Chapter 14: I'll Remember You
The Kirigakure ninjas who had planned to ambush Konoha's surprise attack unit were a standard four-man combat squad—one jōnin leading three chūnin or genin.
They had just let out a sigh of relief, thinking there were no Konoha ninjas lying in wait.
But suddenly, a figure leaped out, startling them.
"This guy!"
"There really was an ambush? A Konoha ninja!"
"He looks like he's from the Uchiha clan…"
The four Kirigakure ninjas instantly shifted into battle mode, warily eyeing Uchiha Dali, who had revealed himself.
Uchiha Dali opened his mouth, hesitated, then sighed. "Forget it."
Shaking his head, he made a hand seal and exhaled a fireball toward the four enemies in front of him.
"Fire Release: Great Fireball Jutsu!"
Seeing their opponent launch a jutsu right away, the four enemies, already on alert, immediately tensed up.
However, they did not hesitate in the slightest and quickly dodged in different directions.
"You've fallen for it."
Uchiha Dali smirked.
With a flick of his wrist, four kunai shot forward.
At this distance—less than fifty meters—his kunai and shuriken-throwing skills, which never missed their mark, made this as easy as child's play.
As expected, three of the four Kirigakure ninjas, the weaker ones, were instantly struck down.
Uchiha Dali didn't even bother to finish them off.
From the locations where his kunai had hit, he could tell they wouldn't survive.
However, the remaining Kirigakure jōnin was a bit troublesome.
In the blink of an eye, he vanished.
The next second, a cold voice came from above Uchiha Dali.
"You think you know who you're dealing with?"
With a sharp whoosh, the enemy's short blade slashed straight down toward Uchiha Dali's head.
The attack was lightning-fast and carried immense force.
If the strike landed, Uchiha Dali's head would undoubtedly be split in two.
"A jōnin's speed really is fast!"
Uchiha Dali's heart tightened, and cold sweat broke out on his forehead.
Everything had happened within mere instants.
At that moment, Uchiha Tekkō, Uchiha Dōka, and Uchiha Hachidai had only just caught up.
They could only watch in shock as Uchiha Dali was attacked.
There was no time to assist him.
Uchiha Dali realized his mistake.
The previous jōnin he had managed to kill was already shaken by the presence of three Konoha jōnin, lost his will to fight, and had been injured by Dali's kunai, making him easy prey.
But this opponent was clearly different. His fighting spirit was strong, and his strength was formidable.
"Am I going to die here?"
At that critical moment, Uchiha Dali thought of Uchiha Shisui's Body Flicker Technique.
If he knew that jutsu, he might be able to escape.
He desperately tried to recall its mechanics.
While he didn't know the Body Flicker Technique, he was well-versed in evasion techniques.
As a variation of the Body Flicker, Escape Techniques weren't as fast or far-reaching but were still useful for tracking and movement.
Just as the concept of escape techniques surfaced in his mind, a system notification rang out.
[Ding! You have gained insight into the evolution of evasion techniques, comprehending the Advanced Body Flicker Technique!]
[Advanced Body Flicker allows instantaneous reactions (within one-thousandth of a second), enabling rapid movement at blinding speed.]
Along with the system prompt, a surge of information flooded into his mind.
Without hesitation, Uchiha Dali instinctively executed his newly acquired Advanced Body Flicker Technique.
With a whoosh, he vanished from his spot.
At the same moment, the enemy's short blade slashed through where he had just been standing.
Originally, this attack would have split him in two, but now it cut through thin air.
The Kirigakure jōnin was stunned.
It took him a full second to process what had happened.
His eyes snapped toward Uchiha Dali, now standing over sixty meters away.
Then he glanced at the approaching Uchiha Tekkō and the others, his expression turning serious.
"The Uchiha clan of Konoha truly lives up to its reputation."
"You may not be Shisui of the Body Flicker, but mastering such an advanced flicker technique is impressive."
His gaze returned to Uchiha Dali as he spoke in admiration.
"So, do you plan to surrender and become a prisoner, or do you want to beg for mercy?"
Uchiha Dali smirked.
Now that he had time to examine his opponent, he took in his appearance.
The enemy was around twenty-seven or twenty-eight years old, tall—nearly two meters—with shoulder-length gray-white hair.
Despite being a man, his facial features were strikingly delicate and androgynous.
Additionally, his eyes bore a resemblance to the Byakugan of the Hyūga clan.
Hearing Uchiha Dali's words, the man hesitated briefly before letting out a low chuckle.
Instead of answering, he asked, "What's your name?"
"Uchiha Dali."
"Enough talk—prepare to die!"
With that, Uchiha Dali leaped forward, launching a fierce barrage of attacks with his newly mastered Advanced Body Flicker Technique.
At such speeds, his opponent shouldn't have had any time to react.
Yet, when Uchiha Dali's kunai sliced through the enemy's body, something felt off.
Turning back to look, he quickly realized the truth.
His opponent's body had transformed into a humanoid mass of water.
"A Water Clone?"
"He managed to deceive even my eyes…"
Uchiha Dali was astonished. He looked toward the distant shoreline.
His real opponent was already standing at the water's edge.
"I'll remember you, Uchiha Dali."
"The next time we meet… it will be your death."
The man smiled, waved mockingly, then turned and transformed into a shark, vanishing into the sea.
"…A shark?"
Uchiha Dali's eyes narrowed.
In Naruto, the most famous shark-like ninja from Kirigakure was Kisame Hoshigaki.
But clearly, this guy wasn't him.
"Could he be from Kisame's clan?"
As these thoughts ran through his mind, Uchiha Tekkō, Uchiha Dōka, and Uchiha Hachidai finally caught up.
Standing behind Uchiha Dali, they gazed at the vast ocean with regret.
"That guy was strong—he didn't seem like an ordinary jōnin," Uchiha Tekkō remarked.
He was trying to justify why they had failed to take down the enemy.
But before he could finish, Uchiha Dali had already formed hand seals and spat out a massive fireball—ten meters in diameter—toward the ships docked by the shore.
"Fire Release: Great Fireball Jutsu!"