"Ahhh!"
The spears tore through the man's body, their gleaming metal shafts painted crimson in an instant. Kunai buried deep into his flesh, pinning him like a macabre pincushion. From afar, it looked as though a thousand arrows had pierced him at once.
He twitched, groaned, and fell limp. The light vanished from his eyes.
"Tch, so much for all that swagger. That's all he was worth?"
Three figures stepped out of the shadows, their crimson uniforms and engraved headbands glinting faintly. The symbol of Iwagakure shone proudly upon their brows.
"The Uchiha," one of them muttered, glancing down at the fallen man's eyes. "Their Sharingan is powerful. Once awakened, it can give them a massive advantage in battle. They're dangerous to face alone, especially with their genjutsu. Remember, avoid one-on-one encounters with them if you can."
The older ninja's tone was calm, almost like a teacher lecturing his students.
"Feh. So that's why he acted so high and mighty," the younger one scoffed. "A bloodline freak, huh?"
He stepped closer, smirking. "You know, Uchiha eyes go for a real high price on the black market. People pay fortunes for them, but even with all the money in the world, they're hard to come by."
"Tarō, be careful," the older ninja warned sharply. "He might not be dead. Or it could be a shadow clone."
"Please, old man. You're way too cautious. That's why you're still just a chūnin at your age," Tarō sneered. "If it were a shadow clone, it would've puffed into smoke the moment it took a hit like that. And look at all that blood—it's not fake."
"Still, don't let your guard down…" another teammate muttered uneasily.
"Yeah, yeah. Stop worrying!" Tarō grumbled and stepped right up to the motionless figure.
"Too bad," he mocked, "we only managed to bait a rookie."
The man's head suddenly jerked upward. His eyes were cold, empty—void of emotion.
"Wha—!"
Before Tarō could even scream, the man's body erupted with lightning. Blinding blue light filled the forest, and the sound of a thousand birds crying out split the air.
A thunderclap swallowed Tarō whole. When the light faded, only a charred husk remained.
"Tarō!!!"
The young ninja shouted in horror and instinctively tried to run toward his fallen comrade, but the older one yanked him back just in time, dragging him behind the trees.
"Stay calm!" the veteran hissed.
"What was that?!" the boy stammered, trembling.
"Lightning Clone," the old man answered quickly. "A step above the standard shadow clone. It holds more chakra, and when it's destroyed, all that chakra detonates into lightning release. It's a suicide trap."
He clenched his fists. "Listen. We split up. The enemy who can use that jutsu has to be at least jōnin level. We can't fight him head-on. Run, regroup with the others. It's our only chance."
The boy nodded, pale-faced. The two bolted in opposite directions—but then froze as an ear-splitting sound filled the forest.
It was piercing, shrill, and unrelenting, like thousands of birds screeching all at once.
The older ninja turned, eyes widening. A flash of lightning streaked toward them, cutting through the trees in a straight line. It moved faster than his eyes could track, a beam of living thunder.
Chidori.
"Stop him!" the old man shouted, slamming his hands together. A wall of earth shot up from the ground, blocking the path between them.
"Wait! What are you doing?!" the young ninja cried, turning back in shock.
"I'm sorry," came the answer from behind the wall, voice trembling. "I can't die here. My wife and children are waiting for me back home."
The voice grew fainter, guilt dripping from every word.
The young ninja's heart sank. He wasn't stupid—he knew the truth. The man was already running, using him as bait to buy time.
A bitter smile twisted his lips. "Figures…"
The last thing he saw was a flash of blue light. A hand crackling with lightning pierced straight through his chest.
Fugaku stood there, eyes calm, his Chidori still singing in the air. "War really does show you every kind of person," he murmured coldly, pulling his blood-soaked arm free.
He glanced at the dying man's faint, mocking smile. "Don't worry," Fugaku added softly. "You won't be lonely for long. He'll be joining you soon."
The forest trembled as another surge of lightning roared to life. The sound of the Chidori screamed again, and the earth wall shattered into dust.
The older ninja's face turned white. He split into several earth clones, scattering in panic. But it was useless. Against the Sharingan, such tricks meant nothing.
Fugaku's crimson eyes tracked his target instantly. He darted to the side, closing in with impossible speed.
The old ninja whirled, desperation twisting his face. "Earth Style—Earth Dragon Bullets!"
A dragon-shaped mass of earth erupted from the ground, spitting volleys of chakra-infused stones.
But Fugaku was faster. The world slowed in his eyes, every motion clear. His body slipped past the barrage, lightning building in his palm as he closed in from the flank.
The man barely had time to turn before he was caught in Fugaku's gaze—those burning red eyes that seemed to pierce straight through the soul.
His body froze. He couldn't even move a finger.
"Binding Illusion," Fugaku whispered.
The next instant, the Chidori plunged through his chest. The shrieking thunder cut off abruptly, leaving only silence.
Fugaku withdrew his hand and exhaled softly. "Another pitiful soul."
The body collapsed backward, head twisting at an unnatural angle as though trying to look toward the horizon.
Toward the Land of Earth.
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