Senju Kyogawa and Senju Itama's group were transporting supplies to the front when they spotted more than a dozen Uchiha approaching.
The dozen or so Uchiha ninja surrounded Senju Kyogawa and the others.
There was nothing they could do. Senju Kyogawa's group could only abandon the supplies and prioritize their own lives.
After all, no one knew how many of those Uchiha ninja, all of them adults, had awakened their Sharingan.
They were outnumbered. It was a terrible situation.
While a few Uchiha ninja weren't paying attention, Senju Kyogawa set off a flare. Brilliant fireworks burst across the night sky, signaling that they needed reinforcements.
Then Senju Kyogawa drew his Nichirin Sword and began to fight.
The Uchiha across from them clearly weren't suited to close combat. They were better at Fire Release, Lightning Release, and throwing weapons—and, perhaps most troublesome of all, the Sharingan.
With the enemy's ranged attacks so powerful, Senju Kyogawa's group was in a dire situation.
For some reason, a few Uchiha ninja kept hot on Senju Kyogawa's heels, like hunting dogs relentlessly snapping at their prey.
The Uchiha ninja glared viciously, their eyes revealing the brutality and bloodlust born on the battlefield. Just looking into their dark eyes felt like being pulled into a world of darkness.
With no other choice, Senju Kyogawa was forced to get separated from the others.
Senju Kyogawa didn't know how to run like a ninja, putting him at a tremendous disadvantage in speed. He could only do his best to run toward the Senju stronghold, hoping to find a few Senju ninja along the way who could come to his aid.
"Fire Release: Phoenix Sage Fire Technique!"
"Fire Release: Fire Dragon Bullet Technique!"
"Fire Release: Phoenix Sage Flower Nail Crimson!"
The Uchiha ninja used Fire Release to hem Senju Kyogawa in.
Countless flames came hurtling toward him.
A massive fire dragon formed by the Fire Dragon Bullet Technique lunged at Senju Kyogawa. He could dodge it, but then he would be struck by the flames swirling around it, which flew out like Phoenix Sage Flower seeds.
They even used Phoenix Sage Flower Nail Crimson—coating the spinning shuriken in flames, then sending them at Senju Kyogawa like a shower of Phoenix Sage Flowers, scorching hot.
The flames flying around him like Phoenix Sage Flower seeds were controlled by the caster's chakra. What's more, a few of the balls of fire concealed shuriken spinning at high speed—Senju Kyogawa had nowhere to dodge.
There was no choice...
He had to fight.
Senju Kyogawa stopped dodging. He ceased running and turned to face the flames rapidly closing in on him.
The firelight illuminated Senju Kyogawa's small, delicate face, its flickering glow reflected in his dark eyes.
In those pitch-black eyes, the flames were the only sign of life.
He regulated his breathing and assumed the starting stance for Sun Breathing. Thankfully, Senju Kyogawa could finally grip his Nichirin Sword with both hands without trembling, though he still hadn't trained enough to bring out the full power of its forms.
Senju Kyogawa put both hands to work, swinging the Nichirin Sword in a wide arc.
This time, he would use the move he'd once been best at—Sun Breathing: First Form: Waltz!
Not only that, Senju Kyogawa spread the flames within him over his body as a protective layer. He also channeled them into his Nichirin Sword to strengthen Sun Breathing, making up for his inability to unleash its full power.
Sun Breathing: First Form: Waltz!
As Senju Kyogawa swung his blade, its silver-white surface gradually turned red and black—the same colors as the counterfeit Nichirin Sword he'd exchanged for.
At the same time, brilliant scarlet flames engulfed the blade. As he swept it through a circular slash, flames curled around his entire body.
Then, without stopping, Senju Kyogawa followed up with another move—
Sun Breathing: Eleventh Form: Sun Halo: Dragon Head Dance!
Senju Kyogawa swung rapidly, unleashing a series of high-speed slashes in an instant. The flames between the blade strokes created the illusion of a fire dragon dancing through the air.
At the same time, using his blade as a conduit, Senju Kyogawa poured a massive amount of fire into the technique. At last, it formed a fire dragon as large as the one created by the enemy's Fire Dragon Bullet. Then he swung with all his might, sending the technique hurtling toward them at full speed.
Senju Kyogawa's swordsmanship wasn't fast enough to support this technique, but his flames made up for its lack of power. Fewer slashes, greater force.
Flames coiled around the enormous, dancing dragon. It was as though a real fire dragon were spinning through the air in a waltz as it charged toward the enemy.
The Fire Dragon Bullet collided with Senju Kyogawa's dancing fire dragon, triggering a tremendous explosion.
The blast hurled Senju Kyogawa more than ten meters away. He immediately summoned Ugly Monster.
Ugly Monster stood in front of Senju Kyogawa and grew enormous. Its leathery wings wrapped tightly around him, shielding him from the incoming shuriken.
"Scrape—" The shuriken cut across Ugly Monster's body, then went "thunk" as it got swallowed up.
Ugly Monster's mucus was corrosive. The moment the shuriken touched it, its edges began to dissolve. Once its slick skin closed around it, the shuriken was completely eaten away.
Thanks to Ugly Monster's protection, Senju Kyogawa hadn't been hurt by the fall.
But Ugly Monster was too big a target, so it returned to the "flames" inside Senju Kyogawa.
Now, Senju Kyogawa's worst injuries were the cuts from the earlier throwing weapons and the burns from the blast of heat just now.
But the worst damage was actually the aftereffects of using Sun Breathing for those slashes. Senju Kyogawa was too weak, and his control too poor. Swinging the Nichirin Sword so quickly had strained his wrists and arms.
What's more, the intense Breathing Technique had just injured Senju Kyogawa's lungs. Every breath now brought the thick taste of blood to his nostrils.
Senju Kyogawa's Healing Jutsu worked without pause, and soon it had healed some of his wounds. But the aftereffects of the Breathing Technique couldn't be healed so quickly.
The three Uchiha ninja had also been caught in the blast, but they clearly had no intention of giving up on killing Senju Kyogawa.
His lightning-fast reactions and the technique he'd just used, which rivaled Fire Release, had filled them with a powerful sense of danger. If they didn't finish him here, then once he grew up, he would become a major threat to the Uchiha Clan.
So the three of them paid no heed to their own injuries and continued to pursue Senju Kyogawa relentlessly. All they wanted now was to kill the highly gifted ninja before them—someone who might threaten their descendants in the future.
Senju Kyogawa ducked into the woods, hoping to throw off the three men.
He kept running, trying to steady his breathing as he headed for the Senju stronghold.
But the Uchiha ninja were far too fast. Before long, they caught up to Senju Kyogawa.
Senju Kyogawa turned and saw the three pairs of red eyes belonging to the Uchiha ninja, each with a black tomoe in it.
He understood—
Oh, so it was the Sharingan.
Then Senju Kyogawa's mind went hazy—
Ha, I've been caught.
[Beep—]
[System scan—]
[Host's mind is under attack from an unknown external force—]
[Activating defensive function—]
Whoosh!
A sharp pain shot through Senju Kyogawa's brain, and then he suddenly snapped back to his senses.
He felt a stabbing pain in his left chest...
He looked down.
A hand was sticking out of his chest.
Ah, I forgot to turn my pain sensitivity down to zero, Senju Kyogawa thought blankly.
The Uchiha ninja before him was still staring with those ominous eyes.
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