Divine Blade, Aid Me-Unleash My Heaven-Defying Insight!

The other side.

From above, a secluded valley came into view. A hulking figure flashed through it again and again. It was Kazunosuke.

Good. I'm out of range of Konoha's sensory barrier.

I'll be able to...

Before Kazunosuke could think further, movement suddenly stirred to his side.

"What?!"

Kazunosuke's pupils contracted as a sinister voice came from nearby.

"Fo~und~you~."

Uchiha Genmei and Uchiha Sei appeared not far away.

A small calico cat stood off to one side, looking utterly drained as it complained, "Sei, this isn't what we agreed on, meow!"

"You and Genmei need to make up the difference in our fees later, meow!"

"Got it. We'll cover the extra cost this time, Maru-Maru."

"Thank goodness Sei sent Maru-Maru to follow him from the start. That reverse summoning came in handy."

"You're not getting away, you rat!"

Without another word to Maru-Maru, the two rushed toward Kazunosuke.

"Tch! A reverse summoning by a Ninja Cat? I let my guard down."

Moving at high speed, Kazunosuke realized he'd missed the Ninja Cat following behind him.

But there was no need to waste time fighting these two Uchiha. He just had to reach the rendezvous point and get backup.

Things never went smoothly. That was what Kazunosuke thought, but Uchiha Genmei, who was skilled in Nintaijutsu, was the first of his pursuers to make a move.

Vmmm!

Faint flames flickered over Uchiha Genmei's body, sparks scattering around him.

Boom!

He vanished in the blink of an eye, reappearing above Kazunosuke.

"Rat, did you really think you could escape?"

Clang!

A Ninja Blade flashed from its sheath, surging with purple flames!

[Uchiha Style: Sword Leap Firelight!]

A massive, arrow-like slash of flame hurtled toward Kazunosuke.

Uchiha Sei, watching from a distance, widened his eyes.

Purple flames? Had Genmei combined them with Yin Release Chakra?

That kid Genmei really did live up to his reputation as a genius!

"What a nuisance!" Kazunosuke grumbled as the purple firelight filled his vision, immediately activating Lightning Release Chakra Mode.

He used his hand as a blade, gathering a mass of Lightning Release Chakra amid crackling sparks.

[Ninja Art: Lightning Oppression Horizontal Chop]

Clang!

The clash of lightning and fire filled the surrounding air with murderous tension.

Watching the two locked in a stalemate, Uchiha Sei's eyes lit up. His Sharingan's Magatama spun rapidly, and he vanished from where he stood, appearing behind Kazunosuke in the blink of an eye.

Uchiha Style: Gale Sword!

A powerful blade of flame formed a diagonal slash.

Faced with such a disadvantage, Kazunosuke's lips curled slightly.

"Looks like I'll have to take you two out before I can leave!"

"Time to show you what I can really do."

Vmmm!

The figure locked in combat with Uchiha Genmei vanished.

"What?!" Uchiha Genmei's expression changed. So fast! Even his Three-Tomoe Sharingan couldn't keep up.

Wait!

That wasn't an ordinary Lightning Release Chakra Mode. It felt like the same version of Lightning Release Armor used by the Raikage in the original story.

"Sei! Watch out!"

Uchiha Sei watched his flaming slash cut through empty air, momentarily taken aback.

He heard Uchiha Genmei's warning and froze.

But it was too late.

Hiss!

The hulking figure appeared beside Uchiha Sei and scooped him up in an instant.

"Kid, go to the afterlife!"

[Lariat!!!]

Boom!!!

Uchiha Sei slammed into the ground with a deafening crash.

After taking out Uchiha Sei, Kazunosuke quickly dodged Genmei's attack.

He flashed to the side, clapped his hands, and declared arrogantly, "All right, now it's one-on-one, kid!"

Looking at Uchiha Sei, sprawled on the ground and possibly dead, Uchiha Genmei's expression turned grave. He turned to face the hulking man before him.

His heart sank.

What was going on? Could a spy really be this strong?

Uchiha Sei might not be as strong as him, but he was still a proper jōnin.

And this guy had taken him down with one strike, leaving him dead or alive?

No, there was no time to dwell on that now.

Just who was this guy? He could tell from the man's stance alone.

He was strong!

Judging by the chakra flow his Sharingan could see, the man's Lightning Release Chakra Mode was no ordinary technique!

He'd taken Uchiha Sei down in an instant. I might not be able to beat him.

Uchiha Genmei's heart weighed heavy.

But when he looked at the panel in his mind, the Aura value had risen from 1 that morning to 4, giving him a little more confidence.

Even though I'd only landed the finishing blow on the opponent, the Divine Blade had still granted me Aura.

Three units? That must have come from the ordinary jōnin whose kill I'd stolen.

I'm just a little short of awakening the Mangekyō Sharingan.

In that case...

The golden curved blade in his sea of consciousness gave a faint tremor, and Aura bloomed!

In an instant, Uchiha Genmei's consciousness sank into a wave of insight.

Even in the middle of battle, once he used the Divine Blade to enter a state of enlightenment, the world outside his consciousness became still, just as it did in a quiet place.

He looked at the skill panel: Uchiha Style Ninjutsu-Taijutsu (Fire + Yin).

This was the Uchiha Style Ninjutsu-Taijutsu he'd comprehended with the Divine Blade. It had only incorporated the elusive nature of genjutsu.

If he had to face the man before him as if he were the Fourth Raikage from the original story, he probably couldn't win.

Even a character who hadn't appeared in the original story was this powerful!

The world was full of heroes, as countless as fish crossing a river. I had to stop seeing things through the lens of the original story. This was a real world!

Under the pressure of life and death,

Uchiha Genmei felt it—the unparalleled sense of reality!

"Divine Blade, Aura, the very symbol of wisdom—bring me victory!"

Divine Blade, aid me! Unleash my heaven-defying insight!

Meanwhile.

In Konoha, inside the Hokage Office,

the Third Hokage, Sarutobi Hiruzen, took a puff from his pipe as he listened to the Barrier Team shinobi and Anbu who had come to report.

His face was stern behind the swirling smoke.

"You sensed a fierce clash of chakra near the barrier? Was it the Military Police Force?"

The Anbu Ninja kneeling on one knee hurried to report, "We've already consulted the Military Police Force. It was a spy who stole classified information."

"The Military Police Force has sent reinforcements. In my estimation, that rat has nowhere to run."

Sarutobi Hiruzen stood and walked over to the window, looking out at Konoha's brightly lit streets.

He took another puff and asked, "Who's intercepting him?"

"Lord Hokage, the sensory team detected the chakra of both sides in the battle. Besides the enemy, Uchiha Genmei and Uchiha Sei were there."

"Uchiha Sei's chakra just weakened suddenly. The situation doesn't look good."

Hearing the sensory team's report, Sarutobi Hiruzen's eyes narrowed.

"That Uchiha genius? And Uchiha Sei's condition..."

"Quickly inform Danzo and have him bring Root as reinforcements!"

The Anbu Ninja hesitated before replying.

"Lord Hokage, Root has only been established for a few years. They may not have enough experience."

"All the more reason to see what they're made of and whether they can be of any use."

"But Danzo has always had some... reservations about the Uchiha."

"No need to worry. Danzo is a shinobi who cherishes the Will of Fire. He knows what matters most."

Uchiha Chiri led the reinforcements and rushed to the scene.

She saw Uchiha Sei lying on the ground, apparently lifeless, and Uchiha Genmei still standing.

Then she saw a hulking figure appear above him in an instant.

Her face tense with worry, she shouted, "Genmei!"