Uchiha Hikari, Against the Mangekyo!

"Rat, Horse, Monkey— Izanagi, release!"

At the border of the Land of Fire, Uchiha Jun, who had been running flat out, leaned against a large tree and panted heavily.

After confirming that he had no Flying Thunder God formula marks on him, he raised a hand and released Izanagi.

Though he had used up two and a half Sharingan between fleeing, fighting, and self-detonating, a satisfied smile still hung on his face.

"Of the Twelve Guardian Ninja, only Asuma Sarutobi, Chiriku, and some unknown stray dog are still alive."

"The Land of Fire's daimyo must be furious now, right? Hehe."

"And this 'Shinobi World superstar' is going to be your Uncle Danzo."

"Your uncle made an absolute killing this time!"

Looking at the mission rewards on the panel, Uchiha Jun smiled faintly.

"Next—"

He looked in the direction of the Land of Rivers.

"It's time to capture my 'Pokemon.'"

Under the moonlight, his figure vanished into the night.

All that remained was the wreckage within the Daimyo Palace, along with the mighty name of Shimura Danzō that would soon resound throughout the Shinobi World!

As night receded, morning light seeped through the gap in the horizon, staining the wilderness at the border of the Land of Rivers a bleak gray-gold.

The Land of Rivers lay between the Land of Fire and the Land of Wind, a buffer zone that remained in chaos year-round.

There was no unified government here, only scattered villages, wandering bandits, and ruins and seals forgotten by the Five Great Nations.

Uchiha Jun spent half a day carefully searching the wilderness along the Land of Rivers' border.

With his sensory ability fully unleashed and bolstered by Shimura Danzō's Kage Level chakra, his perception spread outward like ripples, catching every abnormal fluctuation.

"Not here..."

"Not here either..."

"Hm?"

His steps suddenly stopped.

In his perception, roughly two kilometers ahead, there was an extremely faint yet unusually strange chakra fluctuation.

That chakra fluctuation was hidden deep underground, as though concealed beneath layers of seals. If not for his sensory ability reaching a considerable level under the Tobirama Senju template's enhancement, he would have barely noticed it.

"Found it."

Uchiha Jun smiled and raced in that direction.

The sealed location was beside a small river at the base of a cliff.

The water was crystal clear, while moss and vines covered both banks. Sunlight filtered through the dense canopy, casting mottled shadows across the river's surface.

Uchiha Jun stood by the riverbank, his gaze falling on a massive boulder in the middle of the riverbed.

The boulder appeared no different from an ordinary rock on the surface, but its interior was covered in densely packed sealing formulas. Every formula emitted faint chakra fluctuations, as though quietly telling a story.

"Sealing techniques..."

Uchiha Jun crouched down and carefully examined the formulas.

With the Shimura Danzō template's enhancement, Uchiha Jun's proficiency in sealing techniques was barely enough for him to decipher these Warring States-era sealing formulas.

"Triple seal... The first layer locks chakra, the second restrains the body, and the third binds the soul..."

Uchiha Jun muttered as he deciphered them.

"The person who designed this seal really wanted to keep whoever was inside locked away forever."

Rising to his feet, Uchiha Jun formed hand seals.

"But you ran into me."

Sealing Technique: Release!

He pressed both hands against the boulder, and the chakra within him poured into the sealing formulas like a tidal wave.

The first layer shattered.

The second layer broke.

The third layer—

Boom!

The boulder exploded, scattering fragments in every direction.

A figure fell from the seal and crashed onto the soft riverbank.

It was a young girl.

She looked around thirteen or fourteen. Long black hair spilled across the riverbank, and her delicate face was so pale it held not a trace of color.

She wore a tattered combat outfit stained with dust and blood, while fine scars covered her exposed arms and calves.

Most striking of all were her eyes—those eyes were tightly shut, yet even so, Uchiha Jun could sense the immense ocular power contained within them.

—Uchiha Hikari.

Of course, she should be called Nameless right now.

Uchiha Jun stood before her and looked down without speaking.

After around ten seconds, the girl's eyelashes trembled slightly.

Then, she opened her eyes.

They were a pair of scarlet Sharingan.

Mysterious and dangerous patterns slowly turned within her pupils, radiating an eerie glow.

She saw Uchiha Jun.

Then—

"Uchiha!"

