Chapter 126: Identical Techniques
As the long blade sliced through the air with a faint, distorted hum, a strange phenomenon unfolded around Uchiha Kei—he was suddenly surrounded by the sounds of all kinds of wind.
There was the gentle breeze of spring, the cool gusts of summer nights, the crisp winds of autumn mornings, the biting chill of winter air… the roaring gale, the spiraling twister—
It felt as though every kind of wind in the world had gathered in this one moment.
Yet oddly enough, there was no physical sensation of wind at all.
This bizarre dissonance was so unnatural it nearly made Kei want to cough up blood.
At this point, Kei was certain: this male Mist-nin was far from ordinary. His swordsmanship—Kei had no choice but to admire it.
And he was equally certain that this wasn't genjutsu. With his Sharingan active, Kei would never fall for an illusion so easily. That left only one plausible explanation—
This man had fused his chakra into his blade technique at such a refined level that it produced a unique rhythm—a style so advanced it created illusion-like effects through sheer skill alone.
Kei tilted his head slightly in contemplation.
Samurai did exist in the shinobi world, after all. And when someone managed to merge the discipline of a swordsman with the versatility of a shinobi—the result was a force to be reckoned with.
Take Mifune of the Land of Iron, for example. Or Hanzo of the Salamander, the so-called Demigod who once earned Jiraiya, Tsunade, and Orochimaru the title of "Legendary Sannin."
Both were swordmasters whose blade skills bordered on the supernatural.
Though Kei found the "Demigod Hanzo" title mildly amusing, he wasn't arrogant enough to underestimate him. He knew what the "gods" of the shinobi world looked like.
He had Madara Uchiha and Hashirama Senju as reference. Compared to them, Kei was still far from that tier.
Shaking the thought from his mind, Kei returned his focus to the immediate threat—this Mist-nin had to be dealt with first.
As the enemy's sword came slashing toward him with increasing ferocity, Kei made no move to evade.
Instead, brilliant chakra surged across his blade, and with a swift strike, he intercepted the attack—his sword clashing directly against the Mist-nin's.
His Sharingan continued spinning, tirelessly recording and analyzing every movement.
Though he couldn't find a window for genjutsu, there was still much he could learn.
This Mist-nin's sword was infused with wind and water chakra.
It wasn't a kekkei genkai, but rather an advanced elemental fusion technique—a sophisticated synergy that fascinated Kei.
He studied it intently. If this man survived the fight, Kei might just have to interrogate him thoroughly.
But he wasn't about to be outdone.
As the Mist-nin's chakra-infused blade bore down, Kei responded in kind—his own blade bursting to life with crackling lightning chakra.
At the same time, with a flick of his wrist, Kei hurled a kunai toward the masked Mist-nin woman—who might very well be Terumi Mei.
"You're getting distracted?"
the male Mist-nin growled, catching Kei's movement.
In the blink of an eye, his attacks intensified.
Each swing of his blade—charged with wind and water chakra—now aimed directly for Kei's vital points.
Despite how dangerous each clash appeared, Uchiha Kei remained entirely in control.
It may have looked perilous, but in truth, he was never truly in danger.
His swordsmanship was still average at best. Even after copying the techniques of Kakashi and Kentaro Imai, the process of integrating their styles hadn't been easy.
Yet even so, Uchiha Kei—with his Sharingan—couldn't be judged by ordinary standards.
While engaging the male Mist-nin in battle and analyzing his sword style, Kei remained fully alert, constantly watching for a sneak attack from the woman who resembled Terumi Mei.
And he did all this with a calm ease, weaving through danger like a butterfly dancing on the edge of blades—elegant in form, but deadly in execution.
The two Mist-nin—both the man and the woman—had clearly caught on.
What made it worse for them was the creeping realization that Kei might be copying the man's sword style on the spot.
But there was nothing they could do about it.
This Uchiha was dangerously skilled. In the past, they could rely on speed to overwhelm the Uchiha clan's visual prowess.
But this boy in front of them was both fast and seasoned in actual combat.
He reminded them of one infamous figure: Uchiha Shuu.
Shuu's reputation was no less fearsome than Uchiha Yuu's. He had even clashed with members of the Seven Ninja Swordsmen of the Mist—and walked away unscathed.
To think that this kid might be just as troublesome… if not worse.
After all, Kei was the one who intended to kill Uchiha Shuu!
The elegant "dance" soon came to an end.
Kei had seen enough—he had essentially figured out the core of the Mist-nin's technique.
Though he couldn't yet merge wind and water chakra into his blade, Ran Kiri was already more than enough for now.
Dodging a vicious swing from the male Mist-nin and flipping away to avoid a sneak attack from the woman, Kei's left hand tightened.
Chidori formed with a shriek.
The piercing cry of a thousand birds echoed through the mist, an ominous sound made all the more terrifying by the blinding fog. It radiated pressure and dread.
"Thanks for the warm-up. I'm done playing."
With a flicker of movement, Kei used a Body Flicker Technique to appear directly behind the woman resembling Terumi Mei.
In a flash, his left hand drove forward, Chidori aimed straight for her heart.
Though Kei hadn't yet mastered Chidori to the level where it didn't require a running start, at this close range, simply piercing the chest and releasing the lightning chakra would still cause devastating damage.
But the woman's reaction was incredibly fast.
In Kei's eyes, her body dissolved into water—a Water Clone.
Still, Kei didn't stop.
His Sharingan had already locked onto her real location.
Lightning surged brighter in his left hand, and with a calm breath, he drove the Chidori clean through the dissolving clone—then continued the thrust toward her actual position.
But just then, Kei's expression shifted subtly.
Something felt… wrong.
The water from the clone was changing—unnaturally.
"Water Style: Water Prison Jutsu!"
As expected, just before his Chidori could reach her, the burst clone suddenly expanded, forming a sphere of water around him at incredible speed!
This woman knew her tricks well—this move was almost identical to how Zabuza would one day use it against Kakashi.
And just like that, Uchiha Kei was completely enveloped by the Water Prison.
His Chidori flickered and fizzled out.
His body, suspended in the watery sphere, was trapped.
"It's over."
The female Mist-nin—likely Terumi Mei—stepped into view, her hands still sealed in a jutsu formation.
The male Mist-nin landed beside her, sword in hand, slowly advancing toward the helpless Uchiha Kei.
But just then, a strange smile curled across Kei's lips.