Lao Ba casually tossed aside the bloodstained machete, his lips curling into a sly grin as he strolled forward.
"When we meet for the first time, you can call me… Crow Ghost."
Boom!
A smoke bomb burst, and from the haze emerged a masked ninja—his face obscured by a blue ANBU-style crow mask.
"That mask…" Fenghuo's pupils shrank, but he quickly composed himself.
"Heh. So you're familiar with it," Lao Ba sneered. "All the better. This mask was handed down to me—along with the mission of its previous owner."
"Interesting." Fenghuo scoffed. So it's Root again. Danzo just can't help himself, huh? Gotta pull everyone onto his cursed little ship.
"You already know my purpose," Lao Ba said coldly. "Surrender—or die."
"Stop trying to scare civilians with that tone." Fenghuo smirked.
He knew Konoha's regulations well. Jōnin, in particular, were tightly monitored and rarely permitted to leave the village without direct approval from the Hokage. Even Root members, despite their secrecy, were still under that jurisdiction. That meant this guy likely wasn't even Jōnin.
Probably a Chūnin, tops.
"Is that your final answer?" Lao Ba took a stance, twin kunai in both hands, aimed directly at Fenghuo's throat.
"My answer is simple…" Fenghuo's eyes gleamed. "My fate is mine to shape!"
"Then die!"
Lao Ba lunged.
Fenghuo's hands blurred into seals—his speed had improved again, down to half a second per jutsu.
"Katon: Gōkakyū no Jutsu!"
Boom!
A massive fireball roared forward, swallowing Lao Ba and crashing into the trees beyond in a wave of heat and smoke.
But a voice shouted from above—
"Brat! This isn't a game!"
Lao Ba dropped from midair, hands already in the final seal.
"Suiton: Mizurappa!"
Fenghuo looked up—Lao Ba's cheeks bulged like a toad's. A massive torrent of water gushed from his mouth.
Fenghuo leapt aside, but—
"Suiton: Mizu no Muchi!"
A whip of water lashed around Fenghuo's ankle, dragging him mid-air.
"Raiton: Shiden!"
CRACK!
Lightning surged along the water whip, striking Fenghuo dead on.
Boom!
Smoke erupted—and Fenghuo's form dispersed.
"A shadow clone?" Lao Ba frowned, scanning the area. He slowly pivoted, alert.
Hidden in the shadows, Fenghuo assessed his opponent. His seal speed is slightly faster than mine… If it comes down to jutsu, I'll need my Sharingan.
"Perfect," he murmured. "I've been wanting to test my eyes."
But Lao Ba had already spotted the real him, tearing through underbrush with another water whip.
"Give it up, Uchiha Fenghuo!" he snarled, forming new seals rapidly.
Yin → Chou → Shen → Zi → Hai → Chou…
"Huh?" Lao Ba's eyes widened.
Fenghuo was mirroring his hand seals—exactly.
He stared back, and for the first time, noticed Fenghuo's eyes: twin tomoe Sharingan, spinning.
"Impossible! That intel didn't say anything about him awakening Sharingan!"
Panic flickered in Lao Ba's expression, but he forced it down. So what? Double tomoe can't fully track high-level techniques! And this one—this one takes serious chakra control!
He continued the seals:
Uma → Asa → Ne → Kai → In → Tomoe → Kei…
Fenghuo did the same.
"Raiton: Ikazuchi no Tora!"
"Raiton: Ikazuchi no Tora!"
CRACKLE—BOOM!
Two massive blue thunder tigers surged forward, lightning wrapping their forms as they collided midair.
KA-BOOM!
The explosion of energy flattened the nearby trees and blew the two combatants apart.
They landed roughly but upright.
Lao Ba spat blood. "You… You're not just some Uchiha punk. You've got chakra reserves nearing a Chūnin…"
Fenghuo's Sharingan remained locked on him.
Lao Ba began forming seals again.
Fenghuo moved to copy, then stopped. No—this is a water-style jutsu. I haven't mastered water-nature transformation, and my chakra only has fire and lightning attributes… damn it!
He gritted his teeth, but forced himself to calm down.
Then I'll finish this with taijutsu!
"Gate of Opening: Kai!"
Fenghuo released the first gate. A surge of chakra rushed through his body, pushing his speed and strength higher.
"Suiton: Mizurappa!"
"Konoha Senpū!"
BAM!
Fenghuo's kick split the water wave and continued forward, forcing Lao Ba to dodge with a shunshin.
The enemy tried to launch another water-style technique—
But Fenghuo paused, eyes narrowing.
Something's wrong… Danzo wouldn't send an average Chūnin to eliminate me. And this guy? He's strong, but not exceptional. His skill's below Jōnin. He shouldn't be a solo assassin.
His Sharingan scanned again. Nothing unusual about Lao Ba.
Then… what about—
His eyes flicked to the "body" lying behind them. The one that hasn't moved.
Fenghuo smirked.
Found you.
He exchanged a few more moves with Lao Ba, pretending to struggle, slowly retreating.
Lao Ba's eyes glinted with satisfaction, pressing the advantage.
Almost there… just a little more…
"Now!" Lao Qi, the "dead" one, sprang up behind Fenghuo, thrusting a blade at his throat.
"Gotcha! Rasengan!"
WHAM!
"Wha—how do you—?!"
Boom!
Lao Ba vanished in smoke. Just another clone.
But Lao Qi had taken the full hit, chest crushed inwards, dead before he hit the ground.
Fenghuo panted, dropping his stance. The Eight Gates closed. His body ached all over.
"Close call…"
Danzo's men were ruthless. Even when one had the advantage, the real one hid, waiting for a cheap kill.
"Luckily, I'm more paranoid than they are."
He looked back.
"AAAHHH—Don't kill me!"
A scream rang out behind him.
The goateed merchant—who had been under a genjutsu—stumbled awake and looked around at the corpses, blood draining from his face. He bolted for the town, screaming.
Fenghuo narrowed his eyes. That man had worked with bandits—colluding against the villagers.
At his feet, a fallen machete.
He kicked it.
The blade spun in the air and struck the fleeing man squarely in the back.
You don't get to betray people and walk away. Not in this world.
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