Am I Going to Die?

Uchiha Setsuna gritted his teeth, his Three-Tomoe Sharingan spinning as he searched for a way to break the deadlock.

However, the clone's attacks grew increasingly ferocious, leaving him absolutely no room to catch his breath.

Another punch came roaring in; Uchiha Setsuna barely managed to block it, but the force sent him flying backward, slamming into the sea and kicking up a massive spray of water.

"Cough, cough..."

He coughed up a mouthful of blood, his graying hair matted and draped over his shoulders, while his wounds continued to seep blood.

In the distance, Naoki saw this scene and his eyes nearly split from rage.

He sliced a Kirigakure ninja who had been engaging him in half, then sprinted toward the shoreline.

"Still have the heart to worry about others? Give me your life!"

The Hook Staff whistled through the air with a piercing sound, and Naoki raised his hand to block.

As the long blade collided with the Hook Staff, sparks flew, and his arm was nearly numbed by the impact.

Karatachi Yagura's strength far exceeded his imagination; this man, who looked like a child, possessed chakra and physical power that were simply monstrous.

"Kid, is that all you've got?"

Karatachi Yagura sneered and swept his Hook Staff horizontally. Naoki was sent flying, blade and all, crashing heavily onto the beach and leaving a shallow crater.

Naoki struggled to rise, but his body trembled uncontrollably.

He gripped his long blade and jammed it into the ground to pull himself up, but the steel sword that had accompanied him for years suddenly let out a crisp snap and broke.

Suddenly losing his support, he stumbled and nearly fell.

Karatachi Yagura walked over slowly, dragging his Hook Staff across the sand and carving a deep trench.

"Kid, you killed two of my confidants and destroyed twelve ships of supplies, forcing me to end the war in the Land of Fire prematurely." His voice was terrifyingly calm. "Tell me, how should I thank you?"

Naoki gasped for air, looking up at Karatachi Yagura.

Those pale purple pupils held cold killing intent, as if he were looking at an ant already crushed beneath his foot.

"Cough, cough..." Naoki coughed up blood-flecked foam and grinned. "What, do you want to give me a medal?"

Karatachi Yagura raised an eyebrow.

"Still mouthing off when death is at your doorstep."

He raised his Hook Staff, the tip aimed directly at Naoki's throat.

Suddenly, two kunai flew in, knocking the Hook Staff off course and embedding themselves beside Naoki.

Seizing the rare opportunity, Naoki erupted into action, his feet kicking hard against the ground as he launched himself like a spring.

The broken half of his long blade traced an arc in his hand, striking directly at Karatachi Yagura's throat.

"You're courting death!"

Karatachi Yagura let out a cold snort, grabbed the broken blade with one hand, and swung the Hook Staff simultaneously.

"Bang!"

A dull thud exploded in his chest, and the excruciating pain of shattered ribs spread throughout his body. Naoki felt his body fly backward like a kite with a broken string, the blue sky and white clouds spinning rapidly in his vision.

"Naoki!"

Uchiha Zongxin's roar came from the distance, his voice growing fainter and more blurred.

Cold seawater flooded his nose and mouth, and Naoki felt his body sinking deeper and deeper.

His consciousness struggled in the darkness; he wanted to open his eyes, but his eyelids felt as heavy as lead.

The sharp pain from his broken chest bones had gone numb, replaced by a coldness that caused him to lose all sensation in his body.

Am I going to die...

The thought flashed through his mind.

Death was not terrifying to Naoki, but... there were still so many things he hadn't done.

The future of the Uchiha clan had yet to be changed.

And Hideko... she was still waiting for him to return to Konoha.

Gradually, Naoki lost consciousness.

As he sank toward the seabed, a massive black shadow suddenly emerged from the deep ocean.

It was a giant octopus, pitch-black all over, its eight tentacles stretching out in the water like a monster from the abyss.

After approaching Naoki, one of the giant octopus's tentacles quickly reached out, coiled around the unconscious Naoki, pulled him close, and then rapidly moved away from the coast.

On the beach.

Uchiha Zongxin had witnessed Naoki being struck by the Hook Staff and falling into the sea.

"Naoki... did he just die like that?"

He stared blankly at the distant sea, unable to believe what he had just seen.

Had the companion he grew up with really just died?

They had overcome so many hardships... everyone had worked so hard... why did it have to end like this?

The One-Tomoe Sharingan in Uchiha Zongxin's eyes grew increasingly scarlet.

He clutched his head with both hands, pulling at his hair, frustrated by his own weakness and his inability to help when it mattered most.

Seeing Uchiha Zongxin standing there in a daze, a Kirigakure ninja stepped forward quickly and swung his blade down.

Uchiha Zongye, seeing this, was frantic and shouted out.

"Zongxin!"

Hearing his brother's call, Uchiha Zongxin suddenly looked up. The Kirigakure ninja was already right in front of him, but he froze for a split second when he saw the Three-Tomoe Sharingan in the boy's eyes. In that brief moment, Uchiha Zongxin regained his senses and punched the man's head into a pulp.

Having killed Naoki and left Uchiha Setsuna severely wounded, Karatachi Yagura felt it was time to end things, so he formed hand seals once more.

"Water Style: Exploding Water Colliding Wave!"

A massive volume of water erupted from Karatachi Yagura's mouth. Aided by the terrain, a monstrous wave formed instantly, sweeping toward everyone on the beach.

"Run!" Uchiha Zongye roared, grabbing his dazed younger brother with his only remaining arm.

Hyuga Hiroshi activated his Byakugan, desperate to find an escape route, only to realize there was nowhere to go; the giant wave had covered the entire beach with astonishing speed.

"It's too late..." he muttered.

Standing on the sea in the distance, Uchiha Setsuna felt his heart turn to ash.

His clan hadn't done anything to him, Konoha hadn't done anything to him, and even that old bastard Senju Tobirama hadn't done anything to him, yet he was laughably falling in his own country, at the hands of a Kirigakure ninja...

Just as the giant wave was about to swallow them, a green light suddenly flashed on the shore.

A massive green skeleton appeared out of thin air, standing between Uchiha Zongxin and the others and the towering wave.

The crest of the wave crashed into the skeleton with a deafening roar.

The seawater exploded, turning into a sky-filling white mist that blotted out the sun.

Everyone was stunned.

Karatachi Yagura stood on the sea in the distance, his pale purple pupils slightly constricted.

As the mist gradually dissipated, the green skeleton remained standing, motionless. In the center of the skeleton, a figure knelt on one knee, gasping for air.

"Shisui... brother?" Itachi's eyes widened as he stared in disbelief at the familiar figure.

Shisui slowly stood up, crimson blood seeping from his Mangekyou Sharingan and sliding down his pale cheeks.

"This chakra..." Uchiha Setsuna managed to lift his head, his graying hair fluttering in the sea breeze, shock flashing in his eyes. "This is... Susanoo!"

"Mangekyou... Sharingan," he muttered.

A look of gravity finally appeared on Karatachi Yagura's face.

This was not his first time clashing with Shisui, and he knew very well that he had absolutely no way to deal with that half-body giant.