Rustle!
Rustle!
The sound of leaves crunching underfoot echoed through the silent forest. Daiki, Karin, and Fu proceeded with caution.
Every step drew them deeper into the heart of unknown territory.
Boom!!!
Suddenly, a deafening sound reached their ears from a distance—the clang of metal striking metal and explosions that shook the surrounding trees.
All three froze instantly.
"Hmm? What was that noise?" Fu asked softly.
"I don't know," Karin replied.
Daiki, without a moment's hesitation, declared, "Let's go see!" and, faster than lightning, he shot past the others, sprinting toward the source of the sound.
"Wait up, Zwei!" Karin yelled, dashing after him.
...
In that moment, Konoha's Team Seven was locked in a battle with a ninja from the Hidden Grass Village.The Grass Ninja had summoned a gigantic snake and easily overwhelmed Naruto with terrifying power.
Sasuke, despite his fear, mustered all his courage. He utilized every skill he had, launching a barrage of kunai and shuriken at his opponent.
Clang
Punch
Kick
Clang
The opponent dodged his attacks with serpentine movements.
Sasuke tried to use camouflage amidst the dense branches, aiming for a surprise attack to counter the relentless strikes of the snake and the ninja perched above it.
Yet, despite his best efforts, his body trembled uncontrollably.
"You really are entertaining,"
the Kusagakure Ninja whispered, a long tongue flicking out to lick a kunai. "I have to say, Sasuke-kun, I like your talent. But unfortunately, you simply can't defeat me."
Sasuke quickly performed a hand sign. He exhaled. "Katon: Fireball Jutsu!"
The Kusa Ninja evaded the attack like a snake, yet failed to spot Sasuke appearing right behind him.
Sasuke kicked him into the air, then locked his arms around the ninja's waist and slammed him hard into the ground. The Grass Ninja was motionless for a second, then dissolved into mud.
Sasuke had been fighting a Mud Clone the entire time!
Sasuke was panting heavily.
He had very little chakra left.
He started performing a sign again: "Katon: Great Fireball Jutsu!"
The Grass Ninja seemed to be engulfed in the flames, and Sasuke looked victorious. But to Sasuke's horror, the ninja calmly stepped out of the inferno. "You look like a tasty little morsel."
Sasuke, completely drained of power, recoiled.
"Damn it... Don't think you can intimidate me that easily..."
The Kusa Ninja smiled, stretching his neck. Just as he prepared to deliver the final blow...
BAM!
A sharp, solid kick sent the snake-like ninja's head snapping back. Daiki faced him proudly.
"Hey! Didn't I tell you this pretty boy is my prey? Who gave you the right to covet someone else's catch?"
The Grass Ninja, whose face now appeared half-melted, chuckled. "Well, well. A amusing little ninja has shown up."
Suddenly, a wave of horrific chakra erupted from his body, awakening a deep terror in Daiki. He felt as if his entire body was covered in gashes, and his breath became heavy.
"Genjutsu?!"
Daiki clenched his fist fiercely and roared. The Kusagakure Ninja was momentarily taken aback by Daiki's fury. In that same instant, he sensed something else.
Karin shouted from a distance: "Suiton: Water Bullet!"
Water projectiles shot toward the Kusa Ninja. He retreated effortlessly. Meanwhile, Fu yelled, "Web Prison!"
A gigantic spider's web suddenly dropped onto Daiki and Sasuke, lifting them into the air and pulling them back to a safer location.
Daiki quickly leaped out of the web. "Let him go! This guy is mine!"
He then started performing hand signs: "Katon: Great Fireball Jutsu!"
The Kusa Ninja was caught off guard. He didn't have time to escape the fire, and a massive fireball struck him head-on. "Enjoy getting grilled, you freak!" Daiki shouted triumphantly.
Suddenly, a laugh echoed. The fire slowly died down, and the burned ninja turned into mud. From under his feet, the mud rose again and reformed into a ninja.
"What is this guy made of?" Daiki said in astonishment, but he refused to give in to fear. He pulled two shuriken from his pocket, threw them at the ninja, and then charged the man himself.
Fu helped from afar: "Hidden in the Scales Powder Technique!" With a powerful breath, he blew the powder toward the Kusa Ninja to confuse and weaken him.
"Hmph..."
The Kusagakure Ninja glanced at the all-out attack by Daiki and Fu. "You are truly strong for your age... I didn't expect a small village like Takigakure to produce such cute talents. But I'm not here to play games with you."
With an extremely fluid motion, he began to slither toward Daiki and Fu. His bones seemed to be made of snake tissue.
With a sudden twist, he appeared in front of Fu and delivered a fierce punch to his face, sending Fu flying several meters backward. He then spun and attacked Daiki.
Daiki seemed able to track his movements; he reacted instantly, pulling his body back a moment before Kusa Ninja reached him.
"Oh... You saw that! How strange."
He seemed momentarily interested in Daiki, but his main target appeared to be Sasuke, so mid-attack, he changed direction.
However, Karin, who was standing near Sasuke, began to form Water Element Jutsu signs again.
"Suiton: Water Wall!"
Sasuke, having managed to catch his breath slightly, got up, wanting to rejoin the fight, but he fell to one knee. Sakura rushed to his side: "Sasuke-kun!"
Daiki used the pause created by Karin and hurled the kunai he was holding at the ninja: "Trash! Don't you dare underestimate me!"
He then made another sign and let out a high-pitched whistle. The Kusa Ninja raised his hand to block the kunai, but his body seemed to lose its timing, and his hand came up too late.
This was due to the Genjutsu Daiki had learned from Mitsuro, the "Pendulum Echo." This jutsu was activated through rhythm and sound, using sonic waves to alter the victim's perception of time and space.
Daiki immediately threw several more kunai at him.
The first kunai forcefully struck the ninja's shoulder, causing him to recoil for an instant.
But he quickly recovered and dodged the rest. Then he let out a chilling laugh: "A Sonic Genjutsu... How rare!... How fascinating!" "You really are an interesting kid!"
He rapidly attacked Daiki and began a Taijutsu battle with him. "You can see my movements! That's weird!"
In his eyes, visible beneath the melting skin of his face, a light suddenly seemed to gleam.
He vanished for an instant and reappeared behind Daiki, gripping his neck and hoisting him up: "Show me what you're hiding under those glasses!"
"Let go of me!" Daiki struggled violently.
The ninja's tongue stretched out, darted under the strap of Daiki's glasses, and forcefully pulled them from his head.
Beneath the glasses, Daiki's eyes were blood-red, and a single-tomoe Sharingan began to spin, transforming into a two-tomoe Sharingan.
Upon seeing Daiki's eyes, Sasuke's body went weak for a moment. He couldn't believe what he was seeing.
The ninja looked genuinely stunned: "Another living Uchiha? And not in Konoha?"