"Yaaah!!"
Yuki was sprawled on the ground. The pain was so intense that he struggled to get up several times, but couldn't.
"Big brother!"
Seeing this, Fuki started toward him to help.
"Second brother, stay back! I'm going to avenge our third brother today!"
Yuki roared, stopping Fuki from coming closer. His face flushed red, the veins on his forehead bulging.
"Sand Armor Technique!!"
At once, Yuki's whole presence grew heavier. He bent his legs again and leaped into the air, soaring like a cannonball.
"Sand Heaven Great Burial!!"
Yuki raised his thick leg high and, using the force of his dive, slammed it fiercely toward Uchiha Chen.
"Not bad power. Too bad I saw that coming."
Uchiha Chen shook his head. Just as Yuki's furious kick was about to hit him, Chen twisted lightly and activated the Body Flicker Technique, dodging the attack.
Yuki's kick struck the ground, leaving a deep, spiderweb-cracked crater. Uchiha Chen stood right at its edge.
"Double Blade Combo!"
Yuki reacted quickly. As his foot hit the ground, he spun around and turned both hands into blades, slashing at Uchiha Chen from either side.
Uchiha Chen leaped high again, dodging Yuki's hand blades, then drove a kick straight into Yuki's face.
But this time, Yuki merely staggered back a few steps. He rolled his neck and grinned as several broken pieces of sand fell from his face, leaving it pitted and uneven.
But it soon returned to normal.
"So that layer of sand must have blocked my attack."
"Is this Sunagakure's version of Nintaijutsu? Taijutsu is my weak point, so I might as well use you to practice!"
One look at Yuki's appearance was enough for Uchiha Chen to see what was going on.
But Yuki didn't care what Uchiha Chen said. His first attack had failed, so he charged again.
Since Uchiha Chen was deliberately training himself, the two seemed evenly matched at first glance.
But as Chen continued to spar with Yuki, a familiar voice suddenly rang out in his mind.
[You trained in Taijutsu continuously and had an epiphany. Your Taijutsu proficiency has reached intermediate level.]
[You trained in Taijutsu continuously and had an epiphany. Your Taijutsu proficiency has reached proficient level.]
"What's going on? Big brother's losing?"
Fuki watched the two fight from a distance, unable to believe his eyes. Just moments ago, Yuki had been holding his own against the Uchiha Clan kid, even gaining a slight advantage. How had the tide suddenly turned?
"I told you, that Uchiha Clan kid is no ordinary opponent!"
Pakura folded her arms across her chest and remarked coolly.
"Don't gloat!"
Fuki shot Pakura a glare, then quickly turned his attention back to Yuki and Uchiha Chen.
He didn't notice Pakura's lips curling upward despite herself.
"No good. We have to help big brother!"
Fuki narrowed his eyes, his gaze shifting rapidly.
How should he help his big brother? Sneak an attack with a ninjutsu from behind?
After seeing how agile Uchiha Chen was, Fuki abandoned the idea. He might end up hitting Yuki by mistake.
But soon, Fuki turned around and looked at Pakura.
"Pakura, come help me support big brother!"
"Sure!"
Pakura charged forward without the slightest hesitation, leaving Fuki staring after her in confusion. Had this woman suddenly changed her mind?
But Fuki had no time to think about it. At that very moment, Uchiha Chen knocked Yuki to the ground again. Even the Sand Armor covering Yuki had shattered completely and wouldn't recover anytime soon.
Seizing his chance, Uchiha Chen kicked toward Yuki's throat, intent on finishing him off.
Yuki's eyes widened, but his immobilized body left him unable to fight back. He could only watch as Uchiha Chen's foot drew closer, terror welling up in his eyes.
At that critical moment, Pakura attacked from the side. A fireball blazed in each of her palms as she struck toward Uchiha Chen's head.
Feeling the scorching heat, Uchiha Chen had no choice but to give up his attack to save his head. He performed a backflip, putting distance between himself and Pakura.
Pakura naturally pursued without hesitation. Her Taijutsu was clearly better than Yuki's and had likely reached proficient level.
"Thud! Thud!"
Both palms struck the ground. The moisture in the earth evaporated instantly, and cracks spread across it.
Soon, Fuki and Yuki, who had narrowly escaped death, joined the fight as well. Yuki had wanted to take down the enemy alone, but the facts were right in front of him: he was no match.
1 vs. 3!
After a few exchanges, Uchiha Chen had a rough idea of his opponents' abilities.
Fuki's Taijutsu wasn't as good as Pakura's, but it was still close to proficient level. That put even more pressure on Uchiha Chen, whose Taijutsu had only just reached proficient level.
"These Sunagakure shinobi have no shame! Three elite Jonin against Chen alone!"
"What are we going to do? Can Chen win?"
"Those Sunagakure shinobi are despicable!"
"Come on, Chen!!"
Seeing Uchiha Chen fall into a disadvantage, the people of Hot Spring Village grew anxious. Worried that Chen couldn't win, they shouted their encouragement.
"Hahaha, that kid's about to run out of steam!!"
Fuki grew more and more excited as the fight went on. Seeing Uchiha Chen floundering, he hurried to press the attack.
"Why isn't he using any ninjutsu?"
They seemed to have the upper hand for now, but Pakura felt a faint unease in her heart.
This shinobi from the Uchiha Clan was clearly more skilled in ninjutsu. He also had that mysterious Sharingan. So why was he insisting on fighting with what seemed to be his weakest skill, Taijutsu?
As the exchanges continued, Pakura noticed that Uchiha Chen was gradually no longer as flustered as he had been at first.
"Could it be?!"
Pakura suddenly looked up at Uchiha Chen, unable to believe it. Was he using the three of them to improve his own Taijutsu?!
In the time they'd been fighting, she could clearly feel his strength increasing.
If that was true, then this man was truly terrifying!
At the thought, Pakura stopped holding back and increased the pace of her attacks.
At last, Pakura seized an opening. The fireball in her palm grazed the back of Uchiha Chen's hand.
"You're dead now!"
Pakura rejoiced inwardly. Anyone hit by Scorch Release would have all the moisture in their body evaporate, killing them in no time!
"Shh!"
In an instant, Uchiha Chen's arm visibly shriveled. The area affected kept growing larger.
"Self-Healing Technique!"
Uchiha Chen reacted swiftly. As he fought and retreated, he activated the Self-Healing Technique.