Melee

A surging water dragon roared toward them, as if draining the entire mountain spring, instantly engulfing the hiding spot of the four Uchiha members.

Shiri cursed inwardly; Senju Arashi was truly a terrifying opponent.

This was not merely because she was an elite ninja of immense strength, proficient in the Water and Earth Style techniques favored by the Senju clan at such a young age, but also because her taijutsu was flawless.

What was even more daunting was that she was the daughter of the Senju clan head, meaning she was undoubtedly protected by powerful Senju ninjas.

Just as Shiri had feared, the moment Senju Arashi unleashed the water dragon, the Senju ninjas behind her fanned out, instantly surrounding the Uchiha group and cutting off all possible paths of retreat.

With no time to dodge, Shiri could only weave hand signs: [Fire Style: Great Fireball Technique!]

The flames slightly hindered the water dragon's advance, and the four used that split second to leap from the trees, narrowly avoiding being struck.

Hayasaka Sae, over on the other side, had also spotted Uchiha Keisuke, but before he could speak, Senju Arashi had already finished her hand signs.

He could only sigh at the power of the Senju clan in his heart, drawing his katana to charge at the four while shouting, "Who goes there!"

Shielding the two children behind her, Shiri whispered, "Do not reveal our identities for now!" This earned a slight nod from Keisuke.

Hayasaka Sae had already reached them. Looking at this strange combination, he said to Senju Arashi, "It seems they are ninjas from a great clan."

Senju Arashi had anticipated this; only great clans would send such a mix of elite ninjas and children to carry out a mission.

Hayasaka Sae maintained a combat stance and asked, "What is your business here?"

Just as Shiri was about to speak, Hayasaka Sae raised his hand and threw three shuriken at them.

Shiri and Keisuke had been on guard; Shiri whispered to Wuming, "Protect Qiancao, break out separately!" and leaped to the side to dodge the incoming shuriken.

Wuming pulled Qiancao to the side and charged toward the two Senju ninjas, shouting to Qiancao, "Stay close to me!"

Qiancao scrambled to keep up with Wuming, a surge of power slowly welling up in his eyes, making his movements significantly more agile.

As the two Senju ninjas threw a barrage of shuriken to block her, Wuming quickly wove hand signs: [Fire Style: Great Fire Annihilation!] The surging flames instantly swallowed all the shuriken in front of her.

The fire continued to roar forward, and the two Senju ninjas simultaneously wove hand signs: [Water Style: Water Wall Technique!] Using the water from the mountain spring, they formed a protective barrier, blocking Wuming's scorching flames at the very last second.

The collision of fire and water generated a massive amount of steam, making it difficult to see the surroundings.

Wuming used the cover of the steam to bypass the two Senju ninjas, hoping to escape, but halfway through, a thick, high wall suddenly rose before her.

In that brief moment of obstruction, the two Senju ninjas closed in. Unable to engage in hand-to-hand combat while protecting Qiancao, Wuming could only weave hand signs to release a wall of fire, trapping the two in the middle.

The fire wall forced the Senju ninjas back, and the two rushed toward the earthen wall, intending to climb over it and break through the encirclement.

Just as they reached the peak, Senju Arashi was already waiting above. She signaled her clansmen to leave it to her, and after a series of hand signs, she placed both hands on the earthen wall.

The once-hard wall instantly softened, as if a large swamp had suddenly appeared, causing Wuming, who was stepping on it, to lose her balance and nearly fall.

Stumbling, Wuming slapped the wall and used the recoil to spring away to the side.

Senju Arashi, spotting the moment Wuming was airborne and unable to leverage herself, wove hand signs for a technique: [Earth Style: Heaven Falling Lid].

Countless mounds of earth shot up from the ground, forming a lid the size of two people in mid-air, slamming down toward Wuming and Qiancao.

No sooner had Wuming and Qiancao landed than they were covered by the lid.

As Senju Arashi and the other two Senju ninjas moved to approach the lid and capture them alive, countless fireballs erupted from within, spraying in all directions and forcing the three back once more.

It turned out that, realizing there was no way to dodge, Wuming had woven hand signs the moment she landed to release [Fire Style: Phoenix Sage Fire Technique], riddling the lid with holes.

While the ninjutsu battle remained deadlocked, the taijutsu duel between Uchiha Keisuke and Hayasaka Sae was equally intense.

Hayasaka Sae had infused his katana with lightning-attribute chakra, and as he swung it, sparks flew in a dazzling display.

Keisuke's movements were far more plain and unadorned, relying solely on flexibility and speed to dodge continuously.

The wandering ninjas on the sidelines gradually tightened their circle, but fearing they might interfere with Hayasaka Sae's technique, they dared not get too close, instead hurling insults to disrupt Keisuke's focus.

Meanwhile, Shiri was facing five Senju ninjas alone.

She relied on her agile footwork to dance around the five, occasionally popping out to release shuriken and setting traps with explosive tags to hinder the Senju ninjas' pursuit.

For the moment, although Shiri could not break through the encirclement, she showed no signs of defeat.

However, Shiri understood that this war of attrition was not a viable solution, and she had no idea when Daimyo Imagawa's army would arrive.

Besides, Keisuke was a veteran ninja; how could he make such a low-level mistake and expose their tracks so easily?

Uchiha Keisuke cannot be trusted. How can Wuming and I break out on our own? Shiri thought silently.

Unable to find a solution, Shiri could only fight while retreating, drawing the ninjas chasing her toward Qiancao's direction.

But before the two sides could converge, a sudden commotion erupted from Keisuke's side: "The Sharingan! It's the Uchiha clan!"

It turned out that Keisuke had activated his Sharingan, and his movements became instantly more rapid.

Hayasaka Sae, who had held the upper hand, was instantly suppressed. Keisuke even grabbed one of Hayasaka Sae's arms, and both men used their free hands to weave hand signs: [Fire Style: Great Fireball Technique!]

The close-range flames triggered Hayasaka Sae's psychological trauma; the scar on his face throbbed with pain. He could only close his eyes, raise his katana high, infuse all his remaining chakra into it, and slash down!

The fireball released by Keisuke was split in two, but the residual flames still set Hayasaka Sae's clothes ablaze.

The power of this fireball was extraordinary; not only did it ignite Hayasaka Sae, but it also surged aggressively toward the onlookers, causing a large number of injuries in an instant.

Taking advantage of the chaos, Uchiha Keisuke leaped into the crowd. His Sharingan captured the counter-attack movements of those around him, and like a dancer, he used their own momentum against them, leaving the wandering ninjas dead or wounded in an instant.

Upon hearing "Uchiha," the Senju ninjas could no longer restrain themselves; they abandoned their respective opponents and charged toward Keisuke in the crowd!