Chapter 42: Change of Identity
In the dense forest, the roles of hunter and prey shifted constantly.
The two Uchiha shinobi, ambushed and having just lost a comrade, had quickly gone from hunters to hunted. Now, they were the ones on the run.
Clad in black vests and masks to conceal their identities, the Uchiha pair moved like wild panthers through the forest—flexible, silent, and swift. They surged forward, pushing their chakra reserves to boost their speed and explosive power. Escape was their only priority.
They weren't trying to hide their intent either. Ryosuke and his team could clearly sense it—these two were buying space for a counterattack.
"Fire Style: Great Fireball Technique!"
"Wind Style: Willow Gust!"
The older Uchiha, clearly a Jonin, suddenly halted mid-flight. His hands moved in a blur of hand seals. Spinning around, he launched a massive fireball the size of a boulder toward the pursuing trio.
Beside him, without any verbal cue, the younger Chunin completed his own set of seals. A storm of wind burst from his mouth, feeding into the fireball, amplifying it.
The gust surged behind the flame, stoking it into an even fiercer blaze. What was once a singular sphere of fire quickly morphed into a sea of flames, rushing forward like a tidal wave.
The air, already stifling under the summer sun, now turned suffocating with heat.
Even the proud Uchiha knew better than to fight the Hyuga clan in close quarters. Their decision to flee and attack from range wasn't cowardice—it was tactical.
Sometimes, your enemies know you better than you know yourself.
The rivalry between the Uchiha and Hyuga clans had deep roots. From the Academy to active duty, they'd clashed countless times. And if there was one thing the Uchiha had learned, it was this:
In close combat, when Byakugan and Gentle Fist were in play, they were at a severe disadvantage.
Unless they could land a powerful ninjutsu or genjutsu first, they'd lose. Every time.
"Eight Trigrams Palm."
Ryosuke came to a halt, eyes calm and sharp. Next to him, Souji and Hoshicai surged forward, chakra pulsing from their palms.
Their Byakugan had already dissected the enemy's chakra flow the moment those hand seals began.
With precision and timing honed through training, they struck.
Boom—
The invisible, concentrated chakra clashed with the incoming sea of fire, exploding on impact.
For a moment, the air shook with a dull roar. Sparks erupted, riding the wind in all directions. Trees, brittle from dry weather, caught instantly.
Flames spread like a disease, wrapping the forest in a blazing inferno.
And still, Ryosuke and his team remained calm.
The fire created a circle, isolating the Uchiha who were now skirting the perimeter—using the chaos as cover.
Rustle, rustle—
From every angle, shuriken whizzed through the flames, their metallic sheen cutting through the haze like shooting stars.
But Byakugan didn't lie.
Ryosuke, Souji, and Hoshicai had already predicted it. Despite the Uchiha's refined throwing techniques—deadly and precise—they couldn't hide from those all-seeing eyes.
"Don't worry about me," Ryosuke said quietly. "Stick to the plan. Keep chasing them. Force them to burn chakra. Keep your distance and avoid close combat."
Then, he added, firmly, "That's an order."
In terms of chakra reserves and physical endurance, Ryosuke couldn't keep up in a prolonged high-speed pursuit—not when their enemies were burning chakra freely to escape. Slowing them down was the goal, not becoming a liability.
"Understood," Souji and Hoshicai responded in unison.
With a flash of chakra from their tenketsu points, a thin layer of energy formed over their bodies—like an invisible shield.
Then, without hesitation, they dashed through the fire.
Though the legendary Rotation (Kaiten) was a secret technique reserved for Hyuga's main family, certain gifted branch members had managed to imitate aspects of it.
What Souji and Hoshicai used was a simplified version—a makeshift chakra armor. It lacked the full defense of true Kaiten, but it was enough to protect them from brief exposure to flames.
Their silhouettes vanished into the trees, chasing after the flickering shadows of the Uchiha.
Watching them disappear, Ryosuke turned his gaze back to the blaze surrounding him.
He focused chakra to his skin, creating the same shield technique, and slipped through the fire unharmed.
Forest fires sparked by battle weren't uncommon. But in the middle of combat, no one had time to play firefighter. Cleanup came after the fight—or not at all.
Now that his teammates were gone, Ryosuke had shifted roles. From light to shadow.
The Sharingan lacked the penetrating vision of the Byakugan. If the Uchiha couldn't physically see him, they couldn't track him. He'd gone from a perceived weak link to an unseen threat—one that could tip the balance at the right moment.
Sometimes, being underestimated was the best weapon.
Even just the possibility of Ryosuke launching a surprise attack would keep the Uchiha on edge, limiting their aggression against Souji and Hoshicai.
Despite being a child, Ryosuke was playing a man's game—and playing it well.
"Time for the real battle to begin," he muttered, excitement quietly bubbling beneath his calm exterior.
Alone now, leaping from branch to branch far behind the others, Ryosuke's thoughts sharpened.
Strategy. Strength. Terrain.
Ninja battles weren't won by brute force alone. Tactics mattered. Understanding your enemy mattered.
Every move until now had been about evening the odds. His team had turned a disadvantageous encounter into a controlled skirmish.
But now, the planning phase was over.
The time had come to test something else—his strength.
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