The Hidden Mist ninja who stayed behind to ambush Konoha's strike team—
Were a standard four-man squad.
One Jonin leader, accompanied by three subordinates.
They had just relaxed, believing no Konoha ninja had reached this area—
When suddenly, a figure leapt out.
Startled, all four reacted instantly.
"That guy!"
"So there really was an ambush?!"
"He looks like an Uchiha…"
In an instant, they entered combat stance, staring warily at Uchiha Akira.
Akira opened his mouth as if to say something—
"…Forget it."
He shook his head, clearly too lazy to bother.
Then, forming hand seals—
He attacked.
"Fire Release: Great Fireball Jutsu!"
Seeing the attack, the four Mist ninja tensed—
But reacted quickly, scattering in all directions.
"Got you."
Akira smiled faintly.
With a flick of his wrist—
Four kunai shot out.
At less than fifty meters—
For someone with perfect throwing accuracy—
This was effortless.
Sure enough—
Three of the Mist ninja were instantly struck down.
Akira didn't even bother finishing them off.
From the impact points alone—
He already knew they were dead.
Only the Jonin remained.
And he was far more troublesome.
His figure flickered—
Then vanished.
The next moment, a cold voice came from above:
"Do you even know who you're facing?!"
Whoosh—
A short blade came crashing down toward Akira's head.
Fast.
Precise.
Deadly.
If it connected—
His skull would split in two.
"So fast… a Jonin indeed!"
Akira's heart tightened, cold sweat forming.
The entire exchange had taken only seconds.
Even now—
Tekka, Inabi, and Yashiro had only just arrived.
They saw the attack—
But had no time to intervene.
Akira realized—
He had underestimated his opponent.
His earlier victories had relied on advantage—
Surprise, positioning, and timing.
But this enemy—
Was different.
Strong.
Calm.
Experienced.
"Am I going to die here…?"
At that critical moment—
His thoughts flashed to Shisui's Body Flicker.
If he had that technique—
He might survive.
Instinctively, he recalled movement techniques.
Though not true Body Flicker—
He grasped similar principles.
And at that exact moment—
The system's voice echoed.
[Ding! You have comprehended Advanced Body Flicker!]
[Advanced Body Flicker allows near-instant movement and extreme reaction speed.]
A surge of knowledge flooded his mind.
Without hesitation—
He used it.
Whoosh!
He vanished.
At that exact instant—
The blade struck where he had been standing.
Cutting nothing but air.
The Mist Jonin froze.
A second later—
He looked up.
Akira stood more than sixty meters away.
Then, glancing briefly at the approaching Uchiha trio—
The Jonin's expression turned serious.
"The Uchiha of Konoha… truly live up to their name."
"You may not be Shisui… but such mastery of movement is impressive."
His gaze returned to Akira, now filled with respect.
"Are you surrendering… or begging for mercy?"
Akira smiled.
Now, he finally examined his opponent properly.
Around twenty-seven or twenty-eight.
Tall—nearly two meters.
Gray-white shoulder-length hair.
A strangely delicate face for a man.
And his eyes—
Reminiscent of the Byakugan.
The Mist ninja paused, then asked:
"What's your name?"
"Uchiha Akira."
"Enough talk. Die."
Akira moved.
Using his newly mastered Body Flicker—
He launched a rapid assault.
At such speed—
No one should have been able to react.
But as his kunai struck—
Something felt wrong.
He turned—
And understood.
The enemy's body had turned to water.
"A water clone…"
"He avoided my sight completely…"
Akira was genuinely surprised.
Looking up—
He saw the real enemy already standing near the shore.
"I'll remember you, Uchiha Akira."
"Next time… you die."
With a faint smile—
The man waved.
Then—
He transformed into a shark and dove into the sea, vanishing instantly.
"…A shark?"
Akira's thoughts stirred.
In the world of ninja—
The most famous for such techniques was Kisame.
But this clearly wasn't him.
"Maybe… someone from his clan?"
As he pondered—
Tekka and the others arrived.
Standing beside him, they stared out at the vast sea, regret in their eyes.
"That guy was strong… definitely not an ordinary Jonin."
Tekka said.
He sounded as though he was trying to justify letting the enemy escape.
But before he could continue—
Akira had already formed hand seals.
Facing the docked ships—
He unleashed a massive fireball, more than ten meters wide.