searching desperately through the fog.

In this environment, his vision was restricted while the enemy could move freely, putting him at a severe disadvantage.

The Sharingan was not like the Byakugan; facing this situation, it was difficult to utilize its advantages, and Naoki had to disperse this mist as soon as possible.

"Little brat, how much longer can you hold on?"

The black-clad ninja's voice echoed from all directions, drifting and elusive, making it impossible to pinpoint his location.

Perhaps due to his transmigration, Naoki had discovered during his daily training that his five senses were much sharper than before, so he slowly closed his eyes and began to sense the movements around him.

Back left!

He spun around violently, slashing his long blade horizontally.

"Clang!"

The kunai collided with the blade, sparks flying.

The black-clad ninja retreated after a single strike, vanishing back into the mist.

"Good intuition, but that was just luck."

The voice drifted from the fog again.

Naoki remained silent, his breathing gradually steadying as he entered a peculiar state.

Since arriving in this world, he had spent every day training in ninjutsu, taijutsu, and sensory perception; although it hadn't been long, he possessed some talent...

Front right!

This time, he chose to take the initiative!

The long blade tore through the mist, thrusting directly toward the targeted position.

The black-clad ninja clearly hadn't expected Naoki to pinpoint his location so accurately, and in his haste, he could only dodge sideways.

The blade sliced across his shoulder, leaving a bloody gash.

"You..."

The black-clad ninja was shocked and furious, but Naoki gave him no chance to breathe, closing the distance and unleashing a relentless flurry of strikes like a rainstorm.

The Two-Tomoe Sharingan spun rapidly in the mist, capturing every subtle movement of his opponent.

The black-clad ninja was forced back by the sudden, fierce onslaught, sustaining several more wounds on his shoulders and arms.

"Damn brat!"

He roared, retreating rapidly while forming hand seals.

"Water Style: Water Dragon Bullet Technique"

A massive water dragon suddenly coalesced within the mist, lunging at Naoki with bared fangs and claws.

Naoki's pupils constricted as he leaped backward, forming seals with one hand.

"Fire Style: Great Dragon Fire Technique"