Meanwhile, deep in the southern forests of the Land of Rivers, far from the clamor of the main battlefield, the night was at its darkest, and the buzz of mosquitoes was louder than Hidden Sand's signals.
Several elite Hidden Sand harassment squads lay concealed among the gnarled branches of ancient trees and dense undergrowth, doing their best to play the part of air.
A Hidden Sand Jonin stared at a crookedly drawn map and lowered his voice as he arranged the next ambush point:
"According to intelligence, an important Konoha medical supply convoy will pass through the mountain pass ahead before dawn. We..."
His words abruptly stopped.
A killing intent descended over the area without warning.
There were no footsteps, no violent fluctuations of chakra. Only a figure silently appeared on a tree trunk not far to their front side, casually brushing nonexistent dust from his clothes.
It was a boy dressed in Konoha Jonin attire. His frame still carried a youth's slightness, yet his stance was as calm and indifferent as a salted fish's.
Most unsettling of all were his eyes.
Scarlet as blood, three black tomoe turned lazily within them, carrying a trace of coldness amid their eerie beauty.
"U-Uchiha Ran?!"
The Hidden Sand Jonin's pupils shook, and his voice cracked from sheer shock.
Absurd tales about Uchiha Ran, the rising star of Konoha's legendary bloodline clan, instantly flooded his mind—the Sharingan! Swordsmanship! Unmatched Fire Release! And... the passive skill of capturing prisoners!
Thanks to Orochimaru's surprise assault that night, along with Baiyun Zaojian's repeated encirclement campaigns against Hidden Sand's southern forces.
Many Hidden Sand ninja knew that a powerful Uchiha Clan ninja was active on the battlefield. Encountering him meant either dying on the spot or being brought down by genjutsu and turned into a captive.
What was more, this guy seemed especially fond of taking prisoners. He hard-countered puppet masters, constantly cutting into the back line. Puppet strings would inexplicably be severed, and he could even trace them back to the puppet master's location.
It could be said that half the puppet masters in Hidden Sand's southern forces had been eliminated or captured by Uchiha Ran.
It had turned Hidden Sand puppet masters from jungle and guerrilla warfare specialists into squishy mages.
Thus, the name "Konoha Spark" had spread through half the Land of Rivers.
"The intelligence never said Uchiha Ran was here! Wasn't he supposed to be with Konoha's encirclement force?!"
A Hidden Sand Chunin spoke with a tremble in his voice. Their squad specialized in harassment and assassination.
But facing Uchiha Ran head-on, with his Three-Tomoe Sharingan activated and the "Konoha Spark" aura on top of that, the situation had completely... fallen apart!
"Quick! Spread out! Don't look directly into his eyes!"
The Hidden Sand Jonin truly was a veteran who had seen it all. He immediately roared at the top of his lungs, his hands forming seals so quickly they left afterimages as he tried to use Wind Release to blow away this walking disaster.
However, Uchiha Ran clearly had no intention of following the usual script.
His gaze was calm and unruffled as he raised a hand and unleashed an iconic Uchiha Clan technique.
"Fire Release: Phoenix Sage Flower Claw Crimson!"
Without a lengthy series of hand seals, several shuriken wrapped in blazing flames shot out at bizarrely tricky angles.
"Wind Release: Great Breakthrough!"
The Hidden Sand Jonin gave it everything he had. Violent currents erupted from his mouth, directly blowing away the deadly flaming shuriken and even attempting to send Uchiha Ran flying.
Yet the three tomoe in Uchiha Ran's scarlet Sharingan spun slightly faster.
With a faint burst of chakra beneath his feet, his body slid half a step at the smallest possible angle, narrowly avoiding the core impact of the wind pressure.
Then he plunged straight underground.
"What? Such a smooth Earth Release technique?"
(Actually, it was Uchiha Ran's weird little quirk—active skill: Diving!)
"Ah—!"
"NO!"
The screams rang out behind the Hidden Sand Jonin in an instant.
Uchiha Ran suddenly appeared from behind and struck with a Gale One-Sword Slash, instantly robbing the three Hidden Sand Chunin hiding in the rear of their ability to fight. They could only roll around on the ground and howl in agony.
"Bastard!"
The Hidden Sand Jonin's eyes nearly split with rage, though fear outweighed it. He had no idea when Uchiha Ran had appeared.
He abruptly pulled a kunai from his ninja tool pouch, leaned forward, and flung out a large handful of shuriken and kunai with his left hand. Then a fierce gust swept over.
"Have a taste of my self-created ninjutsu!"
"Wind Release: Shuriken Severing Technique!"
Facing the rain-like barrage of ninja tools strengthened by the wind, Uchiha Ran did not even move his feet.
Sharingan!
The three tomoe spun at high speed, and every ninja tool's trajectory, speed, and angle became clear lines in his mind.
His body evaded with the smallest possible movements and the most unbelievable angles. He tilted his head slightly to avoid a shuriken aimed straight at his face, then slid his shoulder aside as another kunai grazed past the edge of his clothes.
His movements were as fluid as a leisurely stroll, and none of those deadly ninja tools even touched his clothing.
While evading, his free right hand had already completed a one-handed seal.
"Genjutsu: Gakō Technique!"
There was no light and no sound.
An invisible, icy spiritual force instantly spread outward, accurately enveloping his opponent.
"Urgh... not good!"
Stunned by Uchiha Ran's bizarre moves, the Hidden Sand Jonin unconsciously looked up. Then he fell into a brief daze, his eyes unfocused and his movements coming to a complete halt.
Although the Mangekyo Sharingan's ocular power in genjutsu could not compare to Madara Uchiha's or Obito's, it was still not something an ordinary Jonin could resist.
That was with Uchiha Ran deliberately holding back, too.
Yagura had plenty to say about that.
Yagura: I had an 8 a.m. class!
The Hidden Sand Jonin's willpower was indeed not weak. That brief stupor lasted less than five seconds.
He suddenly bit down on his tongue. The intense pain and taste of blood were like ice water poured over his head, instantly dispersing the cold, sluggish sensation in his mind.
Damn it! I finally broke free!
He roared inwardly as his unfocused eyes abruptly sharpened. Cold sweat instantly soaked his back.
His survival instincts drove him to retreat, defend, and counterattack at any cost!
Yet what entered his newly focused vision was neither Uchiha Ran's afterimage as he dodged the ninja tools nor his hand seals.
It was a chakra fist the size of a sandbag, appearing with perfect precision barely inches in front of his abdomen!
When did he...? The Body Flicker Technique?!
The Hidden Sand Jonin's thoughts had not even fully begun to move.
Bang—!
A dull, terrifying impact rang out.
The fist struck solidly into his upper abdomen at an incredibly tricky point, right below the xiphoid process, at the soft vulnerable spot.
"Urghah—!"
The Hidden Sand Jonin felt an indescribable agony and suffocating pressure explode from his abdomen, shooting up his spine and straight into his head!
His eyes bulged, his mouth hung wide open, yet he could not produce a complete sound. His body bent sharply like a shrimp stripped of its bones.
Uchiha Ran stood where he was, watching the Hidden Sand Jonin crash heavily to the ground several meters away like a torn sack. After rolling twice, he lay completely still.
The rapidly spinning three tomoe in his eyes slowly calmed, returning to a profound black.
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