new Ninja

Umino Yoru remained unfazed, continuing his lone-wolf, arrogant performance—proof that he had mastered the art of Pretend Jutsu to the level of an Earth-Style Wall. 

Truth be told, even basic techniques like the Three Basic Jutsu could be surprisingly effective when honed to perfection and used strategically. 

None of these Sand ninja possessed ocular Kekkei Genkai, so naturally, they couldn't see through his Transformation Jutsu. 

Hell, even the two Konoha Chunin nearby, who should've been familiar with the Uchiha, didn't suspect a thing. Only the cat-masked Chunin with the Byakugan saw right through his act. 

"Hahaha! It's an Uchiha Jonin from our village!" 

"We're saved! That was too close—we almost got caught by these Sand bastards!" 

The two Chunin—one with an eagle mask, the other with a monkey mask—finally relaxed, as if a massive weight had been lifted. 

Meanwhile, the Hyuga Chunin with the cat mask rolled his Byakugan in exasperation. This is no Uchiha Jonin. Judging by his chakra levels and the disguise, he's just a regular patrol Chunin from the security squad! 

Gritting his teeth, the Hyuga made up his mind. He raised a kunai and sliced into the wound on his waist—clearly trying to physically remove the poison. 

"Hmph!" The monkey-masked Konoha Chunin watched the so-called Uchiha Jonin putting on his arrogant act, but the joy in his eyes gradually faded, replaced by a cold glint. He muttered under his breath, "Filthy Uchiha…" 

If not for Sound Wave Radar Jutsu enhancing his hearing, that barely audible remark would've gone unnoticed. 

"Hoh, all three of you are from Konoha's noble clans," Umino Yoru observed, quickly assessing their attire and clan insignias. 

The monkey-masked Chunin was likely from the Sarutobi Clan—given his disdain for the Uchiha, he probably held some status and had close ties to the Third Hokage. 

The eagle-masked Chunin, coughing like a man on death's door, was unmistakably from the Moonlight Clan, masters of Konoha-Style Sword Techniques. 

And the cat-masked Hyuga, busy digging poison out of his wound? No doubt about that lineage. The Byakugan couldn't be faked—unless, of course, you had his level of Transformation Jutsu mastery. The forehead ribbon marked him as a branch family member. 

Good. If they're all noble-clan Chunin, their combat skills should be reliable. If we work together, we might just hold out until reinforcements arrive. 

But then, a certain idiot teammate decided to stir the pot. 

"HAHAHA!" The Sarutobi Chunin, suddenly reinvigorated, burst into arrogant laughter. "Damn Sand rats! How does it feel now, huh?" 

His theatrics almost rivaled the fake Uchiha Jonin's bluffing. 

"The intel's right here! You want it? Come and take it!" he taunted, oozing overconfidence. 

He acted as if they had already won—like wiping out these Sand ninja was a done deal. 

No trace of the cautious, mission-first attitude expected of an elite intel squad. No, this was pure Uchiha-style recklessness. 

"Eijiro, the mission comes first. We just need to deliver the intel—don't take unnecessary risks!" The Hyuga's voice carried a barely concealed urgency. Internally, he was panicking. If Eijiro keeps provoking them, they'll see through the 'Uchiha Jonin' act! 

But he couldn't outright explain—not without blowing their cover. He could only plead under the guise of mission priority. 

Umino Yoru wanted to strangle this moron. Why can't you just shut up and play along? Even the Hyuga kid is keeping his head down! 

"Advantage is ours"? My ass! We're evenly matched at best. 

Forget wiping them out—surviving until backup arrived was already a gamble. 

His three Genin subordinates could barely handle the bald Chunin. That left their three Chunin to face off against: 

A one-armed, sword-wielding Sand Jonin. A Special Jonin with no backup puppets but deadly Wind-Style jutsu. A Chunin controlling a half-wrecked puppet. 

This isn't an advantage—it's a death wish! 

If not for the fact that most of the Sand ninja were poisoned and injured, he'd have already retreated. 

Sarutobi Eijiro's taunts worked too well. The Sand ninja's rage meter skyrocketed. 

"AAAAH! Even if we die, we're taking you down with us!" 

The white-haired Sand Jonin's chakra erupted in a storm of wind and fire, his spiky hair bristling like a porcupine's quills. 

Rip! 

He tore off his tattered shirt, revealing three parallel scars running from his left shoulder to his right abdomen—honorable wounds from a battle with Danzo Shimura, the Darkness of the Shinobi World. 

The Will of Wind burned in his eyes. This was a fight to the death. 

Umino Yoru felt a strange sense of déjà vu. 

Spiky hair? Check. Shirt ripped off? Check. 

This guy just activated the "Death Flag" combo. 

Predicting the Sand ninja's suicidal charge, Yoru gracefully backflipped, landing near the riverbank. 

Shukido followed suit, perfectly in sync. 

"Water Style: Water Dragon Jutsu!" Yoru roared, hands flying through seals: Boar → Monkey → Rabbit → Rat → Bird → Dog… 

"Shit! A high-level Water Jutsu!" The spiky-haired Jonin barked a warning. 

"Earth Style: Earth Wall!" 

The bald Chunin weaved hand signs with practiced ease, erecting another defensive barrier—his third Earth-Style in this battle. 

Even with soldier pills, his chakra was nearly drained. 

But… 

No water dragon came. 

Silence. 

Only the rapid shhh-shhh of hand seals echoed across the battlefield. 

Sand Ninja: "…?" 

Where's the jutsu? Did he miss? 

"Stay sharp! He's still forming seals—it's not Water Dragon!" the spiky Jonin warned. 

Meanwhile, Umino Yoru kept "sealing," hands a blur, as if preparing some ultimate water technique. 

"Mmmph—" Shukido bit his lip, struggling not to laugh and ruin the act. 

Classic Pretend Jutsu. 

Not only had they bought themselves half a minute—letting the poison weaken the Sand ninja further—but they'd also drained the bald guy's chakra. 

Talk about killing two birds with one stone.