The Warring States Era was filled with powerful clans and numerous geniuses.
From what Xuan had seen of the Jōnin and Elite Jōnin across the various factions, most were actually slightly stronger than their counterparts depicted in the original story.
However, to see a twelve-year-old Jōnin... this was a first for him. Such aptitude was roughly on par with Kakashi from the original timeline. She was undeniably a rare genius.
"Has the Uchiha clan fallen so far that they need a child like you to execute such high-difficulty missions?" the young girl asked, her grip on her longsword tight, her tone freezing cold.
"Look who's talking. Aren't you just a little girl yourself?" Xuan turned around, drawing the Amanokumo sword from his back, a hint of teasing in his voice.
The moment he turned, the three tomoe spinning in his eyes caught the girl's gaze. Her breath hitched for a microsecond before she quickly recovered. "A three-tomoe Sharingan... It seems you aren't an ordinary child. And for the record... I am not a 'little girl'."
Even as she spoke, she suddenly exploded with power. In a flash, she arrived right in front of Xuan. The longsword in her hand flashed with cold light as she cleaved downward at his head.
Clang!
The blindingly fast strike was blocked by Xuan's Amanokumo sword. Glancing down at her figure, he chuckled. "It seems you really aren't just a little girl, after all."
The girl naturally caught the underlying implication. A flush of embarrassment rose to her cheeks, quickly overtaken by intense anger. Raising her slender right leg, she delivered a vicious kick toward his stomach. She had originally aimed for his crotch, but considering Xuan's height and age, she had to settle for his stomach.
Xuan reached out to block it. His entire body jolted, and he was forced two steps back. Shaking his arm, he remarked, "What ruthless power."
Without missing a beat, she attacked again. Xuan didn't use any Ninjutsu; he simply engaged her in close-quarters combat with his sword. Recently, he had spent a lot of time working on his Taijutsu while sparring with Madara and Hashirama. Confident that his hand-to-hand combat had improved by leaps and bounds, she was the perfect sparring partner to test it out.
The two clashed rapidly, sparks flying wildly amidst the flashing blades.
"Not bad! Are you interested in becoming my subordinate?" Xuan asked aloud after parrying another strike.
The girl sneered. Her longsword traced a full moon in mid-air. "Taijutsu: Crimson Moon Slash!"
"Uchiha brat, do you have water on the brain?"
A violent burst of chakra formed a crescent-shaped blade of energy that slashed directly toward him. The three tomoe in Xuan's eyes spun slightly. Almost simultaneously, he executed the exact same motion. "Taijutsu: Crimson Moon Slash!"
The two crescent blades collided in mid-air, triggering a violent explosion. The scattered chakra shockwaves swept frantically in all directions.
Damn, I've relied on the Flying Raijin and Rasengan combo so much I almost forgot my Sharingan can actually copy other people's Jutsu. Still... feels pretty good, Xuan mocked himself internally.
The three tomoe spun with a demonic, ghostly allure, perfectly capturing every single one of her movements. Wielding the Amanokumo sword, he matched her strike for strike, using her exact techniques against her.
It was rare to run into a young genius like her, and Xuan suddenly felt the urge to play around and spar a bit longer. At the same time, he remembered the twelve "Divine Princess Contracts" gathering dust in his System's spatial storage. Was it time to consider using one? However, if she wanted to be his Divine Princess subordinate, the strength she was displaying right now wasn't quite enough.
"Can you only mimic other people's moves?" The girl gritted her teeth. This fight was incredibly frustrating for her. She was also starting to intimately understand why the Clan Heads of the various factions were so terrified whenever the Uchiha clan was mentioned.
"You asked for it. Don't regret it..."
In the blink of an eye, the two had exchanged an unknown number of blows, their movements completely identical.
Suddenly, Xuan's sword stance shifted. Ceasing to use the Sharingan's copying ability, he flicked his wrist, hurling three kunai straight at her throat.
