As a transmigrator, Uchiha Nagi cherished his second chance at life more than anyone. Therefore, unless absolutely forced, he would never recklessly challenge a superior opponent with only his Jonin-level strength. That was simply courting death.
Having experienced death once before, he knew it wasn't a beautiful affair...
He doesn't look like he's lying.
Itachi frowned, just for a fleeting moment. An Uchiha Jonin could be dealt with later. He couldn't gamble with Konoha's fate, not now. After the night of the massacre, the village was already seething with undercurrents of turmoil.
He recognized this clansman. The man was exceptionally low-key, practically invisible aside from his work as a medical-nin at the hospital. Yet, he had hidden his Jonin-level strength so well that no one knew. Such deep cunning... what he said could very well be true.
Uchiha Nagi smirked. He had won the gamble...
Facing Itachi, he slowly backed away. Only after reaching a safe distance did he turn and begin his leaping escape.
Neither of them said anything as foolish as demanding the detonation scroll be left behind; both knew it was impossible.
Swish—
Uchiha Nagi moved rapidly through the Konoha forest, the wound on his shoulder already superficially healed by his medical ninjutsu.
Just as he was about to leap to the next tree, his pupils suddenly dilated. A dark shadow was rapidly circling around from behind the tree trunk.
It was the Nara clan's Shadow Imitation Technique – that insidious jutsu that ambushed opponents unseen.
The timing was perfect. As long as Uchiha Nagi couldn't fly, he would inevitably have to land on a tree trunk, and then... he'd be done for.
"Fire Style: Great Dragon Fire Technique!" Uchiha Nagi immediately formed hand seals and unleashed the ninjutsu.
This served two purposes: one, to burn away the trees and obstruct the shadow; two, any forward projection of flames would generate kinetic energy, and the resulting recoil would be enough to alter his trajectory.
However, as he landed, the situation took another unexpected turn.
"Mind Transfer Jutsu!" A voice called out, and Uchiha Nagi found himself unable to move. He had been caught.
So, this was the real killing blow—
One trap after another. This was how shinobi fought. As long as you weren't at a super-Kage level, with proper intelligence and coordination, even powerhouses like Onoki or the Raikage could be taken down through cunning tactics.
Shk-shk—
While he was immobilized, the Shadow Imitation Technique reappeared, binding him tightly.
"Heiji, the target is under my control. You can release your technique," a masked Root ninja slowly emerged from the forest.
Uchiha Nagi's eyes felt like they were about to split with rage as he stared at them, and at Uchiha Itachi, who was slowly approaching from behind.
Why? I just want to live, that's all. Just to live...
Splurt!
The hand Uchiha Nagi used to hold the detonation scroll was severed by the Nara Root ninja using the Shadow Imitation Technique, who then snatched the scroll and brought it before himself.
I don't want to die...
The excruciating pain from his severed hand, the imminent crisis of death – Uchiha Nagi's three-tomoe Sharingan began to spin with frantic speed. His spiritual energy had long since reached its peak; all that was missing was this final push.
In this life-or-death crisis, in this moment of utter despair, the chakra within Uchiha Nagi's body began to change wildly. A trace of sinister, cold energy started to mutate and surge towards his eyes.
"Not good! He's about to break free! Kill him, quickly!" The Root ninja's expression changed drastically. He pressed his hands together, desperately trying to maintain control of his Shadow Imitation Technique.
He, who could normally control several Jonin with ease, suddenly found it incredibly difficult. The target's spiritual energy was rapidly increasing.
"Understood."
The Root ninja called Heiji swiftly threw several kunai aimed at Uchiha Nagi's vital points.
I broke free!
Uchiha Nagi was overjoyed. His spiritual energy, which had surged in the face of death, allowed him to break free just as the kunai were about to pierce him.
With his medical ninjutsu, it didn't matter if he couldn't dodge all the kunai, as long as he avoided fatal hits.
"Amaterasu—!"
A torrent of black flames rushed towards him. Itachi's eyesight hadn't deteriorated to near-sightedness yet. The moment he saw Nagi's three-tomoe Sharingan begin to spin rapidly from a distance, he knew something was terribly wrong.
This was the sign of an Uchiha about to awaken the Mangekyo Sharingan.
Thus, he chose to eliminate this Uchiha straggler with his strongest and fastest ninjutsu.
Am I going to die like this?
Uchiha Nagi's three-tomoe Sharingan tracked the black flames with unprecedented speed, as if in slow motion. He couldn't dodge...
His eyes could keep up, but his body couldn't. At this moment, he didn't realize that the reason he could see the Amaterasu flames so clearly was because his three tomoe had already merged...
The next second, just 0.01 seconds before the black flames were about to touch Uchiha Nagi, he vanished. Only a voice lingered in the air...
"UCHIHA ITACHI, YOU JUST WAIT—!"
Arriving at the scene, Uchiha Itachi looked around in confusion. "Flying Thunder God Technique? Impossible. Apart from the Fourth Hokage, no one has successfully mastered it to this day. And he couldn't possibly have had the chance to learn it from the Scroll of Seals..."
————
"HAHAHAHAHA~!"
"I survived! To hell with Konoha, to hell with the Uchiha! Let them all eat shit! I've got the tenacity of a damn cockroach!"
"You're all sick in the head! Madmen! A village that destroys its own strength, a turncoat who slaughters his own kin – you're all goddamn lunatics!"
"You want to kill me? Come on! Bring it on!"
Uchiha Nagi clutched his severed arm, his hair disheveled, laughing hysterically at the sky.
He knew. The Mangekyo Sharingan he had yearned for, the "Eye that Reflects the Heart's Desires," had awakened.
"Uchiha Itachi, you just wait! Once my injuries heal, the first thing I'll do when I go back is kill that little brat Sasuke! I'll let you taste true pain!"
Uchiha Nagi gritted his teeth, his hatred for that Uchiha turncoat bone-deep. Fine, be a damn double agent if you want, but why did you have to pursue even a small fry like me who was just trying to escape?!
The people passing by on the street stared at him as if he were a madman or a murderer, fearfully shrinking away.
"A... a murderer? Quick, notify the police!"
"This person is bleeding so much!" The surroundings were a clamor of voices.
Looking around, Uchiha Nagi frowned. From the feel of it, this didn't seem to be the Land of Fire, much less the shinobi world. He had just seen a car...
The ability awakened in his left eye was something like teleportation – a power born from his desperate longing to return to the modern world, his heart's reflection of the desire to escape and survive in that life-or-death moment.
And his right eye? Uchiha Nagi wasn't sure yet. It had all happened too quickly. He estimated he'd figure out his right eye's ability within the next two or three days.
"Hey, hey, are you alright? Do you need me to take you to a doctor? There's a doctor nearby who's very skilled," a young girl suddenly approached, asking with concern.
Although Uchiha Nagi was covered in blood and his arm was severed, who could deny he was handsome? Good looks had always been a valuable asset, and the Uchiha were consistently blessed in that department.
After seeing Uchiha Nagi's face, the girl's eyes lit up. She immediately dismissed any suspicion that he might be a bad person and began to show genuine concern.
"No need~" Uchiha Nagi managed.
"It's alright. Doctor Tamayo is a very good doctor. Even if you don't have money, she'll treat you for free. And her medical skills are excellent."
"Tamayo?" Uchiha Nagi frowned.
Tamayo...
Could it be... the world of Demon Slayer?
"I..." Uchiha Nagi was about to say something more when his vision suddenly went black, and he fainted.
Chakra exhaustion.