The sunlight filtered through the lush branches, casting mottled shadows on the ground. In the distance, the occasional cicada and bird cries could be heard. The faintly salty sea breeze brushed past, making everything feel peaceful.
But on the battlefield, nothing was peaceful.
Uchiha Hinobi gripped his blade, his hand trembling slightly, his crimson Sharingan eyes glowing faintly grey.
This Uzumaki was like a monster. Hinobi's taijutsu was far from poor, but after several exchanges, he was utterly suppressed. Uzumaki Hanamichi's overwhelming fists could even block Hinobi's steel-forged katana with brute force. And his chakra… still abundant even after all this ti, showing no signs of waning. Worse yet, he hadn't even revealed his true power. Fighting him felt like sparring with a child.
Hanamichi yawned, visibly disinterested. "So this is the famous 'Kami-in Hinobi'? I expected more. That little genjutsu of yours was the only thing worth noticing."
With a flick of his hand, he casually swatted away the shuriken Hinobi threw, as if it were nothing. Hinobi, however, smiled faintly.
The shuriken, deflected, suddenly veered midair and spun back to encircle Hanamichi, narrowly missing all his vital points.
Hanamichi finally frowned. "Is this the accuracy of the Uchiha?"
Hinobi's ten fingers twitched, fine threads glinting faintly. "Sōshuriken no Jutsu (Manipulating Shuriken Technique)."
Just like his sister earlier, Hanamichi was caught in the binding play of thin wire. And Hinobi wasn't finished. "Katon: Ryūka no Jutsu (Fire Release: Dragon Fire Technique)!"
Blazing flas roared out, racing along the wires, enveloping Hanamichi in an inferno. Hinobi slashed with his blade toward the flaming silhouette.
Just as the tip of the blade neared his opponent's head, a flaming hand reached out and caught it effortlessly.
"A combination technique? Not bad," Hanamichi said calmly, even as fire licked his skin without a single scream.
With a sudden burst of chakra, the wires and flas were blown away. Hanamichi's body was unscathed save for so singed hair. "The Uchiha really do have flashy fire tricks."
Hinobi's heart sank. The Uzumaki's body was simply monstrous.
On the other side of the battlefield, Ryoichi, Haku, and Darō were barely holding on, their opponent clearly toying with them.
"Is it over here?" Hinobi thought grimly. But then he rembered a gentle, curly-haired man from his past, his resolve hardening. "No… If I can stall just a little longer, that boy's chances of surviving increase."
His Sharingan spun, the three tomoe blurring as they began to link. Hanamichi's senses caught the sudden surge of eerie chakra. "What is this?"
A strange shape began forming behind Hinobi when suddenly a figure landed in front of him, striking a dramatic pose. "Am I late?"
Uchiha Gin grinned, holding a kunai. Hinobi froze, then erupted: "You little brat! You've co to die?!"
Gin blinked, confused. "Hey, shouldn't you be moved to tears?"
Hinobi exhaled heavily. "You ca."
"I ca."
"You shouldn't have co."
"But I still ca."
Hanamichi rolled his eyes. "Are you two done?"
"Ah, sorry," Gin said sheepishly. "My bad."
"Despicable Uchiha," Hanamichi snarled, his fists cracking. "Where did you hide Mito?"
Gin gulped, his hand instinctively touching the bead Mito gave him. "Hope this works…"
Hinobi demanded, "Why didn't you follow orders?!"
Gin simply drew his sword. "No ti to talk. Focus."
"You think your pitiful single tomoe… wait, when did you awaken it?" Hinobi was stunned to see Gin's spinning tomoe. But he shook his head. "It's useless. Against soone like him, it's suicide."
Hanamichi's crimson chakra cloak flared. "Hand her over, and maybe I'll let you die whole."
Gin's muscles tensed as though a beast stared him down. "… Guess there's no talking anymore."
Hanamichi shot forward, his fist like thunder. But in that instant, Gin's adrenaline spiked, his Sharingan spinning into two tomoe. With a precise strike, he slashed at Hanamichi's exposed side, forcing him to redirect his punch into a tree, which exploded under his power.
Gin's arm was torn up just from the shockwave, blood flowing—but miraculously, it began to heal almost instantly.
"…Even a trace of Uzumaki blood gives this much recovery?" he muttered in awe.
Then, breathing deeply, Gin ford hand seals. "Katon: Gōkakyū no Jutsu (Fire Release: Great Fireball Technique)!"
The flas gathered… and gathered… and gathered.
Hanamichi's eyes widened. "That's not a fireball—that's Gōka tsusai (Fire Destruction)!"
The imnse fireball roared forward, the size of a building, forcing Hanamichi to retreat.
When the flas finally dissipated, an entire swath of forest was gone. Gin stared blankly at the devastation. "…Am I under genjutsu?"
Hinobi's jaw dropped. "What… what kind of technique was that?"
Gin rubbed his ssy hair. "Uh… just Gōkakyū, I think…"
He wasn't sure himself. Maybe the Uzumaki blood had boosted his chakra output?
"…System, what just happened?" he called inwardly. No response.
Frustrated, he entered the system space. The stage looked the sa, the Steel Heart Chest resting quietly at 0. But the ga console, which used to show [10], now showed [*****].
"Hey, hey, hey, system—where are my points?! And what's up with my fireball?!"
The system's cold voice finally ca. "System loading… Strength detected. System load speed 10%. Update complete."
Gin stared at the console now showing 0. "Hey! My ten points—one and zero—that ten! Where'd it go?!"
(End of Chapter)
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