Chapter 13: Nara VS Uchiha!
Chapter 13: Nara vs. Uchiha!
Whoosh—
A sharp piece of metal cut through the air, creating a piercing, shrill sound.
Nara Keisuke followed the sound and saw three extremely sharp, black shuriken flying towards him in a triangular formation.
'Who attacked?'
Nara Keisuke's brow furrowed slightly, but his body didn't move an inch.
Thud!
The three shuriken struck the ground in front of Nara Keisuke at almost the same time. The front halves of their sharp tips were buried deep in the soil, and the closest one was only half a palm's distance from the tip of his shoe. This move alone was enough to show the skill of the ninja who threw the shuriken.
The Uchiha Military Police Force member who arrived first on the scene looked to be only twelve or thirteen years old. But the eye-catching green flak jacket he wore clearly indicated that his ninja rank was at least Chūnin! A twelve or thirteen-year-old Chūnin might be considered an out-and-out "little genius" in other minor ninja clans. But for the Uchiha clan, a Chūnin of this age was nothing out of the ordinary.
The moment this red-eyed Uchiha appeared, a new mission notification popped up on Nara Keisuke's panel.
[Detected that a C-Rank Shinobi Combat Mission has been triggered!]
[C-Rank Mission: Military Police Force Member]
Mission Content: Defeat/Kill the Uchiha clan Chūnin.
Mission Reward: C-Rank Shinobi Secret Scroll.
Mission Tip: A C-Rank Shinobi Combat Mission against the same target can be completed once every ten days.
'A shinobi combat mission was triggered!'
Nara Keisuke's eyes sharpened slightly.
'This Uchiha... he really wanted to attack me just now!'
Uchiha Inabi held a short-bladed katana, his crimson eyes scanning the scene. Looking at the "fainted" civilian and the black-haired youth standing beside him, Uchiha Inabi's vigilance was unconcealed. Two black tomoe spun in his pupils, and the pressure from the Uchiha Sharingan silenced the entire scene.
"What happened here?"
If it weren't for the fact that this ordinary-looking black-haired youth had neither dodged nor blocked his shuriken just now, Uchiha Inabi probably wouldn't be questioning him right now, but would have started with a Fire Release jutsu!
"On a mission."
Nara Keisuke replied briefly, then looked around, searching for Little Tsunade's figure.
Isn't this the time for the expert to come and clean up the mess?
But Nara Keisuke looked around and couldn't find a trace of the flat-chested loli.
Tsunade was gone!
'Unreliable big sucker!'
Nara Keisuke complained inwardly and reluctantly reached for the mission scroll in his pocket.
"What are you doing?!"
Seeing Nara Keisuke's movement, the black tomoe in Uchiha Inabi's eyes spun faster, and he asked with extreme vigilance.
Nara Keisuke stopped his movement and looked speechlessly at the Uchiha Chūnin in front of him.
"Getting the mission scroll."
To be honest, Nara Keisuke had no intention of openly fighting this Uchiha Chūnin. Defeating a member of the Uchiha Military Police Force in public... Nara Keisuke could imagine with his toes what kind of troublesome aftermath that would cause. Let alone killing him!
Nara Keisuke longed for a peaceful and quiet life. For some minor daily conflicts, if he could use his mouth, he would never use his hands. Nara Keisuke felt he was very normal. They weren't mortal enemies. Why did they have to fight over a problem that could be solved with an explanation?
But he had clearly overlooked one thing. The way the Uchiha clan solved problems was completely different from normal people.
"Stop, hands on your head, and squat down!"
Uchiha Inabi drew his short-bladed katana from its sheath, the gleaming tip pointing directly at Nara Keisuke, and said curtly and forcefully.
"Injuring a civilian during a mission! For this reason alone, I have enough grounds to send you to the Military Police prison!"
Does a normal person deserve to have a sword pointed at them?
"He's no civilian."
Nara Keisuke's brow furrowed, and his expression turned cold.
"He is my mission target."
"Stop! Hands on your head! Squat down!"
The red glow in Uchiha Inabi's eyes grew stronger, and his two-tomoe Sharingan began to spin rapidly.
"Don't make me repeat myself a third time!"
"I also hate having to say something twice to someone."
A dark shadow flowed in Nara Keisuke's eyes as well.
"If you have to say something twice, it means the other person's brain isn't working well, so please don't make me repeat myself a second time."
"Resisting arrest is an additional crime!"
A flash of anger appeared on Uchiha Inabi's face.
When the Military Police Force enforces the law, since when do they need the criminal's opinion?
Body Flicker Technique!
Seeing the arrogant Uchiha Military Police Force member suddenly disappear from his spot, the surrounding Konoha residents who were watching all let out a collective gasp and consciously retreated. A battle between ninja was not something they could get involved in.
