Assassination

The Uchiha Clan Compound was outside the village. This had been the result of Senju Tobirama's insistence back then. The Uchiha Clan served as the village's guardian deity, and if enemies ever attacked, they would be the first to bear the brunt.

Outside Konoha

On a forest path

"Hey... have you never been back to your clan's compound? How come the roads are so... winding? Are you really an Uchiha?" Minazuki Kokona furrowed her slender brows, looking a little helpless. The grass stains on the ground had turned her fair legs slightly green.

"Just call me Chiba. And I haven't lived in the Uchiha Clan Compound since I can remember. I grew up in a refugee camp in Konoha. My parents died in the war, and I've spent all this time killing people on the battlefield near Amegakure... naturally, I've never been to the compound." Uchiha Chiba cut through a branch with his Kunai.

Thud!!!!!

Leaves swirled through the air, then drifted slowly to the ground.

"Oh... I thought you were a fake Uchiha." A cold aura wafted from Minazuki Kokona's hands as frost spread across the ground, forming a smooth path.

There was no denying that Minazuki Kokona's talent was terrifying. In the four or five months at the Sunagakure Battlefield, she had gone from Chunin to half a step into Kage Level. Perhaps it was because of Tsunade, but Kokona had even obtained quite a few scrolls of Ice Release techniques, a Kekkei Genkai. Her medical skills had improved, too, though she still couldn't match Uchiha Chiba, who had mastered the Flying Thunder God in a single day.

At the moment, Uchiha Chiba couldn't rely on his Blood Pact to fight someone of equal strength. He had less than a tenth of his blood reserves left, and if he used it for too long, the blood in his own body would be drained dry.

It had to be said,

the Uchiha Clan Compound was rather remote.

The two had already been walking for an hour.

"We're halfway there," Uchiha Chiba said, glancing around at the cicadas, the birds, and the trees swaying in the wind.

"Mm. Let's go." Minazuki Kokona still wore the same expression, as if she never smiled.

After a long while,

"Chiba, we've passed this place before." Minazuki Kokona suddenly stopped and looked at Uchiha Chiba.

Chiba turned around. The ground was damp.

It was where the Ice Release had melted.

"Lost? No... something's not right." Uchiha Chiba narrowed his eyes and sensed the surroundings.

There was no flow of chakra.

No cicadas.

No birds.

Not even a breeze.

It seemed they had fallen under a genjutsu just moments ago.

"Dispelling Technique: Scatter."

A flash of blue light burst before Uchiha Chiba. The next moment, everything in front of them returned to normal.

"Ice Release: Ice Coffin!"

Minazuki Kokona suddenly formed Hand Seals. Then, a series of terrifying ice spikes shot up from the ground, one after another, toward a spot not far behind Uchiha Chiba.

"Fire Style: Great Fireball Technique!"

Boom!!!!!!!

The steam cleared.

A woman with her hair tied in a high ponytail stood in a tree, glaring at Uchiha Chiba. As for Minazuki Kokona behind Chiba, the woman had already locked onto her.

Chiba was so angry he could only laugh.

"Seriously? Is this how the Uchiha Clan treats its guests? You lay a genjutsu ambush on the road and then kill people at random?" Uchiha Chiba glared coldly at the woman.

She said nothing.

She looked like an Uchiha Death Warrior. If it had been Danzo, he wouldn't have been insane enough to send someone to ambush them so close to the Uchiha Clan Compound.

"A Death Warrior? I was wondering whether you belonged to the Uchiha or Danzo... but it doesn't matter now..." Uchiha Chiba pulled the Kusarigama from his back.

The chain clattered.

"Kokona, don't get involved. It's been a long time since I used a proper scythe like this. I need to stretch my legs." Uchiha Chiba smiled.

In the shadow-shrouded forest near the Uchiha Clan Compound, the battle between Uchiha Chiba and the Uchiha Death Warrior was about to begin.

The Death Warrior wore a black robe, her eyes cold. She formed Hand Seals in an instant, and countless clones appeared around her. Thanks to her Sharingan, she was able to create so many. They spread out in a fan shape, surrounding Chiba at the center, while a suffocating tension filled the air.

Uchiha Chiba gripped the Kusarigama tightly in both hands. The cold metal glinted in the faint light. He crouched slightly, like a leopard ready to pounce, and warily watched the enemies around him. The strength radiating from this woman was at the level of half a step into Kage Level. She was somewhat weaker than him, but he couldn't afford to underestimate her.

Suddenly, the Death Warrior's clones struck first like wraiths, hurling several Shuriken that whistled toward Chiba.

Chiba's gaze sharpened. He swung the Kusarigama in his hands, using it like a sturdy shield. A series of sharp clangs rang out as he knocked every Shuriken away.

But this was only the beginning. More of the Death Warrior's clones launched their attacks in quick succession.

They darted through the trees with the Body Flicker Technique, trying to ambush Chiba from every angle.

Chiba remained calm. He took a deep breath and activated his Sharingan. The three red Tomoe spun rapidly in his eyes, and the world around him seemed to grow clear and slow.

He seized an opening and hurled the Kusarigama at one of the Death Warrior's clones. The chain stretched through the air like a nimble serpent, and the scythe cut through the air with deadly precision, heading straight for the Death Warrior's throat. Then he yanked hard! The scythe spun, striking at the nearby clones!

Thud!

The clone attacked first exploded into smoke.

The Death Warrior's clones hurriedly dodged, but the scythe still slashed the real one across the shoulder. Blood splattered onto the ground.

However, this Uchiha Death Warrior was well trained. She didn't lose her composure when her clone disappeared.

One of the clones hid in the shadows. While Chiba's strength from his last move was spent and he had yet to regain it, she darted in, the murderous Kunai in her hand stabbing toward his chest.

At the last moment, Chiba yanked the chain and used the momentum to leap backward, while his other hand formed Hand Seals in a flash!

"Fire Style: Great Fireball Technique!"

A huge fireball burst from his mouth and swept toward the enemy like a raging tide of flame. The scorching heat instantly charred the surrounding trees.

The Uchiha Death Warrior's clones scattered, but some were too slow to dodge. The fireball swallowed them, and white smoke billowed upward.

The battle grew fiercer. Surrounded by his enemies, Chiba darted left and right, his figure and the Kusarigama weaving through the forest in a dangerous, deadly blur.

"Got you." A slight smile appeared on Uchiha Chiba's lips.

The Death Warrior frowned.

The next moment,

Squelch!!!!!

The tip of the Kusarigama pierced the Death Warrior's heart.

She glanced at her chest and fell, unwilling to accept defeat. She had no last words, and not a hint of expression crossed her face. That was what it meant to be a Death Warrior: born to die.

"Chiba? It looked like you just flew over there." Minazuki Kokona came to Chiba's side.

As it turned out,

during the close-quarters fight, Uchiha Chiba had secretly marked the Death Warrior's real body with his Flying Thunder God Mark. The mark had been completed the instant the scythe wounded her...

This was the first time Chiba had used the Flying Raijin Technique to kill someone.