What does ten kilometers mean?
At full speed, a ninja could cross it in minutes.
At normal pace, at least an hour.
Right now, Hiruko couldn't see a single shadow in the distance.
What are you even talking about?!
"They're not even here yet!"
Just as he was about to argue—
Black-blue flames surged in Arin's hand, condensing into a long spear.
"What are you doing?!" Hiruko demanded.
"Sending a greeting," Arin replied softly.
Hiruko stared at the black-blue flaming spear in shock.
Such elemental control…
Was this the power of Arin's newly developed bloodline limit?
But—
"At this distance? You think you can hit them?"
This exceeded the strike range of any known ninjutsu.
Ten kilometers?
You couldn't even see the target.
A Tailed Beast Bomb might manage it.
But that hardly counted as a normal technique.
"Of course I can."
Arin tightened his grip.
Bear Hug activated—an air pressure shell wrapped around the flaming spear.
His body visibly expanded.
Exposed skin flushed red.
Fortunately, the ANBU uniform was durable.
Otherwise, he'd have exploded out of his clothes again.
Oni State.
"Fire Release: Extreme Blazing Spear!!"
He hurled it with full force.
The spear vanished instantly.
Trees in the distance were pierced through, each left with a charred tunnel.
The air itself marked its trajectory.
Hiruko caught a glimpse of a flaming afterimage racing forward.
"A clone?"
Or was it just speed so fast it left residual shadows?
He couldn't even track the projectile.
If that hit his head—
Could he survive?
…Probably not.
"Move," Arin said, already leaping to another tree. "Or they'll run."
Against Uchiha with dynamic vision—
Long-range attacks only worked once.
The first strike might kill.
The second would lose effectiveness.
And he couldn't fire them consecutively without cooldown.
Better to close the distance now.
Most importantly—
They hadn't activated their Sharingan yet.
…
Three Uchiha jōnin were moving swiftly through the forest.
"What's Kirigakure's goal?" Uchiha Tiansuke frowned.
As veterans against the Mist, they knew something was off.
The Mist never truly sought occupation.
Even in this war, they seemed half-hearted.
Whenever they held advantage, they withdrew.
When at disadvantage, they fought stubbornly.
Strange patterns.
Little did they know—
Their "training ground" was carefully arranged by their ancestor, Uchiha Madara.
The Mist was under his control.
"Probably intelligence gathering," one teammate said admiringly.
To him, Tiansuke was the rising star of the clan.
Forget Fugaku.
He couldn't compare.
"Whatever it is, we'll eliminate them," another said coldly.
"Against Uchiha, defeat is inevitable."
"With Lord Tiansuke here, the Mist are nothing."
Tiansuke nodded proudly.
He agreed.
Then—
A flaming spear appeared in front of him.
His pupils contracted.
Sharingan activated instantly.
Three tomoe began to spin—
"BOOM!!!"
The explosion swallowed everything.
The two teammates, just outside the blast radius, leapt away.
Their Sharingan flared scarlet.
Three tomoe spinning rapidly.
When the smoke cleared—
A charred corpse fell.
The invincible Lord Tiansuke—
Had fallen.
[EXP: 19998]
One Uchiha crouched on a branch, face grim.
"Black-blue flames…"
There was only one ninja known for that.
"Flame Demon—Hyuga Arin!!!"
A figure shot forward.
Arin arrived mid-punch.
"Steel Fist: Sky-Crushing Cannon!!"
The blow struck squarely.
"BOOM!"
The Uchiha was sent flying, smashing through trees in a straight line.
He collapsed at the forest's edge.
Arin stomped off a branch and launched himself like an arrow.
Black-blue flames erupted around him, spiraling into a drill-like form aimed at finishing the kill.
Yet—
The injured Uchiha smiled.
Even with death inches away.
"You saw it."
Saw what?!
The body vanished.
Wood fragments scattered.
Substitution Technique.
The Uchiha reappeared behind Arin, kunai slicing toward his neck.
"My eyes."
Arin's pupils shrank.
Flames burst outward.
The Uchiha was forced to retreat or be reduced to ash.
He quickly formed seals.
"Fire Release: Great Fire Dragon Technique!"
Four blazing dragons roared toward Arin, sealing every escape route.
Arin inhaled deeply.
The dragons were sucked straight into his mouth.
"Flame Devour."
The Uchiha's eyes widened.
"He ate it?!"
Arin exhaled lightly.
"Only converted ten percent…"
Level 1 Flame Devour wasn't efficient.
The Uchiha smirked.
"Not finished."
Suddenly—
Crimson flames erupted from Arin's own body.
They wrapped around him.
Burning.
When?!
He hadn't sensed any technique.
Transformation Technique?!
He tried to activate it—
It failed.
Arin's pupils contracted.
Something was wrong.
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