"That's the Sharingan!"
Nakado recognized the crimson pupils in Uchiha Kin's eyes, where a single tomoe slowly rotated.
The infamous Sharingan of the Uchiha clan.
There were few in the shinobi world who wouldn't recognize it.
But Kin, who had unexpectedly awakened the Sharingan, wasn't the least bit happy. Gritting his teeth, he muttered under his breath,
"I really owe you one for this."
If awakening the Sharingan meant facing life-or-death situations, he'd rather have skipped it altogether.
After all, Kin was terrified of death.
The cost had been brutally cruel.
Large patches of his skin were destroyed, his body a mess of charred black and bloody red, even revealing the faint pulsing of his internal organs—like a man flayed alive.
What kind of torture was this?!
The excruciating pain surged into his mind, only to be suppressed by the adrenaline coursing through his veins.
Without immediate treatment, these injuries would be a one-way ticket to the underworld.
Kin took a deep breath.
Six Treasuries Immortal Thief.
A massive amount of chakra within him vanished, and his skin began regenerating rapidly. In just two breaths, the surface layer had fully restored itself.
He really had foresight.
Without the Six Treasuries Immortal Thief, he'd be dead for sure.
"This technique…"
Nakado narrowed his eyes as he watched Kin recover at an alarming rate. Such a high-level regeneration technique was rumored to belong only to Konoha's Tsunade.
And now, here was a second user.
"Round two."
From the tattered sleeve of Kin's outfit, Shiro poked out his head and opened his mouth, slowly spitting out the Kusanagi Sword. The blade, lost during the earlier fight, had been retrieved by the small snake.
Just then, Nakado's attack arrived.
"Earth Release: Earth-Style Dragon!"
A massive earthen dragon formed from the gathered soil and rocks surged forth from the forest.
Kin swiftly turned his gaze toward the trees.
The tomoe in his Sharingan spun.
"I see you."
The one-tomoe Sharingan's ability was insight—even allowing him to perceive the flow of chakra.
The Nakado standing before him had already turned into mud.
Earth Clone Technique.
Facing the roaring earthen dragon, Kin lowered his stance, gripping the sword hilt with both hands.
With each heavy breath, sparks flickered at the corners of his mouth.
By using his breathing to form hand seals, he converted chakra into flames.
This was Flame Breathing.
"Fourth Form: Blooming Flame Undulation!"
Fire erupted along the blade as Kin swung it in a wide arc, sending a spiraling wave of flames slashing toward the earthen dragon.
The next moment—
Flames collided with earth, unleashing a violent gust of wind. The interaction of fire and soil produced a molten, lava-like substance that scattered outward with the force of the explosion.
Kin quickly retreated, trying to escape the splattering magma.
But as he leaped back, his head suddenly snapped downward.
"I told you—I see you!"
Gritting his teeth, Kin kicked off the ground, the flames on his blade flaring even brighter as sparks sprayed from his lips.
"Flame Breathing: Third Form—Blazing Universe!"
A fiery slash descended from above.
The ground split open under the scorching heat, revealing Nakado's grimacing face hidden beneath.
Nakado's body turned to mud under the blazing strike.
The remaining earth was incinerated into ash, exposing the burning explosive tag hidden within.
One trap after another.
Couldn't these shinobi ever fight fair and square?!
In an instant, Kin swung his sword.
The blade flashed, slicing the explosive tag in half before it could detonate.
In the distance, Nakado knelt on the ground, his hair and back singed with burn marks. Even though he'd escaped in time, he hadn't come out unscathed.
And Kin's performance only deepened his shock.
"Nin-Taijutsu?!"
Nakado was increasingly convinced of this Uchiha's threat level. The Sharingan, combined with formidable regenerative abilities and now this Nin-Taijutsu—any one of these could make for a powerful shinobi.
Yet all of them were concentrated in a single person.
If he had even half these techniques, he'd already be an elite jōnin of Iwagakure.
Damn these Uchiha.
"It's not over yet!"
Kin stomped the ground violently, flames coiling around his blade before engulfing his entire body.
Where his feet landed, craters formed, the imprints lingering with undying flames.
Nakado barely had time to blink before Kin was already in front of him.
"Flame Breathing: First Form—Unknowing Fire!"
The blazing sword slashed toward Nakado, whose face twisted in terror.
But just as the blade was about to strike, Kin's foot suddenly plunged into empty air—the ground beneath him was nothing but a cloth-covered trap, hiding a pit beneath.
"Dammit!! Tricked again!"
Before he could even fall, Nakado finished his hand seals.
"It's over!"
"Earth Release: Great Sealing Stone Technique!"
A massive boulder materialized in the sky, formed from chakra.
The next moment, with a howling gust of wind, it came crashing down.
This was Nakado's only A-rank ninjutsu. Even a Kage-level opponent would meet their end beneath this colossal rock.
"This is what a jōnin is?!"
This guy was a downright schemer!
