"Be careful, it's a Sharingan user!"
As Uchiha Kai killed a Kiri-nin with a single strike, one of the enemy ninja immediately recognized the threat and shouted to alert his comrades.
As expected of Kirigakure shinobi, they showed almost no reaction to the death of their comrade. Their cold indifference was chilling.
The "Bloody Mist" policy had already been in place for years. Look at this one — no eyebrows, a cruel face — likely born around the same time as Hatake Kakashi and Uchiha Kai.
He must have survived the brutal graduation ritual by slaughtering his entire class — a direct consequence of the "Bloody Mist" system, which had been initiated back when Madara Uchiha, through his manipulation of the Fourth Mizukage, Yagura, controlled the village.
After Uchiha Obito inherited Madara's will, he maintained that bloody regime, ultimately driving Kirigakure into ruin.
Uchiha Kai didn't spare a thought for the Kiri-nin he had just killed. In war, the enemy's life held no value to him.
His Sharingan spun slowly as he quickly assessed the situation.
Twelve enemy shinobi remained, divided into three squads, facing off against Kai's team of five.
Kakashi stuck close to Rin Nohara, guarding her — the two forming a natural pairing.
Could these Kiri squads really hope to defeat Kai's team?
Aya Hyuga's Byakugan rendered Kirigakure's Mist Concealment Technique meaningless. Their mist jutsu was wasted effort.
Even Kenta Imai, the only one without a dōjutsu, had sharp sensory skills.
Against them, the mist itself was more of a hindrance than an advantage.
"Tell me," Uchiha Kai said calmly, his eyes fixed on two hidden Kiri-nin. "Why is Kirigakure operating here in the Land of Grass?"
The two Kiri-nin — one tall, one short — remained silent, watching Kai warily from within the mist.
The short one was about Kai's height — and from subtle signs, he realized it was a woman.
It wasn't unusual for women to serve in ANBU or elite squads; sometimes they even outperformed men at certain missions.
But a young woman of her age already operating at this level — that was unusual. She was clearly no ordinary shinobi.
Neither responded. Kai found their silence boring, but he dared not relax.
After all, countless powerful shinobi had died by underestimating their enemies — even those as strong as Sunagakure's Yūra or Pakura.
With a soft breath, Kai moved. His body flickered, vanishing from view and reappearing next to the male Kiri-nin, his blue-chakra-coated ninjatō slicing through the mist.
The tall Kiri-nin reacted swiftly, dodging the strike.
The female Kiri-nin immediately formed rapid hand seals. Within seconds, she exhaled a massive torrent of water.
"Suiton: Suiryūdan no Jutsu!" (Water Release: Water Dragon Bullet Technique)
A towering water dragon lunged toward Kai.
Unfazed, Kai's scarlet eyes dissected the jutsu's structure in an instant.
With a precise thrust, his blade tore through the dragon's weakest point, splitting the water formation apart and rendering it harmless.
At that moment, the male Kiri-nin launched himself at Kai.
Gracefully unsheathing his katana mid-air, he discarded the scabbard into the earth.
His movement was smooth — almost artful — yet deadly fast.
Despite small imperfections in form — wasted motion that even beginners were taught to avoid — his strikes carried a strange elegance and lethal pressure.
A swordsman? Kai mused. Or a member of the Seven Ninja Swordsmen of the Mist?
It didn't matter. He was an enemy.
The three tomoe in Kai's Sharingan spun faster.
When the blade neared within twenty centimeters of him, Kai calmly raised his ninjatō and deflected the attack with a sharp metallic clang.
Such speed and technique — Kai found himself genuinely impressed.
The Kiri-nin, however, quickly adjusted. Realizing the danger of prolonged eye contact, he closed his eyes and launched a spinning kick aimed at Kai's side.
Kai sidestepped smoothly, dodging.
At the same time, his left hand sparked with dangerous blue lightning — Chidori!
"Now! Fall back!"
The female Kiri-nin shouted, and the male warrior stomped the ground forcefully.
Kai's keen senses instantly picked up an ominous chakra surge.
"Yōton: Yōkai no Jutsu!" (Lava Release: Melting Apparition Technique)
A wave of molten magma spewed toward Kai, hissing and bubbling with deadly heat and corrosive power.
Cursing inwardly, Kai activated Shunshin no Jutsu (Body Flicker Technique) at the last second, escaping to the high branches of a nearby tree.
Beneath him, the forest floor was eaten away by the caustic lava.
Glaring at the masked kunoichi below, Kai frowned.
Strange... I don't remember someone like her from the original timeline.
In the manga, all Kiri shinobi sent after Kakashi's team were wiped out by Obito during the Kannabi Bridge mission.
There were no survivors to record their identities.
Still, Kai reminded himself — he was here, fighting for his life. These were real enemies.
Suddenly, he felt a whisper of wind behind him — the hiss of steel cutting through air.
Without thinking, Kai twisted sharply to meet the next attack.