Another casualty

"Everyone, watch out! Earth Release: Multiple Earth-Style Wall!"

At that critical moment, Captain Tōma reacted immediately, completing his hand seals in an instant. Several enormous slabs of rock rose from the ground, enclosing the caravan like shields and blocking the rogue ninjas' weapons.

Clang, clang, clang.

Kazuhiko Uchiha drew his Black Iron Katana and knocked aside the weapons flying toward him. Together with Captain Tōma and Kaori Ikemoto, he formed a triangle around the caravan, watching the surrounding rogue ninjas warily.

"This isn't good. There are actually two jonin and five chunin among them."

Kazuhiko Uchiha surveyed the rogue ninjas surrounding the caravan. He couldn't help frowning, though he felt little panic.

With his current strength, if he focused solely on escaping, neither of the enemy jonin could stop him. For some reason, however, one of them-a one-eyed jonin-gave him an extremely dangerous feeling.

Kazuhiko Uchiha turned toward Captain Tōma, wondering what he would choose: continue the mission, or abandon it to save their lives.

A cruel smile spread across the black-clad jonin's face. His eyes gleamed viciously as he looked at Kazuhiko Uchiha and the others and sneered, "Well, well. As expected of Konoha ninja, you certainly react quickly. I wonder if you'll rush to your deaths as quickly as this one did?"

With that, the black-clad jonin tossed over the two heads in his hands. Needless to say, they belonged to Yū Inuzuka and Jūbimaru, who had been scouting ahead and had now been beheaded.

Captain Tōma's expression darkened, bitterness rising within him. He hadn't expected the enemy to be this powerful. With Tōma's Team's strength, they probably couldn't complete this mission.

From the enemy's words, Captain Tōma could tell they had no intention of sparing the three of them. He created two shadow clones and sent them to Kazuhiko Uchiha and Kaori Ikemoto, ordering in a barely audible voice, "Abandon the mission. Prepare to break out. I'll hold them off, so find a chance to escape. Remember, keep running. Whatever you do, don't look back."

Before Kazuhiko Uchiha or Kaori Ikemoto could react, a mocking sneer appeared on Captain Tōma's face. "You worthless rogue ninjas, always skulking in the shadows, actually dare attack Konoha ninja? You must have a death wish."

Captain Tōma's taunt had an immediate effect. The surrounding rogue ninjas' expressions soured, especially those of several chunin, whose fury was plain to see.

"Heh heh heh... hahahahaha! You Konoha bastards! I've finally found my chance!"

Just then, the other jonin, whose entire head was wrapped in bandages with only one eye exposed, suddenly burst into crazed laughter.

The one-eyed jonin stared at Kazuhiko Uchiha and the other two with the ravenous, frenzied gaze of a wild beast. "You'll all die! Go to hell and beg Jirō for forgiveness!"

Hearing this, the black-clad jonin spoke as though realization had dawned on him. "Oh, so they're the ones who killed the younger brother you left behind to stay in contact with the Hundred Blades Group. No wonder you were willing to help us for free this time."

At first, Kazuhiko Uchiha and the others were completely baffled. They had no idea who this Jirō was. The black-clad jonin's timely explanation let them piece everything together and understand the one-eyed jonin's identity.

The one-eyed jonin was the older brother of the rogue ninja Kazuhiko Uchiha had killed during their recent bandit extermination mission.

"Hahaha! So that was your little brother? He was crying and begging me to spare him, you know. But I killed him with one slash anyway. What a shame."

Captain Tōma laughed loudly. His merciless words drove straight into the one-eyed jonin's heart like icy blades, firmly drawing all his hatred onto himself.

"I'll kill you!"

Unable to contain his rage and bloodlust any longer, the one-eyed jonin roared and lunged at Captain Tōma. Seeing this, the other rogue ninjas readied their ninjutsu and kunai and began attacking the three of them.

"Earth Release: Earth-Style Wall! Earth Release: Earth Flow River! Earth Release: Rock Pillar Prison!"

