Thunderstorm Birth

Hearing the kunoichi's words, Uchiha Matsuri couldn't help frowning. She'd hit the nail on the head. With just one sentence, the girl had pinpointed the predicament Uchiha Matsuri was in.

Using the Sharingan consumed a huge amount of chakra, but it kept the two of them at bay, stopping them from making a move. Without it, Uchiha Matsuri would have a hard time defeating them on his own.

The three of them remained locked in this strange standoff for a full ten minutes. In the end, with his chakra nearing a critical level, Uchiha Matsuri had no choice but to deactivate his Sharingan.

Seeing Uchiha Matsuri suddenly deactivate his Sharingan, the kunoichi and the white-bearded old man exchanged a knowing look and chose to attack.

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

"Got it." The white-bearded old man made an "OK" sign.

In an instant, the two of them charged at Uchiha Matsuri from either side.

"Lightning Release: Earth Crawl!"

Uchiha Matsuri slammed Lightning Release Chakra into the ground. In a flash, bolts of lightning spread out in every direction.

"Wind Release: Wind Blade!"

The girl and the old man both used the technique. At the same time, a sharp blade of wind formed in each of their hands.

Pfft.

The two of them plunged their Wind Blades into Uchiha Matsuri, who couldn't dodge in time and was sent flying.

Damn it.

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

"He can still move. Should we use our trump card and finish him in one strike?" the white-bearded old man asked.

"Do we really need our trump card to kill him?" The kunoichi glared at the old man.

Uchiha Matsuri could only grit his teeth as the two of them looked down on him. He had less than thirty percent of his chakra left, and he was badly injured. He wasn't confident he could beat them.

Looks like I'll have to gather up all the chakra I have left and use that move. Even if it doesn't kill them, it should buy me some time.

"Hey, I don't even know what you two are called," Uchiha Matsuri said, deliberately trying to stall.

"Why should a dead man need to know that?"

"I'm Mu Liuye, and she's Showa Yoko."

The two spoke at the same time.

Idiot! Showa Yoko glared at Mu Liuye for answering honestly.

"We've never had a grudge against each other. Why don't you let me go today?" Uchiha Matsuri pleaded. At the same time, behind his back, his hands moved rapidly through a series of Hand Seals.

Who would've thought? The proud Uchiha Clan would actually beg for mercy." Showa Yoko looked at Uchiha Matsuri with contempt and kicked him in the chest.

After being sent flying, Uchiha Matsuri slowly got up, brushed the dirt from his clothes, and answered without the slightest shame:

"A wise man doesn't fight when the odds are against him!"

"Is that so?" Showa Yoko watched the battered Uchiha Matsuri with an amused expression. "I don't think so. You must be looking for an opening to ambush us!"

Having his intentions exposed, Uchiha Matsuri couldn't help looking up at Showa Yoko. This girl was terrifying. From laying traps to planning a sneak attack, she seemed to know everything he was thinking.

"Since you've seen through me, then let's fight to the death." Uchiha Matsuri suddenly thrust both hands toward the sky. Dark clouds gathered overhead.

"Lightning Release: Thunderstorm Birth!"

Dozens of bolts of lightning streaked across the sky, all striking Showa Yoko and Mu Liuye on the ground.

"Not good." Showa Yoko sensed an immense threat.

"Wind Release: Wind Killing Formation!"

The two of them used the technique together.

When Lightning Release and Wind Release collided, a deafening explosion rang through the sky. Even Jiraiya and the others, fighting hundreds of meters away, felt their eardrums ache.

"What powerful chakra!" The hidden shinobi from the various factions, lying in wait deep in the forest, cried out in unison.

At the center of the explosion.

Uchiha Matsuri, Showa Yoko, and Mu Liuye were all sent flying by the shock wave. Half a minute later, the smoke cleared, leaving the area in ruins.

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

Dozens of meters away, Showa Yoko and Mu Liuye weren't much better off. Both sat on the ground, looking utterly battered.

"I can't believe he had enough chakra left to use such a powerful technique. I really underestimated that kid," Showa Yoko said through the pain, clutching her chest.

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

"Heh, he's no Genin. He's practically at the level of a Jonin." Mu Liuye's right leg had been blown off in the explosion.

"What should we do, old man? Keep fighting?" Showa Yoko glanced at the badly injured Mu Liuye.

Mu Liuye coughed a few times, then waved a hand. "No more. If we keep going, we'll die."

Watching the two limp away together in the distance, Uchiha Matsuri let out a long breath.

"They're finally gone."

That last move had used up every bit of chakra in Uchiha Matsuri's body. Although he hadn't killed Showa Yoko and Mu Liuye, he'd left them unable to fight.

At the same time, with all his chakra depleted, Uchiha Matsuri was completely unable to move.

Damn it!

Was he really going to die here, helpless and humiliated?

As time passed, Uchiha Matsuri's consciousness gradually grew hazy.

On the battlefield.

Jiraiya's fight against the three former members of the Seven Ninja Swordsmen was nearing its end. In Sage Mode, Jiraiya killed one of them. Then Sage Fukasaku and Sage Shima entered their "Toad Duet" mode, and the two rogue ninja, caught off guard, fled with injuries.

Seeing their leader flee while injured, the three remaining rogues fighting Minato Namikaze and Kiba Inuzuka also ran away.

Of course, before fleeing, the injured Yoru Mizuzuki left behind a classic "I'll be back" message, like so many villains who "talked themselves to death."

As for the shinobi hiding in the forest, they had fled long ago after witnessing Jiraiya's monstrous strength.

Seeing that Jiraiya and the others had successfully repelled the six rogue ninja, Koji Moriya happily stepped out of the carriage.

"Jiraiya, well done! Looks like the A-rank reward my lord paid was worth every penny!" Koji Moriya applauded.

Ignoring Koji Moriya, Jiraiya turned and walked over to the two subordinates on either side of the caravan.

"Are you all right?" Jiraiya asked with concern.

"I'm all right. I've just used up all the chakra in my body." Minato Namikaze bent over, panting, and managed a faint smile.

"Same here. Those few secret techniques I used nearly drained all my chakra." Nearby, Kiba Inuzuka lay on the ground, breathing heavily.

Compared with Minato Namikaze, Kiba Inuzuka was in much worse shape. His whole body was covered in wounds, and the enemy had kept him on the defensive for a full half hour. He was severely exhausted, not just in chakra but physically as well.