Chapter 13: Roaring Battle! A Fight to the Death! Sacrifice!
BOOM!
A massive paw, as large as a building, crashed down, making the ground tremble!
Tsukasa opened his eyes and immediately saw the enormous form of the Two-Tails, Matatabi, wreaking havoc in the distant camp.
Screams, roars, the whistling of kunai flying past his ears, the thunderous explosions of explosive tags—
And the terrifying giant beast roaring at the sky!
Orbs of concentrated blue-black chakra continuously gathered around its mouth.
And then—
BOOM!
A Tailed Beast Ball launched forth!
It was aimed directly at Tsukasa!
Faced with this extreme and terrifying jutsu, Tsukasa's heart pounded wildly, his mind went blank, his pupils dilated, and humanity's most primitive fear of savage giants crept through his soul!
But the next moment—
[Talent: Combat Intuition (S-Rank) activated.]
Tsukasa's vision suddenly darkened, and he felt his body move involuntarily.
"Kumogakure is attacking! Wake up!"
Setsuna's furious roar echoed in his ears, followed by a shower of debris and the tinkling of warning bells.
Tsukasa shook his head, clearing away a cloud of dust.
He opened his eyes, awakening from what he realized was just a nightmare, to find himself wedged in an awkward position between a collapsed wall section and a broken wooden beam.
Ahead, Setsuna faced off against three panting Kumogakure shinobi in their distinctive uniforms.
Nearby, Seiichiro clutched a kunai, his entire body—hands, feet, even his activated Sharingan—trembling violently.
"Why, why, why must a chunin like me face such enemies?" he cried, his voice breaking with tears.
"Finally caught you, Uchiha rats!"
Rami, the eldest of the three Kumo-nin, sneered as he formed several hand seals.
Tiger - Snake - Tiger - Snake - Tiger!
A crackling orb of lightning appeared in his palm, ready to strike.
This was Lightning Release: Thunder Ball—similar to the Chidori technique, it concentrated lightning chakra in the hand. Unlike Chidori, it didn't stimulate cellular activity but instead discharged lightning in all directions, a small-scale lethal technique.
Great Elder Setsuna's face grew solemn, illuminated by the blue glow of lightning.
Clearly, the three opponents before him were formidable foes, especially the one-eyed shinobi in the black hat standing at the center—Dodai.
He was one of the Third Raikage's right-hand men, possessing the terrifying Lava Release kekkei genkai with near-Kage level strength.
He was no less powerful than Setsuna himself.
Add the distraction from jonin Rami and the route-blocking by special jonin Moroi, and this opposing team was determined to eliminate him here!
With this realization, Setsuna's eyes narrowed, his decision made.
He turned toward his two subordinates and ordered coldly:
"Tsukasa! Seiichiro!"
"Go!"
"Complete the mission—I'll create an opening!"
Hearing Setsuna's words, Rami frowned and narrowed his eyes, speaking to Moroi beside him:
"Go kill those two weaklings. Uchiha Setsuna may have obtained critical intelligence. We can't let them escape and warn the Uchiha."
Moroi frowned slightly: "Rami-senpai, if I leave here, I can't guarantee we can prevent Setsuna's retreat."
"Then you'll have to fight quickly and decisively. After killing those two, immediately return to establish the barrier."
Rami's eyes filled with murderous intent: "Today, Uchiha Setsuna must die!"
"Otherwise, with his dojutsu power, he might be able to restrain the Two-Tails at Hell Valley, causing our entire plan to collapse."
Moroi took a deep breath and nodded upon hearing this.
Then he moved, circling around Setsuna and charging toward Tsukasa and the others.
Seeing this, Setsuna immediately tried to intercept him.
However, two figures blocked his path.
Dodai sneered: "Old man, I might not match you in a fight to the death, but with two of us here, we can dispel each other's genjutsu and easily pin you down."
Setsuna gritted his teeth, his expression stern: "Is that so? Kids these days really love to boast."
Crack, crack, crack!
Tsukasa pulled a kunai from his tool pouch, smashed through the wooden beams, and crawled out from under the collapsed wall section.
