The barrier shattered. The guards were killed. Almost all the ninja inside the stronghold rushed out, springing into action.
Anya, wearing a mask, remained calm as still water. He twirled his blade once and charged forward. The frontmost enemies hadn't even managed to pull out their kunai before their throats were slashed open in a single stroke.
This scene immediately terrified the Suna ninja behind them. One of them warned, "Be careful! His sword skills are strong—attack from a distance!"
"Wind Release: Great Breakthrough!"
"Fire Release: Blaze Bullet!"
"Earth Release: Earth Dragon Spear!"
Dozens of ninja simultaneously launched jutsu attacks toward Anya.
Anya's stance momentarily stilled as he calmly announced, "Dance of the Blade."
Dense flashes of blade light formed into a mountain of steel, completely shielding his body. Without slowing his steps, he unleashed his most powerful technique at this stage—Breaking the Blade.
The Breaking the Blade technique surged outward. Ninja who had barely begun molding hand seals collapsed like wheat before a scythe, falling lifelessly to the ground. Anya's figure never stopped moving. With a casual slash of his sword, the arc of the blade carved a perfect half-circle, spraying blood like water across the battlefield. Sprays of blood arced through the air like fans, splattering red across the battlefield.
After withstanding the first wave of attacks, Anya seemed like a tiger charging into a flock of sheep. No one could survive a single exchange with him.
At the same time, his heart grew calmer with the killing. The bottled-up emotions from before were completely released in this moment. The Bringer-of-Darkness Technique began to spread across the entire stronghold as he moved, and when no ninja remained before him, his blood-stained blade finally stopped. The entire stronghold had become a sea of blood. Aside from himself, not a single soul remained alive.
Behind his mask, Anya felt a trickle of blood slide from the corner of his mouth. After returning his blade to its sheath, he dropped down, panting hard. This victory hadn't come easily. Withstanding attacks from over a dozen ninja at once had inevitably left him injured, even with his recently mastered sword art. Still, the battle had felt satisfying—this was the first time he'd unleashed his full potential since studying swordsmanship for so long, and the results were impressive.
"You hurt?" a voice came from beside him.
Anya's previously rigid body relaxed instantly at the sound. He said with a wry smile, "Teacher, looks like you still don't trust me enough and followed me here."
The person who arrived was White Fang. Although he understood Anya's strength to some degree, deep down, he still couldn't shake his concerns, so he silently followed behind all along. He had witnessed the entire battle and was quite pleased. Truthfully, Anya's progress surpassed even his own expectations. If he kept progressing like this, surpassing White Fang himself was only a matter of time.
Sitting down next to Anya, White Fang asked, "Did you awaken the Sharingan?"
Anya didn't hide it. He answered truthfully, "I did."
"Then why didn't you use it just now? With the Sharingan's power, you could have completely avoided injury." White Fang had no doubt in Anya's abilities. With the Sharingan, his sword techniques could reach an even higher level.
Anya revealed his inner thoughts, "I don't want to rely on the Sharingan too much."
"Naive."
White Fang couldn't help but reprimand him, "In your opinion, what is the Sharingan? It's naturally one of your abilities, just like the sword in your hand. If you possess it, you should learn how to use it properly and then fully master it."
White Fang's words sent Anya into a deep contemplation. Undeniably, besides the point just mentioned, there was another reason—Anya didn't want his Uchiha heritage exposed because of the Sharingan.
Since the death of the First Hokage, under the policies of the Second Hokage, the Uchiha Clan had been suppressed and marginalized. They were confined to the position of a police force, which gradually increased resentment among the Uchiha people until tensions became irreconcilable. Therefore, Konoha and the Uchiha Clan were destined for a violent clash.
Seemingly understanding Anya's concerns, White Fang slowly said, "One's birth doesn't determine who you become. Don't pressure yourself too much. The future must be created with your own hands."
Smiling brightly, Anya replied, "Thank you for your guidance, Teacher. I understand now. I'll strive to fully harness the power of my Sharingan."
As he spoke, Anya formed hand seals, and green medical chakra illuminated his hands as he began healing himself.
Seeing this, White Fang wore a strange expression and said, "Medical Ninjutsu? When did you learn this?"
Sighing, Anya answered with slight frustration, "Back when I returned to the village for rest last time, Tsunade-sama saw my talent and insisted on teaching me. I couldn't refuse even if I wanted to."
After thinking for a moment, White Fang accepted it calmly, "Alright then. It's good that you learned Medical Ninjutsu. Looks like I don't have to worry about you anymore. In the upcoming battles, I won't appear again."
"Teacher, please rest assured. I know my limits," Anya responded confidently.
"Good. I will record every one of your achievements," White Fang made his promise, then vanished from the stronghold, turning into countless leaves swirling into the air.
What followed was three months of relentless combat. Guided by markers on the map, Anya fought alone, unburdened by distractions, sustained himself through the very chaos of battle. Wherever he went, only mountains of fallen bodies and rivers of spilled blood were left behind.
Of course, not every battle went smoothly; injuries became routine. In the most perilous battle, an enemy's blade came within inches of piercing his heart. This crisis activated the potential of the Sharingan, elevating Anya's mastery over its powers—at the cost of half a month spent recovering.
What White Fang said proved true—the Sharingan truly was a convenient ability. No wonder the Uchiha Clan was so renowned. With it, Anya could instantly cast Genjutsu to disrupt enemy movements and possessed unparalleled perception. He could trace the flow of their chakra and anticipate their every move. Truthfully speaking, throughout all his solo battles, Anya hadn't encountered a single opponent capable of matching him.
If he faced off against Kitsuchi from Iwagakure again, Anya would have no doubt in slicing him down where he stood.
Through these battles, Anya's combat techniques and sensor awareness had reached a new level. Training and actual combat were two completely different things. You could never tell how strong an enemy was or anticipate their abilities and actions. But with every battle you faced, your battle awareness would let you move like a fish in water, sensing danger and making the right decisions in life-or-death situations.
When Anya arrived at another stronghold, he first hid in the shadows and used the Spirit Transformation Technique to sense how many individuals were inside. Just as he was about to make his move, an eagle's cry came from the sky. Anya narrowed his eyes and gazed into the distance. He saw a mark on the eagle's claw—an emblem unique to White Fang. Was this a sign telling him to fall back?
The tide of battle seemed to be shifting.
Without hesitation, Anya called off the attack and turned away.
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