Breakout

Ninja Art: Adamantine Sealing Chains!

Boom—

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

"What?!"

Ise's eyes widened in shock. Adamantine Sealing Chains was an innate ninja art that only direct descendants of the Uzumaki Clan could use. It possessed extremely powerful suppressive effects on chakra; once ensnared by it, even tailed beasts would be forcibly suppressed!

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 horror that nothing happened!

"How is that possible?!"

Boom—

The golden chains slammed into the high wall and tore straight through it, blasting several breaches into the barrier. The ninja atop the wall were thrown into disarray. Those too slow to react were caught by the chains, their chakra instantly suppressed, leaving them like livestock awaiting slaughter!

"Go!"

At Yan Hong's command, several shadows behind him rushed forward. They swarmed through the breach ripped open by the adamantine chains and charged straight toward the granaries behind the wall!

"Damn it! Stop them!"

Ise turned and shouted, 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 through the night. Ise hastily blocked Yan Hong's strike and stumbled back three steps. Before he could steady himself, he saw two golden chains suddenly shoot in from Yan Hong's side!

Whoosh—

Coordinating with Yan Hong's assault, the chains shattered the earth as they shot straight for Ise's blind spot!

"Bastard!"

Ise cursed furiously. This was exactly how he used to fight, yet even now, he could not understand why his ninja art 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, Yan Hong swung his blade without hesitation at his throat!

"Ha!"

Ise roared, clapping his palms together to catch the descending blade. The next second, countless runes rapidly crawled across the sword!

Sealing Art: Sword Sealing!

Yan Hong immediately felt the blade in his hand become as heavy as a thousand tons. He decisively abandoned it, spun around, and drove a side kick into Ise's arm!

Bang—

Crack—

The sound of bone shattering rang out. Ise frowned and muffled a groan, enduring the searing pain of his broken left arm. His right hand curled into a claw and seized Yan Hong's ankle, intending to twist it apart with all his strength!

Yan Hong's pupils contracted. He summoned adamantine chains around Ise's wrist while kicking him in the abdomen. The two were thrown apart and skidded toward opposite sides of the ground!

"What kind of ability is this?!"

A ninja losing his ninja arts was like a blind man losing his cane. Endless fear and panic surged from the depths of Ise's heart, but Yan Hong naturally gave him no chance to catch his breath. Accompanied by golden chains filling the sky, he charged in to kill once more!

Bang! Bang! Bang!—

A barrage of explosive sounds suddenly erupted across the battlefield, like firecrackers going off in rapid succession!

The two exchanged blows at blinding speed, their hands leaving behind a succession of afterimages. The grass and leaves swirling around them were driven by invisible yet powerful currents of air, circling their bodies and forming a vortex that seemed to spin without end!

Although Yan Hong had stolen Ise's ninja art, it was his first time using it, and his compatibility with the technique was not high. Ise, on the other hand, understood the combat style of adamantine chains perfectly. Though he was being forced back step by step, he responded at precisely the right moments each time, showing no sign of collapse.

Whoosh—

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

Bang—

Terrifying force penetrated straight through his body. Ise was sent sliding backward dozens of meters, only barely managing to stop by bracing a hand against the ground halfway through.

At that moment, Kagami no Mitama's duration came to an end. The golden chains shattered piece by piece and vanished into the world, while Yan Hong's left eye also entered its cooldown period—five minutes as well!

"So this is the power of your Sharingan?" Ise gripped his injured left arm with his right hand. He now understood that the bizarre phenomenon from before had most likely been caused by Yan Hong's Sharingan. "For the Uchiha Clan to have hidden such an expert until now... you people are truly patient."

Yan Hong covered his stinging left eye. "Even that didn't kill you? I really need more real combat. Just sparring with my eldest and second brothers has left my killing ability too weak. Tsk, it always feels like they hold back when sparring with me."

"Looks like your ability can only last around five minutes. Then it's my turn!" As expected of the young clan head of a great clan, Ise had already figured out the ability of Yan Hong's left eye in such a short time. But fearing that Yan Hong might steal his Adamantine Sealing Chains again, he prepared to unleash his full strength immediately!

Boom—

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

"Success!" Yan Hong's eyes lit up. Knowing the mission had been completed, he immediately shouted, "Retreat!"

Their mission was to destroy the Senju Clan's logistical resources. Since it had been completed, there was no reason to remain here any longer!

Whoosh! Whoosh! Whoosh!—

Upon hearing the order, the Uchiha Clan ninja began fighting as they withdrew, swiftly retreating outward!

Yan Hong also pushed off the ground and leaped backward, quickly melting into the darkness!

Ise shouted furiously, "Qingzhi, take men and put out the fire! Everyone else, follow me and chase them!"

His deputy came to his side, concern evident in his voice. "Lord Ise, your arm!"

"Don't worry about it. Come with me!" Ise quickly pulled out a roll of bandages from his ninja tool pouch, crudely wrapped his arm, and led his men in pursuit of Yan Hong!

Whoosh! Whoosh! Whoosh!—

Both sides raced through the night like ghostly shadows skimming over the ground, rushing into a forest in the blink of an eye!

Sweat streamed continuously down Ise's forehead from the pain in his arm, but his eyes remained fixed on Yan Hong's back ahead. "I can't let him escape! Capturing Uchiha Yan Hong might directly change the course of this war!"

With that thought, Ise took a deep breath and stomped down hard. A crater appeared beneath his foot as his speed suddenly surged. The trees on both sides became rapidly retreating blurs, and he stretched out his right hand to strike Yan Hong's back!

Twang—

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

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

"Stop!!!!"

BOOM—

Ise's heart-wrenching roar was instantly drowned out by endless rolling thunder. The entire forest trembled as flames from the explosion shot into the sky, illuminating the heavens like day!

Yan Hong had covered the surrounding tree trunks with Explosive Tags in advance. Once the trigger wire was touched, it would set off a chain of explosions. He had done this precisely to shake off the pursuers behind them!

Ahead, an Uchiha clansman came to Yan Hong's side, his voice filled with excitement and admiration. "Lord Yan Hong, you're incredible! Just as you predicted, Uzumaki Ise really did chase after us."

Yan Hong 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. If the Uzumaki Clan wants more influence in the future, they must produce achievements worthy of recognition. And now that the Heno River base has been destroyed, capturing me would be their greatest achievement. That's why I guessed he would not let me go so easily."

"Hahaha! Guess or not, it's all thanks to you, Lord Yan Hong. I never expected this mission would let us kill the young clan head of the Uzumaki Clan. What an unexpected windfall!"

Yan Hong shook his head. "If such a small number of Explosive Tags could kill him, he would not deserve to be the young clan head of the Uzumaki Clan. Well, he definitely won't be feeling good, though. Mu, take a few men and do something for me."

Yan Hong gave Mu several instructions. Though Uchiha Mu was somewhat puzzled, he still led several men back in the direction they had come from!

Yan Hong looked around before calling out to those remaining, "The commotion here must have drawn my eldest and second brothers' attention. They should already be moving to support us. Stay alert. As long as we can break out of this forest, then we'll—"

Before he could finish, Yan Hong's expression changed slightly. An utterly terrifying chakra suddenly appeared ahead of them. Judging by the aura it gave off, it far surpassed even Uzumaki Ise!

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

Whoosh—

They burst through a patch of brush, and the view ahead suddenly opened up!

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

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