"Shisui, forget it."
Uchiha Jin's voice was calm — too calm.
> "You can't solve this problem. Let me handle it."
Shisui froze. "Jin, you…"
He couldn't hide the surprise on his face. But Jin didn't answer him.
Instead, he stepped forward, positioning himself in front of Shisui like a shield. His expression darkened, eyes narrowing slightly as he faced the seven figures before them — the Seven Ninja Swordsmen of the Mist.
In the original timeline, it should've been Might Guy who ended the chaos on the Mist Battlefield.
But fate had shifted.
And now, he was standing here — facing legends that no genin should ever encounter.
He couldn't help but think bitterly: Even though I've tried to stay quiet and avoid the storm, the butterfly effect has already begun.
If he continued to hide his true strength, his entire team would die here.
But even if he went all out, there was no guarantee they would survive.
No way out — no safe choice.
He clenched his fists.
> "Shisui, stop talking nonsense," Jin said coldly.
"Even if we fight to the death, none of us can escape unless someone holds them back."
"I'll attack head-on. You flank from behind."
"Kazama, protect Aya. Don't fight — just stay alive. That's enough."
Everyone froze.
For a moment, the air around them felt heavier than steel.
No one expected Uchiha Jin, who always preferred strategy and stealth, to be the first to step forward into direct combat.
Could he even do it?
They all knew his mind was sharp — his tactical thinking had already saved them several times.
But this… was no strategy. This was a death match.
Even with Shisui's strength, they were still just chūnin — facing seven elite jōnin, each wielding one of the legendary blades of the Mist.
Still—
> "Alright," Shisui said suddenly, his tone firm. "I'll cooperate."
"I also want to see your true strength, Jin."
"From now on — everyone follows Jin's orders!"
Nara Kazama and Hinata Aya nodded at once.
There was no time to question anything.
On the battlefield, hesitation meant death.
---
The Seven Ninja Swordsmen didn't rush in immediately. They looked at the young Konoha team like predators watching trapped prey.
A tall, muscular man stepped forward — Watermelon Mountain Fūguki, wielder of Samehada, the great sword that devoured chakra.
> "Heh," he sneered, his voice dripping with contempt.
"Well, well… if it isn't that little Uchiha brat. Looks like fate really wanted us to meet again."
"This time, let's see where you run to."
His gills flared, and his eyes gleamed with fury.
He remembered Jin — the boy who'd escaped him once before. The humiliation still burned in his chest.
Beside him, Biwa Jūzō, wielder of the Kubikiribōchō, spoke calmly, his tone sharp and cold:
> "Don't underestimate them. These four wiped out over fifty of our outposts in the past three days. They're not ordinary kids."
Another swordsman — Ringo Ameyuri's predecessor, Kurosuki Raiga, snorted in irritation.
> "Enough talk. Let's just kill them."
"We need to throw Konoha into chaos before the Jinchūriki arrives."
Wuri Jinpachi, wielder of the Blastsword Shibuki, grinned and added,
> "Fine by me. Let's end it fast."
With that, he lunged forward — the explosive tags on his sword flaring to life.
---
"Now!" Jin barked.
His hands blurred through a string of seals faster than anyone could follow.
He inhaled deeply — chakra surging, heat radiating from his chest.
> "Fire Style: Great Fire Annihilation!"
The air ignited.
A torrent of roaring flames burst forth, engulfing the entire forest in a wave of crimson and gold. The temperature spiked instantly, scorching the very air.
Even though Jin's strength couldn't match Uchiha Madara, the sheer power of his ninjutsu was far beyond what anyone expected from a chūnin.
Boom!
The firestorm spread in all directions — trees turned to ash, and the ground itself began to crack.
> "What kind of firepower is this!?"
"He's just a genin, isn't he!?"
The Seven Swordsmen were momentarily stunned — and immediately responded in unison:
> "Water Style: Water Formation Wall!"
Massive walls of water erupted from the ground, colliding head-on with Jin's inferno.
Steam exploded into the air, filling the battlefield with a thick, white mist.
But even the strongest Water Release couldn't fully stop the fire — Jin's flames roared on, breaking through in violent bursts.
The clash created a dense fog that cloaked everything in silence and heat.
Even Shisui and the others were stunned.
Hinata Aya's Byakugan activated automatically, her voice trembling:
> "This chakra… it's enormous."
She had fought beside Jin for days — and yet, until now, she'd thought he was only slightly stronger than she was.
She was wrong. Terribly wrong.
Even most jōnin couldn't summon that kind of power.
Even Shisui, who had suspected Jin was hiding something, couldn't help but feel his blood run cold.
> "Is this… your true strength, Jin?" he murmured.
---
And then—
Whoosh!
In the next instant, Shisui vanished.
The ground cracked beneath his feet as he used his clan's high-speed movement technique — the precursor to the body flicker that would one day make him famous.
He reappeared behind Raiga, blade flashing.
> "Uchiha Sword Style — Shadow Draw!"
Clang!
Raiga barely managed to intercept the strike, his Thunder Blades: Kiba crackling with electricity as they met Shisui's steel.
> "Tch — little brat!" Raiga snarled, sparks flying from the clash.
"Fast… too fast…" he muttered under his breath, sweat trickling down his temple.
He had underestimated them — and in that split second, he knew it.
If his reflex had been a heartbeat slower, Shisui's blade would've pierced his throat.