Having made his decision, Uchiha Akira swiftly followed the movements and auras he had sensed, tracking his way toward the battlefield.
The moment he reached its edge, the thick stench of blood assaulted his nose.
"Heightened perception definitely has its downsides…"
Uchiha Akira frowned slightly, instinctively suppressing his senses.
To his surprise, it worked.
The overwhelming smell immediately faded.
This unexpected discovery pleased him. He hadn't expected his perception to be so easily controlled by his will.
With a light step, he leapt onto a tall tree and scanned the battlefield from above.
In a single glance, he grasped the situation.
The attacked Konoha logistics unit had around twenty members.
Since most of them were non-combat personnel…
They had suffered devastating casualties.
Aside from a few Chunin still resisting desperately, the rest were either gravely injured or already dead.
Meanwhile, the five Hidden Mist ninja were ruthlessly hunting down the wounded while fighting the remaining defenders.
"Reinforcements?"
One of the Mist ninja quickly noticed Uchiha Akira at the edge of the battlefield.
In the next instant, two kunai shot toward him.
Though fast, their trajectories and points of impact were perfectly traced within his vision—mapped out clearly in his mind.
The precision shocked him… but also excited him.
He drew his own kunai.
Clang! Clang!
At the last possible moment, he deflected both incoming weapons.
Without hesitation, his hands moved through a rapid sequence of seals.
"Fire Release: Great Fireball Jutsu!"
Every motion flowed naturally, as if guided by instinct.
Under normal circumstances, the fireball's diameter would not exceed three meters.
But now—
As chakra surged into his throat, a massive amount of fire-nature chakra erupted outward.
A colossal fireball, over five meters in diameter, roared forward.
Blazing with terrifying heat, it surged toward the enemy.
In that split second, the Mist Chunin likely never imagined his opponent would be this dangerous.
He had assumed two kunai would be enough to finish off the pale, half-dead youth.
Who could have predicted—
Not only would his attack be deflected…
But he would face such a devastating counterattack?
The enemy was clearly battle-hardened.
Faced with a life-or-death crisis, he pushed himself to the limit.
Leaping backward, he began forming hand seals midair.
Every movement was clearly seen by Uchiha Akira.
"Tiger… Snake… Rat… Water Formation Wall, huh?"
Recognizing the sequence instantly, Akira smirked coldly.
"Too slow."
At this distance, the blazing fireball had already arrived.
Its heat alone was enough to scorch flesh.
Even if the opponent managed to activate Water Formation Wall…
The superheated steam would still be deadly.
And besides—
Akira had no intention of waiting.
With a flick of his wrist, he threw two kunai in return, repaying the earlier attack.
Even if the fireball failed to kill the enemy…
Those kunai would.
At the very moment he followed up with the attack, another system notification echoed in his mind.
[Ding! You observed the enemy using Water Release and have comprehended all Water Release techniques.]
[All Water Release techniques—from D-rank to S-rank—have been mastered.]
As the notification sounded, Uchiha Akira felt a surge of information flood his mind.
Everything related to Water Release—its techniques, applications, and chakra efficiency—became clear.
"Extraordinary…"
By now, he fully understood just how powerful Heaven-Defying Comprehension was.
Unlike before, he no longer reacted with shock.
All of this had happened in the blink of an eye.
At that moment—
Boom!
The Great Fireball struck its target.
Flames erupted violently.
The Mist ninja failed to deploy his Water Release in time and was completely engulfed.
When the flames subsided, sparks scattered through the air.
His body had already become a burning silhouette.
Wrapped in flames, he let out a piercing scream…
Before collapsing, motionless.
"Who says Fire Release can't kill?"
"Didn't I just burn one to death…?"
Uchiha Akira merely glanced at the corpse.
After confirming the enemy was dead, he turned toward the remaining opponents.
The other four Mist ninja were being held back by Konoha's escort unit.
Both sides were evenly matched—weak against weak.
Neither could gain the upper hand.
But upon seeing one of their own fall, the Mist ninja reacted immediately.
Rather than fight Akira head-on, they chose to retreat.
"That's an Uchiha! There could be more nearby—fall back!"
The apparent leader, a Mist Chunin, barked the order.
With a feint slash of his blade, he leapt backward and began to withdraw.
The other three followed without hesitation.
The Konoha Chunin didn't pursue.
The battle had already drained them.
Their stamina was nearly gone, and their chakra reserves were low.
Chasing now would bring no advantage.
After disengaging, they instinctively turned toward Uchiha Akira, shock flashing in their eyes.
But before they could speak—
Akira had already dashed past them, pursuing the fleeing enemies.
"You slaughtered so many of us and think you can just walk away?"
"Not that easy."
With explosive speed, he caught up to the retreating Mist ninja.
A cold smile appeared on his face.
"Fire Release: Phoenix Flower Jutsu!"
Like scattering blossoms of flame—
Dozens of basin-sized fireballs burst forth under his control.
One after another, they shot toward the fleeing enemies…