The Kamizuru clan—a relatively small insect-using family—holds a notable status among the Iwa shinobi. In this war, they play a vital role as reconnaissance ninja.
By using bees for wide-area dispersion and scouting, no one suspects such a small creature. In this conflict against Konoha, their techniques have proven almost unstoppable, earning them considerable merit.
A bee landed on the palm of a young insect user—no older than fifteen or sixteen, with a soft, youthful face and short, neat black hair cut just to her ears.
The bee crawled several times on her palm...
"The target is just ahead—our intel was correct. Keep up!" She led the charge, quickly followed by a dozen Iwa shinobi.
These Iwa shinobi were noticeably different from the Konoha ninja—stocky, short, with thick legs and arms, looking as solid as chunks of rock.
Soon, this group appeared in the black-and-white chakra vision of the Byakugan, but Uchiha Kin was not surprised. He thought to himself: "So this is the trap Hyuga prepared—an exhausting battle, I intercepted part of their force, while the rest escaped back to their base."
He immediately recognized the "script." It was a moving setup, filled with the tragic heroism typical of Konoha's romanticized legends.
The sacrifice for "bonds" embodies the Will of Fire Konoha cherishes most—a heroic narrative strong enough to mask any inconsistencies.
Still... a faint smile curved on his lips, "Now, it seems the protagonist is me."
He clashed with the Iwa shinobi.
The dozen or so shinobi split formation, surrounding him.
One shinobi's eyes lit up, "Uchiha Kin, known as 'the man who steals souls from the Grim Reaper.' Looks like we've caught a big fish this time."
Six shinobi crouched, hands pressed to the ground; six stone walls suddenly erupted, imprisoning Uchiha Kin in the center. A red-haired, red-eyed female shinobi sneered, "You're no match for us. Surrender…"
"As a medical ninja, if you give up, your life will be guaranteed!"
"You underestimate me..." Uchiha Kin looked up, a sly smile on his lips. Suddenly, a cluster of nerves erupted from the ground, wrapping around one shinobi's foot.
Another shinobi quickly slashed with a kunai, cutting the nerves free, but the severed strands withered instantly and dissipated into the earth.
More nerves burst forth from underground like rapidly growing coral, some ends connected to kunai.
Ten kunai were linked by nerves acting as puppet strings, flying wildly in all directions.
"Swish, swish!" The sound of wind slicing through air, kunai streaking like shooting stars, their black sheen dazzling yet precise—a refined skill unique to the Uchiha, manipulating kunai and shuriken remotely.
With such intricate coordination, one man fought like ten, a remarkable transformation.
Though his eyes couldn't open, by controlling these nerves like puppets, he was no weaker than any opponent!
The Iwa shinobi struggled to block with their own kunai.
One simply hardened his arms with a jutsu, turning his limbs rock-solid, and charged headlong, blocking a kunai with his arm.
"Charge!"
The others hardened their arms in sync.
Suddenly, Uchiha Kin retracted the nerves sharply, forcing them downward to grow wildly like a pillar, lifting the shinobi high into the air.
At about ten meters high, the pillar of nerves suddenly expanded into a dense web. Uchiha Kin formed the hand seals for a Shadow Clone Technique, creating two duplicates on his sides.
The nerves split too, forming three figures—one true, two illusions—spinning and merging in the air. The dense nerve network made it impossible to tell the real one from the fakes as they descended on the shinobi.
The Iwa shinobi tried to cut the nerves, but Uchiha Kin's kunai blocked their strikes. Some nerves successfully attached to their bodies, silently piercing in and starting to grow. They could only desperately slash to free themselves.
However, large sections of the nerves were mere illusions.
Uchiha Kin lunged down, seeming not to dodge as a kunai grazed his arm, but simultaneously, he slit the attacker's throat.
Using that opening, he broke through and disappeared in an instant.
The Iwa shinobi had failed to capture a medical ninja—and had lost a comrade.
This was a humiliating defeat. Without words, they understood each other's resolve and immediately gave chase.
"Stop!" A sharp-eyed shinobi noticed the trap Uchiha Kin had set. They cautiously bypassed it, but just a few steps forward, a "boom" erupted behind them.
A blazing flame exploded a step away, one shinobi's back torn to bloody shreds, collapsing unconscious.
"Damn it! That shameless, despicable Uchiha!" The red-haired woman ground her teeth in fury, having never seen such a shameless, underhanded Uchiha.
"Enryu, tend to him. The rest of us continue the pursuit—" she left Enryu to care for the injured and led the rest forward.
"They seem to have gone!" A voice sounded behind Enryu. Bark peeled away from a nearby tree, revealing a massive nerve network coiled tightly.
Uchiha Kin's silhouette emerged from the treetop.
"You!" Enryu gasped in shock—Uchiha Kin was hiding there! "Impossible, I should have sensed you this close!"
From his high perch, Uchiha Kin wove a nerve cage, "What a surprise. Aside from that one person, you're the second I've seen with such immense, vibrant chakra."
"Red hair... you're from the Uzumaki clan?"
Such chakra is unmistakably unique.
Especially now, with the Byakugan, Enryu's chakra traits are even more distinct, making him easily identifiable.
Enryu's heart skipped, but he denied vehemently, "You're mistaken. I'm Enryu from the Land of Earth. I don't know any Uzumaki."
Uchiha Kin replied simply, "Oh," without confirming. "Honestly, whether you admit it or not doesn't matter much. Because you're about to die."
"However, I can offer you a choice. If you willingly become my vessel, I'll spare your comrades."
Would she choose "sacrifice"? Uchiha Kin was curious...