Clang—!
A crisp metallic sound echoed as the long blade clashed with the kunai, sparks flying between them.
As the two locked weapons, several shuriken suddenly came flying from behind and the sides—thrown by other Mist-nin—toward Uchiha Haruki.
Sensing the danger, Haruki immediately released pressure from his blade and flickered away, narrowly dodging the incoming barrage of projectiles.
But the Mist-nin were relentless. Seeing him dodge, they threw another wave of shuriken—only this time, not just shuriken, but several kunai laced with explosive tags.
Haruki's Sharingan spun rapidly, detecting the danger instantly. His eyes locked onto the kunai mid-flight.
Without hesitation, he flipped his hand, and an equal number of kunai appeared between his fingers.
Whizz—!
Haruki threw his kunai, striking the incoming ones with precise accuracy, deflecting them all.
As for the shuriken, he dodged them just as he threw his kunai.
Boom! Boom! Boom!
The explosive-tagged kunai landed in the ocean, erupting into a series of violent explosions. Bright flames burst forth as torrents of seawater splashed into the air, showering the area like a torrential downpour.
With his three-tomoe Sharingan, Haruki scanned through the curtain of rain, locking onto several Mist-nin who had attacked him.
Then—Flash!—he vanished.
Using Instant Blade Technique, Haruki appeared in front of the nearest enemy—a Mist Chunin.
Judging by the young man's face, he was likely a prodigy of Kirigakure. Perhaps that's why he dared join the ambush against Haruki.
But so what if he was a genius?
Haruki had slain more than a few "geniuses" before.
With that thought flashing across his mind, Haruki slashed his blade. At the same time, he prepared to cast Illusionary Sword Technique.
Just as the Chunin began to react, Haruki activated the genjutsu.
Mizuki Kojima saw Haruki's sword swing shift unnaturally—just slightly, but enough to confuse him.
He was about to adjust his defense when a sudden memory hit him—his comrade had just died in exactly the same way.
A glimmer of insight flickered in his mind.
He held his ground, resisting the instinct to change his guard.
Seeing this, Haruki's eyes narrowed slightly. "Not bad," he muttered.
Clang!
Their weapons collided, the sound of steel on steel echoing.
Haruki's blade carried immense force, pushing Mizuki Kojima backward. Despite being forced back, the young Mist-nin's eyes were full of excitement—he believed he had seen through Haruki's trick.
Haruki sensed his mental state instantly and couldn't help but find it odd.
"He's excited... just because he blocked one strike?"
What Haruki didn't know was that Mizuki thought he had figured out the secret of Haruki's Illusionary Sword Technique.
Had Haruki known, he would've sneered.
If it were that easy to see through, would even Jonin-level Mist-nin be so wary of it?
This was ignorance—a frog at the bottom of a well.
Mizuki might be a standout among average shinobi, but compared to the true elite of the ninja world, he was still far behind—especially in terms of self-awareness and understanding one's limits.
Maybe only a devastating defeat could truly awaken him—pushing him to strive harder... or fall into despair.
But Haruki had no time to teach lessons.
The moment Mizuki blocked his strike, Haruki reached out with his left hand.
A dense ball of light-blue chakra swirled in his palm.
Rasengan!
Before Mizuki could react, the Rasengan slammed into his gut.
Splurt!
Blood spurted from his mouth as he was sent skidding backward, finally gaining some distance from Haruki.
But that was the worst thing that could've happened.
A chilling gleam flashed as Haruki's blade followed up, slashing toward Mizuki's neck.
The wounded Chunin tried to dodge—but he was too slow.
"No—!"
His scream of desperation was abruptly cut off.
Haruki retracted his blade and shook off the blood. He didn't even look back.
But while Haruki showed no emotion, others were not so indifferent.
A middle-aged Mist-nin, who had earlier thrown kunai at Haruki, saw Mizuki's half-sliced throat and felt his heart break. He cried out:
"Mizuki?!"
His voice trembled with grief, echoing with sorrow and fury.
Clearly, the two had a close bond.
But Haruki didn't care.
Taking advantage of the man's emotional breakdown, he activated Genjutsu: Sharingan Illusion, instantly trapping him.
Then—Thunk!
A kunai flew into the man's throat, ending his life.
Splash—
The middle-aged Mist-nin collapsed into the sea, lifeless.
Everything had happened so quickly that the other Mist-nin, who were preparing to encircle Haruki, didn't even process what had happened.
When they did, they shared a glance—then rushed him together.
But this time, they stayed a bit closer to each other, wary of Haruki's sudden strikes.
Still, even with caution, it was futile.
Under their joint assault, Haruki remained calm and fluid, dispatching two more Mist-nin in short order.
Finally—they broke.
"Retreat!"
No one knew who shouted it first, but all the Mist-nin began rushing toward the distant warships.
Haruki didn't chase them all.
Instead, he targeted the one straggling at the back.
One Mist-nin tried to assist—but when Haruki killed another with ease, no one dared turn back again.
The unlucky Mist-nin trapped by Haruki turned his head to watch his comrades abandon him, despair flooding his eyes.
He tried to fight back—but Haruki didn't give him the chance.
After a flurry of exchanges, Haruki found an opening and cast Demonic Illusion: Shackles Binding Technique, freezing the man in place.
Then—Flash!—he used Body Flicker Technique, appeared behind him, and struck the back of his neck with a precise hand chop.
The Mist-nin's eyes rolled back, and he collapsed into unconsciousness.
Haruki grabbed him by the collar to prevent him from falling into the sea.
Swish! Swish! Swish!
Uchiha Tekka and the others finally arrived at Haruki's side.
Haruki scanned the group. Only two of them had died.
He nodded slightly.
The Mist-nin they fought weren't as elite as the ones his shadow clone had intercepted, but they were still formidable.
That the squad only lost two was already impressive.
Uchiha Tekka glanced at the unconscious Mist-nin in Haruki's hand and asked, "Captain, what do we do next?"
Haruki turned to look at the four Mist warships on the distant horizon, his expression solemn.
"Let's return first," he replied.
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