The Uchiha's Shadow

The dense forests of the Land of Fire were utterly unlike the endless seas of sand in the Land of Wind. Beneath their lush vitality lurked even deadlier killing intent. As a spearhead thrust deep into enemy territory, the Sandstorm squad moved cautiously through the woods, tasked with scouting and eliminating Konoha patrols.

At first, the operation went exceptionally smoothly. Though the scattered Konoha ninja they encountered resisted fiercely, they posed no real threat to this well-equipped, tightly coordinated elite squad from Sunagakure. But that hunting-like ease came to an abrupt halt when they encountered the group standing silently in a clearing ahead.

There were only four of them, dressed in standard Konoha flak jackets and wearing forehead protectors bearing Konoha's whirlpool emblem. They stood in silence, as though they had long since merged with the surrounding shadows. Yet what made the experienced Special Jonin Jing Liang's pupils contract and nearly froze the blood in his veins was the uniform, striking flame-fan crest on their backs, and—

The next moment, all four raised their eyes.

Four pairs of scarlet eyes slowly turned beneath the mottled forest light. Three black tomoe were clearly visible within each one, radiating a cold, sinister, suffocating pressure.

"Uchiha! Three-Tomoe Jonin! Retreat! Now!!" Jing Liang's roar cracked with extreme terror. He nearly instinctively leaped backward, his hands forming seals at blinding speed.

But the Uchiha's attack was far faster than his voice or his movements.

The Uchiha Elite Jonin at the head of the group had an indifferent gaze, as though he were merely handling a trivial matter. He did not even shift his feet, only coldly uttering one word. "Too late."

The tomoe in the eyes of the teammate to his left spun rapidly. Jing Liang felt the scene before him abruptly warp as massive