Kin grabbed onto the earthen spikes lining the pit's walls—each one sharp enough to impale him a thousand times over.
He looked up at the boulder, perfectly aligned with the trap's dimensions.
Despair crept into his heart.
But he wasn't giving up yet.
"Iron Body!"
"Six Treasuries Immortal Thief!"
"Gate of Opening—Release!"
He pushed his defenses to the limit, ready to withstand the technique head-on. This was his confidence in his own strength.
"I refuse to believe you can kill me!"
With a flip, he landed atop the spikes, gripping the sword hilt until his knuckles turned white, veins bulging.
"Flame Breathing—"
Kin hoisted the blade onto his shoulder.
"Ninth Form: Purgatory!"
Flames spiraled around him like a protective vortex, the spikes beneath his feet shattering instantly as his figure transformed into a roaring dragon of fire, charging upward toward the boulder.
"RAAAAH!"
The fiery dragon collided with the rock.
BOOM!
The sheer force of the slash halted the boulder's descent, leaving a clear, jagged fissure across its surface.
"Break, damn it!!"
The flames raged, turning the entire boulder red-hot as the surrounding temperature skyrocketed.
But—
The fissure didn't expand. Though it appeared to be stone, it was more akin to iron, unyielding against Kin's blade.
"It's useless."
Nakado maintained his hand seals—this technique required continuous chakra input.
And its power only grew with time.
All Nakado had to do was keep supplying chakra.
Just as he said—
The massive boulder began descending again, slowly but inevitably.
Kin's momentum was spent, the flames dissipating as his body plummeted straight down.
He flipped midair, landing atop the spikes.
With a deep glare at Nakado, he spat out his words.
"Next time we meet, you're dead."
"There won't be a next time!!"
Nakado was giving it his all. Facing a genius of this caliber—
This was his utmost respect.
And Iwagakure would be rid of a future threat.
As the boulder continued its descent, Kin tore off the remaining fabric of his sleeve, revealing a strange tattoo.
He still had one last move.
A trump card for escape.
"Reverse Summoning—"
"Wind Release: Gale Palm!!"
A violent gust of wind suddenly erupted, accompanied by a flash of red.
"Die a hundred deaths!!"
Kushina, chains coiled around her arms and amplified by the fierce winds, shot toward Nakado like a blazing arrow.
This was her full power.
A strike even Tsunade wouldn't dare take head-on!
Nakado's hands moved in a blur, shifting seals.
BOOM!
His body exploded into a shower of mud and debris.
Nakado reappeared farther away, his expression grim.
Seeing the two newcomers, he already knew the fate of his students—those two were promising shinobi of the village.
And now they'd fallen here.
With no more chakra sustaining it, the descending boulder began cracking, fissures spreading until chunks broke away, signaling the technique's failure.
"You guys…"
Watching Namikaze Minato and Uzumaki Kushina appear, Kin couldn't help but smirk, the chakra he'd gathered for the Reverse Summoning dissipating back into his body.
"Are seriously idiots!"
"We'd never abandon a comrade!!" Kushina roared at Kin.
Behind her, Minato scratched his cheek awkwardly.
Shouldn't she be yelling that at the enemy?
"Whatever makes you happy."
Kin shrugged, turning his gaze upward as the crumbling boulder continued its deadly descent. Even fragmented, its momentum wasn't so easily stopped.
CRASH!!
The rocks buried Kin completely.
Minato and Kushina didn't show a hint of worry, their eyes locked onto Nakado in the distance.
And just as they expected—
A pillar of fire erupted from the rubble.
Kin shot out, propelled by the flames, flipping midair before landing in front of the two.
His gaze, too, fixed on Nakado.
Team 7.
Reunited.
"Round three."
Kin and Minato charged simultaneously, crossing the distance in a single step with Shave.
Sword and kunai struck in tandem, keeping Nakado from forming seals.
Nakado's taijutsu was sharp—even against two attackers, he managed to repel one, trying to create an opening.
But whenever one was forced back, Kushina rushed in to fill the gap.
Compared to the other two, her attacks were the most threatening.
Nakado didn't dare block, only dodging.
Now, his goal was to break their line of sight—but Kin's Sharingan tracked his every move. The moment he tried to disengage, Kin would close the distance.
Gritting his teeth, Nakado realized his earlier fight with Kin had drained too much stamina and chakra. Against three opponents, he couldn't find an opening.
But if he couldn't seize an opportunity, Team 7 certainly could.
Kushina's foot came down from above.
"Sky-Splitting Kick!!"
The ground cratered instantly.
"Now!"
The flying debris obscured vision—the perfect moment to escape.
But someone was faster.
"Flame Breathing: Fifth Form—Flame Tiger!"
"Steel-Cutting Flash!"
The flames morphed into a blazing tiger, its body swelling several times under the surging winds.
This strike was fast.
And deadly.
Nakado had no time to react as the fiery beast engulfed him.
A faint smile crossed his lips.
Then—obliterated by the inferno.
...
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(End of Chapter)