Are These the Uchiha's Methods?

Uchiha Yufeng immediately stepped forward, positioning himself in front of the two women.

He raised his hands in a seal and opened his mouth, once again unleashing Water Release: Water Wall.

The Wind Release struck the Water Wall, sending ripples splashing across its surface.

Then a figure used Body Flicker to appear before the leading Sand Shinobi and swiftly kicked him in the chin.

Covered in powerful Chakra, the kick sent him flying into a tree with a sharp crack of breaking bone before he crashed heavily to the ground.

"Puppet Technique: Ant!"

The Sand Shinobi carrying a puppet on his back unfastened it and released the bandage-wrapped puppet.

An eerie grinding sound rose as its joints collided and rubbed together.

At that moment, a purple figure had already arrived before it.

The Konoha Style Kenjutsu in her hand was swift, precise, and ruthless, seeming to carry some of the same spirit as Uchiha Yufeng's earlier use of the katana.

It thrust straight into the puppet's neck, followed by a sharp crack.

The sharp Kusanagi Sword directly severed the puppet's head.

As though it had lost its controller, the puppet collapsed into pieces across the ground.

The ninja controlling it looked at Uzuki Yugao, pulled out Shuriken, and flung them at her.

Clang! Clang!

Uzuki Yugao swiftly swung the Kusanagi Sword and knocked them aside. Just as that man tried to continue his attack, his body suddenly refused to move.

Looking down, he saw that the roots of a towering tree had somehow bound his body.

"Pfft!"

Yuhi Kurenai emerged from the towering tree, appeared behind him, and drove the Kunai in her hand straight into his heart.

"Wind Release, Press—"

Before he could finish, Uchiha Yufeng had already used Body Flicker to appear behind the last Sunagakure ninja. He raised his Ronin Katana, coated in Chakra, and cut him down in a single stroke.

Looking at the three people sprawled on the ground, Uchiha Yufeng quickly stepped forward.

One slash per person—he cautiously finished them off.

After searching the three of them and finding scrolls, Uchiha Yufeng tossed them to Yuhi Kurenai.

"You two wait here for me."

As soon as he said that, without waiting for their response,

he used Body Flicker and left.

The direction Uchiha Yufeng headed in was precisely where the ninja with Chakra exceeding that of Chunin, who had been spying on the three of them earlier, were located.

Uchiha Yufeng had initially thought they were Anbu, which was why he kept talking about the Will of Fire.

But who could have expected that they would then encounter three Sunagakure ninja controlled by the Sharingan?

Clearly, they were not Anbu.

Ever since Kagami Uchiha's death, there had been no Uchiha Clan members in the Anbu.

Uchiha Yufeng's speed grew faster and faster.

Just as he was about to close in, a Great Fireball came hurtling straight at him.

Uchiha Yufeng's gaze turned cold, but his feet did not retreat in the slightest.

He raised his hands to form seals and spat a powerful stream of water forward.

By the time Uchiha Yufeng reached that spot, the Great Fireball had already been extinguished.

"You can't escape!"

Uchiha Yufeng's voice rang out as he looked at the eight figures ahead.

With a flick of his hand, he hurled several Kunai bearing Explosive Tags forward.

Hearing the Kunai cut through the air, he dashed directly ahead of them.

The Masked Ninja, dressed in Genin uniforms, immediately stopped in their tracks.

Then the thunderous roar of explosions rang out.

Seeing the area devastated by the Explosive Tags, cold sweat appeared on the Masked Ninja's faces.

If they had been even a little faster just now, they would have been the ones caught in the blast.

"Kid, why are you chasing us?"

The leading ninja's voice was somewhat hoarse as his bloodshot eyes fixed on Uchiha Yufeng.

"For nothing in particular. I just want your lives."

Uchiha Yufeng spoke with a cold smile, raising the Ronin Katana in his hand as streams of water-natured Chakra wrapped around the blade.

His figure vanished in an instant.

"Pfft!"

Empowered by water-natured Chakra, the katana pierced straight through the chest of the nearest man without any resistance.

"Attack!"

Seeing their companion die in the blink of an eye, the remaining seven stopped pretending and immediately began unleashing Ninjutsu at Uchiha Yufeng.

"Fire Release: Great Fireball Technique!"

"Shuriken Jutsu!"

"Water Release: Wild Water Wave!"

