Boom!
It was like a giant foot stomping on the building; the ground roaread!
Uchiha Ci opened his eyes and immediately saw the huge body of the Two-Tailed cat rampaging through the unfamiliar camp.
Screams, roars, the whooshing of kunai flying past his ears, the deafening blast of exploding tags,
and besides,
The terrifying giant looked up to the sky and roared!
Blue-black concentrated chakra spheres continuously condensed around its mouth.
Then—
Boom!
A Tailed Beast Ball shot out!
Its target was Uchiha Ci!
Faced with this extremely terrifying ninjutsu,
Uchiha Ci's heart was beating wildly, his mind was in chaos, his pupils were gradually dilating, and the most primitive human fear of wild giants was climbing crazily in his heart!
But, the next moment——
[Trait: Combat Intuition (S) triggered.]
Uchiha Ci's vision suddenly went dark, and he felt his body move on its own.
"Kumogakure is here; wake up!"
Uchiha Setsuna's roar exploded in his ears, followed by a piece of rubble sent flying by an explosion.
Accompanied by the sound of bells.
Uchiha Ci shook his head, dust falling from his forehead protector.
He opened his eyes, waking up from his slumber!
He found his body in a strange position, wedged between a flying half-wall and a broken house beam.
Ahead,
Uchiha Setsuna was confronting three panting Kumogakure ninja wearing Cloud headbands.
To the side,
Uchiha Seiichiro was holding a kunai, his whole body—hands, feet, teeth, and even his shining Sharingan—trembling.
"Why, why, why must I, a Chunin, face such an enemy!"
He roared, his voice trembling, almost breaking into sobs.
"We finally caught you, Uchiha rats!"
Lamie, the leader of the three Kumogakure ninja, sneered and formed several hand seals.
Ram → Monkey → Ram → Monkey → Ram! (Yin-Si-Yin-Si-Yin—likely representing specific hand seals)
A ball of lightning appeared in his hand, ready to strike.
This is Lightning Release: Sanda Mu Ryūdō (Lightning Release: Three-Step Lightning Bullet—name interpretation uncertain).
A ninjutsu similar to Raikiri, it condenses Lightning Chakra in the hand. Unlike Raikiri, it does not stimulate cell metabolism. Its effect is to radiate lightning to the surroundings, making it a small-scale killing technique.
Illuminated by the blue light of the lightning, Great Elder Uchiha Setsuna's face was full of solemnity.
Obviously, the three people in front of him were quite formidable enemies.
Especially the one-eyed ninja with a black hat standing in the middle, Dodai.
This person was one of the right-hand men of the Third Raikage. He possessed the terrifying Lava Release (Futton) Kekkei Genkai, and his strength was close to Kage level.
Not much worse than Uchiha Setsuna.
Coupled with the restraint provided by Jōnin Lamie on the side, and especially Jōnin Moloy blocking the escape route, the opponent's lineup was here to kill him!
Thinking this, Uchiha Setsuna's eyes narrowed slightly, and he had already made a decision.
He turned his head, looked at the two subordinates behind him, and ordered coldly:
"S-Seiichiro!"
"Go!"
"It's up to you to complete the mission! I'll create an opportunity!"
Hearing Uchiha Setsuna's words, Lamie, the leader of the three Kumogakure, looked down.
He narrowed his eyes slightly and said to Moloy beside him:
"You go and kill those two pieces of trash. Uchiha Setsuna has probably obtained key information. We can't let them escape and inform the Uchiha."
Moloy frowned slightly: "Senior Lamie, if I leave here, there's no guarantee we can block Uchiha Setsuna's retreat."
"So, you have to fight quickly. After killing those two, you must immediately return to set up the barrier."
Lamie's eyes were filled with murderous intent.
"Today, Uchiha Setsuna must die!"
"Otherwise, with his ocular power, it's very likely he could contain the Two-Tails in Hell Valley, causing our entire plan to collapse."
Hearing this, Moloy took a deep breath and nodded.
Then, he moved his legs, bypassed Uchiha Setsuna, and rushed towards Uchiha Ci and the other.
Seeing this, Uchiha Setsuna immediately wanted to stop him.
However, at that moment, two figures blocked him.
Dodai smiled coldly and said, "Old man, in a one-on-one fight to the death, maybe I'm not your opponent. But the two of us here can dispel each other's genjutsu and entangle you more than enough."
Uchiha Setsuna secretly gritted his teeth, his face still cold: "Oh, really?"
"You kids these days are really good at talking big."
Swish! Swish! Swish!