Nara Keisuke had been paying close attention to the Uchiha Chūnin's movements. Seeing him impatiently disappear with the Body Flicker, he also activated his [Lacquer Eye] jutsu at the first opportunity.
[Lacquer Eye]!
A gloomy darkness covered Nara Keisuke's pupils, and the shadow beneath his feet rippled at the same time, spreading out in all directions in a circle.
[Shadow Gathering Jutsu]!
But this "circular shadow" was not a complete flat shape in the conventional sense. Instead, it was a "shadow net" formed by crisscrossing thin, long shadows. The largest mesh of this "shadow net" was no bigger than Nara Keisuke's palm.
Even though the <
To defeat a chunin, he could only rely on the [Lacquer Eye] and the [Shadow Secret Technique]!
Uchiha Inabi, who had closed the distance with the Body Flicker Technique, had his Sharingan spinning rapidly. His extremely high visual perception allowed him to clearly observe the abnormal changes on the ground even while moving at high speed.
'Shadows?! It's one of those lazy bums from the Nara clan!'
Uchiha Inabi's eyelids twitched slightly.
According to the clan's records on the effects of the Nara clan's secret arts, the most appropriate choice when fighting them was to maintain distance and wear them down from afar. But he had already used the Body Flicker to close the distance...
'Have you Nara clan ninja gotten so lazy that you don't even wear your family crest anymore?!'
Uchiha Inabi's eyes were fixed on the shadow net on the ground, carefully observing the small empty spaces.
'As long as I avoid direct contact with those shadows, I can avoid being controlled by the shadow secret art!'
Under normal circumstances, that was true. But while Uchiha Inabi could precisely control where his feet landed, he couldn't perfectly control his own shadow. Who said the Nara clan's shadow secret arts had to make contact with the feet to achieve control?
Uchiha Inabi's linear charge using the Body Flicker Technique was his biggest strategic mistake! The moment his shadow overlapped with Nara Keisuke's "shadow net"...
[Shadow Paralysis Jutsu]!
The "shadow net" instantly came to life, capturing the "Uchiha fire moth" that was flying close to the ground like a bug net.
Uchiha Inabi, who was still searching for a place to land, instantly lost mobility in his limbs the moment he was controlled. He fell to the ground with a thud, like a dull stone.
'Not good! I'm controlled by a Nara secret ninjutsu!'
Uchiha Inabi was in a terrible mood. Although the clan's secret scrolls recorded how to break free from the Nara clan's shadow arts, he had just tried it at top speed and found that his strength was not enough to forcibly break the shadow's restraints. But even so, Uchiha Inabi did not give up hope.
'I still have one last resort, genjutsu... uh.'
Noticing that Nara Keisuke had decisively closed his eyes after controlling him with the shadow secret art, Uchiha Inabi finally despaired.
There was a rumor in the shinobi world: when facing one Uchiha, run. When facing two, attack from behind. The point was to avoid direct eye contact with the Sharingan! Even the people from Sunagakure knew how powerful the Uchiha clan's genjutsu was, especially their visual-based genjutsu. How could Nara Keisuke not be on guard against this!
Now, if Uchiha Inabi wanted to continue "enforcing the law," he had only two paths to choose from. Surrender and wait for an opportunity to launch a sneak attack; or call for backup, call his family!
Uchiha Inabi also figured out these two points, and his face instantly turned red with anger. The two tomoe in his Sharingan were spinning so fast they were almost a blur.
"I didn't expect you to be so stubborn."
Nara Keisuke said leisurely with his eyes closed.
"Then let's have a patience contest. We'll wait here together for a bigger figure to come and resolve this."
The "bigger figure" Nara Keisuke was referring to was, of course, Tsunade. But in Uchiha Inabi's ears, it sounded like the vice-captain or even the captain of the Military Police Force!
How can I let the captains see me lose to a lazy bum from the Nara clan?
Uchiha Inabi was entering a state of red-hot anger.
Just give me one more chance, I can definitely win—
"What happened here?"
A very familiar question was asked.
Nara Keisuke turned his head, opened his eyes, and looked at the newcomer.
Green flak jacket, brown hair, red eyes.
Another member of the Uchiha Military Police Force!
Seeing that the panel had not yet issued a mission notification, Nara Keisuke didn't feel any hostility and recounted what had just happened in detail.
"That's how it is... This Uchiha officer not only refused to listen to my explanation but also actively attacked me."
Nara Keisuke confessed to the older Uchiha who had just arrived, while also showing him his B-rank commissioned mission scroll.
"So I had no choice but to defeat him."
"I didn't lose!"
The red-hot Uchiha Inabi retorted.
"You ambushed me!"
Nara Keisuke pouted. A combat mission that was a sure win... running into such a stubborn, red-eyed patient, it seemed he could only claim the small minimum payout...
[You have speed-run the [C-Rank Mission: Military Police Force Member]!]
[You have obtained one D-Rank [Shinobi Secret Scroll]!]
(End of Chapter)