"Whoosh—Bang!"
Sarutobi Enjun took out a flare, lit it, and fired it into the sky.
It burst open, creating a sparkling Konoha Spiral symbol against the continuous overcast rain.
Previously, having Uzuki Ruri send a Summoned Beast to notify teammates was for stealth.
But now that they were engaged in combat, there was no need to worry about concealment.
The priority was letting teammates see the signal immediately.
"Clang! Clang! Clang! Clang! Clang!"
The rapidly flying Shuriken were blocked by a spinning Iron Umbrella.
Even the elastic steel wires hooked behind them were severed by the sharp blades on the umbrella's edge.
Red light flashed within the Sharingan.
Uchiha Gen watched the Amegakure Ninja charging at him, using the Iron Umbrella's defense.
He retreated while simultaneously throwing several Kunai with Exploding Tags affixed to their handles.
You can block ordinary ranged Ninja Tools with the Iron Umbrella, but what about Exploding Tags?
"Boom!"
Flames erupted.
In the nick of time, the Ame Ninja Squad Leader had no choice but to abandon the Iron Umbrella in his hand.
He tossed it into the air to free his hands for forming hand signs.
"Water Release: Water Encampment Wall!"
A thick Water Release Jutsu rose up, successfully blocking the Exploding Tag's blast.
Meanwhile, the spinning Iron Umbrella flying in mid-air activated its mechanisms.
Accompanied by the sound of machinery, thin steel needles rained down like droplets.
"Ninja Art: Rainfall Senbon!"
Uchiha Gen held the Sengoku Ninja Sword, his eyes darting quickly.
Relying on the boost in insight and dynamic vision provided by the Sharingan, he accurately avoided most of the Senbon.
Even the few he couldn't dodge were deflected by his Ninja Sword.
"The enemy has the Sharingan! It's an Uchiha!"
"I'll go support the Captain! Hold them off!"
A cry of alarm rang out.
Immediately, a young Ame Ninja, carrying a Ninja Sword, rushed over to provide emergency support.
The Sharingan's fearsome reputation preceded it.
In most situations, attacking from front and back while avoiding the Sharingan's line of sight had become a consensus among knowledgeable Ninja of the Ninja World since the Sengoku period.
"Don't worry too much."
"Although this Uchiha's Fire Release is strong, his Sharingan only has one Tomoe."
"It doesn't yet possess the ability to copy Ninjutsu or powerful Genjutsu hypnosis. Just deal with him normally."
The Ame Ninja Squad Leader squinted his eyes.
At some point, a thin, long whip made of flowing water had condensed in his hand, serving as a close-combat weapon.
Water Release: Water Stream Whip.
"Yes, Captain! You take the main attack, and I'll provide distraction!"
The young Ame Ninja, holding his Ninja Sword, said calmly.
Although he was only sixteen or seventeen, he had spent several years fighting on the battlefields of the Ninja World War.
His combat readiness was certainly not in question.
"Tsk, this looks a bit troublesome."
Uchiha Gen curled his lip and involuntarily tightened his grip on his Ninja Sword.
There were five Ame Ninja in total.
He was handling two, and Uzuki Ruri was also handling two.
However, since one of her opponents was injured and the other had little Chakra left, their chances of winning were high.
Sarutobi Enjun, meanwhile, was fiercely engaged with the last remaining older Amegakure Ninja who was in perfect condition.
"Attack!"
The Amegakure Captain roared and immediately charged toward Uchiha Gen.
The latter moved his feet, spun around, and flicked his left sleeve back.
He activated Hidden Shadow Snake Hands, summoning several giant pythons to lunge behind him and obstruct the young Ame Ninja.
His Sengoku Ninja Sword was enveloped in a layer of ethereal, agile flames as he confronted the Amegakure Captain's Water Stream Whip.
"Uchiha Style: Sword Leap Slash!"
As the whip and sword clashed, Uchiha Gen immediately sensed the unusual nature of the Water Stream Whip in his opponent's hand.
It possessed the resilience of water, yet carried a sticky, viscous quality like glue.
It was heavier than ordinary water.
This was definitely a Nature Transformation of some kind of Water Release!
Uchiha Gen made this assessment immediately in his mind.
Since this Ame Ninja leader had already mastered a Water Release Nature Transformation, it meant his proficiency in Water Release had reached the Jōnin level.
His Ninja Rank was at least Special Jōnin.
If it weren't for the extraordinary sharpness of the Sengoku Ninja Sword in his hand...
And the fact that the high heat of the flames attached to the blade—though Fire Release is countered by Water Release—happened to evaporate some of the water flow, reducing resistance...
Anyone else, using a different Ninja Sword, would have immediately been hampered upon contact by the weapon's viscosity.
This would affect the precision and power of their moves, or even drag their movements along by the enemy.
That old bastard almost tricked me!
Uchiha Gen angrily raised his foot and delivered a straight kick to his opponent.
The latter did not counter-kick with Taijutsu to intercept, but instead released the Water Whip's stickiness on both sides and quickly retreated.
A sharp scratch appeared on his trouser leg.
Uchiha Gen had a switchblade installed on the side of his Ninja Greaves.
If he had tried to meet that kick, his leg would surely have been pierced through.
He failed to trick the brat, and almost got tricked himself!
The Ame Ninja Squad Leader dispelled the Water Whip and once again formed hand signs with both hands.
The reason he had time to form signs was naturally because his teammate had already killed the pythons that were interfering with him.
He had preemptively formed signs to release Ninjutsu on Uchiha Gen.
"Water Release: Water Turbulence!"
"Water Release: Raging Current Destruction!"
Two Water Release Ninjutsu struck Uchiha Gen, one following the other.
Water Release Ninjutsu were already known for their large range.
Combined with the Land of Rain's unique climate, both the falling raindrops and the puddles on the ground further amplified the power of the two Ninjutsu.
Uchiha Gen seemed to have nowhere to run.
"Snap!"
His thumb was bitten, and blood flowed out.
"Summoning Jutsu: Double Rashōmon!"
Two demon-faced gates, one red and one green, seemingly from the Pure Land Hell, appeared on either side of Uchiha Gen.
They blocked the two attacks.
Although the first red gate was overwhelmed by the Ame Ninja Squad Leader's Raging Current Destruction...
And the second was somewhat unstable under the Water Turbulence attack...
The fact that it protected Uchiha Gen meant the technique had fulfilled its purpose.
The hiss of giant snakes sounded.
Ketsuhan and Black Snake, two massive serpents over ten meters long, appeared behind the gates.
They charged toward the Ame Ninja Squad Leader like two small trains.
Their mission was simple: buy time for Uchiha Gen.
"Uchiha Style: Sword Leap Flame!"
Flames clung to the Sengoku Ninja Sword.
Uchiha Gen moved like a flash of lightning, heading straight for the young Ame Ninja.
Compared to the Ame Ninja Squad Leader, who was at least a Special Jōnin, this young Ame Ninja was the soft target and much easier to deal with.
"Clang!"
Sparks flew as the blades of the two Ninja Swords scraped against each other.
Uchiha Gen was swift and his moves were sharp, hacking at the young Ame Ninja one strike after another.
The Ame Ninja Squad Leader was tough to handle, but against this guy, Uchiha Gen could maintain suppression in every aspect!
"Clang!"
There was another crisp sound of metal clashing.
The young Ame Ninja's Ninja Sword was already full of chips.
Finally, under this strike, it snapped in the middle.
He was simply taking advantage of the poor quality of the young Ame Ninja's sword.