Chapter 43: Uchiha Qiye: "Aren't you going to go up? Then I go up first!" [1]

Right on the border of the Fire Nation, a war was about to erupt.

Nearly a thousand ninjas from Sunagakure gathered, and though Konoha Village had over 300 shinobi stationed here, this was merely one outpost. When counting the forces from other nearby bases, Konoha had thousands of shinobi. However, for the time being, only the 300 stationed at this location were available to resist the advancing enemy. If they failed to hold off the attack and allow reinforcements to arrive, the enemy would breach the defensive line and invade the Fire Nation.

That would be disastrous.

"Charge! Defeat Konoha and enter the Fire Nation!" commanded a man with blue hair and yellow eyes, wearing the white robe of the Kazekage over a blue ninja suit. He appeared to be flying above the Sand shinobi but was, in fact, using Magnet Style to stand on a floating disc of iron sand. This was the current Kazekage, the Third Kazekage, hailed as the strongest in the history of Sunagakure.

Whether that reputation was fully deserved, only some knew.

At his command, the Sunagakure ninjas let out a roar and charged forward.

"Everyone, don't let them cross the border into the Fire Nation!" shouted Jiraiya, leading the 300 Konoha shinobi into battle.

Of these Konoha shinobi, only about twenty were Jōnin. The majority were Chūnin, comprising two-thirds of the group, with the remaining third being Genin. Despite the disparity in numbers, the presence of three Kage-level shinobi—Jiraiya, Tsunade, and Uchiha Qiye—gave the Konoha forces confidence.

Though the shinobi trusted Jiraiya and Tsunade, Uchiha Qiye was largely unknown to them, and his presence didn't inspire much confidence. To them, he was just an unfamiliar face. Konoha's forces felt reassured with Jiraiya and Tsunade, dismissing Uchiha Qiye as an irrelevant figure in the battle.

Uchiha Qiye's reputation was mostly known within Konoha itself. He had graduated from the academy at the age of five and, in his early graduation assessment, had defeated one Chūnin and three Jōnin, earning him the title of "the greatest genius in Konoha's history." However, outside Konoha, few had heard of him, and such a title didn't hold much weight in this battle.

"Hey, Captain, violent woman, aren't we going to fight?" Uchiha Qiye asked, looking at the ongoing clash between Konoha and Sand shinobi.

Once the battle began, it wasn't a graceful exchange of ninjutsu or polite sparring. It was chaos, with the danger of being attacked even after defeating an opponent. Konoha was at a clear disadvantage in numbers, with Sand shinobi outnumbering them three to one. Each Konoha shinobi was essentially fighting three enemies.

"It's still not time. The enemy's main force hasn't engaged yet," Jiraiya said calmly, his gaze fixed on the Third Kazekage, who was still hovering in the sky.

"Are you sure? If you don't go, I'll go," Uchiha Qiye replied, eager for action.

"Kid, if you want to rush in, go ahead. No one's stopping you," Tsunade said with a smirk.

Uchiha Qiye wasn't pleased with her dismissive attitude. He was a Kage-level shinobi, after all. "Fine, violent woman. I'm going in," he said before disappearing into the fray.

Although he was shorter than many others on the battlefield, standing just over one meter tall, Uchiha Qiye wasn't going to let that stop him from showing off. Activating his Three Tomoe Sharingan—choosing not to use his Mangekyō due to its burden—he moved swiftly through the battlefield.

"Thunder Sword Technique, First Form: Sword Draw!" he shouted, performing the Hatake sword technique he had learned from Hatake Sakumo. Channeling Lightning Style chakra into his blade, he darted past a Sand shinobi, severing his head with a single strike.

"Ha! You think you can invade Konoha with such weaklings? Pathetic!" Uchiha Qiye spat disdainfully.

He no longer felt the unease that came with his first kill. In the ninja world, only the strong survive. He had no need for sympathy on the battlefield. His focus was clear—he was here to fight and win. And, perhaps most importantly, to show off as much as possible.

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