Breakout

Ninja Art: Adamantine Sealing Chains!

Boom—

The shattered ground was upheaved once more as golden chains burst from the earth, weaving together and surging forward like writhing dragons and pythons. Carrying countless shards of stone and blades of grass, they poured ahead with overwhelming force!

"What?!"

Ise's eyes widened in shock. Adamantine Sealing Chains was an innate ninjutsu only members of the Uzumaki Clan's main family could use. It possessed an extraordinarily powerful suppressive effect on chakra; once caught by it, even Tailed Beasts would be forcibly restrained!

But why could an Uchiha use this technique? Could he be his father's illegitimate son?

There was no time to think. Just as Ise tried to use his own Adamantine Sealing Chains to block the attack, he discovered in astonishment that there was no response at all!

"How is that possible?!"

Boom—

The golden chains slammed into the high wall, tearing straight through it and opening several breaches. The ninjas atop the wall were instantly thrown into disarray. Those too slow to react were bound by the chains, their chakra immediately suppressed as they became lambs for the slaughter!

"Go!"

At Enkō's command, several shadows behind him rushed forward. They swarmed through the breaches torn open by the Adamantine Chains and charged straight toward the granary behind the wall!

"Not good! Stop them!"

Ise shouted as he turned around, but the moment he did, a flash of blade light rose behind him and slashed directly at his neck!

Clang—

A thunderous clash of metal rang out in the night. Ise hastily blocked Enkō's strike and staggered back three steps. Before he could steady himself, he saw two golden chains suddenly whip toward him from Enkō's side!

Whoosh—

Coordinating with Enkō's assault, the chains tore through the soil as they shot straight toward Ise's blind spot!

"Damn it!"

Ise cursed furiously. This was exactly how he used to fight, yet even now, he could not understand why his ninjutsu had ended up in someone else's hands!

Smack—

Caught off guard, the long blade in his hand was instantly knocked away by the golden chains. Facing the unarmed Ise, Enkō did not hesitate as he swung his blade at Ise's throat!

"Haah!"

Ise roared and clapped his palms together, catching the descending blade between them. The next second, countless runes rapidly crawled across the blade!

Sealing Jutsu: Sword Sealing!

Enkō immediately felt the blade in his hand become impossibly heavy. Without hesitation, he abandoned it, spun around, and drove a side kick into Ise's arm!

Bang—

Crack—

The sound of bone breaking rang out. Ise frowned and let out a muffled groan, enduring the searing pain from his broken left arm as he curled the fingers of his right hand into a claw and grabbed Enkō's ankle, intending to wrench it apart!

Enkō's pupils contracted. He summoned Adamantine Chains to bind Ise's wrist while simultaneously kicking him in the abdomen. The two were sent sliding apart toward opposite sides of the ground!

"What kind of ability is this?!"

A ninja losing his ninjutsu was like a blind man losing his cane. Endless terror and panic welled up from the depths of Ise's heart, but Enkō naturally gave him no chance to catch his breath. He charged in once again, accompanied by a sky full of golden chains!

Bang! Bang! Bang!—

A string of fierce explosions like firecrackers suddenly erupted across the battlefield!

The two exchanged blows with blinding speed, their hands leaving behind afterimages. The scattered grass leaves around them were swept up by an invisible yet powerful current of air, swirling around the pair like an endlessly spinning vortex!

Although Enkō had stolen Ise's ninjutsu, this was his first time using it, and his compatibility with the technique was not high. Ise, on the other hand, knew the Adamantine Chains' fighting style very well. Though he was steadily forced back, he responded appropriately every time and showed no signs of collapsing.

Whoosh—

Suddenly, two golden chains shot upward and precisely wrapped around Ise's waist, abruptly halting him. Enkō did not hesitate in the slightest, immediately driving an elbow into Ise's palm!

Bang—

A terrifying force penetrated his body, sending Ise skidding backward for dozens of meters. He only barely stopped after bracing himself against the ground with one hand.

At that moment, Kagami no Mitama's duration came to an end. The golden chains shattered section by section and dissipated into the air, while Enkō's left eye entered its cooldown period as well—five minutes.

"So this is the power of your Sharingan?" Ise gripped his injured left arm with his right hand. By now, he understood that the strange phenomenon earlier had most likely been caused by Enkō's Sharingan. "For the Uchiha Clan to have such an expert hidden away until now... you really know how to keep your cards close."

