Chapter 157: Clone.

"If we don't leave now, the Sage Mode will be deactivated!"

"What a pity! I lost my ninja sword, otherwise I could've pulled off an Omoto 0.01 technique!"

"If I did that, today's performance would have been perfect~"

With a few leaps, he disappeared into the forest. Tōshirō was still wondering if he had gone a bit too far. Treating a girl like this, if Yekura wakes up, she might just make a voodoo doll to curse him...

He didn't finish off the unconscious Yekura, nor did he pay any attention to the stunned Sand Shinobi. These guys, being overwhelmed by Tōshirō's "ultimate moves," were still in a daze and hadn't come to their senses!

"Should we pursue him?"

After a long while, someone finally snapped out of it. But now, they were trapped in a dilemma. This difficult question was eventually posed by a clueless Chūnin, plunging the Sand Shinobi into silence. No one came forward to answer the question.

They had been scared out of their wits by Tōshirō, who had trapped them with a large-scale Fire Release jutsu. Though they barely managed to block it, it drained almost all their chakra. Not to mention, Tōshirō immediately followed it up with another powerful, single-target Fire Release jutsu. How could they possibly pursue him under such circumstances?

Staying silent wasn't a solution either. If they didn't act, the medical ninja and lower-ranked shinobi wouldn't face any repercussions, but the Jōnin wouldn't be as lucky... After the mission's failure, they would likely be assigned extremely dangerous tasks or sent to the front lines to die.

To alleviate potential punishment and avoid being cornered, the Jōnin puppeteer who had previously advised Yekura decided to speak up.

"Medical team, check on Yekura. The rest of the Jōnin, come with me to pursue the enemy..."

"The Chūnin and Genin, stay and assist the medical ninja in caring for the wounded~"

While speaking, he exchanged glances with his companion, then led the group in the direction where Tōshirō had disappeared. Once the Jōnin left, the remaining personnel quickly got busy treating the wounded and cleaning up the mess. The medical point became orderly again.

The Jōnin who went to chase Tōshirō tacitly chose a path completely opposite to where Tōshirō had fled. It seemed they were adept at misleading their superiors during missions.

"We're not slacking off; we just headed in the wrong direction..."

None of the Jōnin opposed this tactic. They all understood that risking their lives for a village mission wasn't worth it, especially in a war that was evidently lost.

"Finally managed to get rid of those Sand Shinobi!"

"It's about time to leave this place too!"

Setting down his binoculars, he looked at the rising sun and murmured. This lone figure hiding here was none other than Uchiha Tōshirō. The Tōshirō at the camp was just a shadow clone. After successfully infiltrating the Sand Shinobi's medical camp, Tōshirō had split out a shadow clone to act as an injured person while his true self quietly snuck away to this spot.

He had planned for the shadow clone to serve as a warning barrier, alerting his true self if anything happened. If his hiding place was discovered, he would leap off the cliff, using his expensive flight suit to escape.

Fortunately, he didn't have to experience the thrill of flying again. 

"Ah, the shadow clone dispersed!"

"This is..."

Just as Tōshirō was about to summon the "Mountain Eagle," a flood of memories surged into his mind.

"That guy..."

"Was he doing something embarrassing without me knowing?"

"Otherwise, how could he pull off such a shameless move~"

He couldn't believe his shadow clone used the "Awei Eighteen Style" against Yekura. He didn't know how to respond~

"Am I really just a chunin-hearted kid deep down?"

"That's impossible, given my mental age!"

"Whatever, that's not important. But the Sage Mode, using it in actual combat for the first time was truly addictive..."

Feeling the power coursing through the shadow clone, Tōshirō couldn't help but feel envious. That overwhelming power, making ninjutsu seem effortless, was intoxicating~

Even though his current abilities, excluding the Sharingan, were only at elite Jōnin level, once in Sage Mode, he could outclass any Jōnin. Charging up for half an hour and using it for five minutes felt too short. If only he could enter Sage Mode at will...

Speaking of Yekura... her… touch... was quite nice~

While fantasizing, his hands formed seals:

"Summoning Jutsu"

Standing atop the "Mountain Eagle" once more, he soared into the sky, sighing inwardly.

Despite the unexpected twists, the mission had to continue~

When could he finally travel the ninja world, meeting various two-dimensional beauties every day…

Chapter Ends