After several days of rough sailing, Uchiha Shisui finally saw the familiar coastline of the Land of Fire just ahead. A spark of hope rose in his heart.
However, when he casually glanced back, his expression instantly turned grave.
Several small boats were following not far behind the merchant ship. Figures crowded their decks, almost all of them fully armed ninja radiating menace.
Uchiha Shisui tightened his robe, trying not to draw the others' attention as he keenly watched the boats' movements.
As he observed them, he quickly pieced together the information in his mind, his eyes flashing with calm focus. Seven boats in all, led by the Seven Ninja Swordsmen. Three men on each boat.
He silently weighed their numbers. There were quite a few enemies, and the Seven Ninja Swordsmen were formidable opponents. The situation was far from promising.
He clenched his fist, yet felt not the slightest fear.
The Land of Fire was right before him. As long as he could reach its shores, he would have a chance to escape his pursuers.
With that thought, he took a deep breath and began considering how to deal with them, his gaze fixed resolutely on the distant coastline.
Where the Kirigakure Ninja were.
"Hmph! We've searched so many merchant ships, and the one up ahead is the only one we haven't checked. Pick up the pace and catch up! That brat's definitely on board."
There was a ruthless edge to Suikazan Fuguki's voice. He thrust his hand forward, as if he could already see himself capturing Uchiha Shisui.
The ninja aboard the small boats immediately sped up. Like a pack of wolves that had caught the scent of prey, they charged toward the merchant ship.
Just as their boats were about to reach the merchant ship, a ninja suddenly shouted, "Sir! Someone on the ship ran into the forest by the shore!"
Suikazan Fuguki's expression darkened at once, a vicious glint flashing in his eyes.
He swiftly turned toward the forest along the shore. The trees stood thick and the foliage was dense, making it an ideal place to hide.
"Damn it! He's just as slippery as before! After him! Don't let that brat get away!"
Suikazan Fuguki roared, leaping from his boat and sprinting toward the forest.
The other ninja followed close behind. Armed with weapons and eyes full of vigilance and murderous intent, they vanished into the edge of the forest like phantoms.
Knowing the pursuers were close behind, Uchiha Shisui leaped from branch to branch, his figure streaking through the trees like a bolt of black lightning.
He made no sound when he landed. Only the faint rustling of leaves showed that he had passed.
As he used the Body Flicker Technique, he pulled prepared wire and Explosive Tags from his ninja pouch.
In his hands, they seemed like precision weapons.
He swiftly wound the wire around sturdy branches, then cleverly fastened Explosive Tags at crucial points along it. In moments, he had set a simple but deadly trap.
His movements were practiced, his gaze focused as he overlooked no detail.
While setting the traps, he kept glancing back to watch the pursuers and make sure they did not spot him.
As the number of traps grew, so did his confidence.
The traps formed a series of simple defensive lines. They could not drive the enemies off for good, but they could slow the pursuing ninja and buy him more time to retreat.
A cold smile appeared on Uchiha Shisui's face. His eyes held a complicated gleam: resentment toward those who had hunted him, and the exhilaration of striking back at last.
"I've become so much stronger in Kirigakure thanks to your endless pursuit. This time, I've prepared a big present for you!"
His voice rang low and firm through the silent forest.
As soon as he finished speaking, he stirred the Storm Release chakra within him. The unusual energy surged from his body like an invisible undercurrent, quickly spreading across the surrounding area.
His hands formed Hand Seals at lightning speed, each movement practiced and fluid.
"Storm Release: Scattered Lightning Storm!"
At his low cry, the air seemed to fill with a faint electric current, crackling softly.
Chakra filaments in this molecular form are impossible to detect without a special dōjutsu. But when someone touches them, their power rivals three Explosive Tags.
He considered this silently, a hint of confidence in his eyes.
The molecular chakra filaments were like deadly traps hidden in the shadows, waiting for the pursuers foolish enough to stumble into them.
With everything in place, Uchiha Shisui wasted no time. His figure flashed like a black blur as he headed for the watchtower Konoha had set up.
It was where he could evade the pursuers. Reaching the watchtower would mean he had entered Konoha's jurisdiction. If ninja from an enemy nation entered, it would be considered an act of war—and he could escape the Seven Ninja Swordsmen of Kirigakure.
His pursuers were about to taste the "present" he had prepared so carefully.
Uchiha Shisui focused on using the Body Flicker Technique, ready to make a swift escape.
The moment he moved, a vicious killing intent came crashing down from above like a mountain.
His heart clenched. He looked up instinctively and saw Biwa Juzo, hoisting the gleaming Kubikiribōchō, hurtling down from above like a streak of black lightning and bringing it down in a savage vertical slash.
"Die, brat!" Biwa Juzo's malicious roar rang through the air. He wore a cruel grin, his sharp teeth like a shark's, gleaming coldly in the dim light.
The Kubikiribōchō tore through the air with a howling wind, its tremendous force bearing down on Uchiha Shisui's head.
Uchiha Shisui's pupils contracted, and his heart gave a hard lurch. With no time to think, his body instinctively darted to one side.
At this critical moment, his reflexes reached their limit. The blade missed him by a hair, skimming past the edge of his robe and bringing with it a fierce gust.
The air displaced by the blade sliced painfully across his cheek. He silently thanked his quick reflexes. Otherwise, he would already have been decapitated.
At the brink of life and death, Uchiha Shisui reacted in a flash.
In an instant, his normally dark eyes were replaced by the Three-Tomoe Sharingan.
The Sharingan sharpened his senses until everything around him seemed to slow.
Almost as soon as it activated, his hand shot behind him like lightning and drew the chipped Ninja Blade from its sheath.
The blade flashed with a sharp gleam as it came free, ringing out with a clear chime.
Biwa Juzo had just missed with his full-force attack and was pulling back. His balance had not yet fully settled.
Seizing the fleeting opening, Uchiha Shisui drove off hard with his feet and lunged forward like a gust of black wind.
He raised the chipped Ninja Blade high. With a howl of wind, he slashed at Biwa Juzo with all his might.
The sharp blade wind seemed ready to split the very air.
Just as the Ninja Blade was about to sink into Biwa Juzo's body, Uchiha Shisui felt a surge of triumph, certain he had landed the hit.
But no blood appeared as he had expected. Biwa Juzo's body suddenly blurred like a phantom, twisted, and turned into a puddle of water that slowly spread across the ground.
Uchiha Shisui's pupils shrank, surprise crossing his face. He blurted out, "A Water Clone?"
He quickly retreated several steps, putting distance between himself and the puddle. His crimson eyes swept sharply over the surroundings, watching for Biwa Juzo's real body to attack from hiding. He gripped the chipped Ninja Blade tightly, ready for whatever came next.