Uchiha Ci took out a kunai from his ninja pouch, smashed the wooden beams, and crawled out from under the half-destroyed wall.
After hearing Uchiha Setsuna's order and connecting the information he obtained before and after,
He briefly analyzed the entire incident:
Firstly, Kumogakure's action was premeditated.
They planned to drop the Two-Tails Jinchuriki into Hell Valley and destroy the Uchiha clan's garrison there to achieve the goal of liberating the Chinoike (Blood Pond) Clan.
To this end,
Uchiha Setsuna, who possessed powerful ocular abilities and might hinder the Two-Tails' actions, was their primary target for elimination.
Secondly, the current situation.
These three Jōnin dispatched by Kumogakure were to ensure Uchiha Setsuna was completely killed.
Judging from the situation on the field, they needed at least three people to do this.
But now, one of the three had separated, aiming to kill him and Seiichiro to prevent the mission information from being transmitted back to the Uchiha.
This was danger, but also an opportunity!
Uchiha Ci grinned, patted the dust off his body, and strode forward.
In the original history, faced with such a situation, Shisui, who had the Body Flicker technique, should have run away, and the dove-faction Seiichiro next to him should have been an opportunity for him to awaken his Mangekyō... (trails off)
If Uchiha Ci wants to die here, he can't perform worse than the original history.
At the very least, the information must be passed back.
After all, the Heavenly Path Company (system) has standards. As a "strong man descended from heaven," you cannot do worse than what happened in the original history.
Uchiha Ci stepped forward to meet Moloy, who was rushing towards him, a stern look in his eyes.
He turned his head slightly and said flatly to Seiichiro beside him:
"Senior Seiichiro, you retreat. I will hold the rear!"
"What?!" Uchiha Seiichiro, suddenly hearing these words, was startled.
"Are you crazy? I've seen that person in the files. He's a Special Jōnin, skilled in kenjutsu and sealing techniques."
"There's absolutely no way you can be his opponent!"
Uchiha Ci shook his head, glanced at him, and said very calmly:
"Senior Seiichiro, if no one holds the rear, both of us will die here, and the information won't be passed back to the clan."
"Moreover, if you die here, someone will probably take your Sharingan, leading to the loss of the clan's bloodline limit."
"So, in comparison, it's more appropriate for me to hold the rear!"
"You... you..." Uchiha Seiichiro looked moved, staring at Uchiha Ci in shock.
He simply couldn't understand why someone would take life and death so lightly.
Moreover, he was willing to give his own life to save him!
The enemy was a Jōnin!
These words almost made Seiichiro drop his little pearls (tears).
He immediately nodded sharply.
However, the next moment, his face suddenly turned pale, and he turned back to Uchiha Ci and said,
"But Ci, I don't know how to contact the Ninja Cat Clan!"
Uchiha Ci was so angry he almost vomited blood.
"This is indeed a problem."
Uchiha Ci hesitated for a moment, then took out a piece of parchment from the pouch at his waist and stuffed it into Uchiha Seiichiro's hand.
"Here, take this. It's a one-time contract for the Ninja Cat Clan. After using it, ask the Ninja Cat User."
Looking at the contract scroll in his hand, Seiichiro was completely moved.
The summoning contract of the Ninja Cat Clan was a valuable item many people desired.
On the battlefield, this kind of thing could save lives!
But Uchiha Ci handed it over to him so casually. Uchiha Seiichiro had never seen such a strange and generous person.
It was as if he was entrusting his funeral affairs!
However, before Seiichiro could drop his little pearls and utter his words of gratitude,
The next moment,
Uchiha Ci's expression changed, and he pushed him away!
A barrier suddenly rose between the two!
Kumogakure's Moloy had slapped his hands on the ground and already set up a death battle barrier, trapping him and Uchiha Ci inside.
Only the living could get out of here!
If Uchiha Ci hadn't pushed him away, they would have been locked inside the barrier together!
Uchiha Seiichiro suddenly felt as if the world had lost its sound.
Through the transparent barrier, he could see Uchiha Ci's silent cry to him:
"Go!"
Seiichiro's pupils suddenly contracted, and a stream of tears fell.
At this moment, all grudges between the two disappeared.
In Seiichiro's heart, there was only the image of Uchiha Ci, so majestic he seemed to emit Buddha's light!
He strongly recognized Uchiha Ci!
He didn't bother to wipe his tears; he scrambled, crawled, using his hands and feet, clutching the summoning contract tightly, and ran towards the back.
"Uchiha Ci, wait for me!"
"I will definitely find someone to save you!"