Her voice was hoarse and shrill, carrying hatred carved into her very bones.

The next second, her eyes abruptly widened.

Amaterasu!

Black flames appeared out of thin air and lunged at Uchiha Jun's face!

Uchiha Jun's pupils constricted.

He had not expected this girl, who had been sealed away for who knew how many years, to unleash such a fierce attack the instant she woke up!

He twisted aside to evade it, but Amaterasu was simply too fast.

The black flames brushed his left arm and instantly began to burn.

"Gah—"

Uchiha Jun sucked in a sharp breath and, without hesitation, tore off his left sleeve and cut away the skin contaminated by Amaterasu along with it.

Blood sprayed out, but he had at least stopped Amaterasu from spreading.

"That was close..."

Uchiha Jun muttered, his gaze toward Uchiha Hikari turning serious.

"Looks like I'll have to beat you into submission."

Uchiha Hikari did not reply.

She pushed herself up from the ground. Her body still trembled slightly, but the killing intent in her Sharingan was thick enough to feel tangible.

"Uchiha... All of you deserve to die!..."

Uchiha Hikari's voice was hoarse and filled with endless hatred.

The next second, she attacked again.

Tsukuyomi!

An enormous surge of chakra erupted from within her and assaulted Uchiha Jun!

Uchiha Jun's expression changed.

He formed hand seals. Izanagi!

"Argh—!!"

With a pained cry, Uchiha Jun's figure became illusory. In the next instant, he appeared some distance away.

Wind Style: Vacuum Great Sphere!

A high-pressure wind sphere shot from his mouth and hurtled toward Uchiha Hikari!

The Mangekyo pattern in Uchiha Hikari's eyes spun wildly.

Amaterasu!

Amaterasu again!

Black flames poured down like a torrential downpour, shrouding the entire riverbank beneath the shadow of death.

The high-pressure wind sphere only held out for a moment before Amaterasu devoured it completely!

"What the hell? Isn't Amaterasu supposed to be the shame of the Mangekyo?! Why does Uchiha Hikari make it so damn horrifying?"

Uchiha Jun activated Wind Release again to clash against Amaterasu.

He had no choice. Amaterasu could be activated as long as the target was within sight, making it difficult to evade. Once he drew Susanoo Sasuke in the future, he absolutely had to try out 'telescope Amaterasu' too!

Wind Style: Vacuum Serial Waves!

Violent wind blades collided with the black flames, erupting in deafening thunder.

The shockwave forced both of them back several steps.

Uchiha Jun steadied himself and looked down at his hands.

The wound on his left arm was still bleeding, and Amaterasu had burned several holes through his combat uniform.

"This girl... She's this strong right after waking up?"

"Is she even human?"

Uchiha Jun cursed under his breath, then drew a deep breath.

"Looks like I can't hold back anymore."

Izanagi!

In an instant, two of the six Three-Tomoe Sharingan that had been open closed shut!

Uchiha Jun's body itself gradually turned translucent before vanishing completely!

"What?!"

Watching Uchiha Jun disappear before her eyes, Uchiha Hikari's eyes widened. Her Mangekyo spun frantically as she scanned her surroundings, trying to find even the slightest trace of his existence!

Yet after searching, she found nothing at all. It was as though Uchiha Jun had simply vanished from where he stood!

"Did... did he run away?"

Uchiha Hikari murmured, a trace of exhaustion flashing through her eyes.

Having only just awakened, she had consecutively used Mangekyo ocular techniques like Amaterasu and Tsukuyomi. The burden on her body was immense.

But just then—

"No, little sister."

Sealing Technique: Curse of Karma!

A powerful sealing force erupted in an instant!

With lightning speed, it immobilized Uchiha Hikari where she stood while simultaneously sealing the Mangekyo's vision!

"What?!"

Uchiha Hikari struggled with all her strength, yet she could not break free from the seal no matter what she did!

"Your techniques are indeed powerful."

Standing behind Uchiha Hikari, Uchiha Jun said calmly, "But your body is far too weak."

Uchiha Hikari gritted her teeth and said nothing.

There was no doubt Uchiha Jun was telling the truth.

Having been sealed for who knew how many years, her body had already weakened to the extreme.

Those rounds of attacks had nearly drained all her chakra.

On top of that, her strongest ocular technique—Yachihoko—could not be used at all because she had no imprinted recipients.

"Give up."