Ambush

The Uchiha Clan's compound was located outside the village, a result of Senju Tobirama's insistent demands back in the day. As the Uchiha Clan served as the village's gatekeepers, they would be the first to suffer if any enemy were to launch an attack.

Outside Konohagakure.

On a forest path.

"Hey... have you never returned to your clan? How are you walking in such... zig-zags? Are you really an Uchiha?" Minazuki Kokona's willow-leaf brows furrowed in frustration; her fair legs were stained slightly green from the grass on the ground.

"Just call me Chiba. Besides, I haven't been in the Uchiha compound since I can remember. I grew up in a refugee camp inside Konohagakure. My parents died in the war, and I've been killing people on the front lines near Amegakure... so naturally, I've never been to this clan land," Uchiha Chiba said, using a kunai to hack away a tree branch.

Thud!!!!!

Leaves danced continuously before slowly drifting to the ground.

"Oh... I thought you were a fake Uchiha." A cold aura emanated from Minazuki Kokona's hands, and frost condensed on the ground, forming a flat, smooth path.

It had to be said that Minazuki Kokona's talent was terrifying. In the four or five months on the Sunagakure Battlefield, she had promoted from a Chunin to a half-step Kage Level. Perhaps due to Tsunade, even scroll techniques for Bloodline Limits like Ice Release had been collected in abundance for Kokona, and her medical skills had also improved—though she still couldn't compare to Uchiha Chiba, who had mastered the Flying Thunder God Technique in a single day.

Currently, Uchiha Chiba could not rely on a Blood Pact to fight a battle at his own level, because his internal blood reserves were less than one-tenth of their capacity. If he used it for too long, his own body would be drained dry.

It had to be said.

The location of the Uchiha Clan's compound was quite remote.

The two had already been walking for an hour.

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

"Mm, let's go." Minazuki Kokona remained the same as ever, as if she were incapable of smiling.

A long while later.

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

Chiba turned his head. The ground was damp.

It was the trace left behind by the melting Ice Release.

"Lost? No... something's not right." Uchiha Chiba narrowed his eyes, sensing the surrounding scene.

No chakra flow.

No cicadas.

No birds.

And no wind.

It looked like they had fallen into a genjutsu not long ago.

"Dispelling Technique: Scatter."

A blue light exploded instantly in front of Uchiha Chiba, and in the next second, everything before them returned to normal.

"Ice Release: Ice Prison!"

Minazuki Kokona suddenly formed hand seals, and then, terrifying ice crystal spikes shot from the ground one after another toward the area just behind Uchiha Chiba.

"Fire Style: Great Fireball Technique!"

Boom!!!!!!!

As the steam dissipated.

A woman with a high ponytail stood in a tree, looking at Uchiha Chiba with malicious intent. As for Minazuki Kokona behind him, she had already been targeted by this person.

Chiba: I'm so angry I'm laughing.

"No, is the Uchiha family's way of welcoming guests to ambush them with genjutsu on the road and then kill them at will?" Uchiha Chiba looked coldly at the woman.

The woman did not speak.

It seemed she was a death-sworn soldier of the Uchiha family. If it were Danzo, he wouldn't be insane enough to send people to intercept and kill someone so close to the Uchiha compound.

"A death-sworn soldier? I was just wondering whether you were from the Uchiha or from Danzo... now, it doesn't matter anymore..." Uchiha Chiba drew the kusarigama from his back.

The chains rattled.

"Kokona, you don't need to intervene. It's been a long time since I've used a real sickle like this; I need to warm up." Uchiha Chiba smiled.

In this dark forest shrouded by the shadows of the Uchiha compound, the battle between Uchiha Chiba and the Uchiha death-sworn soldier was about to erupt.

The soldier wore a black robe, her eyes cold. She instantly formed hand seals, and countless clones appeared on the spot. Thanks to the enhancement of her Sharingan, she was able to create so many. They spread out in a fan shape, surrounding Chiba in the center. The air was filled with a suffocating tension.

Uchiha Chiba gripped the kusarigama tightly, the cold metal glinting in the dim light. He crouched slightly, like a leopard ready to pounce, watching the enemies around him vigilantly. The strength this person exuded was half-step Kage Level; although there was a gap between her and himself, he couldn't afford to underestimate her.

Suddenly, the clones attacked like ghosts, throwing several shuriken that whistled sharply toward Chiba.

Chiba's gaze sharpened. He swung the kusarigama rapidly, acting like a sturdy shield. With a few crisp "clangs," the shuriken were all deflected.

But this was only the beginning of the battle. More clones followed up with attacks.

They flickered, using the Body Flicker Technique to weave through the forest, attempting to ambush Chiba from every angle.

Chiba remained calm. He took a deep breath and activated his Sharingan. The scarlet three-tomoe swirled frantically in his eye sockets, and the world in his vision instantly became clear and slow.

He seized an opportunity and swung the kusarigama with force toward a clone. The chain extended like a nimble serpent, the sickle cutting through the air with precision, heading straight for the soldier's throat, before he yanked it back violently! The sickle spun, attacking the surrounding clones!

Boom!

The shadow clone that was attacked first exploded into a cloud of smoke.

The death warrior's clones hurriedly dodged to the side, but the main body was still grazed on the shoulder by the Kusarigama, sending blood splattering onto the ground.

However, this Uchiha death warrior was well-trained; he did not lose his composure despite the disappearance of his clone.

One of the death warrior's clones, hiding in the shadows, seized the moment when Chiba's momentum had faded and his new strength had yet to arise. She lunged forward instantly, the Kunai in her hand thrusting toward Chiba's chest with chilling killing intent.

At the critical moment, Chiba pulled hard on the chain, using the force to propel his body backward while his other hand rapidly formed seals!

"Fire Style: Great Fireball Technique!"

A massive fireball erupted from his mouth, sweeping toward the enemy like a surging wave of flame; the intense heat instantly charred the surrounding trees black.

The Uchiha death warrior's clones scrambled to dodge, but several were unable to evade in time and were swallowed by the fireball, rising into the air as white smoke.

The battle grew increasingly intense. Chiba darted left and right under the enemy's encirclement, his figure and the Kusarigama weaving through the forest like a dangerous and lethal play of light and shadow.

"Got you," Uchiha Chiba murmured, a faint smile tugging at the corner of his mouth.

The death warrior's brow furrowed.

The next second.

Squelch!!!!!

The tip of the Kusarigama pierced through the death warrior's heart.

The death warrior glanced at his chest and collapsed, unwilling to the end. There were no final words, nor even a flicker of expression; this was the way of a death warrior—born to die.

"Chiba? You seemed to just fly over there," Minazuki Kokona said, arriving at Chiba's side.

As it turned out, during the close-quarters combat, Uchiha Chiba had secretly marked the death warrior's main body with his Flying Raijin Technique seal the very moment she was wounded by the Kusarigama.

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