Without a word—no, without even knowing who the opponent was—an enemy suddenly launched a high-powered ninjutsu attack!
Wind Release techniques were lightning-fast, second only to long-range Lightning Release jutsu. Thousands of razor-sharp wind blades cut through the air, moving at speeds that could cross a hundred meters in an instant.
Everything happened too fast—there was no time for Haruto Saito to think.
Uchiha Iwa reacted immediately, grabbing Uchiha Mikoto's arm and leaping out of harm's way. Uchiha Tohoru followed, dodging midair while flinging a dozen kunai in retaliation.
No one was looking after Haruto!
He had to save himself!
"Holy sh*t!" Haruto finally understood the true danger of this world. For the past seven days, things had been way too quiet—even a little boring. But now? Excitement had arrived.
Did it have to be this intense?!
Jumping to dodge was too slow—the sheer number of wind blades covered a massive area. Without activating Byakugan, he couldn't use Rotation to block the attack.
At the last second!
Haruto clenched his fist and slammed it into the ground!
BOOM!
A monstrous shockwave shattered the earth beneath him, creating a deep crater. Haruto curled into the pit just as countless razor-sharp wind blades whizzed over his head.
RUMBLE!
The forest behind him exploded! The storm of wind blades obliterated over ten towering trees, sending wooden shrapnel flying in all directions. Dust and debris filled the air as the roaring impact shook the ground.
Uchiha Iwa had already carried Mikoto safely to a slope twenty meters away, while Tohoru had leaped higher into the air. Suspended for a brief moment, he swiftly formed hand seals.
"Fire Release: Phoenix Sage Fire Technique!"
Whoosh! Whoosh! Whoosh!
Six or seven blazing fireballs spun through the air, bombarding the forest on the far side of the river.
Though it wasn't an overwhelmingly powerful fire jutsu, Tohoru's counterattack was sharp and precise, enough to prevent another immediate attack.
Haruto climbed out of the crater, fully alert.
Uchiha Tohoru landed, katana in hand, his voice cold and commanding.
"Cowardly scum! Attacking from the shadows—who are you? Show yourself!"
Tohoru's expression showed no fear. As a top-tier Jonin, he had absolute confidence in himself. Besides, this was still within the Land of Fire, under Konoha's jurisdiction—there shouldn't be too many powerful enemies in this area.
"Uchiha clan? Hahahaha! What luck!"
A hoarse, mocking laugh echoed from within the forest.
A figure suddenly flashed forward, landing lightly on the surface of the river.
He was short, cloaked in black, and masked—his appearance gave no clues to his origins.
But Haruto saw everything.
——
Name: Saji
Affiliation: Wind Country, Sunagakure's Vanguard Corps, 2nd Scout Unit Captain
Reputation: 8,288
Relationship: Hostile
——
A Sunagakure ninja—and judging by his reputation score, he was at least an Elite Jonin!
The moment Uchiha Tohoru laid eyes on Saji, his expression darkened.
Even though he couldn't sense the enemy's exact strength, his instincts screamed danger.
"Who are you? Do you have any idea who you're messing with?!" Uchiha Iwa growled, his chakra surging like a raging storm.
His words were arrogant—but coming from the Uchiha clan, such confidence was not unfounded.
The Uchiha were one of the strongest clans in the world. Even among the Five Great Nations, few dared to provoke them directly.
"Uchiha? Hah!" Saji sneered, completely unimpressed.
SWOOSH! SWOOSH! SWOOSH!
Behind him, more figures emerged from the burning trees—a dozen ninja, all landing behind Saji.
Uchiha Iwa's pupils shrank.
Tohoru's face turned grim.
So many enemies?!
And from their chakra signatures, at least several were Jonin-level!
Haruto didn't need to guess.
The system had already displayed their identities.
Twelve more ninjas.
Among them, four had reputations matching Jonin-level standards, while the rest were all Elite Chunin—none of them had less than 2,000 reputation points.
This was an elite force—definitely on a classified mission.
One Elite Jonin.
Four Jonin.
Eight Elite Chunin.
A terrifying lineup.
Saji clicked his tongue and smirked. "What's wrong? I thought the Uchiha were supposed to be fearless warriors? You seem... nervous."
Uchiha Iwa took a few steps back, pulling Mikoto closer while exchanging a glance with Tohoru.
He then turned back to Saji. "What do you want? We don't know you, and we have no quarrel with you."
His tone gave away caution.
If it were just him and Tohoru, they wouldn't have hesitated to fight to the death. Even against greater numbers, the Uchiha never backed down.
But Mikoto was here.
Protecting her was the top priority.
To Iwa, her life was more important than his own.
"A grudge? No, not really," Saji mused. "However, I've always been fascinated by the legendary Sharingan. If you're willing to... lend me your eyes, perhaps we can avoid unnecessary conflict."
That wasn't even human speech.
Who could "lend" their eyes?!
Uchiha Iwa's expression darkened instantly.
He understood—they wanted to kill them for their Sharingan.
It wasn't uncommon.
The Uchiha and Hyuga clans had long been targets of the ninja world. Their bloodline abilities—Sharingan and Byakugan—were highly coveted.
That's why Uchiha and Hyuga rarely traveled alone—not just for protection, but so that if one died, the other could destroy their eyes before the enemy could steal them.
Both Sharingan and Byakugan could be transplanted—a well-known secret in the ninja world.
Saji's eyes gleamed as he scanned his prey. "Two fully matured Sharingan... and one single-tomoe. Excellent. This is turning into quite the lucky night!"
This wasn't an ambush—just pure coincidence.
If Saji's squad had run into a normal Konoha patrol, they would've avoided confrontation.
But an Uchiha squad?
This was different.
Uchiha Iwa and Tohoru slowly shifted their footing, readying themselves.
Behind them, Mikoto gripped her kunai tightly, her expression strong but nervous.
Saji and his twelve Sand ninja all drew their weapons.
The air grew tense—a fight was about to break out.
And then—
"Uh, can I leave?"
A voice broke the silence.
Everyone turned to stare at Haruto.
"I mean, I'm not Uchiha. No Sharingan here!" Haruto pointed at his own face. "You guys can fight—I'll just... leave. Okay?"
Saji blinked.
He had never seen a ninja shamelessly abandon their team like this.
Even escaping would have been better than saying it out loud.
"I'm just a Genin! I don't even know these guys!" Haruto added, distancing himself further.
Mikoto looked furious.
Iwa's face turned black.
"Alright, I'm off!" Haruto said cheerfully—then bolted.
He really ran.
Saji snapped back to reality and barked, "Don't let him escape!"
The battle erupted.
And as Haruto fled, he sensed two Elite Chunin chasing after him.
Perfect.
A sinister grin spread across his face.