Reappearance

"Earth Release. Swamp of the Underworld."

As Uzumaki Hane and the other two fell into the cave, the four ninjas quickly Hand Seals and unleashed their power, turning the land inside the cave into a swamp.

Uzumaki Hane and Uesugi I quickly adjusted their bodies and landed steadily on the ground. As soon as they landed, they felt their feet lose their footing and immediately realized something was wrong, but it was too late; they were already trapped.

Uzumaki Hane frowned and said, "Uesugi, you go up first." He grabbed Uesugi I's clothes with his right hand and threw him out with a jolt. With this force, Uzumaki Hane's lower body was completely embedded in them.

Uesugi I adjusted his body in mid-air, using Chakra to stick his feet to the wall, and then walked towards the bottom of the cave, wanting to rescue Uzumaki Hane.

The four ninjas noticed the two's movements and began Hand Seals.

"Earth Release. Moving Earth Core."

The ground and walls inside the cave began to move, and the terrain changed rapidly, separating Uzumaki Hane and Uesugi I.

Forced to the ground, Uesugi I suddenly sensed something amiss beneath Uesugi I feet. A dozen sharp earth spikes erupted from the ground, piercing Uesugi I through. A ninja emerged from the earth, looked at Uesugi I hanging from the spikes, and said, "One done."

Bang! Uesugi I vanished in a puff of smoke. The ninja muttered, "A clone..." Sensing movement behind him, he quickly turned around and saw Uesugi I standing on the wall, shouting, "Fire Style: Great Fireball Technique!" He then unleashed a large fireball at the ninja.

"Earth Release. Earth Release: Earth Shore Return"

The ninja quickly used a defensive Ninjutsu, placing a rock in front of him to block the fireball.

Uesugi I asked, "Who are you people, and why are you attacking us?"

The ninja didn't reply, but formed a hand seal and disappeared into the earth.

Uesugi I's expression hardened, and he shouted, "Earth Release: Hardening Technique!" His entire body hardened, and then he slammed his fist into the ground beneath his feet. Bang! The ground cracked open, and a painful groan came from the earth before disappearing.

Uesugi I concentrated for a moment, then suddenly leaped up, stopping three meters in front of him. He slammed his fist down, and with a bang, the ground cracked again. A figure leaped out of the ground, staring at Uesugi I in disbelief, wondering how he had discovered his presence.

Uesugi I seemed to sense the ninja's confusion and said smugly, "I'm a sensory-type ninja. It's thanks to this intuition that I've survived so many battles." He quickly Hand Seals.

"Fire Style: Great Fireball Technique."

A fireball hurtled toward the ninja.

However, Uesugi I noticed that the ninja appeared very calm, with a hint of mockery in his eyes.

Uesugi I knew something was wrong. A ninja appeared from behind and grabbed Uesugi I. Uesugi I struggled violently but couldn't break free.

The ninja Hand Seals and shouted, "Die Earth Release: Rock Pillar Spear!" A dozen sharp earthen spears suddenly appeared beneath Uesugi I's feet.

With a snap, the clay spear pierced Uesugi I's body and broke off. Then, Uesugi I broke free from the ninja, thrust his spear in the back, piercing the ninja's chest. Bang! The ninja vanished into smoke.

Immediately afterward, Uesugi I leaped forward, appearing in front of the ninja and punching him so hard that he crashed into the wall.

After dealing with the ninja, Uesugi I wanted to reunite with Uzumaki Hane. Just as he turned to leave, he heard a whooshing sound behind him. Uesugi I turned around and saw a huge stone arm smash into him. With a crack, Uesugi I was sent flying backward and embedded in the wall. Uesugi I couldn't help but spit out a mouthful of blood.

Earth Release: Petrification

The ninja, now encased in rocks, punched Uesugi I away, clearly not intending to let him off so easily, and charged towards Uesugi I.

Uesugi I wiped the blood from the corner of his mouth and said, "Damn it, I was careless." He began to Hand Seals.

"Earth Release. Rock Thief Cane"

The wall cracked open, revealing a stone spear. Uesugi I gripped the spear in his right hand and hurled it, sending it hurtling towards the stone figure.

The stone figure didn't dodge, directly taking the stone spear head-on. With a crack, the stone spear broke in two. The stone figure said, "It's useless, this kind of stone spear can't hurt me." It charged towards Uesugi I without slowing down.

Uesugi I shouted, "Take this! Fire Style: Fire Dragon Flame Bullet!" His hands Hand Seals swiftly, forming hand seals. He inhaled sharply, unleashing a ball of flame that engulfed the stone golem. The golem struggled within the flames, trying to break free. Uesugi struggled to maintain the flames, and after a while, the golem let out a scream and collapsed in the fire, burned alive. Seeing the golem lifeless, Uesugi I Genin, leaning against the wall, panting heavily. He had almost exhausted his Chakra trying to maintain the flames.

On the other side, Uzumaki Hane was stuck in the swamp, but she didn't panic, letting herself slowly be swallowed up.

Three figures flashed, and three ninjas appeared before the swamp. The leader of the three ninjas said, "This is the target. Doesn't look very promising?"

Another ninja said with a mocking expression, "If it weren't for Handa's strategy, we wouldn't have been able to defeat him so easily."

The leading ninja's face darkened with displeasure. This man before him was Handa's confidant, always opposing him. He snorted coldly and said, "Where's Tayama? Why are you so slow? Haven't you finished off your opponent yet?"

At this moment, the swamp began to churn. The leading ninja was somewhat surprised and asked, "What's going on?"

With a bang, a plume of lava shot into the sky, turning into sparks that rained down in all directions. The three ninjas were unable to dodge in time, and sparks dripped from their bodies, leaving charred marks. They all retreated.

In an instant, Uzumaki Hane appeared in front of the three ninjas. His right hand transformed into lava, and to the astonishment of the three ninjas, he pierced through the chest of one of them, killing him instantly. The other two ninjas, their faces filled with fear, Hand Seals and hastily disappeared into the ground.

Uzumaki Hane said coldly, "It's that trick again. Now that you're in, don't bother coming out." His feet turned into lava, melting the ground and spreading outwards. Soon, several screams came from the ground, followed by silence. They must have been burned to death by the lava.

Having dealt with several ninjas, Uzumaki Hane wasn't bothered and was about to leave when a figure appeared before Uzumaki Hane. Uzumaki Hane recognized him as the mysterious ninja who had exposed his identity at the black market that day.

The mysterious ninja looked at the corpse on the Uzumaki Hane ground and the melted earth, and said, "I knew such trash couldn't handle you. Luckily, I had another plan."

A murderous glint flashed in Uzumaki Hane's eyes as she said, "Who exactly are you? Who sent you to harm me?"

The mysterious ninja said to himself, "I've planted a lot of Explosive Tag in the cave. Only if you survive will you be qualified to know who I am."

Uzumaki Hane's eyes flashed with intense killing intent as he coldly said, "Fine, don't talk then. Before absolute strength, no schemes will work." With a flash, he appeared in front of him, his right hand piercing straight through his chest.