"Besides," Uchiha Matsuri panted, "the bottom of Scarlet Valley is just up ahead. Once we get there, the Sand shinobi won't be able to find us so easily!"
As time ticked by, Kushina Uzumaki gradually neared her physical limit. After running desperately for dozens of minutes, she had used up more than half the chakra stored in Uchiha Matsuri's Yin Seal. If they stopped now to fight the Sand shinobi to the death, Uchiha Matsuri wasn't confident he could beat them—especially with several formidable opponents among their pursuers.
Twenty minutes later, just as the three of them were about to enter the bottom of Scarlet Valley, they saw a mass of golden sand gathering in the sky ahead like a raging golden tide, then surging toward them.
Damn it.
They'd caught up after all!
Uchiha Matsuri glanced back at the dozen or so Sand shinobi, only a dozen meters away.
Enemies blocking the way ahead, pursuers closing in behind.
They had no choice but to fight!
Without the slightest hesitation, Uchiha Matsuri suddenly turned and ran toward the Sand shinobi behind them.
"Fire Release: Phoenix Sage Fire Technique!"
Fireballs shot from Uchiha Matsuri's mouth. Several unprepared Sand shinobi were instantly scorched.
Clang!
After the kunai thrown by the three of them clashed with those hurled by several Sand shinobi, Uchiha Matsuri and his companions immediately engaged eight or nine of their opponents in battle.
After successfully killing one ninja, Uchiha Matsuri caught sight of Kushina Uzumaki out of the corner of his eye. She was surrounded by seven or eight people a dozen meters away.
Just as Uchiha Matsuri was about to go help Kushina Uzumaki, someone stepped between them.
"Your opponent is me!" said a red-haired Sand Waterfall boy who looked to be only a teenager.
An hour earlier, after seeing the Lightning Release used by the black-haired boy before him, Rasa of the Sand Waterfall had grown excited all over and eager to fight someone close to his own age. Now that the black-haired boy had stopped running and turned to battle the Sand shinobi, Rasa knew the moment for a one-on-one fight had arrived.
"Who are you?" asked Uchiha Matsuri, his body covered in wounds and his face murderous.
"Rasa of the Sand Waterfall!" Rasa replied.
So this was the Fourth Kazekage from the original story, Uchiha Matsuri thought.
Although Fourth Kazekage Rasa was only around the lower-middle tier among the Five Kage and the Kazekage of various generations, Uchiha Matsuri was only a Genin with Chunin-level strength, and he was badly injured. Naturally, he couldn't expect to gain any advantage against Rasa.
What Uchiha Matsuri didn't know was that Rasa was only fourteen years old. His Magnet Release Kekkei Genkai, which would later let him suppress One-Tail Shukaku in the original story, was something he could only control to a very limited degree at this point.
"Let's see what you can really do!" Uchiha Matsuri took out a scroll and pulled out several kunai and shuriken. Once he ran out of chakra, all he could do was fight his enemy with kunai and shuriken.
The sand beneath Rasa's feet seemed to be swept up by a strong wind, swirling into the air in an instant.
"Magnet Release: Gold Sand Raging Waves!"
The golden sand surged toward Uchiha Matsuri, a dozen meters away.
"Earth Release: Earth Flow City Wall!"
A tall wall made of earth and sand rose up, blocking the sand rushing toward Uchiha Matsuri.
"Magnet Release: Gold Sand Shuriken!"
A shuriken made of gold sand took shape in Rasa's hand.
Rasa hurled the Gold Sand Shuriken with all his might. The moment it pierced the Earth Flow City Wall, the wall crumbled instantly.
Even after seeing his Earth Release technique broken, Uchiha Matsuri didn't despair. Instead, he threw three kunai in curving trajectories.
After dodging them, Rasa quickly formed Hand Seals.
"Magnet Release: Gold Sand Grand Funeral!"
All the gold sand on the ground was swept into the air by the wind. It filled the sky, forming a massive sandstorm that stretched a hundred meters in every direction and made Uchiha Matsuri's already darkened vision even more blurry.
"Although I haven't mastered the Gold Sand Grand Funeral well enough to make the gold sand crush inward, this sandstorm should still give him plenty of trouble," Rasa thought smugly.
Taking advantage of his opponent's impaired vision, Rasa charged into the sandstorm with a kunai in hand.
With his vision obstructed, Uchiha Matsuri had lost all his agility.
Slash.
A kunai cut across Uchiha Matsuri's right cheek, and a stream of blood ran from the wound.
"Die!" Rasa taunted.
In an instant, Uchiha Matsuri felt a powerful force strike his left knee.
Thud.
Uchiha Matsuri lost his balance and dropped to one knee, gasping for breath.
There's no time to use Medical Ninjutsu in a battle like this. Uchiha Matsuri slammed his right hand against the ground, despair rising in his heart.
Seeing Uchiha Matsuri's pitiful state, Rasa stopped attacking and looked down at him smugly.
"Leaf shinobi, stop putting up a futile struggle. I know you're almost out of chakra," Rasa taunted. "I have to admit, I'm impressed. You've used so many powerful techniques, yet you still have chakra left. I'm not exaggerating when I say you have the largest chakra reserves of anyone your age I've ever met."
"But you're going to die by my hand today." The thought of killing this "strong opponent" who was his age filled Rasa with irrepressible excitement.
"Hmph. If I run out of chakra, I'll use this shuriken to end my own life," Uchiha Matsuri gritted out. "I refuse to die by your hand."
"Then let's see whether I kill you first or you kill yourself!"
Whoosh.
Rasa charged toward Uchiha Matsuri, kunai in hand.
Amid the sandstorm, Uchiha Matsuri could hear Rasa's footsteps drawing closer, but with his vision obstructed, he couldn't see Rasa's figure or track his movements.
Damn it.
If that was the case, he had no choice but to activate that ability.
For ten years, Uchiha Matsuri had deliberately kept his Single Tomoe Sharingan a secret. It wasn't that the Single Tomoe Sharingan was especially powerful; rather, because of the Sharingan's unique nature, the Uchiha Clan had always been met with wariness and suspicion. To avoid being distrusted and shunned, Uchiha Matsuri had never used his Single Tomoe Sharingan in battle.
But when his life was at stake, only a fool would hold back.
Uchiha Matsuri slowly closed his eyes. Two seconds later, he suddenly opened them. His eyes, once black, had turned crimson.
The moment he activated his Single Tomoe Sharingan, Uchiha Matsuri could clearly see Rasa's movements through the sandstorm.
Whoosh.
A kunai hurled by Rasa flew straight toward Uchiha Matsuri's neck, but he dodged it with ease.
"The Uchiha Clan's Sharingan?" Rasa said, slightly surprised as he saw Uchiha Matsuri's blood-red eyes. "No wonder he could easily dodge my attacks in the sandstorm. I've heard the Sharingan is extremely powerful when it comes to genjutsu. I'd better be careful."
Before you continue