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Sasuke's POV (Nothern Mountains of Irminsul - Terra)
Neither was surprised when even more snow weasels burst from the edges of the now bare, burnt ground below. They cried in range as they once again prepared to mob the two.
"You are the most dangerous prey; we could sense your chakra from the moment you arrived. A powerful human would have proven a most enjoyable meal. We were looking forward to feasting on humans again and a special one at that. We would've ensured your death would be painless. And use each and every part of your body. It would've been a good death…" The leader of the remaining weasels lectured the two. "However, you have slain several of my subjects. As leader of the Bloodthirster clan, I cannot forgive this; we will now violently feed upon you. Ensuring your death is slow and agonizing as my brethren eat their share. We will dine on your organs, leaving the undesirable leftovers for the scavengers!"
"I defended myself; if you didn't wish to lose your comrades, you should've never challenged a Uchiha. Did you think I would silently die? The struggle of life and death is as natural as the relationship of prey and predator." Sasuke countered.
"It's the leader of the Snow Weasel Clan," Muri whispered to Sasuke. "He's not bluffing when he says they will endlessly attempt to get their vengeance."
"Is he strong?" Sasuke asked as he watched the mob of murderous mammals circle around them. It seemed the beast were hesitant now that they knew the two of them could conjure firestorms.
"Not particularly. The Snow Weasel Clan relies on their speed and numbers to overwhelm prey. However, there are doubtless many more that hide away from our vision. We should consider retreating. They will eventually try to mob us all at once, and they will succeed." Muri warned.
"I will not retreat, nor will they succeed." Sasuke countered instantly. "If you can remove yourself, I should be able to handle them in short order. Can you turn into a form that can fly or escape their wrath in some other way?"
"I could, but I refuse! Naruto would be incensed if you perished while in my company, especially if I merely scurried away. The Okama clan does not tolerate cowards either! We shall face them together!"
"I will not die and frankly feel insulted that you suggested such. I will show these creatures what I plan to show everyone and everything else. The Uchiha are alive and well and are nothing to be trifled with." Sasuke promised. Then, without warning, he grabbed Muri from his shoulders and whipped him into the sky. Muri, reacting instinctively, turned into a small bird and flies around the clearing in a panic.
'The Uchiha! I need to try to help!' Muri thought as he prepared to dive in; however, he froze when a massive amount of Weasel burst from the snow around the clearing. Having seen the two separated as the opportune moment to try their luck. 'There must be dozens of them… Sasuke Uchiha, it seems I failed you…' "Naruto HELP!" Muri called desperately as he watched as the Uchiha was about to be overwhelmed. Surely the pure mass of murderous creatures would crush him if nothing else.
'There are quite a few, more than I had anticipated.' Sasuke thought calmly as he eyed the litany of weasels closing in around him. They had him utterly surrounded, so numerous were they that Sasuke could scarcely see beyond them. 'I had intended to cut them down in a single move, an overwhelming show of force to discourage them. But I cannot strike each down quick enough… Even My Ash Step has its limits… and if I even so much as stumble, my death will shortly follow.'
Sasuke flexed his chakra, spinning his Sharingan as he quickly traced the group with his vision. Each who dared meet his eyes was sent subtle and weak Genjutsu, enough to disorientate. But before he could even progress with the next step of his move, he felt a disturbing realization… they were impervious to Genjutsu! Each one ensnared somehow broke out shortly after!
With a grimace, Sasuke began to Ash Step wildly around his current position. The Weasels slowed their advance, confused by the new speed and randomness being displayed.
'Immune to Genjutsu, teeth that can easily cut through me, and they are nearly as quick as my Ash Step.' Sasuke ranted in his mind. 'How do I win here?! Even with his Sharingan Sasuke could not count the amount around him. If only I could perfect the body flicker, these pests would stand no chance!' It was fortunate indeed the Weasels were perplexed by his movements. If they engaged now it would be only a matter of time. It was desperate stalling but seemed practical for now. 'Shisui said before I was nearly as proficient as him, yet I've always relied on Genjutsu to enhance my Ash Step. In pure speed, I'm nowhere near Shisui. What had his odd sensei warned Sasuke of?'
"You need to relax when using it." Shisui had chided. During one of their many solo training sessions. "You're too restrained and forceful."
"Restrained and forceful?" Sasuke gasped with desperate breaths. "I am moving faster than most people can even process. That requires both great restraint and great force."
"You make a good point there, annoyingly. But my point still stands, that restraint followed by great force you use in your Ash Step is flawed. By doing it like you are, you limit the amount of speed you're capable of. It would help to let your body flow most naturally to cut down on needless movements. Allow your mind to be clear; even a millisecond of distraction will also slow you down. As for force, while it's true you would normally need it, speed is a force of its own. There is no need to pump your muscles or slash your blade to ensure power or speed; you will have both in surplus. Instead, focus on striking each target before you, weaving and flowing around them as you land effortless blows. If done correctly, the speed, strength, durability, and number of opponents won't matter." Shisui had said with his foolish smile.
Sasuke had conflicting thoughts about Shisui, *7* yet there was no denying he was a powerful and useful family member. One who seemed to disagree with his stance, yet was oddly keen on aiding him with it. Sasuke wasn't sure he could trust his sensei fully, but he knew the training was true and reliable… he needed to heed his words, right here and now…
Muri's mind whirled, and his chakra pinged wildly, attempting to get anyone's attention. But dreadfully, it seemed it would not be worth anything. He couldn't sense anyone or anything coming. And the weasels, now restless, surged around the Uchiha before, in sync, the murderous mammals launched themselves teeth first towards him. 'Why is he just running around?! I thought Naruto had said he was some powerful genius. They're about to kill him there.'
Sasuke valuable seconds as they drew closer mentally marking their movements. His Sharingan allowed him to see even their muscles flex as they closed in. He envisioned an imaginary path around the weasels. One that would allow him to strike each, without risking a lucky revenge blow. 'I see it now.' Sasuke thought as he blurred around his spot, fearlessly eyeing the mob approaching death. 'Their movements are predictable; it's only a matter of skill and efficiency. If I can't surpass my limits here and now, I am not worthy of the Uchiha name!' "Fiery Reappearing Shadow Death!" Sasuke called out as he blurred forward.
His heritage was helpful as always; even as he moved at absurd speeds, the world seemed to be still moving in slow motion. He didn't consider their numbers, the logistics of his plan, and even the likelihood of his demise; it was all distant now, something he had no time to ponder. Instead, as his body repeatedly flickered around, he would focus on a single grouping, each time as he entered their space Besmirched Flambe had already struck true, Sasuke appearing and leaving before the creatures could even realize it. Sasuke would casually, almost lazily slice with Besmirched Flambe as he did. Unlike the powerful strikes before these were barely worth to be considered such. With a normal blade they would certainly not be lethal. Yet with Besmirched Flambe each and every swing would burn away the beast, likely leading to death, as their body was cooked internally. The process of attacking as many as he did must've been a long one. Yet Sasuke barely felt time pass; he didn't even consider the remaining ones. Instead he barely finished one kill before zooming off to perform another.
Usually, Sasuke would only go for a few slashes before quitting this technique; it was chakra-intensive and disorientating. But normal would not be enough here. Sasuke could not stop till he bested each of his foes, lest he face death. His pride would allow nothing less.