Captain Tōma and his two shadow clones each unleashed an Earth Release ninjutsu. An enormous slab of rock and earth, a surging river of mud, and a forest of stone pillars successfully blocked the rogue ninjas' advance.

"Go, now!"

Captain Tōma shouted, signaling Kazuhiko Uchiha and Kaori Ikemoto to seize the opportunity to escape.

"Captain, I'm not leaving! I want to fight alongside you!"

Kaori Ikemoto ignored Captain Tōma's orders. Her hands began forming seals as she prepared to cast genjutsu on the genin rogue ninjas.

Kaori Ikemoto nearly left Captain Tōma choking with anger. "Damn it, are you an idiot? Get out of here! Don't stay and drag me down! Kazuhiko, take her away! Stay alive!"

"Yes, Captain."

Kazuhiko Uchiha wasn't the protagonist of some hot-blooded manga. He wouldn't foolishly rely on plot armor to take on a powerful enemy head-on. At Captain Tōma's words, he immediately grabbed Kaori Ikemoto and prepared to leave.

"Kazuhiko, I'm not leaving! Let go of me..." Kaori Ikemoto grew unexpectedly stubborn, refusing to leave with him.

Smack!

After several rounds of tugging, Kazuhiko Uchiha finally lost patience. He raised his right hand and slapped Kaori Ikemoto hard across the face.

"You're only as strong as a genin. Even if you stay, what can you do? Rather than stay here and die, live, get stronger, and avenge Captain Tōma! Don't let his sacrifice be for nothing!"

Perhaps Kazuhiko Uchiha's outburst cowed her, or perhaps Kaori Ikemoto finally understood his reasoning. Through tear-blurred eyes, she glanced at Captain Tōma fighting desperately against the two jonin, then followed Kazuhiko Uchiha as he broke out of the encirclement.

"Wind Release: Wind Blade!"

A rogue ninja blocking their path unleashed several transparent wind blades, sending them howling shrilly toward Kazuhiko Uchiha and Kaori Ikemoto.

"Eight Gates Released Formation: Gate of Life, open!"

Without the slightest hesitation, Kazuhiko Uchiha opened the third gate. He swept past his opponent like the wind, his tachi tracing an elegant arc and drawing a dazzling splash of crimson.

"Ah!"

Kaori Ikemoto wasn't so fortunate. Facing a chunin-level rogue ninja, she suffered a kunai slash across her arm that cut deep enough to expose bone.

"Rasengan!"

Kazuhiko Uchiha sent a rogue ninja flying with a Rasengan. Seeing Kaori Ikemoto in danger, he pushed off hard with both feet and leaped behind her opponent.

"Leaf Great Whirlwind!"

His powerful flying kick shattered the rogue ninja's bones and tendons, sending him hurtling away like a cannonball. After smashing through several trees, the man died.

"Move!"

Kazuhiko Uchiha urged her on, then used the Substitution Technique to evade two rogue ninjas' Fire Release ninjutsu. He chose a direction with fewer enemies and continued breaking out.

"Combined ninjutsu: Earth Release: Super Earth Dragon Bullet!"

Working seamlessly together, two chunin rogue ninjas brought an enormous dragon of mud and water into being. It opened its jaws and spat dozens of heavy mud-and-stone shells at Kazuhiko Uchiha and Kaori Ikemoto as they tried to escape.

Combined ninjutsu was far more powerful than ordinary ninjutsu. The Earth Dragon Bullets traveled much faster than a chunin could move. Though they couldn't catch Kazuhiko Uchiha with his Eight Gates Released Formation active, they struck Kaori Ikemoto in the blink of an eye.

"Aah!"

The tremendous force of an Earth Dragon Bullet made Kaori Ikemoto cough up blood and slammed her into a large tree. Before she could get up, the two chunin rogue ninjas pursuing her caught up and cut her down with a single slash.

Tōma's Team had lost another member.