Step, step— Dense footsteps echoed in the tunnel.
A large group of bandits, all gripping their weapons, blocked the cave entrance.
If they'd been ordinary bandits, they wouldn't have been this alert. But these weren't ordinary thugs—they were smugglers dealing in ninja tools, and among them were actual ninjas. The moment the group entered the cave, they must have been detected.
No wonder Uchiha Shien had felt something off earlier.
Bandits weren't supposed to act with this much discipline.
Among the attackers, there was one Chunin and five Genin wearing forehead protectors engraved with the Mist Village symbol—each slashed through with a horizontal cut.
That single slash said everything: rogue ninja.
At first, Uchiha Shien hadn't understood why rogue ninja still wore forehead protectors. If they'd already defected from their village, why keep the symbol?
Later, he learned the answer from Minato Namikaze.
Wearing a slashed forehead protector was a declaration—a severed bond with one's home village. Other villages were happy to see such rogues, as it meant turmoil for their rivals. The mark also proved one's identity as a ninja—something even a traitor took pride in.
"Alright—I'll handle those Genin. Kakashi, you take the Chunin. Koji, deal with the rest!" Uchiha Shien barked, his tone sharp with tension.
His heart was pounding. After all, this was his first real battle.
Sparring in training was nothing like a fight where victory and death were both on the line.
How did those other transmigrators manage to perform flawlessly in their first fights? Probably because they'd been assassins or special forces before crossing over.
"Got it!" the two chorused.
The division of tasks was the best possible arrangement. After all this time working together, their strengths were clear.
Kakashi's individual combat power was the highest—he could even take on a Chunin. Yamanaka Koji could easily handle normal bandits. That left the five Genin to Uchiha Shien, who had his summoned beast and ninjutsu to rely on.
"Leaf ninja! Our captain's already gone to deal with your teacher. You'll die here today!" the Chunin sneered, drawing a kunai and signaling his subordinates to attack.
Whoosh!
Before the enemy could move, a white blur flashed forward.
Kakashi.
His speed was terrifying—if he were older, on par with Uchiha Shien's age, he'd already be moving at Jonin level.
Clang! Steel struck steel as Kakashi's short blade met the Chunin's kunai. His ferocious assault left the enemy no room to breathe.
Meanwhile, the five Genin launched a barrage of shuriken toward Uchiha Shien's group.
"Wind Release: Gale Palm!"
Koji finished his hand seals and clapped his hands forward.
Pa!
A solid blast of transparent wind surged outward, scattering the incoming shuriken like leaves in a storm. The gust was strong enough to send a grown man flying—shuriken were nothing.
Uchiha Shien seized the moment Koji's jutsu created, forming his own seals.
"Summoning Jutsu!"
He slammed his right hand to the ground. Black runes spread out like tadpoles as white mist erupted.
A giant crow, several meters tall and covered in dark golden feathers, appeared in the narrow cave.
"What the hell is that!?"
"A summoned beast!"
"Be careful!"
…
With those shouts, the battle erupted in full force.
Caw!
Taiyi—the giant crow—lunged forward, talons gouging the stone floor. The tunnel was too narrow for it to spread its wings, limiting its speed, but its massive form exuded crushing pressure.
A volley of kunai shot toward it.
Except for those aimed at its eyes, Taiyi ignored them all. The dark golden feathers acted like armor, deflecting every blade with ease.
Large summoned beasts naturally had greater defenses than human ninja.
Take the Legendary Three Sannin, for example—their summons could only stand on the battlefield because their durability was monstrous. If they couldn't endure ranged attacks, they'd be gone before doing anything noteworthy.
Taiyi was nowhere near that level yet, but he was starting to show promise.
That earlier injection of natural energy had benefited him far more than Uchiha Shien. His body had doubled in size, and his growth hadn't stopped.
Just like how Gamakichi had been small when he first met Naruto but later grew to rival Gamabunta, a summoned beast's growth depended on natural energy, not genetics.
So Taiyi's rapid evolution was only natural.
Caw!
The crow opened its beak and spat out a barrage of fireballs, each the size of a fist.
The attack was similar to the Uchiha clan's C-rank jutsu, Phoenix Sage Fire Technique, though slightly weaker.
Boom! Boom!
Explosions echoed through the cave. Even boulders were shattered—flesh and blood stood no chance.
"Run!"
"I don't wanna die!"
"Damn it, get out of my way!"
Panic erupted among the bandits. They turned and fled.
No one understood a ninja's might better than them. Even a single Genin could slaughter them all with ease. Running was the only logical choice.
However, Taiyi's attacks hadn't harmed the rogue ninja. They were simply too fast.
Slow attacks had little chance of hitting trained shinobi.
That's why the Great Fireball Jutsu was nicknamed the Merciful Flame—not because it lacked power, but because it was too slow. Even Kage-level shinobi couldn't withstand a direct hit, but if it missed, power meant nothing.
Still, Uchiha Shien hadn't summoned Taiyi for killing blows. His role was crowd control and disruption.
And in that, he'd succeeded perfectly—the enemy's formation was shattered.
Koji seized the chance, rushing out of the cave to pursue the fleeing bandits.
Now only Uchiha Shien and Kakashi remained in the tunnel, facing one Chunin and five Genin.
Uchiha Shien needed to finish his opponents quickly and help Kakashi.
One versus five— If it were just him, that would be suicide.
But with Taiyi's support, it wasn't impossible.
"Fire Style: Fireball Jutsu!"
Uchiha Shien swiftly wove the hand seals.
For most Genin, a single C-rank jutsu would drain their chakra completely. That was why Koji had gone to chase the bandits instead of staying—he'd already exhausted his reserves.
Without chakra, a ninja was no stronger than a normal man. The difference between the two existed only because of chakra.
Fwoosh!
A fireball shot from Uchiha Shien's mouth like an artillery shell.
Thanks to Minato's personal guidance, Uchiha Shien had made huge strides in both casting speed and timing—enough to use such techniques effectively in battle.
Having a strong mentor really did make all the difference.
If Koji had to learn ninjutsu on his own, it would've taken him months to master something like the Gale Palm, not two weeks.
The Flame Bullet struck two Genin trying to dodge Taiyi's assault.
Boom!
A roaring explosion engulfed them in flames.
If it had been the Great Fireball, the attack would've missed completely—too slow to hit moving targets.
The Flame Bullet's faster travel speed made it deadlier despite lower raw power.
Two C-rank jutsu in quick succession had already consumed nearly half of Uchiha Shien's chakra.
He drew a kunai from his pouch— It was time for close combat.
Taiyi was holding back two of the remaining Genin, but one slipped through, charging straight at Uchiha Shien.
Close-quarters fighting—Uchiha Shien's greatest weakness.
Before crossing over, he'd been just a software engineer and shut-in gamer. Standing in the back casting jutsu was fine, but hand-to-hand combat? Definitely not his thing.
Still, lack of talent didn't mean he was going to roll over and die.
He had one trump card left.
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