If this were on the battlefield, no matter how many Mist Ninjas came, Shisui could send them all where they belong with the small blade in his hand. Unfortunately, the Mist Ninjas before him held the title of emissaries from the Hidden Mist Village. He knew all too well about the incident two years ago when the emissary from Hidden Cloud Village was killed by Hiashi Hyuga, which eventually led to Hizashi Hyuga's death.
He wasn't afraid of death himself!
But what worried him was that this could spark new tensions between the village and the clan.
Shisui understood Sōgen's personality; he would never allow himself to be wronged. The problem was that Lord Hokage always emphasized the importance of the bigger picture, leaving Shisui feeling torn. Emotionally, he wanted to deal with this scumbag before him, but rationally, he agreed with the idea of focusing on the greater good...
"Body Flicker... Shisui?"
The Mist Ninja recognized Shisui.
During the Third Great Ninja War, Sōgen and Shisui had made a name for themselves on the eastern battlefield, leaving behind a trail of hundreds of Mist Ninja corpses. The names "Flame Demon" and "Body Flicker" didn't invoke the same fear as "Yellow Flash," which led the Tsuchikage to issue a retreat-on-sight order. However, these names were enough to make every Mist Ninja be on full alert.
The Mist Ninja before Shisui instinctively became defensive.
But seeing that Shisui wasn't attacking him outright, the Mist Ninja quickly regained his confidence, remembering that he was an emissary this time, essentially protected by diplomatic status. His courage swelled. Besides, he was destined to die in Konoha anyway, so what was there to fear?
He began forming hand seals rapidly—seventeen in total. Three nearby Chūnin tried to stop him, but they were too slow to keep up with a Jōnin.
As for Shisui, still hesitating, he used the Body Flicker Technique to move the three young ninjas to the rooftop nearby, out of harm's way, and prepared to restrain the Mist Ninja. He could figure out what to do with him later...
"Shisui, what are you waiting for?"
The voice that reached Shisui's ears made his eyelids twitch. Turning around, he saw Sōgen already standing beside him, forming a hand seal with one hand.
Without waiting for Shisui to say anything:
"Water Style: Great Waterfall Technique!"
The Mist Ninja emissary used all his chakra, squeezing out every last bit to unleash the strongest Water Style jutsu he knew, creating a massive waterfall-like torrent in a land without water.
However, standing before him was an Uchiha—not just any Uchiha.
"Fire Style: Majestic Destroyer Flame!"
With a simple Tiger seal, Sōgen gathered chakra at his throat, and an immense wave of flames, like a tsunami, erupted, clashing head-on with the waterfall.
Water and fire collided, and steam hissed in all directions. The powerful shockwave obliterated nearby walls and buildings, even uprooting trees that would take five or six people to hug. Under the searing steam, the trees instantly withered.
As the steam cleared, carried away by the spring breeze, the narrow alley had disappeared, leaving only a large, still-steaming crater. For original chapters go to n͟o͟v͟e͟l͟f͟i͟r͟e͟.net
As for the Mist Ninja...
Shisui, no longer hesitating, used the Body Flicker Technique to approach. His three-tomoe Sharingan spun, trapping the Mist Jōnin in a genjutsu, rendering him unconscious. Shisui easily captured him, dragging him back to Sōgen like cargo.
Fujika, who had been holding back her tears, rushed over like the wind and threw herself into Sōgen's arms, burying her face in his shoulder and crying out loud.
"It's okay, Fujika. It's all over now."
Sōgen gently patted his sister's head.
Shisui had never seen him use such a soft tone, comforting the frightened Fujika. No matter how strong the little girl appeared, she was, after all, just a five-year-old raised with love in her family. This wasn't wartime; children these days didn't go through war drills to prepare them for combat and war.
To be honest, Sōgen was proud that Fujika had the courage to throw a shuriken!
In this world, relying on others was unreliable. Only strength you build yourself could be truly counted on.
And today, Fujika had shown the potential to become strong.
"We'll talk when we get back."
Where Fujika couldn't see, Sōgen's gaze was so cold that even Shisui felt a chill down his spine.
"Take him to the police force. We'll keep him alive for now; he's still useful."
Faced with Sōgen's current aura of authority, Shisui didn't dare argue. Looking at Fujika, who was still sobbing, he felt a rising fury. That damn Mist Ninja... if this were the battlefield, he wouldn't hesitate to reduce him to ashes!
His frustration showed on his face as though he had just eaten a bitter melon.
"Sasuke, Naruto, you two come along as well!"
Sōgen hadn't forgotten the two little kids nearby.
At the mention of their names, Fujika's crying suddenly slowed, turning into quiet sniffles. Maybe she felt it was embarrassing to cry in front of her friends, but the feelings of fear and frustration hadn't completely faded yet, so she wasn't ready to pretend everything was fine and play with Naruto and Sasuke again.
So, she clung even tighter to Sōgen's neck, hanging onto him like a koala, clearly unwilling to let go anytime soon.
Naruto and Sasuke didn't say anything, each with their own thoughts, as they followed Sōgen to the police department.
Sasuke looked at Sōgen's back, his eyes shining with admiration and longing. That Fire Style technique Sōgen used just now was incredibly cool—far beyond the little fireball Sasuke had barely managed to summon. He silently vowed to become a ninja as strong as his big brother Sōgen!
He stared at Sōgen's back, then at Fujika in his arms. The image of the kunai flying towards Fujika played over and over in his mind. A sense of powerlessness filled his chest, leaving his limbs stiff and weak.
The thought suddenly hit him.
He couldn't protect his friends. When danger came, he could only watch, unable to help. Regret welled up inside him—regret for not paying attention at the Ninja Academy, for skipping classes as if it were routine...
Although he knew that even if he had studied hard every day, things might not have been much different. After all, even Sasuke, who was serious about his studies, had frozen in place.
It didn't stop him from yearning for strength!
He wanted power like Sōgen's—the power to protect his friends and those he cared about!