The girl swung her sword to deflect the projectiles. But just as she swung, the kunai miraculously collided with each other mid-air, violently altering their trajectories in impossible ways.
What kind of throwing technique is this?! A look of pure shock flashed across the girl's face. Twisting her delicate body forcefully, she narrowly evaded the three kunai as they skimmed past her.
What is this...? Without her noticing, several nearly invisible chakra threads had wrapped around her wrists and torso, binding her tight.
"Little girl, who said I only know how to copy others?" A calm voice echoed from directly behind her.
Startled, the girl looked up; the Xuan in front of her had vanished eerily.
Cold light flashed. Bound by the chakra threads, the girl had absolutely no time to react before the sword slashed down. Xuan didn't use the Rasengan; he didn't want to kill her just yet. It was hard to find someone with such good talent, making her highly valuable for training.
Poof!
A cloud of white smoke erupted. The girl was replaced by a dead log, which was cleaved cleanly in two by Xuan's sword. Not far away, the girl reappeared. A long, narrow gash had been sliced across her back, blood already seeping from the wound.
"Nice use of the Substitution Jutsu. I'll give it a seven out of ten. Honestly, if you had prepared the Jutsu the moment I threw the kunai, you probably wouldn't have gotten hurt at all," Xuan evaluated with a light chuckle.
The girl took two steps back. A profound wariness flashed deep in her eyes, and she remained silent.
Just as Xuan was about to continue speaking, an earth-shattering roar echoed across the battlefield. Deafening explosions rang out. Xuan instinctively glanced over. Uchiha Tō was displaying terrifying might; with a tyrannical sweep of his sword, he sent two Peak Jōnin flying. Gritting his teeth, Tō surveyed the chaotic courtyard and suddenly leaped into the air, attempting to break out of the encirclement.
"Did you really think you could escape?! Barrier, rise!" Akahane Akira roared.
Ignoring the blood pouring from his own wounds, his hands blurred into seals. Simultaneously, four Elite Jōnin appeared at the four corners of the courtyard, forming the exact same hand seals. Instantly, four pillars of heavenly lightning shot into the sky, transforming into a dense, inescapable net of electricity that completely enveloped the compound.
Ninja Art Barrier: Four-Corner Lightning Binding Formation!
Xuan glanced at the girl nearby and shook his head. "I originally wanted to play with you a little longer, but it looks like that's not happening today. I'll remember your face. See you next time."
With that, his silhouette blurred as he triggered the Flying Raijin and vanished from the spot.
Staring at the empty space where Xuan had stood, a chill ran down the girl's spine. "Who exactly is he?" she muttered softly.
Back at the tree branch where they had originally set up the ambush, Xuan reappeared. Through his Sharingan, he safely observed the battlefield trapped within the lightning barrier.
Uchiha Tō truly lived up to his Kage-level status. Even fighting two Peak Jōnin simultaneously, he still held the absolute upper hand. Akahane Akira and the Kimei Clan Head were already covered in visible wounds, while Tō remained highly spirited and in peak combat condition.
However, the others weren't as lucky. The five Shadow Guards were each surrounded and violently assaulted by a Peak Jōnin and several Elite Jōnin. Their situation was incredibly perilous, and several of them were already severely injured. Only Shinobi One was still holding his own, having sustained only minor injuries.
The two Peak Jōnin under Uchiha Tō's command had fully activated their three-tomoe Sharingan. Their situation was slightly better than the Shadow Guards, but at this rate, it was only a matter of time before they were overwhelmed and killed.
The entire Uchiha assault team—aside from Xuan, who had escaped using the Flying Raijin—was completely trapped within the barrier. Even Uchiha Tō might not make it out in one piece tonight.
____
PLEASE SUPPORT ME ON PATREON:
Patreon.com/IndifferentVillain
Early Access and + 60 chapter ahead of webnovel monthly, ur support keeps me motivated...thanks and enjoy reading
Chapter 240 is out on patreon... please check it out and support the work
_____________