CHAPTER 108

BOOM!

A violent explosion ripped through the forest, shaking the trees as thick smoke rolled outward in waves.

Uchiha Kai narrowed his eyes at the rising earth walls, glancing toward Kakashi, who knelt with both hands on the ground. Clearly, this time Kakashi had reacted in time, raising the Doton defense before the detonation tags could reach them. Not a scratch.

Just as Kai was about to use the Body Flicker Technique in response to the whistling of kunai through the air, he noticed the protective barrier of earth and halted.

"Tch... so that's the extent of your Byakugan," Kai muttered, drawing his ninja blade. Blue chakra surged behind the blade, crackling faintly. He didn't forget to jab at Hyūga Aya with a smirk.

Of course, Kai knew the failure wasn't necessarily Aya's fault. He had already guessed how the Iwa-nin managed to slip past their detection—Doton: Moguragakure no Jutsu, the Earth Dragon Concealment technique.

The Byakugan's field of vision extended nearly 360 degrees, but that didn't mean its user maintained constant surveillance in all directions. Without specific intelligence or a high-alert situation, even a Hyūga would focus on their immediate surroundings.

And beyond that, the range of the Byakugan was limited by the user's chakra reserves. Aya couldn't have possibly covered everything.

Kai himself had used Sharingan tricks in the past to avoid the Byakugan's detection—mostly in high-risk battles when precision was crucial. But even the Byakugan user wouldn't be recalling chakra signatures like a machine during a battle.

This was a limitation of human nature, not just of the eye. He and Aya hadn't been teamed up long enough for such weaknesses to surface—until now.

"Hmph. Instead of blaming me, Kai-kun," Aya said coolly, "maybe you should think about how we're going to handle what's next."

She turned serious. "We've got an old friend of yours."

"Old friend?" Kai's brow twitched. A moment later, realization dawned. "Loess...?"

The name flashed into Kai's mind instantly. Of all the shinobi he'd encountered during the Kannabi Bridge operation, only two had left him badly wounded and still breathing: Namikaze Minato and... Loess.

There wasn't much to say about Minato—Kai had nearly died at the Fourth Hokage's hands. But in the depths of that crisis, on the brink of death, he'd awakened his Mangekyō Sharingan. In a way, he owed Minato that terrible gift.

And the other was Loess.

Back then, Kai had been drained, split his chakra into shadow clones to lure other Iwa-nin, and hadn't yet developed any chakra-crushing techniques. Nor had he fully explored his Mangekyō. Loess had nearly killed him.

Luckily, Minato arrived at the last second and pulled Kei from the jaws of death.

"Looks like you remember the son of the Third Tsuchikage quite well," Aya said with a grim smile. "Now what do we do?"

"We fight," came the voice of Fujiu Hangpei, his expression resolute. "Kai, take the left flank. Kenta, handle the right. Aya, cover our rear. I'll face the front. Kakashi, protect Rin."

He added, "And Kakashi, signal Captain Minato immediately."

"Yes!" Kakashi responded.

Without hesitation, Kai and the others moved into formation. As soon as the earth wall crumbled, they launched into the fray, and Fujiu Hangpei charged forward to intercept Loess and his elite.

Forming hand seals, Hangpei slammed his palms into the ground. Doton: Doryūdan! A mud dragon erupted, surging toward Loess to block his advance and shield the others.

The Iwa-nin force numbered more than thirty. Kai's group? Six. The numerical gap was overwhelming.

But they weren't pushovers.

While Hangpei stalled Loess and the elite, others broke through and rushed the Konoha squad.

Kai's scarlet Sharingan spun to life. In an instant, his gaze locked onto a charging Iwa-nin. The enemy hesitated—too late. Kai's blade sang through the air and slashed across his throat.

Without breaking stride, Kai ducked under a thrown kunai and slashed upward. The hand of the attacker went flying.

Another enemy came from behind. Kai turned his blade just in time to block, then grabbed a stabbing kunai mid-air with his left hand. He twisted, using the momentum to deflect it into the path of the attacker's comrade.

A second later, blood sprayed. Two bodies fell.

His eyes flickered once more, locking onto a distant Iwa-nin mid-handseal. Sharingan genjutsu snapped the ninja into paralysis. Kai's own handseals blurred—Katon: Gōkakyū no Jutsu!

The enemy snapped out of it, but it was too late. The fireball engulfed him, and his screams quickly faded beneath crackling flames.

Kai exhaled slowly. He had eliminated five enemies within moments. But he knew—the strongest of them were only Chūnin.

Something didn't add up.

Why would Loess, a trusted commander, be leading such weaklings?

Then Kai noticed it: Hangpei had taken on Loess and two powerful chakra signatures by himself. A deliberate move, likely meant to keep the strongest away from the others.

But Hangpei wasn't doing well. He stood no chance one-on-one, let alone against three.

"Bang!"

Loess's massive leg struck Hangpei in the chest, sending him flying, blood trailing behind him.

Yet Hangpei didn't panic. As he tumbled back, he formed hand seals. The moment he hit the ground—Doton: Yansu Hōkai!

With a deafening rumble, the earth split open beneath the Iwa-nin, a jagged fissure tearing toward them.

Though Hangpei had landed in the middle of their formation, the technique's range was controlled—it wouldn't harm Kai's group.

The Iwa-nin scrambled to retreat. Loess began his own set of hand seals.

Still coughing blood, Hangpei bit down hard and formed one last set of seals. Doton: Ganbanryū Shishiku!

Slamming a chakra-charged fist to the ground, he called forth a massive wave of shattered rock and earth that surged like a tide toward the retreating Iwa-nin.

The ground trembled. Smoke and dust engulfed the battlefield.

"GO!" Hangpei roared, spitting more blood. "We're out of time—retreat now!"