Hearing Setsuna's command, he connected the pieces of information he'd gathered.
A brief analysis of the entire situation:
First, Kumogakure's action was premeditated. They planned to deploy the Two-Tails Jinchuriki to Hell Valley to destroy the Uchiha garrison there and liberate the Chinoike Clan.
To this end, Setsuna—whose powerful Sharingan could hinder the Two-Tails' movements—was their primary target.
Second, the current situation: Kumo had dispatched these three jonin to ensure Setsuna's complete elimination. Judging by the setup, they needed all three to accomplish this.
Now, one of the three had split off to kill him and Seiichiro, preventing mission intelligence from reaching the Uchiha Clan.
This presents both danger and opportunity!
Tsukasa grinned, dusted himself off, and stepped forward.
In the original timeline, faced with such a situation, Shisui with his Body Flicker ability would have escaped, while the dove faction's Seiichiro would have been the catalyst for his awakening.
If I'm going to die here, I can't perform worse than the original story. At minimum, the intelligence has to get back.
After all, Heaven's Law had standards—as a Heaven-Sent Agent, he couldn't do worse than the original history.
Tsukasa stepped forward to meet the charging Moroi, his expression determined.
He glanced slightly toward Seiichiro and said firmly:
"Seiichiro-senpai, you retreat—I'll cover you!"
"What?!" Seiichiro was shocked by Tsukasa's words.
"Are you insane? I've seen that man in our files. He's a special jonin skilled in both swordsmanship and sealing techniques."
"You're absolutely no match for him!"
Tsukasa shook his head, glanced at him, and said calmly:
"Seiichiro-senpai, if no one covers our retreat, we'll both die here, and the intelligence won't reach the clan."
"Furthermore, if you die here, someone might harvest your Sharingan, causing the loss of our bloodline limit."
"So comparatively, it's more appropriate for me to provide cover!"
"You..." Seiichiro's expression shifted as he stared at Tsukasa in horror.
He simply couldn't understand how someone could treat life and death so casually, furthermore being willing to sacrifice their own life to save his!
The enemy is a jonin-level opponent!
These words nearly brought tears to Seiichiro's eyes. He nodded vigorously.
But then his face suddenly paled, and he turned to Tsukasa: "But Tsukasa, I don't know how to contact the Ninja Cat Clan!"
Tsukasa nearly coughed up blood in frustration. "That is indeed a problem."
Tsukasa hesitated momentarily, then pulled a scroll from his supply pouch and pressed it into Seiichiro's hands.
"Here, take this! It's a one-time contract with the Ninja Cat Clan. Ask the Cat Boss about everything after you summon them."
Looking at the summoning contract in his hands, Seiichiro was completely moved.
A Ninja Cat summoning contract was a precious treasure countless people coveted. On the battlefield, such a thing could save lives!
But Tsukasa just handed it over like that—as if entrusting his final wishes!
However, before Seiichiro could shed tears of gratitude—
The next moment, Tsukasa's expression changed as he pushed him away!
A barrier suddenly rose between them!
Moroi of Kumogakure slammed his hands to the ground, creating a deadly barrier that trapped him and Tsukasa inside.
Only the living could escape from here!
If Tsukasa hadn't pushed him away, Seiichiro would have been trapped within the barrier by mere inches!
Seiichiro was stunned, as if the world had gone silent.
Through the transparent barrier, he could see Tsukasa's soundless cry: "GO!"
Seiichiro's pupils contracted sharply, and tears streamed down his face.
At that moment, all grudges between them vanished.
In Seiichiro's mind, only the image of Tsukasa remained—so magnificent he seemed to radiate divine light!
He fully accepted Tsukasa as his comrade!
Without even wiping his tears, he scrambled away, clutching the summoning contract tightly, fleeing backward.
"Uchiha Tsukasa, wait for me!"
"I'll definitely find someone to save you!"
Next chapter: The protagonist goes solo with non-stop high-energy action!
End of Chapter 13
If you enjoyed this chapter, leave a Power Stone or Review!
P@atreon/Soulforger (45+ advanced chapters)