The Injured Uchiha Tetsuka

"Retreat! Forget those two Uchiha!"

"There's only one capable fighter on their side. We can take a gamble—he definitely doesn't have much chakra left!"

"You can gamble if you want. Don't you know gambling dogs end up homeless? We need to report back to Lord Baki—Konoha has sent reinforcements!"

"Right, exactly. Intelligence comes first. Retreat!"

One of the Chunin shouted in panic. The six of them immediately turned and fled, trying to escape this battlefield steeped in killing intent.

Uchiha Ran snorted coldly, a chill flashing through his eyes.

If they let these men pass along information about their group, the next time they met, they might be surrounded by dozens of Hidden Sand shinobi.

His figure flashed, vanishing from the spot in an instant.

"Trying to run? It won't be that easy!"

Uchiha Ran's voice echoed across the battlefield as he moved like a ghost among the fleeing Hidden Sand Chunin.

His movements were astonishingly fast. Every strike was incomparably precise, as though he had completely grasped the paths of their movements.

One Hidden Sand shinobi tried to use a puppet to stop Uchiha Ran's pursuit, but before he could even pull his chakra strings and make the puppet attack—

Uchiha Ran had already appeared before him in a Body Flicker. His hands formed seals in an instant as he unleashed his ultimate move right in the man's face:

"Lightning Release: Chidori!"

Dazzling blue lightning flashed in his palm like an invisible blade, piercing straight through the Chunin's chest.

Blood sprayed out. The Chunin's body was blown apart by the powerful lightning chakra, and before he could even let out a scream, he dropped dead.

Having lost the control of its chakra strings, the puppet staggered and fell to the ground, ending up face-to-face with that Hidden Sand shinobi.

As one of Konoha's rare five-nature shinobi, how could he possibly pass up a ninjutsu like Chidori, which was so well suited to the Uchiha Clan?

It was simply that he had developed it together with Kakashi, who had graduated at the same time as him.

Though he had essentially stolen someone else's patent, Kakashi—one of Konoha's Twin Stars alongside him—had still needed to thank him for it back then.

The next instant, he appeared behind three fleeing Hidden Sand Chunin. Forming seals with both hands, he said in a low voice:

"Fire Style: Majestic Destroyer Flame!"

As his chakra poured forth, the surrounding air instantly became scorching hot.

"Wind Release: Gale Wall ×2!"

The three were not about to passively take the attack. They roared and unleashed their ninjutsu!

Whoosh—!

A whirlwind spun at high speed, forming a massive, translucent wall of wind that emitted a piercing hum!

Yet the enormous torrent of flames surged forth like a roaring dragon, effortlessly smashing through the wind barrier.

It instantly swallowed the three Chunin.

Blazing flames wrapped around their bodies with crackling sounds. They struggled painfully within the fire for a few moments before falling still.

The remaining two Hidden Sand Chunin were terrified out of their wits and ran even faster.

Uchiha Ran's gaze sharpened. Tapping the ground with the tip of his foot, he shot forward with the Body Flicker Technique like an arrow leaving the bowstring.

He instantly caught up to one Chunin from behind. With a swing of his katana, a cold flash streaked through the air, and the man's body split into two.

The last Hidden Sand shinobi was already getting farther and farther away.

Ignoring the fact that he had used up half his chakra, Uchiha Ran slammed both hands onto the ground and unleashed his ultimate move.

"Barrier Technique: Uchiha Flame Formation!"

A thin red wall of flame containing immense energy rose from the ground, instantly blocking the Chunin's path.

"Argh—!"

The Chunin failed to react in time and crashed straight into it. With a scream, his body was swallowed by flames and burned into a bloody mess in an instant. His scream had barely begun before he fell to the ground.

Uchiha Ran stood where he was, looking at the burning corpses beneath his feet, a trace of gloom flashing through his eyes.

This fucked-up world was just like that. If a man did not look out for himself, heaven and earth would destroy him. Even terrorists longed for peace, yet those with vested interests never wanted it.

He turned and walked toward Uchiha Tetsuka, Uchiha Daosui, and Uchiha Inada, speaking calmly.

"I hope you all remember this lesson. The Uchiha Clan may put glory above all else, but that still depends on ability. Don't charge in blindly when you shouldn't."

The three of them: Dear Captain, was that really appropriate coming from you? I told you to retreat back then. Weren't you the first one to charge in headfirst?

He briefly treated Tetsuka's wounds with the Mystical Palm Technique, then patted him on the shoulder.

"Don't be so impulsive next time. Chakra isn't unlimited."

Uchiha Tetsuka nodded, gratitude flashing in his eyes.

"Thank you, Captain Ran. If it hadn't been for you this time, I'd definitely have been finished."

"But Captain, I'm only a Chunin. Facing a Jonin in my first battle—isn't that asking too much of me?"

"Uh... Tetsuka, that's because I think you're the second strongest member of our squad. I could only let you face the difficult challenge!"

"Ah, this... is that so? Captain, these injuries don't seem like much now. I can still fight!"

Uchiha Daosui: Good thing I'm Captain Ran's trusted subordinate. Otherwise, he might sell me off someday and I'd still be counting his money for him!

In the past, they had never had an accurate understanding of just how strong their captain was. They only knew he was a peerless genius, which was why they had been willing to follow him and achieve great things.

But only after arriving on the battlefield did they realize just how enormous the gap between them and their captain, Uchiha Ran, truly was.

The six Hidden Sand Chunin who had been able to suppress Uchiha Daosui and Inada had all been casually dealt with by Uchiha Ran as easily as killing chickens.

Even two Jonin had been no match for him. With the captain's strength, taking on two at once probably would not be a problem.

Uchiha Tetsuka: What? So I'm the only one who got hurt?

In the end, Uchiha Ran had Daosui and Inada seal all the corpses into specially made scrolls. He also used the Mystical Palm Technique to treat the heavily injured Uchiha Tetsuka, and they set up camp to rest for the night.

If Uchiha Ran had known the Yamanaka Clan's interrogation techniques, he would have wanted to learn at least some recent intelligence regarding Hidden Sand. Otherwise, charging ahead blindly was still far too risky.

Soon, the sun rose and the moon set. A day passed, and the Uchiha squad's speed noticeably slowed.

That was because Uchiha Tetsuka had injured his spine and could not travel at high speed.

Although Uchiha Ran's Mystical Palm Technique could suppress and ease his injuries, a complete cure would definitely require a professional medical shinobi. Tsunade-level skill was naturally out of the question.

The second reason was that Uchiha Ran needed time to clear out the Hidden Sand shinobi lying in ambush along the way.

With his powerful Sharingan, Chakra Sensory Technique, and strength that was firmly at the Elite Jonin level, he made those Hidden Sand shinobi suffer endlessly.

Those who could not beat him could not escape, while those who could beat him could not find him.

He was like Hua Xiong before Hulao Pass. Without experts like Pakura or Rasa to stop him, those Hidden Sand Chunin squads that had infiltrated to sabotage Konoha's supply lines were nothing more than cannon fodder.