Chapter 78: Accident
Orochimaru wasted no time, taking a decisive approach as he engaged the two Sand Jōnin, his attacks swift and ruthless. The battlefield was already shifting in his favor.
Meanwhile, the three members of Team Three had managed to cover another kilometer, putting them roughly seven kilometers away from the Sand Village encampment.
Uchiha Kiyo, despite his superior physical abilities, had intentionally slowed his pace to accommodate Nawaki and Sarutobi Shō. While they fled, Kiyo periodically launched countermeasures to slow down the pursuing enemies.
The most efficient option would have been for them to split up, but Kiyo was keenly aware of the danger that lurked ahead. Given Nawaki's fate in the original timeline, Uchiha Kiyo had to stay by his side. He refused to allow history to repeat itself.
From childhood until now, Nawaki had been Uchiha Kiyo's closest friend. Having few genuine companions, Kiyo valued this friendship deeply. For the first time in his years in this world, he was actively trying to alter a major event in the timeline.
"Qing, we should split up. We'll cover more ground that way."
Sarutobi Shō had noticed the way they were slowing Kiyo down and suggested an alternative.
"No," Kiyo responded immediately. "We can still handle the ones chasing us, but this is Sand's home territory. I'd rather not take unnecessary risks."
Rejecting the proposal, Kiyo pressed on, maintaining his watchful eye on their pursuers.
Sensing that the enemy was getting too close, Uchiha Kiyo made a snap decision.
"You two, keep going forward."
Without hesitation, Kiyo turned and hurled a volley of kunai, each armed with explosive tags.
"Boom! Boom!"
The sudden detonation caught the enemy off guard. While they survived, two Sand ninja were incapacitated, reducing the immediate threat.
With their numbers thinned, the remaining pursuers hesitated, wary of Kiyo's skill. This provided a critical opening.
"Hmph! Did they really think I was an easy target?" Kiyo muttered. He quickly formed a hand seal, launching a barrage of Phoenix Fire Jutsu to further delay them before turning to resume the retreat.
However, just as they believed they were gaining distance, an ominous sensation crawled up Kiyo's spine.
An attack was coming.
"Watch out! There's an enemy ahead!" Kiyo shouted in warning.
A blinding flash of fire illuminated the horizon.
Four massive fire dragons materialized out of nowhere, their scorching heat warping the air itself.
Trusting Kiyo's judgment, Nawaki and Sarutobi Shō immediately reacted.
Water Formation Wall!
Earth Wall Jutsu!
Each erected a defensive jutsu to block the incoming flames.
Uchiha Kiyo moved with even greater precision, erecting a sturdy earthen wall while activating his Sharingan to locate the attacker.
That's when he saw them—four masked shinobi wearing dark uniforms.
A surge of fury coursed through him.
"Root…" Kiyo growled.
Just then, the Sand ninja caught up with them.
The situation had gone from bad to worse.
Kiyo clenched his fists. Danzo's men were interfering at the worst possible time.
His mind raced, connecting the dots.
No wonder Nawaki had died in the original timeline. It wasn't just an accident.
Even if he had stumbled into a trap, there was a high chance that Root had been involved, applying pressure and manipulating events from the shadows.
Kiyo's fury intensified.
"Nawaki, Shō—keep moving! I'll hold them off as long as I can."
"But—"
"No time for arguments! Shō, stay close to Nawaki and be mindful of traps. This area is littered with them."
Reluctantly, Nawaki and Sarutobi Shō followed orders, breaking away toward safety.
One of the Root operatives attempted to intercept, but Kiyo countered with a well-placed Dragon Fire Jutsu, forcing them to defend instead.
The flames raged for several seconds. When they dissipated, Nawaki and Shō were already gone.
Kiyo exhaled sharply. One problem down.
Now, he turned his focus to the battlefield.
The Sand ninja numbered seven. Originally, there had been six, but two had fallen behind due to injuries. The reinforcements had arrived just in time to balance the numbers again.
Among them were two Special Jōnin and five Elite Chūnin.
Then there were the Root operatives.
All four of them were… Special Jōnin?
"Tch. Danzo, you scheming bastard," Kiyo muttered.
This wasn't just an ambush. This was an assassination attempt.
Four Special Jōnin weren't sent just to interfere—they were sent to kill.
Gritting his teeth, Kiyo fished a soldier pill from his pouch and swallowed it whole. He didn't even have time to chew.
Immediately, he activated his Self-Healing Cultivation Technique, refining chakra while simultaneously repairing his cellular damage.
The real bottleneck in chakra recovery was cellular exhaustion. Under normal circumstances, a ninja could only refine chakra to a certain limit before their cells needed rest.
But Kiyo's technique bypassed that limit.
As long as his body had nutrients to consume, he could recover chakra at an accelerated rate.
It was this loophole that allowed him to push his training beyond normal ninja standards. While a typical ninja could refine 4,000–5,000 chakra points daily, Kiyo could push beyond 10,000.
But now, in a real combat scenario, he found himself frustrated.
It wasn't enough.
At his current rate, he could restore about 300 chakra per minute, meaning he'd be back at full strength in ten minutes.
But he didn't have ten minutes.
"I need a faster way…"
A sudden thought struck him.
Could he isolate the raw energy from food itself?
If he could extract the natural energy within nutrients directly…
Wouldn't that be a step toward Sage Mode?
The realization sent a chill down his spine.
This idea had to wait—he was still in the middle of a life-or-death battle.
Shoving the thought aside, Kiyo tightened his grip.
Right now, he had enemies to deal with.
JOIN MY PATREON TO READ ADVANCE 45+ CHAPTERS
patreon.com/HACKDWORLD