The Rat Emerges

For the strength of Rain Village, for the chance to become one of the Five Great Shinobi Villages, those who came were willing to give up their lives! There was a hint of madness in them.

"Kill them all! Destroy the supplies!"

As an elite jonin, Salamander Pufferfish had his own principles.

The mission he had accepted was to kill Uchiha Yū, but an Aburame Clan ninja stood in his way.

The greatest trouble with the Mist Concealment Technique was the enemy's concealment. The jonin present all had ways to deal with it, but the enemy was hidden in the darkness while they stood in the open.

It was an extremely passive situation.

"Everyone, attack together! Use Wind Release ninjutsu!"

"Wind Release! Great Breakthrough!"

A fierce gust swept through, revealing vague figures hidden within the mist. The instant Great Breakthrough was unleashed, the enemy chose to bombard them with explosive tags!

"Damn it! We can't let them destroy the supplies!"

If the supplies were destroyed, Konoha would not be able to spare manpower anytime soon. The Sand ninja present valued the supplies more than their own lives.

They used Water Release ninjutsu to extinguish the flames.

The chaos caused by the enemy did not stop, but Salamander Pufferfish's target remained Uchiha Yū.

From Uchiha Shuiyun, he had learned that You was not only a medical ninja, but also a genius. If such a genius grew up, he would become no small problem for Rain Village.

"Be careful, You. Their target is you."

Aburame Hanfeng sent his insects spreading out before him, and the blue chakra energy drew the attention of the surrounding ninja.

"Secret Technique! Insect Deception Technique!"

Blue chakra burst forth as insects streamed out from his body, their target Salamander Pufferfish before them.

"Click, click, click!"

Salamander Pufferfish took two steps back, avoiding the insects while summoning a massive surge of water at the same time.

"Water Release! Waterfall Technique!"

It was a wide-ranging ninjutsu with considerable power. If the genin Uchiha Yū was swept into it, he would undoubtedly die, and the surrounding supplies would be washed away as well.

"You! Get into the trees!"

Countless dangers lurked beneath the turbulent water. Worried for Uchiha Yū's safety, Aburame Hanfeng turned around only to find that his figure had become a crow.

"Caw, caw, caw!"

The sound seemed to mock them both.

"That kid... he really ran fast."

What a joke. A battle between a group of jonin was not something a lone genin could possibly join. Before the enemy unleashed his ninjutsu, Uchiha Yū had already used the Substitution Technique and Transformation Technique to leave the scene.

"Why are they targeting me?"

Uchiha Yū reached a tree branch and watched the chaotic scene below, quietly considering the reason.

Their attack had clearly targeted him. And how had they known the route? Or was there a traitor within the team?

First, he could rule out the higher-ups on both sides. Even Danzō would not hand intelligence to Rain Village; there was no benefit in doing so.

As he watched the people fighting, Uchiha Yū realized someone was missing from the group.

"Uchiha Shuiyun!"

"If he's the traitor, and he also has a grudge against me, then everything can be reasonably explained."

"Damn it!"

His betrayal had exceeded Uchiha Yū's expectations. If the Hokage learned that an Uchiha was involved, his own actions might also come under suspicion. With war about to begin, he would likely face a thorough investigation.

"I have to find a solution."

Either kill him and leave no witness behind. Even if Uchiha Shuiyun had betrayed the village, the Hokage would not move against the Uchiha Clan without evidence.

Or find him and personally kill the traitor in front of others, clearing himself of any connection to Uchiha Shuiyun.

Both options required killing him! Shuiyun had sold out the village and had Rain ninja try to kill him. Their grudge had reached the point where only one of them could survive.

With his vindictive personality, he would definitely be hiding nearby, watching to see whether he had been killed.

"Then let's see who comes out on top."

Crouching low on the treetop, Uchiha Yū's eyes shifted into their one-tomoe Sharingan state as he observed every place around him that looked like a possible hiding spot.

After identifying several suspicious locations, Uchiha Yū deliberately moved closer to them.

The chaotic situation on the battlefield restricted Uchiha Yū, but it also limited the places from which Uchiha Shuiyun could launch an attack.

The battlefield at the center was no longer suitable for a chunin's fight. At this moment, Uchiha Yū was prey in the eyes of others, and between prey and hunter, it often took no more than a single breath.

At the edge of the battlefield, You's front foot had barely touched the ground when he heard the whistle of something cutting through the air behind him.

Clang!

Kunai struck kunai.

Boom!

Exploding flames swept through the area. Both had chosen the most direct method, tying explosive tags to their kunai so that an explosion would occur whether or not they struck their opponent.

As the smoke dispersed, two pairs of Sharingan met. What surprised Uchiha Yū was that the other had actually awakened a two-tomoe Sharingan.

"So it really was you pulling strings behind the scenes."

Uchiha Shuiyun, his opponent, was even more shocked. Awakening the Sharingan at such an age meant that this boy's future achievements would certainly surpass his own.

The twisted jealousy in his heart burned away his reason like flames, and his grating voice resembled a dried-up riverbed.

"Uchiha Yū! Rain Village is a bunch of trash too. An elite jonin still couldn't deal with you!"

He had a premonition that if he killed Uchiha Yū, his two-tomoe Sharingan would evolve into a three-tomoe Sharingan!

"You came yourself because you think you can kill me?"

You untied the clothes around his body. The instant the iron blocks fell to the ground, the earth trembled slightly from the impact.

"I feel much better now."

"What!"

Uchiha Shuiyun's eyes widened in disbelief. He was so shocked by the iron blocks that even the kunai in his hand fell to the ground.

"Are you a monster?"

But his only response was Uchiha Yū's rapidly flashing figure. Freed from the restraints of the iron blocks, his speed exploded as he reached Shuiyun in an instant.

The powerful vision granted by the two-tomoe Sharingan allowed him to see the path of the oncoming attack, but dodging it was extremely difficult.

At the critical moment, Uchiha Shuiyun retreated several steps. A long tear appeared across the clothes on his chest, but fortunately, he had dodged it!

He stared at Uchiha Yū in lingering fear, unable to understand how the other had charged over so quickly.

He immediately used the Substitution Technique to widen the distance between them. He was a chunin! There was no need to compete in taijutsu with a genin.

"Fire Release! Great Fireball Technique!"

"As expected, the Uchiha Clan's signature ninjutsu... Don't you know any other techniques?"

He could tell what ninjutsu Shuiyun was about to use just from his hand seals.

Uchiha Yū slammed his fist into the ground. The indentation beneath his feet caused the surrounding soil to surge upward, blocking the Great Fireball.