A sliver of white, like the belly of a fish, was about to emerge, casting the entire land in a gray haze.
At this moment, in a Sand Shinobi camp located at the border between the Land of Fire and the Land of Rivers.
A figure suddenly dashed out from a tent that was on the verge of collapsing, heading towards the eastern horizon.
The figure was none other than Uchiha Toshirou, who had just been discovered and was now attempting to break out after using the Dustless Bewildering Cover.
"Get back here!"
At that moment, a cold, excited male voice suddenly erupted.
Looking towards the source, it was a puppet master dressed in traditional Sand Shinobi combat uniform, with a white bandage around his head and face full of paint.
Just from the icy killing intent emanating from him, one could tell that this person was no ordinary opponent.
Whoosh! Whoosh! Whoosh!
Before Toshirou could further observe his opponent, the sound of something slicing through the air at high speed rushed towards him.
"It's a scorpion tail!"
Using the exceptional insight of the Sharingan, Toshirou saw through the true form of the incoming object— a scorpion tail shaped like a steel whip with a blade at the end.
This scorpion tail was connected to a massive puppet the size of a small car.
Through the Sharingan's vision, he saw several thin blue chakra strings connected to the puppet, controlling its every move.
It turned out this puppet master did not rush into the tent to capture him but waited outside for a critical moment to give Toshirou a surprise.
Indeed, it was quite a surprise for Toshirou. He was two or three meters off the ground, unable to dodge, and had no weapons handy.
The kunai from earlier was the last weapon he had.
With a light snap, Toshirou was flung back toward the tent even faster than before.
Facing the sudden attack, seeing the blade at the root of the scorpion tail glittering coldly, with no weapon in hand, Toshirou had a flash of inspiration and used his shoe to clamp onto the blade, producing a snap.
Though he avoided a fatal blow, he could not counter the impact of the scorpion tail's strike and was forced to retreat.
He fell back into the smoke screen.
As the smoke dispersed, the scene inside slowly unfolded before everyone. A group of twenty or thirty Sand Shinobi formed a fan-shaped perimeter, trapping Toshirou in a desperate situation.
It was desperate because when setting up this medical point, the Sand Shinobi chose to back it against a cliff to protect the camp and minimize risk.
This left Toshirou in a tough spot, with a sheer cliff behind him and a group of Sand Shinobi of varying strengths in front. He could climb the cliff, but doing so would expose his back to the ninjas.
The entire camp had been alerted by now, and aside from a few medical personnel, everyone, injured or not, joined the encirclement of Toshirou.
"Dammit..."
Even with his usually carefree attitude, Toshirou couldn't help but lament his luck and his eye twitched.
"Kid! I advise you to surrender quickly, or else..."
Just then, a Jonin who had prepared to attack him in the tent spoke up!
Right off the bat, he ordered Toshirou to surrender!
Yet, it must be said, Toshirou was almost out of options. While he was being spoken to, other ninjas had sent several signal flares into the sky.
Needless to say, in no time, this place would be surrounded by more Sand Shinobi, leaving him no escape.
"Oh, surrender without resistance?"
Seeing someone speak up, Toshirou didn't rush to act. Instead, he engaged in some idle chatter.
"Hmph! And you think you can negotiate with us at this point?"
"Utterly delusional!"
"Come on, don't say that! Given my value, I think I deserve some special treatment!"
Seeing some softening from the other side, the Sand Shinobi weren't in a hurry. After all, stalling worked in their favor.
But how could Toshirou joke at a time like this...?
"Wild dreams!"
"Wishful thinking!"
…
Seeing how 'adorable' these Sand Shinobi were, Toshirou felt an urge to tease them a bit.
"Don't be like that! If I were a high-ranking member of your village, I'd definitely offer someone like me ten or eight beauties. In two or three decades, wouldn't another bloodline clan be born in your Hidden Sand Village?"
"For instance, combining with this 'Scorch Style User' over there, we could produce a ninja with both Sharingan and Scorch Style. Just think about the future of your village!"
"Bastard!"
"Shameless!"
"Scoundrel!"
If it started as a peaceful exchange, by this point, the Sand Shinobi were infuriated, wanting to cut Toshirou to pieces.
Who's the Scorch Style user?
She is a well-known beauty of the Hidden Sand Village!
How could she be offered to a captive like you?
Unlike the enraged lower and mid-level ninjas, the older Sand Shinobi had thoughtful, flickering eyes.
Meanwhile, the person involved, Pakura, was clenching her fists and gritting her teeth, infuriated by this despicable Uchiha.
How dare he flirt with her in front of everyone!
Unforgivable!
She could care less about stalling; forming hand seals, she prepared to kill the accursed guy with a single blow.
"Fire Style: Grand Fire Annihilation!"
But before she could unleash her jutsu, the rascal fired an attack first.
And he didn't hold back, immediately launching a powerful Fire Style jutsu.
Toshirou leapt back, crossing his hands, intertwining his fingers, and puffing up his chest.
A thin stream of fire expanded with distance, forming a sea of flames.