"I-what-I! Get back!"
Roaring impatiently, Musashi stared grimly at the figure not far away.
He had gained the upper hand earlier thanks to the element of surprise and brute strength.
He didn't for a second believe Itachi Uchiha was an easy opponent.
"Itachi! Have you lost your mind?!"
"Is your brain filled with shit?! Look at what you're doing!"
"Musashi." Itachi looked at the familiar face that had suddenly appeared.
There was a hint of surprise in his eyes.
Surprised that he showed up at this time, and surprised by the burst of strength.
But it was only "not bad."
With his talent, Musashi posed no threat to him.
"Fire Style: Fireball Jutsu!"
Raging flames surged forward, far more powerful than anything Izumi could produce.
"Earth Style: Mud Wall!"
An earth wall rose from the ground, blocking the impact of the flames and shielding Izumi, who hadn't retreated yet.
"Run! Now!"
With a shout, Lightning Chakra surged.
The next second, the lightning-wrapped figure burst through the flames, charging straight at Itachi.
Just for a moment!
I just need to hold him off for a moment. As long as Izumi gets away, I'm booking it!
Cling-cling-cling-cling!!!
Shuriken and kunai traced bizarre arcs through the air.
Musashi ignored them completely.
The Uchiha clan's shurikenjutsu was unrivaled in the ninja world, and Itachi's skills were exceptional even among them.
Instead of wasting effort trying to block...
Just tank it!
Without chakra enhancement, ordinary ninja tools couldn't penetrate his Lightning Armor.
Besides, as long as I'm fast enough...
The shuriken can't catch me!
Increasing the output of Lightning Chakra, his already immense speed skyrocketed!
He broke through the encirclement of projectiles a split second early. Under Itachi's surprised gaze, a kunai flashed toward him.
CLANG!~
Sparks flew violently, accompanied by a piercing hum.
The collision made Itachi realize his opponent's physical strength was indeed superior to his own.
The next moment, weapons clashed again, and Itachi used the momentum to retreat.
"Fire Style..."
"Gutsy Shuriken!"
As Itachi formed seals, several dark streaks broke through the air.
Itachi had to abandon the jutsu and swing his sword to block.
Clang-clang-clang-clang!!!!
To his eyes, the opponent's throwing technique was full of openings.
With his vision, he could easily...
The long sword clashed with the "shuriken."
The immense force changed his expression.
It didn't feel like a shuriken; it felt like he was being hit by boulders.
Crack!
His arm trembled violently!
Under his disbelief, the ninja sword in his hand snapped in two with a crisp ding.
Looking at the "shuriken" that fell to the ground...
They weren't shuriken at all. They were long, heavy metal weights engraved with the word "GUTS"!
Musashi had a very clear understanding of himself.
Conventional shuriken throwing posed no threat to an Uchiha.
If the power wasn't enough, they could even deflect them back at him.
Instead of pursuing precision or tricky trajectories, it was better to maximize his own advantages.
Custom-made "Gutsy" weights—let's see how many you can tank!
Poof!
A Shadow Clone appeared. Musashi and his clone flanked Itachi from left and right.
With his sword broken, Itachi could only dodge repeatedly while forming hand signs.
"Fire Style: Phoenix Sage Flower Nail Crimson!"
"Leaf Strong Whirlwind!"
The flaming shuriken were fast and erratic.
Musashi tanked them with his body again!
Massive amounts of Lightning Chakra surged, vibrating and humming on the surface of his skin.
Forming a layer of Lightning Armor over vital areas.
The damage from the shuriken was negligible. His right leg smashed viciously toward Itachi.
WHAM!~
Itachi was knocked back again.
But Musashi felt something was wrong.
Although the opponent's fighting style was as sharp and elegant as ever...
Something was off.
Too weak!
The opponent's methods right now were barely at the level of an ordinary Jonin.
During the exchange, he felt no sense of fatal danger.
This wasn't right!
Itachi's strength shouldn't be just this.
Is he holding back? Or... a clone!
To test his hypothesis, the Shadow Clone formed hand signs.
"Water Style: Great Waterfall Jutsu!"
Itachi formed signs to counter: "Earth Style: Mud Wall!"
Splurt!~
A pathetic spray of water spat from the clone's mouth, hitting the rapidly rising earth wall and exploding into a mist.
Forget "Great Waterfall"—that wasn't even C-rank power.
Musashi had never seriously trained in Water Style anyway.
But almost the instant the water mist rose, the real Musashi formed hand signs.
"Lightning Style: False Darkness!" (Or similar wide-range Lightning jutsu)
Chakra poured out, maximizing the jutsu's power and range.
Violent lightning flashed and raced across the field, filling the entire vision with blinding light.
Poof! Poof!
Both Itachi and Musashi's clone vanished in puffs of smoke.
"I knew it! A Shadow Clone!"
Musashi heaved a huge sigh of relief.
For Itachi to clean up the Uchiha clan in such a short time, relying solely on his main body would be difficult.
Using clones to deal with ordinary ninjas was logical.
Crisis temporarily averted, Musashi didn't waste time.
He turned to look at Izumi, who hadn't run yet, and cursed loudly.
Without a word, he rushed over, tucked her under his arm like a sack of potatoes, and bolted!
"Wait! Musashi!" The bewildered Izumi shouted urgently.
"Wait my ass! If we wait, we're dead!"
"No, wait!" Izumi looked anxious.
"Shut up! You naturally arrogant Uchiha!" Musashi showed zero mercy. If she weren't a woman, he would have given her a "Youthful Iron Fist" like Guy did to Lee!
"My little sister is still in the house!" Izumi finally screamed the important part.
SCREECH! Musashi skidded to a halt, leaving long tracks on the ground. He was furious.
"Fuck! Where the hell did you get a sister?! I didn't know about this!"
"Aoi is only four years old!" Izumi's voice cracked with panic.
She knew she had no right to demand anything from Musashi.
But Aoi was her only sister. Today, she had pestered Izumi to sleep over at her house.
She was only four. She couldn't die here!
Even if Izumi had to die!
Musashi didn't say a word.
Grumbling, he turned around and sprinted back. He charged into Izumi's house, found the small lump still fast asleep, and tucked her under his other arm.
One under the left, one under the right. Mobility completely unaffected.
He started to run wild!
Sprinting toward the edge of the Uchiha district!
The little thing under his arm woke up, thought she was in danger, and started struggling.
He ignored it, bouncing his arm a bit to get a better grip.
Run!
The barrier was getting closer and closer.
But Musashi's speed slowed down.
Not far ahead, Itachi Uchiha was waiting quietly.