A Hard-Fought Battle

Hinata's jonin gritted his teeth in frustration. These two young ninja were no ordinary prodigies—they were extraordinary, monstrous, even. And worse, they were still just children. It was unnerving how they seemed to wield such powerful techniques with ease, one after another.

As the two fire dragons lunged at him, he leapt, dodging one with a swift motion, then focused all his chakra into his blade for a counterstrike. "Void Slash Strike Moon!" With this A-rank ninjutsu, a blade of energy as thin as moonlight slashed through one of the fire dragons, cleaving it in two.

With a crash, Uchiha Madara fell to the roof, blood pooling beneath him. He lay motionless, having used his last reserves of chakra. His final technique, Dragon Flame Song, was an elite jutsu he had stumbled upon by sneaking into the deepest chambers of the Uchiha clan's shrine and secretly learning its secrets. Even among the Uchiha, renowned for their Fire Style jutsus, this technique was considered formidable, capable of summoning as many fire dragons as the user's chakra allowed. Each dragon possessed the power of a typical A-rank jutsu, and Madara, as powerful as he was, could only conjure three.

But after this fight, his body was entirely drained, unable to move. "Xuan," he whispered weakly, "it's up to you now." He couldn't turn his head to see how the battle was faring.

The moment Hinata's jonin severed the fire dragon, Xuan appeared, eyes spinning red with the eerie three-tomoe Sharingan, locking gazes with his opponent.

"Damn it…!" The jonin, having faced the Uchiha on battlefields before, knew exactly what Xuan intended—a genjutsu. Without hesitation, he swung his blade back, stabbing himself in the side to jolt himself from the illusion.

Pain flared as the vision faded, bringing him back to reality. But as his senses returned, he saw Xuan charging toward him, a spiraling orb of intense chakra in hand.

"What jutsu is that?" His instincts screamed danger, sensing the orb's immense power. In his weakened state, he knew it could be fatal if it connected. With swift reflexes, he punched Xuan's arm aside, narrowly avoiding the deadly attack, though Xuan's other hand managed to slap an explosive tag on his chest. Both were thrown apart, falling heavily onto the rooftop.

The jonin, at the last moment, tore off his coat, flinging it aside just as the tag exploded, turning his coat into shreds. He panted, still reeling. His vast experience had saved him, using the pain of self-injury to snap himself out of Xuan's genjutsu in time. Yet now, his chakra was disrupted, unable to flow correctly; he could only rely on taijutsu.

"So, he's seen my Rasengan," Xuan muttered, clutching his ribs, feeling the sharp ache of broken bones. It was the worst injury he'd suffered since arriving in this world. He'd been saving the Rasengan as a last resort, intending it as a finishing blow. However, as a close-range move, it was a difficult technique to use against the quick and nimble Hinata jonin.

Letting his Sharingan fade, Xuan realized he had almost no chakra left, barely enough for one more Rasengan and a Fireball Jutsu. It was a desperate situation. Despite the odds, he forced himself back up, gripping two kunai and taking a defensive stance.

Surrendering was not an option—he'd rather die fighting than give in.

Across from him, the jonin, wounded and bloody, drew his long sword again, admiring Xuan's persistence with a trace of reluctant respect. This young Uchiha had spirit, and if he'd been part of the Hyuga clan, he might have felt some pride. Yet he knew he had to eliminate both children today, for they posed a future threat.

Steeling himself, he raised his blade, preparing to finish Xuan.

The two clashed. Each strike tore deeper into Xuan's defenses, with blood staining his arms and legs from cuts and slashes. But he could feel his vision narrowing, his body weakening from blood loss. The jonin was relentless, landing blow after blow.

Xuan's thoughts raced. If he had any chance, it would be a final Rasengan—but how could he get close enough?

Summoning his last reserves, he reactivated his Sharingan, forcing chakra to his eyes as they burned with the strain. With the jonin's next thrust, Xuan dodged, closing in with a reckless gamble.

His eyes read every detail, every faint twitch of the jonin's arm. Now or never, he thought, and lunged forward, kunai aimed for the jonin's throat in a desperate all-or-nothing attack.

The jonin's eyes widened as he smirked, confident he could dodge the kunai. "Fool…" he sneered, sidestepping with ease.

But as he did, he suddenly felt his body snared—chakra threads! In the chaos, he hadn't noticed that Xuan had used his last kunai to weave chakra threads around him.

Realizing too late, he saw the spiraling blue orb in Xuan's hand—another Rasengan, pressing against his chest.

With a final, devastating impact, the jonin coughed blood, feeling his heart shatter.

"Ding! You have killed a Hinata jonin. Reward: 5,000 points."

"Mission Complete: Assist Uchiha Madara in defeating the Hinata jonin leader. Reward: 5,000 points."

As the system's message echoed in his mind, Xuan let out a sigh of relief before succumbing to exhaustion and falling unconscious, the world fading around him.

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