At this moment, Uchiha Tunan and his group were rushing through the forest at high speed.
In just half an hour, they would reach a small town on the border of the Land of Fire, where Konoha had stationed resident shinobi.
As they moved, Uchiha Tunan's Sharingan caught an unusual sight—a small puddle of water on the side of the road ahead.
To an ordinary person, it was insignificant, but through his Sharingan, he could see the lingering chakra within.
A trap.
Just as the three passed the puddle, a figure suddenly leaped out of it, wielding a tachi aimed directly at Jigo, who was being carried on Uchiha Tunan's back.
The blade was just inches away from Jigo's neck when—
Clang!
Kakashi reacted instantly, drawing his White Light Chakra Saber to parry the attack. His eyes were sharp as he locked onto the attacker.
"Go ahead!" Kakashi commanded in a cold tone.
Without hesitation, Uchiha Tunan turned and ran, leaving the fight behind.
He knew a mere rogue shinobi wouldn't be enough to kill Jigo, but a part of him still felt a twinge of regret.
If Kakashi were to die... well, he'd carve a wooden sculpture in his memory and pray every day.
Jigo, still on Tunan's back, chuckled softly.
"Aren't you worried about your comrade?"
Uchiha Tunan remained silent for a moment before answering calmly, "Kakashi is strong. He'll handle it."
If he couldn't, then he simply wasn't meant to survive.
Jigo nodded knowingly, smiling.
"You're quite powerful yourself. After all, you've already awakened the Three-Tomoe Sharingan. There's no need to hide your strength."
Uchiha Tunan's heart tensed slightly, but he maintained a composed expression.
"Kakashi is strong," he repeated, avoiding the comment.
Jigo closed his eyes briefly. "Mmm. It's good to trust your comrades."
The two continued for another ten minutes when the surrounding mist grew unnaturally thick.
Uchiha Tunan, using a nearby white dove to scout through his sensory link, spotted a figure ahead—one of the Kirigakure rogue ninjas waiting in ambush.
At this point, there was no reason to keep up the act.
Jigo had already seen through him.
He stopped running and gently set Jigo down on a rock.
"Master Jigo, please rest here for a moment."
Jigo nodded with a serene smile. "Thank you for your efforts."
As Uchiha Tunan stood up, the fog around them thickened even further.
Silent Killing Technique.
A chilling voice echoed through the mist.
"I love killing Uchiha the most," the rogue ninja sneered.
"Even the Three-Tomoe Sharingan is useless in this fog."
"I'll carve out your eyes with my own hands and savor the moment."
Uchiha Tunan remained silent, his Sharingan spinning slowly.
To his opponent, this was the perfect environment. Kirigakure's Silent Killing technique allowed the user to perceive their target's every movement while remaining unseen.
But in reality, every single move the rogue ninja made was already within Tunan's vision.
"Where am I?" the rogue shinobi taunted.
Swish!
Tunan sidestepped effortlessly, dodging the katana that had sliced toward his back.
He turned slightly, catching a glimpse of his attacker through the mist.
"You're lucky you dodged," the rogue ninja smirked before vanishing into the fog again.
The silence that followed was suffocating.
The mist clung to Uchiha Tunan's skin, distorting his senses as if the rogue shinobi had melted into the very air itself.
For an ordinary person, this would be an unbearable psychological torment.
But for Uchiha Tunan, whose Sharingan could see chakra signatures, this was child's play.
He stood motionless, waiting.
The rogue ninja hesitated.
This kid wasn't reacting like a normal target.
Something wasn't right.
Deciding not to wait any longer, the rogue ninja launched another strike.
Just as his sword was about to reach its mark—
Clang!
Uchiha Tunan spun around, blocking the attack with a kunai.
The rogue shinobi's eyes widened in shock.
"In front of my eyes, you have nowhere to hide."
The rogue ninja took a step back, his face grim.
How did he predict my attack?
He prepared to launch another assault, but suddenly—
The fog thickened unnaturally.
His field of perception... was gone.
From within the mist, Uchiha Tunan's voice whispered mockingly:
"Silent Killing, right?"
The hunter had become the prey.
"Guess where I am."
A kunai flashed through the mist, slicing across the rogue ninja's arm.
He flinched.
I was injured? By a kid?!
But how?!
Then it hit him—
Genjutsu!
It's the Sharingan!
Gritting his teeth, he quickly channeled his chakra.
"Genjutsu—Release!"
The illusion shattered.
The mist cleared slightly, and his perception returned.
The wound on his arm disappeared.
So that's it. He used genjutsu to manipulate my senses.
Meanwhile, on the other side of the battlefield, Kakashi had finally slain the rogue ninja's water clone.
As the water splashed to the ground, realization struck him like a bolt of lightning.
Damn it!
His eyes widened as he sprinted toward Uchiha Tunan's location.
"Don't let anything happen to him!"
—
Back in the mist, the rogue ninja of Kirigakure grinned darkly.
"You almost had me, brat. The Sharingan is powerful, but it depends on the user."
Activating his Water Clone Jutsu, he created another illusionary copy of himself.
"You've pissed me off. Now you die."
At that moment, his real body silently emerged from a shallow puddle behind Jigo, sword poised to strike.
"I'll take care of the old man first, then kill you."
His blade sliced downward—
Splash!
His eyes widened.
What?!
His sword had cut through nothing but water.
It's a clone?!
His perception told him that Jigo hadn't moved an inch.
What's going on?!
"Where did the old man go?"
A wave of dread washed over him.
Uchiha Tunan's voice echoed through the mist, cold and mocking.
"You were so focused on me..."
A flash of steel glinted in the fog.
"...you forgot about him."
The rogue ninja barely had time to process those words before a crushing force slammed into his chest.
Darkness consumed his vision.