"Is that… an Amamiya ninja?!"
A Ueshi Jōnin's voice cracked with fury as he watched Raizen cut down his clan's ninjas one after another. His eyes burned like molten steel. Before anyone could respond, a Ueshi Genin came sprinting from the depths of the mine, breath ragged.
"Master Shang! The Amamiya clan ninjas are breaking through!"
"What?!" The Jōnin, Ueshisho, froze, then spun to shout orders at the surrounding Ueshi ninjas.
"Stop that kid! I'll handle the Amamiya scum myself!"
Raizen's grin was invisible in the shadows, but his thoughts ran wild: Finally, they're moving… time to play.
With a flick of his wrist, the Flying Thunder God Kunai vanished from his hand and reappeared behind the Ueshi ninja ordered to block him. The ninja never even had time to blink before his head rolled. Seven Ueshi ninjas had already died by Raizen's hand—silent, deadly, unstoppable.
The Jōnin, however, still underestimated Raizen. His focus was solely on the other Amamiya clan ninjas, assuming the small ones posed the greatest threat. Raizen's thoughts were merciless: If these ninjas are in the veins, they're already battered. Let's see how they handle me.
Meanwhile, Miyame led a squad of Amamiya ninjas against the Ueshi Jōnin. No words were exchanged—they simply collided, fists and kunai clashing in brutal precision. The tunnels echoed with the sound of combat, the walls shaking from impact. Ninjutsu was impossible here; the confined space and the fog of battle made it lethal to even attempt elemental techniques.
This was why Raizen had been so effective. Flying Thunder God and Rasengan were surgical in this chaos, carving through Ueshi ranks in seconds. Raizen swept deeper, cutting down every obstacle, while Miyame fought to break the outer defenses with his team.
Two fronts, two waves of chaos: Raizen obliterating the inner Ueshi forces, Miyame holding the outer line against the Jōnin and his Chūnin. Though Miyame's skill matched the Jōnin's, injuries slowed him, forcing him to fight bitterly to hold ground.
Raizen spotted Miyame struggling, and his patience snapped. A Flying Thunder God strike sent him teleporting to the Jōnin confronting Miyame. The Jōnin caught sight of a kunai hurtling toward him, reflexively raised his weapon… only to have a black shadow appear, slicing through his throat in a single, clean motion. Blood gushed like a fountain, and the once-proud Ueshi Jōnin collapsed.
"M… Douren!" Miyame gasped, stunned. Raizen had appeared out of nowhere, beheaded the Jōnin, and shifted the battlefield in an instant.
"I'll handle the rest—focus on these four," Raizen barked, pointing toward the remaining Ueshi Chūnin still resisting. Miyame didn't hesitate and nodded. The four Chūnin were soon slaughtered under Raizen's relentless assault.
Watching their enemies fall, the surviving Amamiya ninjas blinked in disbelief, then erupted in cheers. This gamble—the desperate push through the mine, the coordination with Raizen—had paid off. They had successfully carved a path through the Ueshi encirclement and reclaimed a fighting chance for survival.