Hesitation breeds chaos.
Uchiha Shōgetsu had already made his decision—one that led him to act with careful, premeditated intent.
He'd weighed the potential consequences: injury to himself or allowing the Suna-nin before him to slip away and regroup with Veigar. Shōgetsu had considered both.
But still, he had to gamble.
Without that risk, their mission would likely fail. Worse—they would all die here.
Fortunately, the opportunity Shōgetsu had been waiting for came sooner than expected, and once again, it was Veigar who created it.
Not far from them, Veigar was retreating while engaged in a tactical skirmish. After dragging Kazuhira off to one side, he noticed that Kakashi and Uchiha had yet to neutralize the remaining two Suna-nin.
With no other choice, Veigar activated the last and most devastating trap they had laid—a contingency originally reserved for Kazuhira.
The Detonation Seal Array.
Bloodied and battered by Kazuhira's kunai—his body marred by seven or eight wounds—Veigar was nearing his limit. He knew he couldn't hold out much longer. Still, he resisted the urge to use his final trump card.
That card had been reserved—crafted—for Kazuhira alone. Unless he had an absolute opportunity, Veigar refused to play it.
He understood all too well: once he activated that final technique, if it failed to fatally wound Kazuhira, he would be left powerless—his chakra completely drained. It wouldn't be a narrow escape. It would be certain death.
Clang!
The clash of his ninjatō against Kazuhira's kunai rang out again. Deliberately leaving an opening, Veigar took a brutal punch to the gut. The impact sent him tumbling across the forest floor until his body crashed against a tree, finally skidding to a halt.
But even as he rolled, Veigar never lost sight of his goal.
When he hit the tree, bruised and gasping, and saw Kazuhira charging straight at him, Veigar whispered under his breath:
"Detonate."
At that moment, his palm, pressed against the earth, clenched and pulled back.
Revealed beneath the fallen leaves was the trap—a web of explosive tags strung together with steel wire.
Kazuhira's eyes widened in sudden realization. He hadn't expected Veigar to hold back a move like this.
But Kazuhira was a jōnin—his reaction immediate. He leapt skyward, vaulting higher than the treetops of the forest park.
BOOM. BOOM. BOOM.
A series of earth-shattering explosions rippled through the forest, echoing across the entire Hachishi District, shaking buildings and drawing attention from far and wide.
As Kazuhira rose into the air, Veigar wasted no time. With the trap sprung, he turned on his heel and sprinted toward Kakashi and Uchiha.
He had to seize this moment.
If the three of them could eliminate Kazuhira's subordinates, then—and only then—could they focus their efforts on taking him down together.
Amid the booming chaos, both Shōgetsu and Kakashi immediately understood the situation.
That was their seal array—laid in advance alongside Veigar.
Its sudden detonation could only mean one thing: something had gone wrong. Veigar had reached his limit, pushed to the brink because they'd taken too long with the Suna-nin.
Sharingan spinning rapidly in his eyes, Shōgetsu took the brief moment when his opponent flinched to leap back and weave hand signs at blinding speed.
The Suna-nin following after him saw it—saw the forming tiger seal (Tora)—and his face went pale.
Among the twelve basic hand seals, the Tora seal was typically used in high-intensity, high-damage jutsu.
And with Shōgetsu's heritage, the Suna-nin instantly realized what was coming: Fire Release.
The Uchiha were known for two things in the shinobi world: the Sharingan—and their unparalleled mastery of Fire Release.
Sure enough, after completing the seals, Shōgetsu inhaled deeply, his chest swelling as chakra surged within him. Then, in his mind:
"Fire Release: Great Fireball Jutsu!"
A massive sphere of flame roared from his mouth.
But instead of targeting the Suna-nin directly in front of him—the one he had been fighting—Shōgetsu aimed the attack at the other Suna-nin, the one locked in battle with Kakashi.
That moment of surprise was all the first Suna-nin needed to act. He charged, kunai raised, determined to strike down Shōgetsu, who was exposed after casting his jutsu.
"RAHHHH!"
He roared with fury, fully intent on ending Shōgetsu right there.
But then—a voice cut through the chaos.
"Wind Release: Shunshin Iai Slash!"
It was that voice that made Shōgetsu smile, even though an enemy kunai was mere moments from his throat.
Because he recognized it—it was Veigar's voice, from right behind him.
And Shōgetsu had seen this technique before. He trusted it—and Veigar.
Rather than dodge, he pressed forward, striking at the second Suna-nin without hesitation.
Shing!
A blade flashed through the air—cold, swift, and merciless. The Suna-nin rushing Shōgetsu heard Veigar's voice, but it was already too late.
There was no footing, no time to react. Before he could even comprehend what was happening, Veigar was at his side—his ninjatō slicing diagonally across his chest.
The searing pain twisted the Suna-nin's face into a grotesque grimace. He couldn't even scream before his consciousness vanished, blood spraying through the air.
It splattered across Veigar's already blood-soaked body, making him look like a warrior crawling from a sea of corpses.
On the other side, Kakashi didn't waste the opportunity Shōgetsu had created for him.
His opponent, staggered by the Great Fireball Jutsu and forced to abandon his stance, left an opening.
Kakashi took it.
He tossed his ninjatō into the air and immediately began forming hand seals—swift, precise, deadly.
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