At the very moment the Iwa-nin collapsed, a dense mist erupted from all around, rapidly blanketing the area in white. Visibility dropped instantly—he couldn't even see his own fingers in front of him.
"A fog concealment technique?!"
Yuhi Kurenai's father, Yuhi Mako, narrowed his eyes sharply. His face darkened. This wasn't a simple distraction—someone skilled from Root or the Hidden Mist had made their move.
He immediately dashed toward the area where Fenghuo had been held up, but before he could get far, a sharp scream pierced the mist. Shuriken rained down like a storm from above, glinting faintly in the limited light.
Mako leapt aside with swift agility, evading the barrage. But in doing so, he lost track of Fenghuo's position entirely.
Fenghuo, meanwhile, was caught in the same deadly rain of steel. He maneuvered midair to meet it, parrying with a kunai in his right hand while spinning toward one of his own previously-thrown shuriken. His expression was calm but serious.
'The Hidden Mist Village may have created the Kirigakure no Jutsu… but this doesn't feel like a Mist-nin's ambush. This has to be Root... or maybe even the Uchiha.'
Fresh off the fight with the Iwa-nin and now targeted again, Fenghuo felt a chill crawl up his spine. A surge of murderous intent bubbled up within him.
"Ahhh! My hand—my hand!"
"I'm gonna die—I'm really gonna die!"
The Inoue brothers, Naka and Yue, had been caught in the ambush as well. Their cries rang out, but quickly went silent. Whether they had survived or not was unclear.
The mist distorted sound, and frantic footsteps echoed around Fenghuo, breaking his sense of direction.
'The Third Hokage had Anbu protecting me. Whoever's behind this must have sent enough people to keep them busy. And this mist technique... it doesn't discriminate between ally and enemy. That means they can't have too many assassins hidden in here—at most two. One to engage Uncle Mako, and the other targeting me directly.'
Despite the chaos, Fenghuo's mind was calm and clear.
The footsteps grew louder, closer.
'Open the Gate of Opening... and the Gate of Healing!'
Fenghuo activated the first two gates of the Hachimon, forcibly lifting the brain's restrictions on his chakra and enhancing his physical abilities. His muscles surged with power.
Zzzzt...
He drew a kunai in his right hand, while chakra coalesced in his left—forming a swirling Rasengan.
Suddenly, he felt his feet lose traction—his body was yanked into the earth.
'Doton: Shinju Zanshu no Jutsu?!'
Fenghuo's eyes widened. In a flash, he slammed the Rasengan into the ground.
Boom!
The earth erupted, dirt flying everywhere. He leapt free with a Shunshin no Jutsu. But no sooner had he landed than he sensed movement behind him—a blade slicing through the air toward his waist.
Clang!
He barely blocked with his kunai, skidding backward from the impact. A vague silhouette flickered in the fog.
Fenghuo immediately retaliated by hurling a kunai and weaving hand seals.
"Katon: Gōkakyū no Jutsu!"
A massive fireball roared through the mist. It vanished into the haze—but then, a distant explosion burst with heat and light.
Whish!
A gust at his back. Fenghuo spun around and kicked out hard.
Boom!
His foot connected—but only shattered a wooden log.
'Kawarimi?!'
Then the log erupted into flames.
His Sharingan—still at two tomoe—couldn't fully penetrate the fog, but at close range, it picked up the chakra signature in time.
"A trap?!"
The log had been rigged with explosive tags. Fenghuo didn't even have time to flicker away—he dove into a backward roll instead.
BOOM!
The explosion tore a deep crater into the ground. Fenghuo staggered out, blood oozing from shallow cuts. But thanks to his father Mattai's brutal training, he was highly resistant to pain—and he had medical ninjutsu. Without hesitation, he pressed a glowing palm to his chest, activating Shōsen Jutsu to stem the bleeding.
Rustle...
Leaves drifted through the air in the mist.
But it was midwinter.
'Leaves? No… these are explosive tags!'
BOOM BOOM BOOM!
A chain of detonations rocked the area. Fenghuo dodged frantically, his Sharingan spinning to track every flicker of paper. His mind churned.
He hadn't seen the enemy's face—not even once.
Suddenly, his foot dropped into a concealed pit.
Boom!
Explosives went off beneath him, blowing the mist outward for a brief second.
In the heart of the mist stood a figure, shrouded in shadow, with a pair of Sharingan burning crimson—three tomoe spinning.
'Damn… a Jōnin-level Uchiha?'
The figure didn't flinch, even as flames crackled behind him.
"Heh. Shunshin no Jutsu. Not bad," murmured Uchiha Kō, stepping forward with quiet confidence. He flicked a handful of explosive tags with his fingers.
BOOM!
Kō closed in through the smoke, relentless.
Elsewhere, Uchiha Rin had intercepted Yuhi Mako. Their clash rang out sharply through the haze.
Mako's eyes widened as he parried a strike. "Uchiha Rin?! It's you!"
Rin smirked. "I don't know what you're talking about."
"The Uchiha... have you sunk so low as to aid Danzō in assassinating one of your own clan's children?!"
"Silence." Rin's smile faded briefly, before he caught himself. His mission was clear: delay Mako. Kō would take care of the rest.
Mako's heart clenched. Uchiha illusions were no joke. Even with his own genjutsu skills, the Sharingan tilted the odds. Could Fenghuo really hold out on his own?
Back in the thick fog, Fenghuo was dancing through explosions, countering shuriken with desperate kunai blocks. His teeth were clenched.
"No choice. I have to break through!"
He formed seals quickly: "Raiton: Chidori!"
Electricity crackled violently in his hand. Then he sprinted straight ahead.
The fog concealment technique's radius was based on the user's chakra capacity. Fenghuo didn't believe they had chakra on par with a Tailed Beast.
ZZZZZT!
His body became a lightning bolt slicing through the mist.
"Not good!" Uchiha Kō scowled. He hadn't expected Fenghuo's combination of Hachimon and Chidori to be so explosively fast.
Fenghuo broke through the mist.
He emerged into clear air, panting—but then froze.
A shadow followed.
Uchiha Kō's figure materialized, eyes spinning.
"Not bad, brat. Escaped the mist. Even Hatake Kakashi might not have pulled that off at your age."
Fenghuo gave a bitter chuckle. "We're of the same clan. Must we be enemies?"
"…Huh?" Kō blinked.
Fenghuo straightened, face solemn. "Through a thousand rivers and mountains, love persists. Can't you let me go?"
Kō twitched. "Kid, shut up with your corny lines."
His Sharingan spun, unleashing layer after layer of illusions.
Fenghuo's vision warped. One moment he was in a misty forest—the next, a courtroom. A judge slammed a gavel onto his head.
"Granny's judging me again?!"
Furious, he spat a fireball into the illusion.
BOOM!
The judge went up in flames—but the real threat was still approaching.
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