Accompanied by the distorted sound of a long blade slicing through the air, countless wind currents surged around Uchiha Kai.
There were spring's warm breezes, summer's cool night winds, autumn's crisp morning gusts, and the biting chill of winter's air. Strong gales howled past like unseen specters, and swirling vortexes spun madly—as though all the winds of the world had gathered here.
Yet Kai felt no actual wind touch his skin. The unnatural dissonance made his stomach churn, and for a moment, the unease was so intense it felt like he might cough up blood.
But Kai was now certain—this swordsman from Kirigakure was no ordinary opponent. His kenjutsu, his very presence, carried an inexplicable pressure. Kai was convinced it wasn't genjutsu—his fully awakened Sharingan would have detected that immediately. No, this was something else.
It was as if this man's swordsmanship had transcended the normal boundary between technique and chakra control. Each swing of the blade infused with chakra produced not just force, but a kind of sensory illusion—pressure without presence.
Kai tilted his head slightly. Samurai did exist within the shinobi world, and when their martial discipline combined with shinobi tactics, the result could be devastating. He thought of Mifune of the Land of Iron, whose blade once clashed with Hanzo of the Salamander—the man who forced the legendary Sannin to retreat.
Kai scoffed at the comparison. He was no "demigod" like Hanzo, and he certainly didn't consider himself one. He understood well what true monsters looked like. Madara Uchiha. Hashirama Senju. Their power was beyond anything he had achieved.
Still, that didn't matter right now. His priority was defeating the opponent before him.
"Raiton: Chidori Nagashi," Kai muttered under his breath. Lightning chakra surged into his blade, creating a corona of crackling blue energy. He met the enemy's descending sword with his own, the two chakra-forged weapons clashing with a resonating boom.
His Sharingan spun rapidly, tracking every movement. Although genjutsu was not viable at this moment, the Sharingan offered other advantages—like analyzing this Kirigakure swordsman's technique.
The Mist ninja's blade emitted both wind and water chakra. It wasn't a true kekkei genkai like Ice Release, but a finely tuned elemental combination—similar to how Darui fused lightning and water into Storm Release.
Kai was fascinated. His Sharingan recorded every motion, every chakra fluctuation. If this swordsman survived, Kai might need to interrogate him about this fusion.
Matching chakra with chakra, Kai channeled a wave of pure lightning through his blade—his own chakra nature—and retaliated. Then, in one swift motion, he hurled a kunai at the woman flanking the enemy swordsman, whom Kai suspected to be none other than Terumi Mei, the future Fifth Mizukage.
"You still dare to get distracted?" the male Mist-nin sneered. He pressed the attack harder, his blade now aiming precisely for Kei's vital points with each strike.
But Kai dodged and deflected with practiced precision. Every clash looked dangerously close, yet he never truly faltered.
His swordsmanship wasn't perfect. Even though he had mimicked techniques from Kakashi and Kenta Imai, the refinement process was ongoing. But paired with the predictive power of his Sharingan, he fought like a specter—elegant, fluid, and deadly.
Even while fending off two enemies, Kai remained acutely aware of both. He danced between them like a butterfly among blades—graceful, yet fatal.
The Mist-nin and the woman—likely Mei—seemed to notice something else. Kai was not just surviving—he was learning their techniques mid-battle.
This unnerved them. The Uchiha clan was known for overwhelming speed, but Kai wasn't just fast—he was experienced. And that made them think of another: Uchiha Osamu, a feared figure said to have survived a confrontation with the Seven Ninja Swordsmen.
The male Mist-nin hadn't fought Osamu himself, but facing Kai gave him the same sinking feeling. Maybe worsea
Because Kai Uchiha wasn't here to fight Osamu Uchiha. He was here to surpass him.
Their clash continued, but Kai had seen enough. Though he couldn't replicate their elemental fusion yet, he had recorded the form. His own Arashi Cut—a lightning-based kenjutsu technique—would be enough.
Dodging a sweeping arc from the male Kirin and narrowly avoiding a sneak attack from Mei, Kai summoned his lightning chakra once more. A thousand birds screamed in unison as he formed Chidori in his left hand.
The mist that blanketed the battlefield made the piercing sound all the more terrifying—like a monster shrieking in a void.
"That's enough."
In a flash, Kai was behind the woman. His Chidori lanced toward her left chest.
Though he hadn't fully mastered the extended version of Chidori like Sasuke would in the future, at this range, a direct hit would still detonate lightning chakra inside the target's body—more than enough to kill.
But the woman reacted quickly. Kai's Sharingan registered the change—she had transformed into a Water Clone.
Still, Kai didn't stop. He had already pinpointed the real one.
His Chidori flared brighter as it pierced through the clone and surged toward the real Terumi Mei—
But something felt off.
The clone's body pulsed with chakra—and then suddenly, it expanded.
"Suiton: Suirō no Jutsu!"
The Water Prison Technique.
The water clone exploded outward, transforming into a sphere of high-pressure water that engulfed Kai entirely.
He was trapped. His Chidori fizzled out in the suffocating fluid, and his limbs slowed.
"It's over," Mei said calmly, appearing from the mist with her hands still forming the sealing signs. The male Mist-nin landed in front of Kai, blade in hand, advancing slowly.
But then… Kai smiled.
And it wasn't a smile of defeat.