"Be careful!"
The kunoichi—bearing resemblance to a young Terumi Mei—sensed something was wrong. Uchiha Kai, supposedly caught in the Water Prison Technique, was smirking.
Her instincts flared.
Something was off.
The Uchiha were always dangerous—arrogant, yes—but undeniably powerful. And a Sharingan-wielder? Far deadlier. Even a moment's carelessness could spell death.
The male Mist-nin looked confused, then horrified.
Puff!
The trapped Kai dissolved into smoke—a shadow clone!
They'd been tricked!
Both Mist-nin drew their blades immediately, alert and wary. The surrounding mist, once an advantage, now seemed like a deathtrap. With Kai's Sharingan, every flicker in the fog could be a feint—or a fatal strike.
A breeze passed, unusually sharp, and sweat beaded on their foreheads despite the cold.
They were trained in stealth. Born in bloodshed. Yet the tension clawed at their nerves.
Suddenly, a kunai sliced through the fog with deadly precision!
The male Mist-nin spun, parrying it with his blade—but even before the clang echoed—
A blur dropped from above.
A shinobi with a glinting blade—and eyes gleaming red.
Uchiha Kai.
His sword split the air, thunder erupting from its arc. Not literal lightning—but the sound of it. Piercing, humming, crackling. As if every season's storm—spring rains, summer booms, winter dry-rumbles—came alive in one devastating strike.
Yet—no lightning touched the Mist-nin. Just dread.
In that instant, he glimpsed another version of himself. Paralyzed not by pain—but by illusion.
Genjutsu.
His mind raced. How much of his fighting style had Kai copied? How much had the Sharingan seen?
Still—he wasn't dead yet.
Roaring, he channeled chakra into his blade—Wind and Water Release combined—and swung to intercept Kai's descending sword.
Steel met steel.
But Kai twisted.
Not dodging—slipping. His body curved unnaturally midair, and his blade veered in an arc that bypassed the Mist-nin's defense.
"Raika." (Lightning Fang.)
The strike hit home—straight to the waist and abdomen.
The Mist-nin spasmed as lightning chakra surged through his system. Blood sprayed. Nerves screamed. His limbs locked up, and he collapsed to his knees—unable to move.
Defeated—by a variation of his own technique.
He stared at Kai in disbelief. How could such refined swordsmanship—so quickly mimicked, yet unpredictably twisted—exist?
Kai merely exhaled and stepped back.
He didn't finish the kill.
Not yet.
There were secrets to extract.
Kai turned toward the female Mist-nin.
"Smart move, using Water Prison in your terrain. But you underestimated me—and my eyes," Kai said, flicking blood off his sword. "Got anything else?"
The kunoichi said nothing—but raised her kunai in a defensive stance. Her eyes held resolve.
Kai nodded once—and vanished.
Body Flicker Technique.
He reappeared behind her, sword slashing down with lightning-infused force.
But she reacted—just in time. Spinning on her heel, her kunai intercepted the strike with a metallic clash.
They exchanged a blur of strikes. She was fast—but not faster than Sharingan. Within seconds, Kai opened shallow cuts along her arms and side.
If not for her instincts, she would have already fallen.
She knew it. She felt it.
This Uchiha's style wasn't just lethal. It was deceptive. His thunder-based swordplay didn't aim to kill in one blow—it overwhelmed the senses, then struck when reactions dulled.
She took a gamble.
Kai's momentum peaked.
She flipped backward.
"Fire Style: Dragon Fire Jutsu!" Kai exhaled a stream of flame.
The kunoichi clapped her hands together mid-air.
"Water Style: Water Formation Wall!"
A wall of churning water erupted before her, dousing the flames and shrouding the battlefield in steam.
The fog thickened—but her mind cleared.
She wasn't done yet.
One chance.
Chakra surged in her core as her hands formed another series of seals.
She waited.
A silhouette emerged in the steam.
Now.
"Boil Release: Skilled Mist Technique!"
A superheated mist burst forth, composed of Water and Fire chakra. The acidic vapor hissed in the air, corroding everything it touched.
But then—
Steel pierced her shoulder.
Kai had come from the other side—a clone again?
No.
The real him.
She gasped as the lightning-charged blade sent spasms through her muscles.
Her jutsu faltered, evaporating before it fully spread.
Kai leaned close, voice low.
"Not bad for someone from the Bloody Mist. But don't blink."