Enkō covered his stinging left eye. "Even that did not kill you? Looks like I really do need more real combat. Sparring with my eldest and second brothers alone has left my killing ability too weak. Tsk, it always feels like they are holding back whenever we spar."

"Looks like your ability can only last around five minutes. Then it is my turn!" Ise truly deserved his status as the young clan head of a great clan. In such a short time, he had already figured out Enkō's left eye ability. But fearing that Enkō might steal his Adamantine Sealing Chains again, he prepared to use his full strength immediately!

Boom—

Just then, a brilliant blaze rose behind them. Roaring flames illuminated the entire night sky, and Heno River was instantly swallowed by a sea of fire!

"Success!" Enkō's eyes lit up. Knowing the mission was complete, he immediately shouted, "Retreat!"

Their mission was to destroy the Senju Clan's logistical resources. Since it was complete, there was no need to remain here any longer!

Whoosh! Whoosh! Whoosh!—

After hearing the order, the Uchiha Clan's ninjas began fighting as they withdrew, rapidly retreating outward!

Enkō also pushed off the ground and leaped backward, swiftly disappearing into the darkness!

Ise shouted furiously, "Qingzhi, take people to put out the fire! The rest of you, follow me and chase them!"

His deputy came to his side and said worriedly, "Lord Ise, your arm!"

"Forget it. Follow me!" Ise quickly pulled out a roll of bandages from his ninja tool pouch, wrapped his arm up roughly, and led his men in pursuit of Enkō!

Whoosh! Whoosh! Whoosh!—

Both sides sped through the darkness, like ghostly shadows skimming across the ground. In the blink of an eye, they rushed into a forest!

Because of his injured arm, sweat continuously rolled down Ise's forehead, but his eyes remained fixed on Enkō's back ahead. "We cannot let him escape! Capturing Uchiha Enkō might directly change the course of this war!"

With that thought, Ise took a deep breath and stamped heavily on the ground, leaving a crater beneath his foot. His speed instantly surged, trees on both sides turning into rapidly retreating blurs as he extended his right hand toward Enkō's back!

Twang—

At that moment, Ise's eyes suddenly widened. A silver thread as thin as a hair quietly appeared in his field of vision, then struck his chest and snapped with an almost inaudible sound!

Ahead, Enkō slightly turned his head and smiled. His lips moved, and from their shape, he seemed to be saying, "Bang!"

"Stop, now!!!!"

Rumble—

Ise's heart-wrenching roar was instantly drowned out by endless thunderous blasts. The entire forest trembled as fiery explosions shot into the sky, illuminating the heavens as brightly as day!

Enkō had covered the surrounding tree trunks with Explosive Tags beforehand. Once the tripwire was triggered, it would set off a chain explosion. This was precisely how he intended to shake off the pursuers behind them!

Up ahead, an Uchiha clansman came to Enkō's side, his voice filled with excitement and admiration. "Lord Enkō, you are incredible! Just as you expected, Ise Uzumaki really did chase after us."

Enkō smiled faintly. "It was only a guess. The Uzumaki Clan and the Senju Clan are allies, but the Senju Clan holds the dominant position overall. So if the Uzumaki Clan wants more say in the future, they need achievements they can show for it. Especially now that the Heno River base has been destroyed. Capturing me would be their greatest achievement, so I guessed he would not let me go so easily."

"Hahaha, guessed or not, it is all thanks to you, Lord Enkō! Who would have thought this mission might even kill the Uzumaki Clan's young clan head? What an unexpected windfall!"

Enkō shook his head. "If such a small number of Explosive Tags could kill him, he would not deserve to be the Uzumaki Clan's young clan head. Well, he will not be having an easy time of it either. Mu, take a few men and do something for me."

Enkō gave Mu a few instructions. Although Uchiha Mu was somewhat puzzled, he still led several men back toward the direction they had come from!

Enkō looked around before calling out clearly to the remaining men, "The commotion here has probably caught my eldest and second brothers' attention. They should already be moving to meet us. Do not let your guard down. As long as we can break out of this forest, then—"

Before he could finish, Enkō's expression changed slightly. An extremely terrifying chakra suddenly erupted ahead of them, and judging from its aura, it far surpassed Ise Uzumaki's!

Everyone present was an elite ninja of the Uchiha Clan, so they naturally sensed the towering aura ahead as well. They exchanged glances, their faces filled with astonishment!

Whoosh—

The group rushed out of a thicket, and their view suddenly opened up!

A person stood on the road ahead, with silver hair, crimson eyes, and an indifferent expression!

Like a deep ocean, he quietly waited for their arrival...