THE UCHIHA ASCENSION

Uchiha Kiyo suddenly vanished, leaving the Rain ninja stunned.

"He charged straight into our fifteen-man Chūnin squad, killed three of us, and got away with barely a scratch—why did he suddenly retreat?"

The Rain ninja were still trying to process the unexpected turn of events. They had rushed to reinforce their comrades without a full understanding of the situation, receiving only vague reports before engaging in battle.

Now, after just one exchange, they had suffered heavy casualties, leaving them shaken. Some even started to wonder if Konoha had initiated a full-scale war.

But Uchiha Kiyo had no time to care about their confusion. He was alone, with no reinforcements, deep in enemy territory. Dragging the fight out would only be a death sentence. If he didn't retreat now, when would he?

His Underground Projection Fish Technique wasn't perfect. If one looked closely, they could spot small, uneven bumps in the ground, about the size of a fist.

Taking advantage of the Rain ninja's momentary shock, Kiyo rapidly poured chakra into his technique, accelerating his movement. By the time the Rain ninja snapped out of their daze, he had already put hundreds of meters between them.

Moments later, he emerged from underground, appearing two hundred meters away, sprinting toward Nawaki.

"He's alone! No reinforcements! There—chase him! Don't let him escape!"

The tall and thin Tokubetsu Jōnin, who seemed to be leading the squad, was the first to react. His sharp yell snapped the others out of their hesitation.

"Move! He's already killed too many of us—if we let him go now, we'll never hear the end of it!"

Realizing that Kiyo wasn't a Jōnin, just a highly skilled Tokubetsu Jōnin at best, the Rain ninja regained their confidence.

"He's dangerous up close, but if we keep our distance, we have the advantage!"

Hearing their commander's assessment, the remaining Rain ninja took a deep breath, steadying themselves. They had nearly lost their will to fight—after all, a single Konoha shinobi had torn through their ranks in a matter of seconds. But knowing he wasn't a full Jōnin reassured them.

Kiyo, however, wasn't waiting around for them to catch up.

He moved in an unpredictable pattern, deliberately covering his tracks to confuse the enemy.

After a few minutes of relentless sprinting, he finally broke away from their line of sight and found a concealed location.

"Shadow Clone Technique!"

Two shadow clones materialized beside him.

They didn't need instructions—being clones, they already knew Kiyo's plan. Without hesitation, they began inscribing a sealing formula in the surrounding air, forming a complex pattern.

Kiyo joined them, working swiftly.

With a final hand seal, the barrier activated. A thin, translucent film formed around him, sealing off his chakra signature.

This was a specialized concealment barrier—one of Kiyo's own creations, refined over three years of development.

Unlike typical barriers, this one wasn't designed for defense or entrapment. Instead, it specialized in isolating chakra signatures—both his own and any within its range.

Even if he activated a jutsu inside, no chakra fluctuation would leak out.

The only downside was that combining so many different isolation seals left no room for additional defensive capabilities. If the enemy physically attacked the barrier, it wouldn't hold.

Still, for escaping or setting up an ambush, it was perfect.

With the barrier concealing his presence, Kiyo once again used the Underground Projection Fish Technique, sinking into the earth and making his way toward Nawaki.

---

A minute later…

Over a dozen Rain ninja arrived at the location.

"Sir, the Konoha ninja's chakra signature disappeared here."

A perceptive Rain ninja scouted the area, but no traces remained.

The tall and thin Tokubetsu Jōnin clenched his fists.

"Damn it! He actually got away!"

Bringing reinforcements had given them the numbers advantage, but instead of overwhelming their target, they had lost over a dozen men.

More Rain ninja were arriving as backup, filling the gaps left by their fallen comrades. If they had just managed to keep track of Kiyo, they could've swarmed him.

But now, they had lost him.

The Tokubetsu Jōnin took a deep breath, suppressing his frustration.

"Fine. If we can't track him, we'll hunt down his teammates instead. His chakra trail disappeared, but his allies are still out there. He'll regroup with them sooner or later."

He turned to the sensory ninja.

"Send word to the other squads—tell them to close in on his companions. They're injured and slower. If we catch them, we'll find him too."

"Yes, sir!"

The sensory ninja quickly formed hand seals, sending out a coded signal to the other pursuing squads.

---

Meanwhile…

The Rain ninja pursuing Nawaki's group received the signal.

"An urgent order? What's happening? Did they lose him?"

Their leader frowned, but quickly pieced things together.

"If they're telling us to focus on his teammates, that means he slipped away. They think he'll regroup with them, so they want us to cut him off there."

He signaled the squad to pick up the pace.

Uchiha Kiyo's distraction had worked. Those two minutes had given Nawaki and Sarutobi Shuo a much-needed head start. Because most of the Rain ninja had been lured away, their trail had gone unnoticed for some time.

But now, the enemy was closing in.

"Nawaki, we need to split up. I'm slowing you down too much."

Sarutobi Shuo grimaced, his wounds making every movement painful.

"Shut up and keep moving!" Nawaki snapped. "You can still run, can't you?"

Carrying his injured teammate was indeed slowing him down, but Nawaki refused to leave him behind.

Thanks to Kiyo's initial medical treatment, Sarutobi Shuo's wounds weren't worsening, but his mobility was still severely limited.

"Shit! More Rain ninja are catching up! Shuo, bear with it!"

Nawaki gritted his teeth as he sensed multiple chakra signatures drawing closer. He tightened his grip on Shuo and forced himself to run faster.

Shuo groaned in pain but didn't protest.

"Hang on, Shuo. We're almost there."

---

At the Same Time…

Kiyo, still using the Underground Projection Fish Technique, sensed the incoming enemy chakra signatures.

He surfaced ahead of Nawaki's group and positioned himself for an ambush.

Seven Rain ninja were rapidly approaching Nawaki and Shuo.

As they closed in—

"Whoosh!"

More than a dozen kunai flew out from the underbrush.

"Ambush!"

The Rain ninja barely had time to react. Three of them failed to dodge in time—two were killed instantly, and one was critically wounded.

The survivors turned in shock.

"It's that Uchiha ninja!"

With his Sharingan blazing, Kiyo charged in.

"Earth Release: Earth Dragon Spear!"

Spears of stone erupted from the ground, impaling two more enemies.

Now, only two Rain ninja remained—one severely injured.

They barely had time to process the situation before Kiyo finished them off in three swift moves.

---

Nawaki grinned.

"Damn, Kiyo! Back already? Guess those Rain ninja weren't as tough as I thought!"

Kiyo activated his barrier again, allowing Nawaki and Shuo inside.

"This will block our chakra signatures. Keep running, but don't leave obvious footprints."

Nawaki laughed. "Man, this barrier is a lifesaver! We can finally shake them for good!"

Kiyo's expression remained serious.

"Don't celebrate yet. If we don't cross the border soon, we'll be trapped here."

---

Three Days Later—Konoha

Thanks to Kiyo's barrier, Team Three successfully escaped the Land of Rain.

Despite delays from Shuo's injuries, they finally returned to Konoha after three exhausting days.

Along the way, Kiyo treated Shuo multiple times, ensuring his condition remained stable.

They had survived.

But this mission had made one thing clear—war was coming.

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