Chapter 15: Screwed Up!
The Iwa-nin in front of Uchiha Kei suddenly burst into smoke—it was clearly a Shadow Clone!
The Shadow Clone Technique, originally created by Konoha's Second Hokage, had long since become a common trick in the shinobi world. It's likely that some poor spy got captured, and the technique was extracted straight from their mind. Regardless of how it spread, the reality was this: any capable shinobi, regardless of their village, had mastered this once-exclusive jutsu.
Kei had just used a substitution jutsu, and now his substitute was split clean in half, turning into a pair of broken tree branches.
A cold bead of sweat slid down his forehead.
"These guys are seriously annoying," Kei thought grimly.
Even with his quick reflexes, he hadn't emerged unscathed. Blood dripped from a cut on his left shoulder. But now wasn't the time to worry about minor injuries. Just the onslaught from that jōnin alone—like a relentless storm—had Kei on the defensive, without even a second to form seals for ninjutsu.
In the manga, even a Genin like Rock Lee could give a jōnin a run for their money—hell, sometimes even defeat them in a flash. But here Kei was, fighting at a level beyond Chūnin without using his Sharingan, and yet he was being utterly overwhelmed by a nameless Iwa-nin. If he slipped up even once, he'd be flanked and killed like a nobody.
"Why is real life so unfair?!"
And with Kei trying so hard not to expose his Sharingan, it was making things all the more difficult. Without a Mangekyō, he had no true fallback option. The last thing he wanted was to be placed under Konoha's microscope. Unless… unless he awakened Mangekyō. Then maybe—just maybe—he'd consider revealing the existence of his Sharingan.
He quickly glanced over to check on Rin Nohara's side of the fight. That brought a bit of relief. Despite being generally unreliable, Hyūga Ayaka and Imai Kenta had actually followed his orders. Their arrival had eased some of the pressure on Kei—many Iwa-nin had turned to engage them instead.
This battle was far tougher than he anticipated. It wasn't that these Iwa-nin were invincible—though they were powerful—but facing multiple opponents in sync was wearing him down fast.
Without using the Sharingan, Kei had no choice but to rely on basic taijutsu and battlefield instincts. Thankfully, Minato Namikaze should be arriving soon—and with his speed, he'd be here in a flash.
At the same time, Kakashi seemed to have recovered a bit. With Kei drawing most of the attention and attacks, Kakashi had earned a few precious minutes of rest. It wasn't enough to restore much chakra, but it helped him stabilize his breathing and clear his mind.
Soon, Kakashi was back in the fray, launching himself into battle again. That gave Kei a few moments of respite. Fighting this many Iwa-nin at once was taking a real toll.
"Move faster," Kei murmured, back-to-back with Kakashi. "We're not in great shape. Don't get stuck here—we've got reinforcements just a few kilometers out. We push through, understood?"
"Got it," Kakashi replied under his breath. "Which unit are you from, anyway? Why are you even here?"
"I'll explain later," Kei answered, scanning the battlefield. "Right side. Hyūga Ayaka is there. We regroup and break through together."
"Understood," Kakashi replied crisply. Now wasn't the time for questions.
As soon as Kakashi finished speaking, Kei dashed toward an Iwa-nin, clashing blades once more. Kakashi was slower to react—his body still worn and aching—but he didn't let that stop him. Despite being covered in injuries, he fought with brutal tenacity.
He even managed to assist Kei with a well-timed sneak attack, allowing Kei to slash the enemy's throat cleanly. Unfortunately, the Iwa-nin were far from broken. Their will to fight was terrifying.
"Do they run on something like 'Will of Stone' or whatever…?" Kei wondered, annoyed.
He noticed something else disturbing: the Iwa-nin had started to fight more aggressively—no longer holding back. They must have agreed on some sort of silent cue, deciding to go all out.
Kei was getting overwhelmed fast, but Kakashi was in even worse shape. His limbs were growing heavy, his vision beginning to blur. Blood loss was taking its toll, and his strength was fading quickly.
"Damn it… these guys are locking us down tight."
Kei cursed inwardly. Then he spotted an Iwa-nin sneaking up on Kakashi from behind. His mind raced.
Dodging an incoming strike, Kei quickly pulled out a handful of smoke bombs and hurled them toward Kakashi's position. A dense cloud exploded into the air. Kei vanished with a body flicker, reappearing in the smoke just in time.
Facing the Iwa-nin who had aimed for Kakashi, Kei's eyes snapped open—Sharingan activated.
Even though his opponent was moving at lightning speed, in Kei's Sharingan-enhanced vision, it looked like the man was moving through molasses. With a slight twist of his body, Kei dodged, then shoved Kakashi out of the way.
The two narrowly avoided the enemy's deadly strike.
In that split second, Kei seized the Iwa-nin's wrist—and just as swiftly, deactivated his Sharingan.
Kakashi hit the ground hard from the push, but quickly scrambled to his feet. His right eye couldn't pierce the smoke, but his Sharingan left eye could see clearly. And what he saw made his jaw drop.
Kei, without anyone noticing, had transformed into the Iwa-nin—then sent the real enemy flying with a solid kick!
A second later, Kei (now disguised as the Iwa-nin) retreated toward two nearby enemies, blending in with perfect mimicry.
Kakashi was stunned.
"Wait… you can use Transformation Jutsu like that?!"
But Kei wasn't about to stop and explain. The Iwa-nin he had kicked hadn't realized his allies were behind him—he turned his head for just a moment and was immediately impaled through the heart by a kunai.
His body returned to normal as he fell, mouth slightly agape, trying to speak—only to die before uttering a word.
Kei wasted no time. While the two Iwa-nin thought their comrade was returning, he whipped out two kunai and plunged them into their chests.
There was no resistance.
They hadn't suspected a thing.
Too bad Kei couldn't see their faces—he imagined they must've looked absolutely stunned.
But before he could feel any satisfaction, Kei's expression stiffened.
A blinding flash of yellow appeared before him.
A kunai, slicing through the air with deadly precision, slashed straight toward his throat!
"Shit—!" Kei froze.
"I totally screwed up!"