"That's the Sharingan!"
Chūdō recognized the scarlet pupils in Jin Uchiha's eyes, the single tomoe spinning slowly.
The renowned Sharingan of the Uchiha Clan.
There were few in the ninja world who wouldn't recognize it.
However, Jin, who had unexpectedly awakened his Sharingan, wasn't at all happy about it. He gritted his teeth, muttering under his breath.
"I should really thank you, huh?"
If it took a life-threatening crisis like this to awaken the Sharingan, Jin would rather it stayed dormant.
He was terrified of dying, and the result had been disastrous.
His entire body was severely burned, with large patches of his skin either charred or raw, and in some places, his internal organs were barely visible beneath the scorched flesh. He looked like a man skinned alive.
It was nothing short of torture.
Intense pain coursed through his body, though his adrenaline kept it somewhat suppressed.
If these injuries weren't treated immediately, it would mean a direct report to the Shinigami.
Jin took a deep breath.
Six Paths—Celestial Thief.
A large portion of his chakra began to flow, and his damaged skin quickly started to regenerate. In the span of just a few breaths, his outer layer of skin had fully healed.
His foresight had paid off.
If it weren't for the Six Paths technique, he would've been dead.
"What kind of jutsu is that?"
Chūdō squinted, watching Jin recover rapidly. Such powerful regeneration—he'd only heard of something like it from that famous Tsunade of the Leaf.
Now he had seen it a second time.
"Round two."
From Jin's torn sleeve, a small white snake poked out its head and opened its mouth, gently spitting out the Kusanagi sword.
Earlier, Jin had lost the sword during the battle, but the snake had retrieved it.
Chūdō had already launched his next attack.
"Earth Style: Earth Dragon Bullet!"
A massive dragon made of earth and stones formed from the ground, hurtling toward Jin from the forest.
Jin quickly turned his head toward the forest.
His Sharingan tomoe spun rapidly.
"I see you."
The single-tomoe Sharingan granted enhanced perception, allowing him to even see the flow of chakra.
The Chūdō standing before him was merely an earth clone.
As the howling earth dragon approached, Jin lowered his stance, gripping the sword tightly in both hands.
With each breath, sparks danced at the corner of his lips.
Using his breath to channel chakra into flames—this was the Breath of Flame technique.
"Fourth Form: Blooming Flame Undulation!"
Fire ignited along the blade, and Jin swung the sword in a spiraling motion, sending a blazing vortex of flames toward the earth dragon.
The fire collided with the earth dragon, creating a storm of wind and molten rock. The intense heat caused the earth to liquefy into a lava-like substance, which splattered in all directions.
Jin quickly retreated, trying to escape the range of the molten debris.
Just as he was pulling back, his head snapped toward the ground.
"Didn't I tell you? I see you!"
Gritting his teeth, Jin leaped into the air, the flames on his sword roaring even brighter as sparks flew from his lips.
"Breath of Flame! Third Form: Scorching Universe!"
His flaming sword slashed downward.
The searing heat split the ground, revealing Chūdō hiding beneath the surface.
But Chūdō's body disintegrated into dirt again.
All that remained was an explosive tag, lying in wait.
It was one trap after another.
Was there ever a fair fight in this world?
Jin slashed in one swift motion.
With a flash of steel, the explosive tag was cut in half, preventing it from detonating.
Off in the distance, Chūdō knelt on one knee. His hair and back were slightly singed—he had barely escaped, but not without injury.
Jin's abilities continued to astonish him.
"Nintaijutsu..."
Chūdō was becoming increasingly aware of how difficult this Uchiha was to deal with. The Sharingan combined with an incredibly fast regeneration ability and proficient nintaijutsu.
Any one of these skills would make for a formidable ninja.
Yet this boy possessed them all.
If he had even a fraction of these techniques, Chūdō would've already been a top jonin of Iwagakure.
Curse those damned Uchiha.
"It's not over yet!" Jin roared, his feet digging into the ground as he charged. Flames enveloped his sword and his entire body, leaving fiery footprints in his wake.
Chūdō blinked, and Jin was already right in front of him.
"Breath of Flame! First Form: Unknowing Fire!"
The burning blade swung toward Chūdō, his terror evident on his face.
But just before the blade could land, the ground beneath Jin gave way.
It was a trap—a pitfall covered by cloth, with spikes waiting below.
"Damn it! Fooled again."
Before Jin could react further, Chūdō completed another set of hand seals.
"It's over!"
"Earth Style: Great Rock Burial!"
A massive boulder materialized above them, plummeting toward Jin with the force of an avalanche.
This was Chūdō's only A-rank jutsu, and even the most powerful ninja would meet their end beneath this crushing mass of stone.
"This is what it means to fight a jonin," Jin cursed inwardly.
He grabbed hold of the sharp earth spikes below to prevent himself from falling onto them completely.
