Thunderstorm Birth

Hearing the kunoichi's words, Uchiha Matsuri couldn't help but frown. She had hit the nail on the head; with a single sentence, the girl had pinpointed the dilemma Uchiha Matsuri was facing.

Using the Sharingan consumed a massive amount of chakra, but it served as a deterrent that kept the two from acting rashly. Without it, he would find it difficult to defeat them on his own.

The three of them stood in this eerie standoff for a full ten minutes until, finally, Uchiha Matsuri was forced to deactivate his Sharingan as his chakra levels neared the critical threshold.

Seeing Uchiha Matsuri suddenly deactivate his Sharingan, both the kunoichi and the white-bearded old man tacitly chose to attack.

"Old man, you take the left, I'll take the right. Let's finish this quickly," the girl whispered.

"Understood." The white-bearded old man gave an "OK" hand gesture.

In an instant, the two lunged at Uchiha Matsuri from either side.

"Lightning Release: Earth Crawl!"

Uchiha Matsuri slammed his lightning-natured chakra into the ground, and in a split second, electricity surged outward across the earth.

"Wind Release: Wind Blade!"

Both the girl and the old man unleashed this technique. Simultaneously, blades formed of wind manifested in their palms.

Squelch.

The two drove their Wind Blades into Uchiha Matsuri's body. Unable to dodge in time, he was sent flying.

Damn it.

Uchiha Matsuri struggled to his feet and glared at the two standing before him.

"He can still move? Should we use our ultimate technique and kill him in one blow?" the white-bearded old man asked.

"Do we really need our ultimate technique to kill him?" The kunoichi shot the white-bearded old man a sharp look.

Seeing himself being underestimated by the pair, Uchiha Matsuri felt helpless. With less than thirty percent of his chakra remaining and suffering from severe injuries, he wasn't confident he could win against them.

It seemed his only option was to gather all his remaining chakra and unleash that technique. As for the result, even if it didn't kill them, it would at least buy him some time.

"Hey, I still don't know your names," Uchiha Matsuri said, intentionally trying to stall for time.

"Does a dead man need to know so much?"

"I am Mu Liuye, and she is Showa Yoko."

The two blurted out their names simultaneously.

Idiot! Showa Yoko glared at Mu Liuye for being so forthcoming.

"You two, we have no past grievances or recent grudges. Why not let me go today?" Uchiha Matsuri "pleaded." Meanwhile, behind his back, his hands were moving at high speed to form seals.

"I never thought the proud Uchiha Clan would actually beg for mercy." Showa Yoko looked at Uchiha Matsuri with disdain and kicked him hard in the chest.

After being kicked away, Uchiha Matsuri slowly stood up, brushed the dirt off his clothes, and replied with "shameless" composure:

"A wise man knows when to retreat!"

"Is that so?" Showa Yoko stared at the disheveled Uchiha Matsuri with a playful glint in her eyes. "I don't think so. You must be looking for an opening, planning to ambush us, right?"

Having his thoughts laid bare, Uchiha Matsuri couldn't help but look up at Showa Yoko. This girl was terrifying; from setting traps to predicting his ambush, she seemed to know exactly what he was thinking.

"Since you've figured it out, let's fight to the death." Uchiha Matsuri suddenly clapped his hands toward the sky, and dark clouds instantly gathered overhead.

"Lightning Release: Thunderstorm Birth!"

Dozens of lightning bolts streaked down from the sky, striking Showa Yoko and Mu Liuye on the ground simultaneously.

"Not good." Showa Yoko felt a massive threat looming over her.

"Wind Release: Wind Killing Formation!"

The two unleashed this technique together.

When the Lightning Release and Wind Release collided, a deafening explosion echoed through the heavens. Even Jiraiya and the others, who were fighting hundreds of meters away, felt their eardrums ache from the shockwave.

"Such powerful chakra!" Deep in the dense forest, the lurking ninjas from various factions exclaimed in unison.

At the center of the explosion, Uchiha Matsuri, Showa Yoko, and Mu Liuye were sent flying by the shockwave. Half a minute later, the thick smoke cleared, leaving the scene in total ruin.

"Cough, cough." Uchiha Matsuri lay on the ground, coughing up blood as he gasped for air.

Dozens of meters away, Showa Yoko and Mu Liuye were in no better shape, both sitting on the ground in a wretched state.

"I didn't expect him to have enough chakra left to unleash such a powerful technique. I truly underestimated this brat," Showa Yoko said, clutching her chest in pain.

What Showa Yoko didn't know was that Uchiha Matsuri's "Thunderstorm Birth" had consumed over twenty percent of the chakra stored in his Yin Seal.

"Heh, he's no mere Genin. He's clearly on the verge of reaching Jonin level." In the blast, Mu Liuye's right leg had been blown off.

"What now, old man? Are we still fighting?" Showa Yoko glanced at the battered Mu Liuye.

Mu Liuye coughed a few times, then waved his hand. "No more, no more. If we keep fighting, we'll lose our lives."

Watching the pair support each other as they retreated into the distance, Uchiha Matsuri let out a long breath.

"Finally, they're gone."

With that last technique, Uchiha Matsuri had exhausted every drop of his chakra. Although he hadn't eliminated Showa Yoko and Mu Liuye, he had successfully rendered them unable to continue the fight.

At the same time, having exhausted all the chakra in his body, Uchiha Matsuri was completely unable to move.

Damn it!

Is this really how I'm going to die, so pathetically?

As time slipped away, Uchiha Matsuri's consciousness gradually began to blur.

On the battlefield.

Jiraiya's fight against three members of the Seven Ninja Swordsmen was nearing its end; having activated Sage Mode, Jiraiya struck down one of the Seven Ninja Swordsmen. Shortly after, Sage Fukasaku and Sage Shima initiated the "Toad Duet," catching the two remaining rogue ninjas off guard and sending them fleeing with injuries.

Seeing their leader wounded and in retreat, the three rogue ninjas who had been clashing with Minato Namikaze and Kiba Inuzuka immediately took to their heels as well.

Naturally, the injured Yoru Mizuzuki, much like many villains who "die from talking too much," left behind a "I'll be back" parting message before fleeing.

As for the hidden ninjas in the dense forest, they had long since vanished after witnessing Jiraiya's monstrous strength.

Seeing Jiraiya and the others successfully repel the attack of the six rogue ninjas, Koji Moriya stepped out of the carriage with a look of delight.

"Jiraiya, well done! It seems the A-rank bonus my master paid was well worth it!" Koji Moriya said, clapping his hands in congratulation.

Ignoring Koji Moriya, Jiraiya turned and walked toward his two subordinates on the side of the caravan.

"Are you alright?" Jiraiya asked with concern.

"I'm fine, just completely drained of chakra." Minato Namikaze bent over, gasping for air as he managed a faint smile.

"Me too. My secret techniques from just now used up almost all of my chakra." Beside him, Kiba Inuzuka lay on the ground, breathing heavily.

Compared to Minato Namikaze, Kiba Inuzuka's condition was far worse; beyond being covered in wounds, he had been suppressed by the enemy for a full half-hour, and his physical strength alone had been severely overdrawn.