Chapter 5: I Need a Break
The kunai in Uchiha Kei's hand glided cleanly across the Jonin's throat—not too forceful, not too light, just enough to be lethal. This level of precision had long since become second nature to him.
After all, he'd been here for years. And he'd spent many of them on the battlefield.
By modern standards, it was still something hard to fully accept. But at the very least, he'd learned to find a certain calm amidst the chaos. Through mental conditioning and self-hypnosis, Kei convinced himself that killing enemies was no different than grinding mobs in a game from his past life. Not entirely weightless—but easier to carry.
Such was the reality of the ninja world—kill or be killed. Kei had long since forced himself to adapt.
This Jonin wasn't anything special. Not exactly weak, but far from versatile. And though he'd been on guard, Kei's speed was simply too overwhelming.
Still, there wasn't a shred of pride on Kei's face. He knew better than anyone what his limits were. His learning speed had never been particularly impressive—even with the Sharingan, he was only considered average among geniuses.
And as for the Shunshin no Jutsu (Body Flicker Technique)? Sure, his speed seemed impressive. But Kei was painfully aware that someone like Minato Namikaze—even without the Flying Thunder God Technique—could probably outpace anyone in the entire ninja world.
Not to mention another freak from the Uchiha clan: Shisui. Known in the future as "Shisui of the Body Flicker," that name alone spoke volumes about how fast he really was.
Of course, Kei suspected Shisui's Mangekyo Sharingan had something to do with it, too.
Turning his gaze to the battlefield, Kei quickly assessed the situation. Imai Kenta, after a few swift dodges, suddenly surged forward like a flash of light toward a Chunin opponent.
The burst of speed was stunning—like a streak of lightning—catching the Chunin completely off guard.
Unprepared, the enemy raised his kunai to defend himself. But just as the two weapons were about to clash, Kenta's wrist flicked, and his blade danced like it had a will of its own, curving around the kunai and slicing cleanly across the man's throat.
The two shadows passed each other. A red bloom of blood splashed into the air.
One strike. Clean and precise.
On the other side, Hyuga Ayaka was locked in battle with another enemy, both silhouettes flickering through the trees. With her Byakugan and Gentle Fist, she could hold her own against a Jonin—so a Chunin posed little threat.
Sure enough, after a brief exchange, she found an opening and delivered a decisive palm strike.
The enemy coughed up blood and flew back like a launched projectile, crashing through a tree before collapsing to the ground.
By now, the battle was almost over. One Jonin and two Chunins were down. Not to mention the Genin Kei had ambushed earlier.
All that remained were two terrified Genin, frozen in place, trembling with their kunai clutched tightly.
Watching them, Kei couldn't help but see a reflection of his former self—back when he'd first stepped onto the battlefield. Though he felt a flicker of pity, he knew better than to let it linger.
"Clean up the field. The blood stench is too strong," he said calmly, sighing inwardly. "And next time—be more decisive when you strike."
"Yes, Captain!" Imai Kenta answered with his usual innocent grin, as if he'd completely forgotten how Kei had baited him earlier.
"Hmph." Hyuga Ayaka gave a cold snort, her Byakugan locking onto Kei. "Kei-kun, your speed is truly beyond expectations. With that kind of Shunshin, you'd be a powerful ninja even without the Sharingan."
"Hah. The Sharingan is a great tool—who wouldn't want one, even outside the Uchiha clan?" Kei replied nonchalantly, then added with a teasing tone, "Still, I value freedom more. Don't you agree, Ayaka-chan?"
When it came to sarcasm, Kei was no amateur. And her comment? It didn't faze him at all.
After all, it wasn't like he didn't have a Sharingan—he just chose not to flaunt it. But for someone like Ayaka, a member of the Hyuga branch family, the word freedom was a far more cutting blow.
Sure enough, her expression darkened. Faint chakra ripples flickered along her hands.
"No point pretending. If you really wanted to fight me, you wouldn't even need your Byakugan," Kei said with a smirk. "Sorry, I was too blunt. Maybe I should've masked my opinion a little better."
"Captain, Ayaka-chan—what about these two?" Kenta scratched his head, interrupting the rising tension. "They're just Genin, but we might be able to extract some intel."
"Hmph. Just kill them," Ayaka replied coldly, withdrawing her chakra. "That Chunin isn't dead yet. We'll get more from him than these trembling fools. Time for you to shine, Kei-kun—don't disappoint us with your genjutsu."
With that, she moved toward the two Genin before they could react. Her palms shot forward in two clean strikes—right to their chests.
Kei didn't even need to look to know they were finished. Apparently, Ayaka had taken out all her anger on those two poor Genin.
He had nothing to say about it. Their fate didn't concern him.
He walked over to the fallen Chunin, confirming that the guy was still alive—barely. But the man's condition wasn't good.
In real life, unlike in manga, even Jonin needed time and effort to kill a Chunin if they didn't land a fatal blow.
Unfortunately, this one ran into a bloodline ninja like Ayaka. Bloodline users weren't bound by normal rules.
And with his teammates dead and even their Jonin leader slain by Kei, what kind of will to fight could he possibly have left?
After a quick examination, Kei was fairly certain the man wouldn't wake up anytime soon. Which meant they'd have to carry him along.
Standing up, Kei looked toward Kenta.
"Kenta, he's yours. He won't wake up for a while, so bring him with us."
"Uh... alright. Got it." Kenta hesitated, then gave his trademark goofy smile.
"And Ayaka," Kei continued, turning to her, "find us a cave. We need to rest and regroup."
"Hmph. Fine, leave it to me." She snorted again, then added with a hint of suspicion, "What about you?"
"Me?" Kei raised a brow. "I'll be planning our next move. And I need rest too—don't forget, I was the one who killed the Jonin."
"..."