Even Three-Tomoe Sharingan Have Differences ~(Seeking Collection, Seeking Follow-up!!)

"Oh? So you were sent by an old acquaintance. No wonder you were being so secretive—afraid I'd recognize you?"

Uchiha Chen had originally assumed these masked individuals were the targets of his current mission: people from Sunagakure Village.

However, the flash of red light in the eyes of that masked man just now—Uchiha Chen was all too familiar with that. It was the Three-Tomoe Sharingan!

If that was the case, wasn't it obvious who had sent these people?

"I don't know what you're talking about. Finish this quickly—kill him!"

The man in the tiger mask narrowed his eyes, his killing intent erupting as he waved his hand to issue the order.

"Understood!"

"Fire Style: Dragon Flame Jutsu!"

The man in the eagle-beak mask to the tiger-masked man's left struck first. With a quick sequence of hand seals ending in the Tiger seal, a straight beam of fire shot directly toward the tree beneath Uchiha Chen's feet.

"BOOM!"

The massive tree shattered, toppling backward. Uchiha Chen pushed off with his toes, leaping forward and preparing to land steadily on the ground.

"Just as expected. Your movements have already been seen through!"

"Earth Style: Rock Plate Coffin!"

The tiger-masked man sneered, finishing his hand seals and slamming his palms into the ground.

As the earth trembled, several jagged stone slabs erupted from the ground, surrounding Uchiha Chen just as he touched down.

"BOOM!!"

The stone slabs slammed together, sealing Uchiha Chen tightly inside and forming a protruding stone pillar.

"This time, you're sure to be crushed by the rocks!"

However, before the tiger-masked man and his companions could revel in their victory for long, a piercing sound of wind whistled from within the stone pillar.

Then, in the blink of an eye, cracks appeared all over the pillar, their numbers multiplying exponentially. From those dense fissures, needle-like strands of energy pierced through, erupting like fireworks and creating a violent energy storm.

Watching the scene unfold, all five men widened their eyes in disbelief.

"How is this possible!"

The words had barely left their lips when the sturdy stone pillar crumbled into powder, dissipating in the wind to reveal Uchiha Chen, who had been trapped inside.

"This sphere's power is truly not bad."

Uchiha Chen smiled and brushed the stone dust off his clothes, quite satisfied with his masterpiece.

"Attack together! I refuse to believe that three Chunin, one Special Jonin, and one full-fledged Jonin can't take him down!"

Seeing Uchiha Chen completely unscathed, the tiger-masked man spat the order through gritted teeth.

Before the others could even respond, Uchiha Chen had already made his move.

"I just learned the Rasengan today, so I might as well use you all for practice!"

"Shadow Clone Jutsu!"

"Poof~"

In an instant, five puffs of white smoke rose around Uchiha Chen, and five identical shadow clones suddenly appeared.

"Rasengan!"

"Big Ball Rasengan!"

"Fire Style: Great Flame Rasengan!"

"Compressed Rasengan!"

"Wind Style: Rasenshuriken!"

The moment they appeared, the five clones charged toward the five masked men, various forms of the Rasengan already swirling in their hands.

"RUMBLE!!"

As his clones struck, Uchiha Chen turned and walked away.

A real man never looks back at explosions; it's all about confidence.

However, Uchiha Chen soon came running back in a hurry, looking rather embarrassed—he had been so busy showing off that he'd walked in the wrong direction!

He glanced at the five—no, four—lifeless bodies on the ground with shattered masks. The tiger-masked man still had a faint breath left.

"Why... you clearly only just awakened the Three-Tomoe Sharingan..."

The Three-Tomoe Sharingan in the tiger-masked man's eyes were dim and lifeless, filled with nothing but resentment and disbelief.

They had both awakened the Three-Tomoe Sharingan, so why was Uchiha Chen's strength so terrifying?

"There are gaps even between Three-Tomoe Sharingans. Besides, what does a Three-Tomoe even amount to? If you want to blame someone, blame that old geezer Uchiha Sanhe for underestimating me, thinking he could kill me by sending a bunch of losers like you."

Uchiha Chen said coldly, his expression blank.

"You..."

The tiger-masked man's eyes bulged out, and then he fell silent forever.

"Rest easy; that old scoundrel will be down there to join you all soon enough."

With that, Uchiha Chen turned and walked away with effortless grace.

Not long after Uchiha Chen departed, a green toad hopped out of the bushes and came to a stop beside the five corpses. A large hand reached out from the toad's gaping maw, and a tall, white-haired man crawled out!

This white-haired man was none other than Jiraiya, who had agreed to split up with Uchiha Chen only a short while ago!

"To be able to take care of these men in such a short time—truly worthy of my brother Chen. Now I can rest easy letting you operate on your own."

Watching the direction in which Uchiha Chen had left, Jiraiya murmured with a smile before disappearing back into the toad's mouth.

"Brother Seishin, according to the map, we are about to reach the border of the Land of Fire. Once we cross it, we'll be in our Land of Rivers."

On a wide road, a number of carriages were traveling at full speed, kicking up billowing clouds of dust. In one of the carriages, an old man with white hair and a beard, yet looking remarkably spirited, pointed ahead and said with a chuckle.

Sitting beside this old man was Uchiha Chen, though he had changed into a different outfit.

The old man was named Izumitani Yoju, the owner of this merchant caravan, hailing from the Hot Spring Village in the Land of Rivers.

They were currently on their way back to the Hot Spring Village after purchasing supplies in the Land of Fire. Along the way, they had encountered bandits, and the bandits were so powerful that even the bodyguards he had hired were slaughtered.

Just as Izumitani Yoju had fallen into despair, Uchiha Chen had descended from the sky and, in a mere few minutes, cut down all the rampant bandits on the spot.

Having escaped death, Izumitani Yoju was naturally filled with gratitude toward Uchiha Chen. After some conversation, he learned that Uchiha Chen was a wandering ninja named Seishin (one must use an alias when traveling the world, after all), and he fervently invited Uchiha Chen to travel with them.

This was exactly what Uchiha Chen had calculated, so he naturally agreed to accompany them.

Because according to the intelligence Jiraiya had given him, a vanguard unit of Sunagakure Village ninjas had already appeared on the border of the Land of Rivers. What Uchiha Chen needed to do was locate this vanguard unit, track their movements, or wipe them out entirely.

"Old man, with the Five Great Nations currently embroiled in war, who knows when the Land of Wind and the Land of Fire will start fighting? It's far too dangerous for you to be running a caravan."

Uchiha Chen looked ahead and asked, seemingly nonchalant.

"Alas, for those of us who make a living through trade, we have no choice but to take risks if we want to survive in these chaotic times."

Izumitani Yoju let out a deep sigh.