Looking up, he saw the enormous boulder perfectly aligned with the pitfall.
Despair gripped his heart.
But he wasn't giving up yet.
"Iron Body!"
"Six Paths—Celestial Thief!"
"Gate of Opening—Open!"
Jin used everything he had to fortify his defense, determined to withstand the incoming jutsu.
"No way I'm letting you kill me!"
He stood atop the spikes, gripping his sword so tightly his fingers turned white, his muscles bulging with effort.
"Breath of Flame!"
Jin hoisted his sword onto his shoulder.
"Ninth Form!"
A spiraling flame enveloped Jin, shattering the spikes beneath him. His body, now engulfed in the fiery vortex, shot upward toward the descending boulder like a flaming dragon.
"Inferno Dragon!"
The fire-dragon slammed into the boulder with explosive force.
Boom!
The impact halted the boulder's descent, leaving a deep gash in its surface.
"Break apart!"
The fire burned brighter, heating the boulder until it glowed red. The temperature around them skyrocketed.
But despite Jin's efforts, the gash didn't grow. The boulder, though appearing to be made of stone, was as hard as iron, completely impervious to further damage.
"It's useless," Chūdō sneered, still maintaining his hand seals. This jutsu required a constant flow of chakra, and its power only increased over time.
Just as he said, the massive boulder began to press down once more.
Jin's strength waned, the flames dissipating as his body was forced back.
He flipped, landing once again on the sharp earth spikes.
Jin glanced at Chūdō.
"Next time I see you, it'll be the day you die."
"There won't be a next time!" Chūdō shouted, pouring all his effort into this final attack.
In this moment, Iwagakure would be rid of a future menace.
The boulder continued its descent.
Jin rolled up the sleeve of his ruined shirt, revealing a strange tattoo on his arm.
He had one last trump card—an escape jutsu.
"Reverse Summoning—"
"Wind Style: Gale Palm!"
A sudden gust of wind tore through the battlefield, accompanied by a flash of red.
"Die a hundred times over!"
Kushina appeared, her arm wrapped in chains, accelerating her momentum with the power of the wind.
This was her full strength—an attack so powerful that even Tsunade herself wouldn't dare take it head-on!
Chūdō swiftly changed his hand seals.
Boom!
His body disintegrated into dust and dirt, scattering through the air.
Chūdō reappeared in the distance, his expression dark. He could already tell what had happened to his students—they were lost.
Without his chakra maintaining the boulder, cracks started to form in the massive rock, chunks falling to the ground as the jutsu failed.
"You three…"
Chūdō stared at Minato, Kushina, and Jin.
To his surprise, Jin smiled. The chakra he had been about to use for the reverse summoning was pulled back into his body.
"You idiots."
"We would never abandon a comrade!" Kushina yelled at Jin, fury in her voice.
Behind her, Minato scratched the back of his head awkwardly.
Wasn't she supposed to be shouting that at the enemy?
"As long as you're happy," Jin replied, unfazed. He looked up at the falling boulder, now weakened but still retaining dangerous momentum.
Rumble!
The boulder fell, burying Jin beneath the rubble.
Neither Minato nor Kushina showed any concern. They kept their eyes locked on Chūdō.
As they expected, a moment later, flames erupted from the shattered rock.
Jin, covered in fire, leapt from the rubble, landing before his teammates.
The Seventh Squad was reunited.
"Round three."
Jin and Minato charged forward together, closing the distance with a Swift Step technique.
Their blades slashed toward Chūdō in tandem, preventing him from forming hand seals.
Despite being outnumbered, Chūdō's taijutsu was sharp, and he managed to parry and block their attacks, even knocking one of them back to buy time for his seals.
But whenever one was pushed back, Kushina stepped in, her strength and chains posing an even greater threat than the boys' blades.
Chūdō couldn't afford to take a single hit from her. He was forced to dodge and retreat at every opportunity.
What he needed now was to break their line of sight. But Jin's Sharingan locked onto him, tracking his every move. The moment Chūdō tried to retreat, Jin would charge in, closing the gap.
Chūdō gritted his teeth. The earlier battle with Jin had cost him too much stamina and chakra, and now, against all three of them, he couldn't find an opening.
But just because he couldn't find an opening didn't mean the Seventh Squad couldn't.
Kushina came down from above, her leg crashing into the ground.
"Skyward Kick!"
The impact created a massive crater in the earth.
"Now's our chance!"
The debris scattered through the air, obscuring everyone's vision.
Chūdō moved to blend into the shadows.
But someone was faster.
"Breath of Flame! Fifth Form! Flaming Tiger!"
"Steel Flash!"
A flaming tiger roared into existence, growing larger as it was carried by a powerful gust of wind.
The attack was impossibly fast—and devastatingly strong.
Chūdō had no time to react.
He could only smile.
The flaming tiger consumed him whole.
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