"..."

The seven ninja unleashed their signature techniques. Watching Uchiha Yufeng get swallowed by the Ninjutsu, they all let out sighs of relief.

"I didn't expect this kid to be so troublesome. He actually managed to catch up to us!"

One of the Water Release ninja laughed.

"He's still young, after all. He actually chose to oppose us, and now he's buried here..."

"A Genin who just graduated from the Ninja Academy—what combat experience could he possibly have? At most, he could deal with other Genin. This matter had a few twists and turns, but the outcome is good. He's dead, and we completed the mission smoothly!"

One of the Masked Ninja spoke smugly.

"Oh? What mission?"

"Of course, it's—"

Before the man could finish, his pupils suddenly shrank.

All seven turned toward the source of the voice.

Uchiha Yufeng was standing upside down on a branch of a large tree, the Ronin Katana in his hand.

"How are you unharmed?!"

"How is that possible? When did you get there?"

"Could it be some kind of Genjutsu?"

"..."

Uchiha Yufeng did not hesitate. His figure vanished in an instant.

"Urgh!"

The leading ninja only felt a sharp pain at his waist as a katana pierced through him from behind.

"Look at me!"

With his free hand, Uchiha Yufeng grabbed the man's hair and forced him to stare directly into his eyes.

A pair of Three-Tomoe Sharingan spun within his eye sockets.

With just one glance, the man's eyes turned vacant.

"Who sent you?"

"The Uchiha Clan's... Clan Head."

"How many of you came in total?"

"Eight."

"What was your mission?"

"It was... to clean up. If those Sunagakure ninja couldn't kill you, we were to help them continue until the mission was completed!"

"Who controlled those Sunagakure ninja earlier?"

"It was... the Uchiha Clan Head. He used the Sharingan to control them in advance."

A faint smile appeared instead on Uchiha Yufeng's calm face.

Fugaku, are these your methods?

"Kid, release our leader!"

A Fire Release ninja immediately formed hand seals and shouted at Uchiha Yufeng.

Uchiha Yufeng cleanly drew his katana across the ninja before him's neck, then used Body Flicker to leap into a high place and conceal himself.

Six Kunai appeared in his hands, and water-natured Chakra flowed into them.

A pair of blood-red Three-Tomoe Sharingan appeared.

"Water Release: Water Whip Technique!"

A whip condensed from water-natured Chakra precisely bound all six men in an instant.

Before they could react, Uchiha Yufeng swiftly hurled the Chakra-infused Kunai.

"Aah!"

The Kunai pierced the six men's vital points, killing them on the spot in an instant.

The Three Tomoe in Uchiha Yufeng's eyes disappeared as he used Body Flicker to arrive before the fallen corpses.

The Ronin Katana appeared in his hand again, and he finished them off one by one.

Once Uchiha Yufeng was done, water-natured Chakra surged over the katana. In the blink of an eye, the blood-covered blade had been washed clean.

He sheathed the katana and headed toward Yuhi Kurenai and Uzuki Yugao.

After walking for only a few minutes,

his gaze fell on a patch of grass.

He directly flung a Kunai from his hand.

A ten-meter-long brown snake was nailed to a tree.

"Orochimaru's Pet?"

Uchiha Yufeng made a grasping motion with one hand.

Seven or eight snakes emerged from his sleeve and shot forth.

In the blink of an eye, they devoured the snake from earlier completely.

Is he trying to probe me, or is he simply here to watch the show?

Unable to figure out Orochimaru's intentions, Uchiha Yufeng murmured softly and did not dwell on it any longer.

One had to be steady in all things. Remaining still to counter movement and striking after the enemy moved was the best strategy.

He coldly swept his gaze toward the roots nearby. There was no killing intent—probably just a few "rats."

Then he did not linger and rushed toward the team's gathering point.

After he left, three ninja wearing Sand Shinobi forehead protectors finally revealed themselves.

"Maki, that person just now... his presence was terrifying!"

The girl named Maki stared blankly, gasping heavily. She had two streaks of face paint on her delicate face and wore a green short-sleeved shirt, black shorts, and fishnet stockings.

Through a gap in the leaves, she had seen Uchiha Yufeng kill that giant snake just now.

The sight had sent chills through her entire body.

"Is he really a Konoha Genin? Why does his presence feel even more terrifying than Teacher Pakura's?"