So, taking everything into account, Shiyu Uchiha decided it was time to change tactics—it was the smartest move for now.
He also knew full well that if Han was pushed to the edge, he might recklessly unleash his Perfect Form, and unleash the Five-Tails' full, terrifying power.
True, even if the Five-Tails appeared at this moment, it wouldn't immediately attack him. Shiyu Uchiha was confident he could handle the tailed beast and maybe even win with the immense power of his Mangekyou.
But if things really went that way, the ninja under his command would suffer heavy losses—something Shiyu Uchiha wanted to avoid at all costs.
He was stretched so thin he almost needed to split every man in two. Taking such a risk would be a losing gamble.
Just then, as if fate had taken pity on him, Wen Ya and his men happened to be nearby. Without hesitation, Shiyu Uchiha swiftly shifted his attack toward Wen Ya.
At the same time, thanks to the combined full efforts of several skilled Earth Release users from Iwa, Han finally caught his breath and managed to resist Shiyu Uchiha's relentless assault.
More than that, after a brief recovery, Han had already begun planning his counterattack—only for Shiyu Uchiha to suddenly change course!
With smooth coordination of the Phantom Substitution and the Shifting Body Technique, Shiyu Uchiha became an unpredictable, ghostlike figure. No one had time to react before he shot forward like lightning and appeared right in front of Wen Ya.
At the same time, the cold blade of the tanto behind his back slid from its sheath once more, bursting forth with sharp momentum directly aimed at Wen Ya's neck—a clear attempt to kill him in one decisive strike.
Wen Ya was the brains at the frontline, someone Onoki valued greatly. Naturally, Onoki had made sure to assign two powerful Jonin bodyguards to protect him.
Although Shiyu Uchiha could sense the strong chakra radiating from these two guards and roughly gauge their strength, he hadn't expected them to be so disciplined and professional.
In that life-or-death moment, one guard reacted instantly, grabbing Wen Ya by the hand and yanking him backward, allowing Wen Ya to narrowly escape death and saving at least half his life. Meanwhile, the other guard fearlessly launched a suicide charge straight at Shiyu Uchiha.
As the saying goes, "Nothing beats a fearless heart." Even a skilled warrior like Shiyu Uchiha was forced to shift mid-motion when faced with such a fearless opponent.
Although Shiyu Uchiha's blade ultimately struck Wen Ya with great force, inflicting severe injuries upon him, it failed to achieve its ultimate purpose of taking Wen Ya's life.
Despite his incredible speed and reflexes, Shiyu's fighting style—blending deadly swordplay with the ominous power of his Sharingan—left everyone in awe. In just three or five strikes, he dropped a jonin who hadn't even had time to show his real strength.
Yet amidst the split-second chaos, Wen Ya was taken away by another. Watching Wen Ya being carried off by the guarding jonin, Shiyu Uchiha couldn't help but feel a bitter sigh escape his mind—*Too bad...*
At the same time, several more formidable ninja surged forward like a tide, launching a fierce joint attack against Shiyu Uchiha. As the golden opportunity vanished in an instant, he clearly knew that the odds of success for this mission had now become extremely slim. Still, he refused to give up easily and decided to go all out for one last attempt.
With lightning-fast precision, he unleashed flawless sword techniques and vanished with his unpredictable Shifting Body Technique, desperately resisting the relentless torrential attacks from all directions. Then, seizing an opening, he quickly formed hand seals before unleashing nine blazing meteors.
The blazing meteors streaked across the sky, one after another, like the nine stars aligning in perfect formation. They tore through the heavens with unstoppable momentum, hurtling straight toward Wen Ya's location.
At this moment, Shinku Yuhi and the others were frantically charging over, determined to provide powerful backup support for Shiyu Uchiha, who had fallen into a desperate situation. Unfortunately, due to the numerous obstacles set up by the Iwa-nin, every step forward proved extremely difficult.
Even worse, the blazing meteors released by Shiyu Uchiha were intercepted once again by the enemies guarding Wen Ya and several other ninja who threw themselves recklessly into harm's way. With no other choice, Shiyu Uchiha could only resort to using the Genjutsu Body Replacement Technique again, attempting to cleverly close the distance between himself and Wen Ya.
However, there were simply too many Iwa-nin. No matter how fiercely he charged forward and attacked repeatedly, he managed only to kill several capable ninja without significantly changing the overall battlefield situation.
Just then, Shiyu Uchiha suddenly caught sight of Han, the Five-Tails Jinchuriki, blazing toward Wen Ya at full speed. He knew at once that he had already missed his chance.
Still, Shiyu Uchiha kept cutting down enemy after enemy. His blade flashed again and again as he cut through Iwa-nin one by one. Then he charged forward, focusing his attacks on nearby enemy ninja. His swordplay was ruthless and unrelenting, like a sudden storm, instilling terror and continuing to reap the lives of the Iwa-nin.
It wasn't until Han finally broke through the defenses and charged before Shiyu Uchiha once more that he finally ceased his frenzied killing spree.
At this moment, Wen Ya, whose injuries had just stabilized, received troubling news from his brief conversation with Han—that Han, now gravely injured, could no longer keep Shiyu Uchiha at bay.
Even worse, Wen Ya's own wounds were serious. During his escape from Shiyu Uchiha's pursuit, intense movements had led to severe blood loss, leaving him lightheaded. His injuries were likely to worsen quickly, and he might soon lose the ability to command his troops.
As for the other side of the battlefield, the situation was equally grim. Though no clear advantage had emerged yet, time was needed to make full use of their greater numbers.
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