Konoha’s Five-Element Ninja

Chapter 21: Night Battle

Hiding behind a rock, Uchiha Fugaku squinted against the sting of rain in his eyes, trying to make out the chakra outlines of the approaching figures. Through his Sharingan, he counted them carefully: One, two… seven. Seven enemies.

Three against seven. The odds were daunting. If they couldn't immediately eliminate some of the enemies, it might mean their complete annihilation. Fugaku narrowed his eyes, analyzing the enemy's formation and behavior. Their well-ordered movement, the precision of their positioning—everything suggested they weren't retreating allies but organized pursuers. Recalling Hayama's earlier words, Fugaku finally made his decision, signaling a series of Konoha battle gestures.

Hayama, noticing the signal, subtly stretched his stiff muscles, allowing a faint hint of killing intent to show as he acknowledged the message. He crept over to Yamashiro Tatsu, relayed the situation Fugaku had spotted, and then returned to his own hidden position, ready for the fight that was about to erupt.

The lead enemy, Ikomoto Eiichi, a Jonin from Sunagakure, was tasked with pursuing the remnants of Konoha's defeated forces. Although he was well aware that he was now stepping into the territory of the Fire Country, his previous successes—two crushing victories over Konoha's elite—had inflated his confidence. The fear he once held for this land had transformed into a burning ambition. If he could take this strategic high ground and hold it until reinforcements arrived, he would claim the glory of a decisive breakthrough.

However, Eiichi was no reckless fool. He knew the value of caution. This ridge offered a natural bottleneck, a perfect place to consolidate and hold until reinforcements came. The risk was worth the potential reward.

Eiichi and his team began their stealthy ascent, unaware that their every move was exposed under the gaze of the Sharingan. To Fugaku, they appeared as clumsy, glowing silhouettes against the night.

As the two groups closed to within ten meters, the sound of the enemy's breathing became audible to Hayama. Like a coiled viper, Hayama struck first, shattering the night's silence and initiating the battle.

In a single fluid motion, he emerged behind one of the trailing enemy ninja, silencing him with a swift slash of his kunai across the throat. The dying ninja's shocked, despairing gaze barely registered before his lifeless body slumped to the ground.

"Enemy attack!" Eiichi's sharp command cut through the air. He lunged at Hayama, kunai in hand, while his other hand remained concealed, ready to deliver a lethal follow-up strike.

Hayama's eyes narrowed at Eiichi's speed. Realizing the danger, he quickly disengaged, hurling several kunai as he leapt backward and began forming hand seals.

"Fire Style: Fire Dragon Flame Bullet!"

Roaring flames illuminated the ridge, engulfing several of the enemy's formations and forcing them to scatter in disarray.

"Boom!"

The intense heat and sudden chaos disrupted the enemy's carefully maintained ranks. Taking advantage of the confusion, Fugaku and Tatsu sprang into action. Coordinating their attacks, they swiftly dispatched two more of the Sunagakure shinobi, further tilting the scales of the skirmish.

In the span of just five or six seconds, three enemy shinobi lay dead on the ridge. The acrid scent of blood filled the damp night air, mingling with the rain, heightening the tension for all who remained. Adrenaline surged, and killing intent permeated the battlefield.

Suppressing his initial rage, Eiichi regained his composure. Cool calculation returned to his mind. A series of hand signals followed, and he zeroed in on the Konoha ninja who had initiated the attack. With a feral grin, he closed in on Hayama.

Hayama tensed as he saw Eiichi charge. He drew a second kunai, bracing himself for the clash. Their weapons met with a sharp clang, and the duel began.

Immediately, Hayama noticed something: Eiichi's strikes were exceptionally forceful. Each blow jarred his grip, numbing his hands. The realization that he was physically outmatched led Hayama to adopt a defensive stance, waiting for an opportunity to break away and cast another jutsu.

But Eiichi seemed to anticipate this, pressing his attack relentlessly. His kunai came at Hayama in a relentless flurry, leaving the younger ninja struggling to find an opening.

When Hayama sidestepped to avoid a particularly swift thrust, Eiichi's eyes gleamed. His kunai shifted angle mid-swing, slashing toward Hayama's neck.

Instinctively, Hayama raised his own kunai to intercept. The move was effective, but it left his guard wide open.

Eiichi's grin widened. This was what he had been waiting for. With his free hand, he thrust another chakra-infused kunai upward, its edge humming with deadly precision.

Hayama's entire body froze as a wave of cold fear washed over him. It had been a long time since he had felt this close to death. But instead of succumbing, he bit down hard on his tongue. The sharp pain snapped him out of his paralysis. Eyes blazing with determination, he shifted his stance, channeling chakra into a powerful kick aimed at Eiichi's stomach.

The kick landed squarely, and Eiichi was sent flying back, but not before his kunai managed to graze Hayama. Both combatants staggered, one clutching his abdomen, the other bleeding from a fresh wound.

This was the opening Hayama needed. Rapidly forming a sequence of seals, he unleashed another fire jutsu.

"Fire Style: Great Fireball Jutsu!"

Eiichi scoffed. Though the flames were fierce, he considered them a mere nuisance. He quickly used a wire-attached kunai to pull himself out of harm's way, preserving his chakra for what he assumed would be a drawn-out engagement.

Standing a short distance from Hayama, Eiichi studied his opponent. The boy looked spent, kneeling in the mud, his breathing labored. Eiichi didn't press his advantage. He enjoyed the sight of a defeated enemy, savoring the moment before the kill.

Meanwhile, Yamashiro Tatsu and Fugaku faced off against the remaining three Sunagakure shinobi. Fugaku's Sharingan allowed him to stay one step ahead, keeping the enemy off balance. However, the Sunagakure ninja remained defensive, waiting for reinforcements. Their strategy was to stall rather than win immediately.

Tatsu, growing more impatient, prepared to launch a desperate charge. His hand moved to his sword hilt, signaling his intent. The Sunagakure shinobi noticed the shift in his stance, tensing in response. They had been pushed hard, but they were still waiting for their chance to turn the tide.

What none of them realized was that Hayama's "defeat" was an act. The boy knelt, drenched by the rain, his apparent exhaustion masking his true intentions. When Eiichi finally approached for the kill, Hayama's face twisted into a sly grin.

"Got you," he murmured.

In the next instant, Eiichi's kunai plunged into what should have been Hayama's flesh—only for the boy's body to dissolve into a pool of mud.

In that moment, the battle's tide shifted.