BOOM!
A few exploding tags ignited the smoke of battle.
Two ninja charged out, one in front and one behind, attempting to pincer Uchiha Nagi. As he dodged the exploding tags, they returned the favor, throwing several kunai of their own at him.
Nagi activated his Sharingan and immediately saw the sparks on the kunai. The enemy had wrapped them with exploding tags as well. He certainly couldn't let those get close.
"Earth Style: Earth-Style Wall!"
With a casual earth jutsu that consumed little chakra, he created a practical defense against the kunai bombs.
The kunai embedded themselves in the wall and detonated. After the explosion, one of the ninja had already completed his hand seals.
"Earth Style: Earth Dragon Bullet!"
Uchiha Nagi frowned, not because of the jutsu itself, but because it made him think of Kimimaro, who was still resting in the shade. If there were enemies ambushing him here, then where Kimimaro was…
"Water Breathing, Third Form: Flowing Dance."
The Third Form, Flowing Dance, used flowing, water-like footwork to combine evasion and attack into a single fluid motion.
Nagi used this technique to dodge the opponent's ninjutsu while rapidly closing the distance. Unfortunately for his opponent, who was unaware of Nagi's swordsmanship, he also drew his own sword, intending to engage in close combat.
In a battle between ninja, it wasn't just a contest of ninjutsu. Ninjutsu consumed chakra, and once your chakra was gone, you were a lamb waiting to be slaughtered. Not everyone possessed the massive chakra reserves of the Uzumaki clan.
Therefore, the first wave of an engagement was often a probe with shuriken and kunai laced with exploding tags. The second wave was a test of taijutsu and ninjutsu. Only after confirming the opponent's strength would one use their true trump card.
Take Kakashi, for example. In all his battles, he would first send a clone to test the enemy. Only after determining their ninjutsu and fighting style would he use his Chidori to decide the outcome.
"Be careful, Izumiya! This guy might be a master of kenjutsu!" the other ninja shouted a warning from behind.
"Hmph, don't underestimate me! I was a famous swordsman in the Land of Iron back in the day…"
CLANG!
After the sharp ring of metal on metal, the ninja before him found his entire world spinning. No, he was flying. To be more precise, his head was flying.
"You…"
As the last word left his lips, he realized he had already hit the ground. Before his eyes was his own headless body and a pair of red pupils.
The Sharingan? So I was caught in a genjutsu…
The man, Izumiya, opened his mouth, wanting to warn his teammate, but no sound came out. Seven or eight seconds later, he plunged into darkness.
Uchiha Nagi turned to face the remaining ninja. The genjutsu of the Mangekyo Sharingan was truly useful, especially against ninja who were glass cannons. In a taijutsu duel, a single moment of carelessness was enough to kill an opponent.
That Jonin just now hadn't been weak. In a straight fight, his swordsmanship could have held out against Nagi for at least a few rounds. But against the Sharingan, he was caught in a genjutsu, and though it lasted only a brief instant, it was more than enough time for Nagi to take his head several times over.
Danzo had a dozen three-tomoe Sharingan and one Mangekyo, and he still fell for Sasuke's genjutsu.
In a one-on-one fight, the advantage of genjutsu was absurdly powerful.
"The Sharingan! You're from the Uchiha clan?!"
The remaining ninja was stunned to see his teammate killed in a single exchange. The advantage of the Sharingan was immense; in small-scale skirmishes during the Great Ninja Wars, it was often a deciding factor.
However, Uchiha Nagi had no intention of wasting his breath. Villains often gave their enemies an opening by talking too much.
"Water Breathing, Seventh Form: Drop Ripple Thrust."
This was the fastest technique in Water Breathing, a rapid thrust towards the enemy.
"Damn it…"
Before the Jonin had time to dodge, Uchiha Nagi's blade pierced his body. But then, he strangely dissolved into an Earth Clone.
Even more ridiculously, the Earth Clone was packed with several exploding tags.
Sizzle, sizzle…
The tags sparked and instantly detonated.
"Hahahaha, you didn't expect me to use an Earth Clone, did you?" a triumphant voice rang out. A ninja in earth-colored clothes leaped up from the ground. He saw nothing shameless about the various treacherous tricks of a shinobi; it was the opponent's fault for being stupid enough to approach him so easily, confident in their own swordsmanship.
"You talk too much."
Pfft!
A longsword pierced through his heart from behind. The Jonin in the earth-colored clothes looked down at his chest in disbelief.
"How did you get behind me…"
Uchiha Nagi had no habit of explaining things to dead men. He pulled out his sword and headed in Kimimaro's direction.
He hadn't actually noticed the opponent had used an Earth Clone, but it was impossible for a few exploding tags to kill him. Not only could he activate his absolute defense, Susanoo, at any time, but he also had his instant movement skill, Teleportation.
At the moment of the explosion, he had used Teleportation to move from the spot. The moment the opponent's real body was revealed, he had teleported behind him and stabbed him to death. Clean and efficient.
Neither the Body Flicker Technique nor Breathing Styles were as fast as a space-time ninjutsu like Teleportation. The Body Flicker was, in essence, just a short-range burst of super-fast movement using chakra techniques. Any experienced ninja could determine the user's position by tracking the movement of their chakra, the airflow, their scent, and their killing intent.
The reason he had used the chakra-intensive Teleportation dojutsu to finish him off was that he was worried about Kimimaro's safety. A Kage-level seed couldn't be allowed to die prematurely. Uchiha Nagi would regret that for the rest of his life.
After quickly dispatching the ninja, Nagi used the Body Flicker Technique to rush back to Kimimaro and Yukihime, only to be met with a surprising scene.
Kimimaro, wielding his incredibly sharp bone sword, was fighting an elderly ninja, and he was holding his own. The old man couldn't seem to gain the upper hand.
When the opponent swung his sword at Kimimaro, Kimimaro would counter with his Water Breathing swordsmanship. But his experience was still lacking, and he was far inferior to his opponent. Whenever he was about to be struck, he would simply use his Shikotsumyaku.
The sharp blade, striking his skin, would only break the surface, revealing the white, bone-like defense beneath. With the superior defense of his Shikotsumyaku, Kimimaro slowly began to gain the advantage.
He was like a demon from the world of Demon Slayer. He didn't have to worry about getting injured and could focus solely on attacking. His opponent, on the other hand, had to defend while attacking. As long as Kimimaro didn't defend, his opponent was hamstrung.
"I didn't expect you to be so strong in taijutsu at such a young age. Combined with your Shikotsumyaku, you're not inferior to a Jonin. But this is where it ends."
The elderly ninja took a few steps back and smiled. "If I'm not mistaken, ninjutsu must be your weakness. Take this!"
"Earth Style: Earth Dragon Bullet!"