"Keep attacking!"
Seeing Uchiha Haruki break free once again, Terumi Mei didn't hesitate—her voice rang out with a crisp command.
The surrounding mid- and lower-ranked Mist shinobi responded immediately, throwing kunai and shuriken in unison.
In the next moment, a dense barrage of blades flew through the air.
Haruki's three-tomoe Sharingan spun at full capacity. He continuously flapped his chakra wings, dodging attacks with precise movements.
Naturally, he tried to break away and escape during this chaos.
However, this time, those observant Mist shinobi had learned from before. Some began deliberately cutting off his flight paths into higher airspace.
It was suffocating!
Just as he avoided the second wave, a third assault arrived without pause—this time including not only tools but also ninjutsu.
As Haruki glanced over the incoming attacks, his expression darkened.
As the saying goes: "Even ants can kill an elephant if there are enough of them."
Maybe a few waves like this wouldn't be a threat—but over time? Mistakes were bound to happen.
In the past, Haruki had faced groups before. But those were usually close-quarters fights using kenjutsu. The enemies didn't dare to recklessly use jutsu in melee.
Also, even though he had fought many, only a few actually engaged him at once.
This situation, though? He had the high ground, yes—but that also made him a target, completely exposed.
Now, the Mist shinobi had free rein to launch attacks, and there was no limit to how many could target him at once. That was a problem.
"I can't let this continue."
With that thought, Haruki avoided another volley, formed hand seals, and spat out a jutsu:
Fire Release: Dragon Fire Technique!
"Arghhh—!!"
A stream of blazing fire shot from his mouth, forming a flaming dragon that swooped toward the crowd below.
In an instant, several Mist ninjas were engulfed in flames.
Screams of agony echoed through the battlefield, chilling to the bone.
Yet even this didn't scare them off.
After just a brief hesitation, the Mist shinobi launched another attack.
It was only because of Haruki's enhanced Sharingan that he could predict and dodge these relentless assaults. Had it been anyone else—even another flier—they would've been shredded long ago.
But Haruki knew: the longer you hold a position, the more likely it is you'll be hit.
Still, even though his previous attack failed to shake the enemy, he didn't stop counterattacking.
He unleashed fireballs, fire dragons, flame showers, and wind blades in relentless waves, raining destruction down upon the Mist shinobi.
In no time, the battlefield turned into a living hell—the stench of blood and scorched flesh filled the air, making it nauseating.
The Mist ninjas suffered massive casualties.
Terumi Mei and her jonin occasionally intervened—but mostly, their goal was simply to block Haruki's escape.
They showed no concern for the deaths of their own subordinates.
Clearly, their plan was to sacrifice bodies to wear Haruki down.
But that strategy was doomed to fail.
Yes, Haruki had sustained a few injuries while creating openings to cast jutsu. But none were critical.
Not only did he possess level 8 Palm Sage Technique, capable of healing most wounds with ease—his natural recovery ability was also powerful enough to keep him going.
As for chakra?
For any shinobi, chakra was the most important resource.
But Haruki's reserves were so immense that even if he killed everyone below, it still wouldn't run out.
So trying to exhaust him by sheer numbers? Unrealistic.
At least, not with just the ones currently on the field.
Still, Haruki intentionally faked signs of exhaustion, letting his body look more injured than it truly was.
He also let his jutsu accuracy drop ever so slightly.
But a bluff is a bluff—it can't hold forever.
At first, Terumi Mei and the others didn't sense anything wrong.
But when Haruki, despite looking injured, continued to slaughter their comrades, they finally noticed something wasn't right.
Eventually, after Haruki used Wind Release: Blade of Wind to kill two Mist chunin in one strike, Terumi Mei raised her hand and ordered a halt.
"They've caught on…"
Seeing the enemy pause, Haruki murmured to himself.
No longer bothering to keep up appearances, he made hand signs and cast Palm Sage Technique, surging potent Yang Chakra into his body to heal his wounds.
Immediately after, he performed another jutsu—
Fire Release: Phoenix Fire Technique!
Dozens of tiny fireballs sprayed from his mouth like a meteor shower, raining down upon the stunned Mist ninjas below.
Yes—he had chosen to attack even after they paused.
It wasn't arrogance. Haruki had carefully evaluated the danger.
Although the earlier fight had been intense, the risks were still within acceptable limits.
As long as he remained vigilant against sneak attacks from Terumi Mei and the other jonin, he could keep this up.
And if they were to keep focusing on him, then Konoha's forces on other fronts would have less pressure.
In this way, his role as bait had been fulfilled perfectly.
Also—this kind of "dancing on the blade's edge" environment was the best way to improve Wind Release: Wings of Wind.
In just this short fight, the skill's proficiency had risen by nearly 200 points.
At this rate, he'd reach level 3 very soon.
With that, his agility and safety would both increase.
A win-win situation—why would he give it up?
So he went all in.
Below, Mist shinobi scrambled to dodge the raining fireballs.
However, Haruki had long since mastered the jutsu to perfection. He could control every single fireball's trajectory with ease.
Especially now that his "Spirit" stat had passed 20—his precision was on another level.
To the Mist ninjas, it looked like the fireballs had eyes, each one homing in on the nearest target.
The chunin were able to dodge with some effort.
But the genin and lower-ranked ones weren't so lucky.
Several were directly struck and collapsed screaming.
Seeing this, Terumi Mei's expression darkened.
She immediately responded with Water Release: Water Dragon Bullet Technique.
Haruki's eyes lit up. Surprisingly, he didn't dodge.
Instead, he formed hand seals and cast—
Fire Release: Dragon Fire Technique!
A roaring fire dragon flew forward and collided mid-air with her water dragon.
Sizzle…!
A loud hiss echoed as steam exploded outward, blanketing hundreds of meters in dense white fog.
"…Something's wrong."
Terumi Mei narrowed her eyes.
Given the size of the two jutsu, there shouldn't have been this much steam, especially not so fast.
She focused her senses—and sure enough, the fog was filled with chakra.
"Could it be… Hidden Mist Technique?!"
The moment she confirmed it, she opened her mouth to warn the others—
But before she could speak, a flash of a blade appeared from the fog.
A wave of cold killing intent crashed down on her like a tide.
A chill ran down Terumi Mei's spine.
Almost on instinct, she lunged to the side to avoid it.