Looking at Jūzō Biwa's enraged appearance, Obito, Kakashi, and Shisui all turned their gaze toward Yuzuru.
Yuzuru said flatly, "We're ninja from the Hidden Cloud Village. There's no need to get involved in something like this."
Kakashi hesitated. "But, senpai… Guy—"
He remembered Might Guy from the Academy days.
The boy had almost no talent, yet possessed a faith that never gave up. Even Kakashi's father had once praised Guy, saying he would become an outstanding ninja someday.
Though they hadn't interacted much back then, Kakashi had quietly watched him from afar. Now, seeing Guy in mortal danger, Kakashi couldn't help wanting to step in.
"Big Brother, please—help them," Kakashi pleaded.
Seeing him beg, Obito followed suit.
Though Guy's failure to remember him still annoyed him, they had once been classmates. Watching them die before his eyes left an uncomfortable feeling in his chest.
Yuzuru frowned slightly and was about to speak when Jūzō Biwa suddenly lunged forward with his Executioner's Blade.
"You brats are really getting on my nerves!" Jūzō snarled. "From the start, you've been running your mouths—don't you know your lives depend entirely on my mood?!"
He didn't care whether these kids were from the Cloud or the Leaf. If they irritated him, they all had to die.
The Executioner's Blade swept horizontally. Kakashi instantly drew his short sword to block—
Clang!
The massive force sent him flying.
Kuriarare Kushimaru joined the fray, and Obito rushed in, his two-tomoe Sharingan spinning.
But their strength still fell short. After a brief clash, both began to lose ground.
Seeing this, Shisui could only charge in to assist.
At that moment, Might Duy appeared before Yuzuru and said earnestly, "You've heard of the Seven Ninja Swordsmen of the Mist, right? I can hold them off. Before the rest make a move, you should escape while you still can."
Yuzuru looked him over and said coolly, "We're ninja from the Hidden Cloud—enemies of Konoha. Are you sure you want to help us?"
Duy gave a simple, honest smile. "I can sense you mean no harm. And I trust my son's judgment."
"Even if we'll be enemies in the future," he added, "let's survive this first."
Yuzuru raised an eyebrow, a faint smile forming. "You're quite the man. How about joining the Cloud?"
Duy immediately shook his head. "I'm a Leaf shinobi."
"I used to be a Leaf shinobi too," Yuzuru replied, gesturing toward Obito and Kakashi fighting ahead. "So were those two."
"That village is drowning in darkness now—there's nothing left worth clinging to."
At those words, images of Konoha's current state flashed through Duy's mind.
The rigid hierarchy among ninja, the arrogance of the great clans, and how ordinary or low-ranking shinobi struggled just to survive.
Especially a Dead Last Genin like himself, who was constantly running around every day yet could only fill his stomach with simple flatbread...
Then something clicked in Duy's mind, and his eyes widened. "You… you're Uchiha Yuzuru, aren't you?"
Yuzuru shrugged. "Took you long enough to figure it out."
Relieved by the confirmation, Duy secretly breathed a sigh of relief.
Though he'd been passed over by the Allied Forces because of his "Eternal Genin" title, he had heard of Yuzuru's deeds— a man strong enough to rout the Allied Forces singlehandedly. Someone like that wouldn't fear the Seven Ninja Swordsmen.
Seeing Duy fall silent, Yuzuru turned his gaze back to the battlefield.
Obito, Shisui, and Kakashi were gradually stabilizing the fight against Jūzō Biwa and Kushimaru. Their teamwork was so precise that they even managed to trouble the two Mist swordsmen from time to time.
Watching this, Yuzuru nodded...
So this was the difference of true genius—each real battle tempered them, refining their strength.
Unlike him, who could only rely on his "cheats."
Genma Shiranui, Might Guy, and Ebisu stood nearby, jaws dropped in disbelief at Obito and Kakashi's performance.
They were all Academy peers, yet Obito and Kakashi were now trading blows with monsters they themselves couldn't even face without despair.
Especially Obito—
back in the Academy, he had been the class dunce!
This rate of growth was simply terrifying.
Meanwhile, Fuguki Suikazan and the others grew impatient.
"Everyone attack! Kill all these guys!" he roared.
They were deep within the Land of Fire. If the battle dragged on and Konoha's main forces arrived, escape would become impossible.
At his command, Jinpachi Munashi and the others, already itching for blood, howled and charged forward.
"Die!"
Ringo Ameyuri swung her Kabutowari straight at Yuzuru.
Yuzuru's eyes instantly turned blood-red—Mangekyō Sharingan. A suffocating wave of Dōjutsu Power erupted from him.
Caught unprepared, Ringo was instantly dragged into a genjutsu world—her throat seized in Yuzuru's hand.
"Now's my chance!"
Before anyone could react, Jinpachi Munashi had already crept up behind Yuzuru. He swung down the explosive blade, Shibuki, right onto him.
A heartbeat later, the explosion went off, engulfing both Yuzuru and Ringo in searing flames.
"Got him!" Jinpachi laughed—
But before the grin could fade from his face, a pitch-black skeletal arm burst from the smoke and clamped down on his body.
Crunch!
Under the immense strength of the skeletal hand, Jinpachi's body was crushed into pulp. Yuzuru tossed both corpses aside like discarded trash.
Fuguki Suikazan and the others stood rooted in shock.
Though the Mist's intelligence network was poor, they had heard of Uchiha Yuzuru.
Those eyes—there was no mistaking it.
The man before them was indeed Uchiha Yuzuru.