Swish! Swish! Swish!
The air hissed with cutting wind as figures of Cloud shinobi flickered into view behind the Fourth Raikage, forming a loose semicircle around Uchiha Yuan.
Seeing Yamanaka Mokuno and several others leap away to regroup, a few Cloud shinobi immediately vanished and gave chase.
Boom!
Uchiha Yuan thrust his fist upward, the air violently rippling as a visible shockwave spread out from the blow.
Several figures were knocked out of stealth midair, tumbling heavily to the ground — the Cloud nin who had been pursuing Yamanaka Mokuno forced out of their Body Flicker Technique by the sheer impact.
"No one passes through me."
Uchiha Yuan spoke coldly, eyes calm as he looked down at the shinobi sprawled before him.
The Fourth Raikage grinned savagely, his fierce gaze locked on En. "I couldn't care less about those Konoha stragglers. As long as I bring you down today, this battle is ours."
Uchiha Yuan swept his eyes over the waves of Cloud shinobi continuously emerging around him. "So the Raikage of Kumogakure no longer intends to play fair with a one-on-one duel?"
The Raikage crossed his arms, replying in a cold rumble, "Uchiha brat, this is war. You should feel honored — you're the first to force me this far."
As soon as his words fell, the surrounding Cloud shinobi flickered forward in unison, launching their assault.
The air filled with the shrill whine of projectiles. A storm of kunai and shuriken rained from all directions toward Uchiha Yuan.
But at that moment, invisible winds began to whirl violently around him.
A dragon-like roar rose from within his body. The air rippled violently, distorting around him as if forming an unseen barrier.
All the incoming weapons were deflected, bouncing harmlessly away.
Then, Uchiha Yuan stamped a foot down hard — a massive rock burst upward from the ground. With a twist of his body, he punched it squarely.
Boom!
The boulder exploded into countless shards, pelting the area in every direction.
The Cloud shinobi who had closed in were caught in the blast, blood splattering across the battlefield as stone fragments struck flesh.
The Fourth Raikage snarled in anger — he hadn't expected Uchiha Yuan to take out his assault team in a single move.
Lightning burst from his frame as he charged forward like a thunderbolt.
Lightning Plough Hot Knife!
Facing the incoming strike, Uchiha Yuan pushed off the ground, leaping sharply upward to evade.
But before he could recover, another massive surge of chakra appeared.
Lightning Release — Black Panther Strike!
A gigantic panther formed of black lightning materialized and pounced, engulfing Uchiha Yuan in its maw.
Below, a new squad of Cloud shinobi arrived. At their head was a tall, lean man with long golden hair, wearing a headband shaped like two sharp horns.
Around them, dozens of Konoha shinobi lay sprawled on the ground, blood-soaked and unmoving.
One wounded Leaf ninja still clung to life, feebly crawling across the dirt — until a Cloud shinobi stomped on his neck with a cruel grin, snapping it with a crack.
Seeing this, the Fourth Raikage's grim face broke into a pleased smile. "Well done, Kurogaku."
The golden-haired man — Kurogaku — smirked. "A, so this is the Uchiha brat who's been giving you trouble? Hmph, doesn't look like much."
Another man stepped up beside him, dressed in similar garb and wearing the same horned headband — his features colder, his frame broader.
"Don't underestimate him, Akagaku," the Raikage warned darkly.
Just then, Kurogaku's expression changed. "Watch out!"
The lightning panther in the sky began to twist unnaturally — and with several flashes of black lightning, it exploded.
Kurogaku staggered from the feedback of the disrupted chakra flow, coughing as he steadied himself.
Uchiha Yuan reappeared amidst the dispersing smoke, his body wreathed in flickering blue-white arcs of electricity. Without hesitation, he hurled a kunai straight at Kurogaku.
Akagaku's weapon was a jet-black katana. His form flickered forward, stepping in front of Kurogaku as he slashed at the incoming blade.
A clear metallic clang! rang out — and Akagaku was forced back a step.
The kunai shattered into fragments, but a small chip now marred the edge of his sword.
Akagaku's expression darkened, his eyes narrowing with a predatory gleam. "Interesting… this brat really is an Uchiha, huh?"
Uchiha Yuan landed lightly on the ground, smoke curling faintly from his clothes, faint arcs of lightning still crawling over his skin.
He coughed a few times, a trickle of blood slipping from the corner of his mouth.
Such powerful lightning release… My body can barely take it. These Cloud shinobi — they're no ordinary soldiers.
He swept his gaze over the battlefield — the Konoha forces were faltering, surrounded on all sides. More Leaf shinobi were falling; the formation was collapsing.
Damn it. I didn't want to show my full strength yet.
He frowned. If he wanted to escape, he could — none of them, not even the Raikage, could truly stop him.
But if he fled now, others in Konoha would use it against him.
The name "Fierce Tiger of Konoha" had already earned him tremendous prestige. Many shinobi had begun calling him Lord En, and there were those who clearly resented that.
Facing the Fourth Raikage one-on-one, Uchiha Yuan didn't fear him. From their clashes, he knew the Raikage's physical power far surpassed his own — but in terms of chakra quality and reserves, En's were undeniably greater.
That immense chakra was what allowed him to endure the Raikage's furious attacks until now.
But the Raikage had lost patience; to bring him down, he'd ordered his entire army to surround the area.
"A, let me be the one to deal with this Uchiha brat first," Akagaku said, stepping forward with a cruel grin. "After all, it's been a long time since I wanted to test the strength of the Uchiha clan."
The Raikage folded his arms. "Akagaku, don't underestimate him. If you get careless, you'll be the one embarrassed."
Akagaku licked his lips, eyes flashing coldly. "Heh. Then watch closely, A — I'll show you how I twist this brat's head off."
The words had barely left his mouth when his figure vanished.
A fierce gust of wind burst across the ground, surging straight toward Uchiha Yuan.
Everywhere the gust passed, the ground split open, as if countless invisible blades were hidden within the storm.
A faint golden gleam flickered between En's brows as his chakra worked rapidly to heal the internal damage left by the black lightning.
Sensing the strange gale approaching, he twisted aside, narrowly avoiding it.
But at that instant, Akagaku's figure appeared behind him — a cruel grin splitting his face as he swung his blade at En's neck.
A clean beheading strike, aimed to take his head in one blow.
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