Naruto: I, Uchiha, Possess Heaven-Defying Comprehension

Chapter 8: Fleeing in Panic

Based on the direction of the thick smoke, flames, and the sound, it was clear that one of the explosive tag traps previously set by Uchiha Dali had been triggered.

"It looks like those unlucky guys set off the trap first…"

As Uchiha Dali thought this, he spread out his sensory perception.

His keen hearing and acute sense of smell quickly relayed the battlefield's situation to him with clarity.

Approximately seven hundred meters away, he could hear rapid breathing and the enemy's voices filled with confusion and alarm.

"Damn it, what's going on?"

"It's an explosive tag trap! We actually got caught in it!"

"How is that possible? We didn't detect anything earlier!"

"The enemy must have deliberately lured us here! Be careful of an ambush! Either way, we should retreat first! Move!"

"…"

From their words, it was evident that the enemy had indeed fallen into the trap.

Unfortunately, although they had been caught in the explosion, they had only sustained injuries that weren't too severe—they were still capable of moving.

At this moment, the six injured enemies had already begun to retreat rapidly in the direction they had come from.

Meanwhile, the member of the Seven Ninja Swordsmen of the Mist who had been preparing to enter the trap zone also turned and left immediately upon realizing something was wrong—without any hesitation.

"As expected of a Jonin…"

Uchiha Dali's eyes darkened slightly.

These elite ninja from Kirigakure displayed formidable professionalism.

If they had been a rank lower, recklessly charging into his trap like that would have already cost them their lives.

Of course, Uchiha Dali had no intention of letting them off so easily.

He swiftly revealed himself, turned, and hurled a kunai toward the retreating member of the Seven Ninja Swordsmen.

The target was already a hundred meters away, his figure faintly visible through the gaps between the branches and leaves.

The kunai shot forward, instantly breaking the sound barrier with a sharp whistle, streaking toward the enemy's back.

"Hmph!"

The man pursuing Uchiha Dali was a middle-aged man with a ring of stubble around his face.

Like the other Seven Ninja Swordsmen, he also had bandages wrapped around his neck.

The weapon he wielded resembled a massive hammer.

That weapon was the Blunt Blade: Kabutowari.

These features confirmed to Uchiha Dali that this man was Jinin Akebino, one of the Seven Ninja Swordsmen of the Mist.

By the time Jinin Akebino heard the kunai whistling toward him, it was already too late to dodge or block.

A muffled grunt escaped his lips as his body trembled slightly, but he immediately pushed off a tree branch with force, accelerating his retreat without even daring to glance back.

In mere moments, he had vanished into the dense forest.

…

Meanwhile, Sarutobi Shio, Hyūga Kōji, and Uzuki Sen were fleeing desperately, already close to exhaustion.

Just as it seemed the enemy was about to catch up, a sudden, violent explosion erupted behind them. The sheer intensity of the blast stunned them.

"That sounds like explosive tags detonating, but it's not just a single one—it's an explosive tag formation… When did you two set up a trap?"

Sarutobi Shio asked his two companions in shock.

However, both Hyūga Kōji and Uzuki Sen exchanged confused glances, then shook their heads.

"The trap wasn't set by us."

"It wasn't you?"

"Then who could it be?"

Sarutobi Shio frowned in thought.

"Could it have been Uchiha Dali?"

Uzuki Sen asked.

They had already checked Uchiha Dali's ninja registration when he was unconscious, so they naturally knew his name.

"Let me take a look at what's happening…"

With that, Hyūga Kōji activated his Byakugan to observe the situation behind them.

What he saw made his pupils contract slightly in astonishment.

"Those guys are injured and retreating rapidly!"

"So it really was them who triggered the explosive tag trap!"

Hyūga Kōji's words left the other two stunned.

They exchanged looks before turning back to him.

Sarutobi Shio narrowed his eyes and asked in a deep voice, "Are you sure?"

"Positive. That guy is currently eight hundred meters southeast of us!"

"And aside from us and him, the only people here are the enemy. No one else could have set up such a trap."

Hyūga Kōji's response made Sarutobi Shio narrow his eyes even further.

He remained silent.

Uzuki Sen, however, spoke up. "So he deliberately let us retreat first while choosing to stay behind and deal with the enemy himself?"

"Hah! Acting like a hero!"

Sarutobi Shio sneered.

"No matter what, at least the enemy has been repelled. Those were the Seven Ninja Swordsmen, after all…"

Hyūga Kōji still felt lingering fear in his heart.

He had even prepared himself to die here.

Now that he had survived, he couldn't help but feel grateful toward Uchiha Dali.

"That brat just got lucky."

Sarutobi Shio scoffed dismissively.

"What do we do now?"

Uzuki Sen asked.

The sudden attack from the Seven Ninja Swordsmen had rattled her, leaving her uncertain about what to do next.

After all, those formidable enemies were far beyond their capability to handle.

"We should go meet up with Uchiha Dali first."

Hyūga Kōji suggested.

However, Sarutobi Shio immediately rejected the idea.

"The Seven Ninja Swordsmen are injured—this is a once-in-a-lifetime opportunity!"

"If we can catch up to them and finish them off, we'll earn great merit! We might even be promoted to Jonin from this!"

His eyes gleamed with excitement.

The thought of such an achievement thrilled him.

However, the other two wore worried expressions upon hearing this.

"Even so, isn't that too risky?"

Uzuki Sen asked hesitantly.

Hyūga Kōji added, "I agree that now is the best time to counterattack while they're injured. But first, we need to regroup with Uchiha Dali."

"No need!"

"That brat used us as bait earlier! Sacrificing his teammates for his own objectives—such selfish, irresponsible behavior! He doesn't value our lives at all!!"

Sarutobi Shio rejected the idea outright.

This time, both Hyūga Kōji and Uzuki Sen fell silent.

Hyūga Kōji, as a member of the Hyūga Clan, was well aware of certain realities.

Over the years, the reputation and treatment of the Uchiha Clan in the village had significantly declined.

Many people in the village harbored prejudice against them.

Even though Uzuki Sen wasn't from a prestigious clan, she had heard rumors about this.

They understood why Sarutobi Shio was so antagonistic toward Uchiha Dali.

However, they also knew that commenting on it would be unwise.

They didn't want to be seen as siding with the Uchiha Clan.

(Support me and read additional chapters on my Patreon: [email protected]/craxxtranslation. Thanks!)