Chapter 5: I Need a Break

The kunai in Kei's hand lightly sliced through the Jōnin's throat with just enough force to be lethal. Uchiha Kei was quite skilled at this by now.

After all these years, and having spent so much time on the battlefield, Kei had become adept at this kind of precise killing.

Although he still found it hard to adapt to the mindset of a modern person, he had developed a calmness that matched the brutal nature of his new world.

Through self-suggestion and hypnosis, killing now felt somewhat like leveling up by defeating monsters in a game from his past life. It didn't come without any psychological burden, but it was much less than it used to be.

The world of ninjas was simple: kill or be killed. Kei had been forcing himself to adapt to this reality.

The Jōnin he faced wasn't particularly skilled or versatile. Though prepared for an ambush, Kei's speed was too much for him.

Despite his success, Kei remained humble. He knew his own limitations. His learning speed wasn't fast, even with the Sharingan, he was just at the "genius" level of a regular ninja.

The Body Flicker Technique, which Kei was particularly good at, was incredibly fast, but he knew that Minato Namikaze's Body Flicker was unmatched, even without the Flying Thunder God Technique.

Not to mention Uchiha Shisui, who earned the moniker "Shisui of the Body Flicker" for his unmatched speed.

Kei believed Shisui's speed was likely enhanced by his Mangekyō Sharingan.

Kei turned to assess the current battle. He saw Kenta speeding towards a Chūnin after dodging several attacks. His speed was astonishing, like a streak of light, and the Chūnin couldn't react in time.

Facing Kenta's lightning-fast attack, the Chūnin raised his kunai to block, but Kenta's blade deftly circled around and slashed his throat.

As their figures crossed, a crimson flower of blood blossomed in the air.

The strike was clean and efficient!

On the other side, Hyūga Aya was engaged in combat with another Chūnin. The two figures darted through the forest, with Aya's Byakugan and Gentle Fist giving her the upper hand.

Even against a Jōnin, Aya could hold her own for a long time. Against a Chūnin, she had no trouble at all.

Sure enough, after a brief struggle, Aya found an opening and struck with her Gentle Fist. The Chūnin coughed up blood and flew back, crashing into a tree and stopping only after breaking it.

With the Jōnin and two Chūnin down, plus the Genin Kenta had killed earlier, the battle was nearly over. Only two terrified Genin remained, clutching their kunai and trembling.

Kei felt a twinge of pity, remembering his own fear when he first entered the battlefield years ago. But he quickly dismissed it as nonsense.

"Clean up the battlefield; the smell of blood is too strong," Kei said calmly, despite his internal sigh. "And next time, please be more decisive."

"Yes, Captain," Kenta responded with his trademark innocent smile, seemingly forgetting that Kei had tricked him earlier.

"Hmph," Aya snorted, her Byakugan glaring at Kei. "Your skills are impressive, Kei-kun. Even without the Sharingan, you would still be a formidable ninja."

"Ha, the Sharingan is a wonderful tool. Even those not from the Uchiha clan desire it," Kei replied, unfazed by Aya's sarcasm. "But I value freedom more. Right, Aya?"

Kei wasn't afraid of sarcasm. Besides, what Aya said didn't affect him. He had the Sharingan; he just didn't flaunt it. Freedom, however, was a critical issue for a branch member of the Hyūga clan.

Sure enough, Aya's expression darkened, and chakra flared around her hands.

"What's the point of posturing? If you were serious, you wouldn't even activate your Byakugan," Kei said with a smile, unfazed. "Sorry if I was too blunt. Perhaps I should be more subtle."

"Captain, Aya-kun, what should we do with these two?" Kenta interrupted, scratching his head. "They're Genin, but we might get some information from them."

"Hmph, kill them," Aya said coldly, retracting her chakra and glancing at the terrified Genin. "That Chūnin isn't dead yet. We'll get more from him than these two. It's time to see your genjutsu skills, Kei."

With that, Aya approached the two Genin and swiftly struck their chests, giving them no time to react.

Kei didn't need to look to know the Genin were dead. Aya had vented her frustration on them.

Kei had nothing to say about that; it didn't concern him.

He walked over to the Chūnin, who was still alive but in bad shape.

In reality, Chūnin and Genin weren't as useless as portrayed in the manga. Even a Jōnin would need time to kill a Chūnin who didn't make mistakes.

But this Chūnin faced a bloodline ninja like Aya, and bloodline ninjas couldn't be judged by normal standards.

With his teammates dead and their Jōnin defeated by Kei, the Chūnin had little fight left in him.

After a quick check, Kei confirmed the Chūnin wouldn't wake up soon. They would have to take him with them.

"Ken-kun, take this guy with us. He won't wake up anytime soon," Kei ordered.

"Alright, got it," Kenta agreed, hesitating briefly before giving his characteristic smile.

"And Aya, find a cave where we can rest," Kei added.

"Hmph, leave it to me," Aya nodded, though puzzled. "What will you be doing?"

"Me? I'll be planning our next steps. And I need to rest. Don't forget, I was the one who killed that Jōnin."

"..."

(Chapter end)