Whoosh—
A long blade sliced through the air, narrowly grazing Terumi Mei's shoulder.
The Wind Release chakra wrapped around the blade tore through her clothing and left a shallow wound on her shoulder.
"Huh?"
A surprised sound came from within the dense mist.
In the next moment, the blade—initially descending—suddenly shifted direction and swept horizontally toward Terumi Mei's neck.
Sensing the killing intent, she instinctively threw herself to the ground in a roll, narrowly avoiding the attack.
Unrefined as the move might've looked, it was extremely effective.
The blade missed once more.
Yes—both surprise attacks came from Uchiha Haruki.
He had taken advantage of the steam generated by the clash between fire and water dragons, quietly casting Water Release: Hidden Mist Technique, cloaking the battlefield in thick fog.
Then, canceling Wind Release: Wings of Wind, he stealthily approached Terumi Mei and launched his assault.
After spending so long kite-fighting from the air, his sudden switch to close combat completely caught her off guard.
Unfortunately, her reaction speed was excellent—she dodged both initial strikes.
But Haruki didn't give up.
A flash of blue chakra flickered as he activated Instant Blade Technique.
In the blink of an eye, he was at Terumi Mei's right side.
He slashed again, the blade targeting her neck.
Sensing danger, Terumi Mei's expression shifted. She quickly raised a kunai to block.
Clang!
Sparks danced in the mist as blade met blade, metal clashing in a crisp ring.
A powerful force surged through the kunai, sending Terumi Mei skidding backward as she struggled to keep her balance.
Haruki followed through, pressing the attack, his sword relentless.
Terumi Mei ducked instinctively, narrowly avoiding another blow. The sword passed over her head, slicing off several strands of her reddish-brown hair.
Again and again, Haruki slashed. Terumi Mei blocked.
Clang! Clang! Clang!
The sound of metal rang out incessantly in the mist.
Because she had lost the initiative, Terumi Mei could only dodge and defend against Haruki's barrage.
His attacks came like a storm—swift, fierce, and unrelenting.
At first, she barely kept up.
But the longer the battle dragged on, the harder it became. Soon, several shallow cuts appeared on her body.
They weren't fatal… yet.
But at this rate, it was only a matter of time before she fell by Haruki's hand.
Realizing this, Terumi Mei naturally wanted to escape.
But Haruki gave her no opportunity.
At this moment, his movements were ghost-like—darting around her, every strike aimed at a vital spot.
Even the slightest mistake from her could mean instant death.
So, Terumi Mei didn't dare make any risky moves.
Clang! Clang!
The duel raged on.
Just as Terumi Mei was nearing her limit, a few subtle whooshes pierced through the air.
"Kunai?"
Haruki's eyes narrowed. He paused slightly, shifting his sword at the last second to intercept.
Ding! Ding! Ding!
The incoming kunai were deflected, each one batted away cleanly.
He looked toward the direction they came from. Through the fog, he could vaguely see several silhouettes.
Through the chakra lingering in the mist, he also sensed multiple Mist shinobi converging on his location.
"Well, it's been long enough… Even with the fog, they were bound to find this place."
Haruki's thoughts churned.
He glanced at Terumi Mei, who had now taken the chance to create some distance.
Shaking his head slightly, he muttered:
"Too bad."
With that, he sheathed his sword, formed hand seals, and cast—
Wind Release: Wings of Wind!
A pair of pale cyan chakra wings unfolded behind him.
With a single flap, he soared into the sky once more.
As for Terumi Mei?
He decided to let her go—for now.
He had wanted to kill her earlier, and though he had the upper hand, her strength wasn't weak. Even after being caught off guard, she managed to hold her own.
Given that, it wasn't worth risking being surrounded just to settle the score.
After all, the larger battlefield mattered more.
There were still other skirmishes across the war zone where Konoha shinobi were struggling. If he could relieve pressure there, it would be far more valuable.
This time, the Mist's forces outnumbered Konoha's nearly three to one.
Not to mention, the Mist had achieved the element of surprise with their ambush. If Haruki didn't support his comrades, the entire defense would collapse.
So, yes—the bigger picture mattered most.
Whoosh—
Haruki flapped his chakra wings, bursting out of the fog in an instant.
He swept his gaze across the battlefield and quickly locked onto another combat zone not far away.
There, dozens of Konoha shinobi were being surrounded by over a hundred Mist ninjas.
"Perfect. That's the one."
Without delay, Haruki flew toward it.
Once overhead, he pulled out several shuriken, activating his fully awakened Sharingan.
He locked onto several Mist ninjas below.
Whizz—Whizz—Whizz!
The shuriken spun through the air, aimed precisely at their targets.
However, because Haruki had previously attacked from the skies, these enemies were already on alert.
Even with the cover of night, someone noticed him.
"Above—watch out!"
The warning came just in time.
All eyes turned upward—and they saw Haruki mid-throw.
The targeted Mist shinobi instantly tried to dodge.
But even with their quick reactions, half were still hit.
A few muffled groans escaped them as they stumbled, their movements interrupted.
Haruki didn't hesitate. Forming seals midair, he unleashed—
Fire Release: Great Fireball Technique!
A small fireball emerged from his mouth.
But in the blink of an eye, it swelled—growing into a massive five-meter sphere and plummeting like a meteor toward the group below.
The overwhelming heat washed over them, and the sheer scale of the jutsu stirred panic.
They tried to flee.
But wounded and slowed by shuriken strikes, they were too late. They barely escaped the direct impact—
But it didn't matter.
The moment the fireball struck the ground—
BOOM!
It exploded in a blast of flame and force.
Even those who had run early were still caught in the shockwave.
Thud! Thud! Thud!
Several were flung to the ground, coughing up blood.
Yet no one dared linger.
Ignoring the blood at their lips, they scrambled farther away—
And just in time.
The surging flames devoured the very spot they had just collapsed on.