Chapter 11 - Wounds

The moment the first Shinobi fell, a dozen Kuni whistled through the air, aimed at Ryu from all directions. His heart pounded in his chest and sweat dripped down his face as he quickly calculated the trajectory of the incoming weapons. With lightning-fast reflexes, Ryu transformed specific locations on his body into water, allowing the Kuni to pass through him harmlessly. They tore through the trees behind him, sending splinters flying in every direction.

Before the Shinobi could even blink, Ryu channeled his chakra into the branches of a nearby tree, morphing them into a whirlwind of gleaming blades. The transformed branches impaled two Shinobi lurking in the foliage, their lifeless bodies dropping to the ground.

The remaining Shinobi, realizing the gravity of the situation, flickered away from their positions in the trees. They sought new, hidden locations, making it difficult for Ryu to track them. The battlefield fell silent, tension building as each side tried to discern the other's movements.

Minutes ticked by, and Ryu's patience wore thin. As an Uchiha, he inherited an incredibly large Chakra pool, and he decided to use it. Ryu chose to gamble on a hunch, transforming a tree near the carriage into a lethal array of razor-sharp blades. His intuition proved correct as a hidden Ninja met his end, impaled on the metallic constructs.

With no other choice, the remaining Shinobi resumed their assault. Kuni flew at Ryu from all sides, slicing through the air with deadly precision. Another Shinobi materialized behind him, a short sword positioned to sever his head. Ryu felt the air shift as the blade swung towards him, and he instinctively turned his body into air. The attacks passed through him harmlessly, leaving the Shinobi momentarily stunned.

Seizing the opportunity, Ryu retaliated. A katana erupted from his back, piercing the heart of the Shinobi behind him. The man's eyes widened in shock before the light left them forever.

The wind howled as the remaining Shinobi leaped from tree to tree, their movements swift and fluid. their mere movements were so fast that they launched gusts of wind toward each other, the powerful currents intertwining and whipping around them.

This time, instead of throwing Kuni, the Shinobi unleashed a barrage of water-based Ninjutsu, the attacks cutting through the air at incredible speeds.

Ryu's heart pounded as he anticipated their next move, his instincts guiding him. He slammed his hands onto the ground, summoning a circular wall of swords that encircled him. Just in time, too, as the water balls and slashes collided with the wall, the sound of metal ringing out as the swords held firm against the onslaught.

As the water constructs burst apart, the resulting spray obscured his enemies' vision. Seizing the opportunity, Ryu transformed himself into a small pebble, hiding in the rocky ground. He could hear the Shinobi's frantic movements, their hurried whispers as they searched for him, desperate to avoid an ambush. But Ryu had already set the trap.

A Shinobi cautiously entered the sword wall, looking for any trace of his elusive enemy. As they inched closer, Ryu sprang into action. Reverting to his original form, he grabbed one of the swords from the wall and sliced through the Shinobi's throat in a single, fluid motion. Blood sprayed as the enemy fell, lifeless.

Unfortunately, Ryu failed to notice the second Shinobi keeping watch over the first. In the blink of an eye, the enemy appeared in front of him with a Kuni aimed at his shoulder. Barely dodging in time, Ryu narrowly avoided the deadly strike. However, this came at the cost of a long, deep gash on his left arm.

The pain sent shockwaves through Ryu, causing him to instinctively leap backward. Unfortunately, he found himself surrounded by a wall of swords. Realizing his mistake too late, he felt the sharp blades pierce his skin. Although the wounds weren't deep, they were far from mere scratches. Panicking, Ryu unleashed his Sharingan. He had kept it hidden until now, knowing that revealing it would be like signing his own death warrant, but his instincts took over.

The sight of Ryu's transformed eye left the Shinobi stunned, and Ryu seized the opportunity. The ground beneath the enemy erupted into a cluster of deadly spears, impaling him instantly. As Ryu panted heavily, trying to regain his composure, a sharp pain suddenly shot through his right shoulder. Turning his head, he saw another Shinobi behind him with a Kuni fully impaling his shoulder.

Fear gripped Ryu, freezing him in place. He had never been stabbed before, let alone to this extent. His mind raced with the terrifying thought of dying. Ryu gasped for breath, struggling to regain control of his body and face the relentless onslaught. While Ryu was frozen in place, the remaining Shinobi appeared before him.

"An Uchiha? No wonder our orders were to bring you back alive. Your bloodline will make a valuable asset to the Mist," said the captain of the remaining Shinobi, a group of four not counting the one who had injured Ryu's shoulder with a Kuni.

The captain continued, clearly intrigued by Ryu's technique, "But I have to ask, what's that technique you used? It has incredible potential!" Ryu struggled to maintain his composure and snapped, "Get lost!"

With his Sharingan activated, time seemed to slow down, allowing him to perceive even the slightest muscle twitches of the Shinobi. He scanned the area, desperately searching for an escape route, but found none. He was trapped, already severely wounded from the gash in his left arm and the stabs on his back. If the Kuni were removed from his shoulder, he would likely bleed to death.

The captain sneered, "So that's how you want to play? Alright then, I guess I'll just take that nice eyeball of yours!" As he reached for Ryu's eye, Ryu knew it was now or never. He channeled his power into the ground beneath the captain and the other Shinobi, transforming it into deadly spears.

The spears pierced and killed the enemies in an instant. However, the Shinobi behind Ryu, reacting in fear and panic, pulled the Kuni from Ryu's shoulder, tearing it apart and worsening the wound.

Ryu screamed in agony, losing control of his Jutsu. His original plan was to create a small number of blades to eliminate the Shinobi, but the overwhelming pain caused him to pour the remainder of his Chakra into the technique as a defensive mechanism.

The result was a sea of steel that spanned for kilometers, transforming everything from grass to flowers to trees into a mass of two-meter-tall steel blades. Everything in the area was destroyed, except for a small clearing where Ryu lay, bleeding and broken.

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I'm sorry for the long wait!!! I really am! I went through a tough time last week and my motivation was at rock bottom... Sad thing is that this week will probably also be hellish... I'm so tired!!