Chapter 25: The Chaotic Brawl
"That's... Chidori!"
The moment Uchiha Kei heard the distinct sound, he immediately recognized what was going on. Even though he doubted Kakashi had fully recovered his chakra, the fact that he was able to fight was more than welcome.
A three-on-three scenario like this should never be handled with solo duels, especially for a shinobi squad. The optimal strategy would have been to gang up on one opponent and eliminate them quickly, then deal with the remaining two.
Unfortunately, the lack of trust among Kei, Hyuga Ayaka, and Imai Kenta made such coordination nearly impossible. Throughout this mission, their teamwork had been almost nonexistent. Even when facing formidable enemies, each of them stubbornly fought on their own.
No wonder Konoha started drilling the importance of teamwork into genin. With people like Uchiha Kei around, they probably had no choice but to enforce it from the start.
But Kei couldn't care less about that. His current situation with Ayaka and Kenta was a case of forced cooperation without trust. Given the choice, none of them would've teamed up with each other. If they had to take this mission, they probably would've preferred being paired with some naïve, overly optimistic rookie.
So, with no teamwork to rely on, everyone was just doing their own thing. Fortunately, Kei had better luck than the others—Kakashi had arrived just in time to assist!
The moment Kei hit the ground, Kakashi charged straight at Kitsuchi (a.k.a. Yellow Earth) and slammed a Chidori toward his chest. The sudden assault disrupted Kitsuchi's attack rhythm, but he reacted quickly, raising a wall of earth just in time to block the strike.
Kei let out a small breath of relief and prepared to act—but then he saw Kakashi yank his arm free and launch into the air for another strike!
Kei blinked in surprise. Is this guy trying to help or just causing chaos?
Kakashi's sudden arrival had thrown Kitsuchi off, but now he was also interrupting Kei's own momentum.
The lack of coordination was clearly a problem—one that could get them killed. Kakashi had probably grown so used to others adapting to him that he didn't even consider syncing up.
Kei had no choice but to try and sync with Kakashi, even though that wasn't exactly his strong suit. He wasn't Uchiha Obito, after all.
"Tch, what a reckless guy..." Kei muttered.
But there wasn't time to complain. Chidori was a terrifyingly powerful jutsu—its piercing force and explosive burst were beyond imagination. However, it came with a critical flaw: it needed a long charge and required precise vision during high-speed movement.
Thanks to Obito's sacrifice, the Sharingan had solved the problem of dynamic vision. In fact, it could be said that Chidori was practically made for Uchiha.
But the issue of distance still remained. Without room to sprint, Chidori's power could be neutered.
Kitsuchi wasn't just any shinobi. As the son of the Third Tsuchikage, he didn't ride on his father's fame—he earned his place through sheer skill.
He instantly recognized both the strengths and weaknesses of Chidori. So naturally, he wasn't about to give Kakashi room to charge.
Still, Kei wasn't about to let things go Kitsuchi's way. He knew his job now: buy Kakashi an opening. If they could take out Kitsuchi, the other two Iwagakure shinobi wouldn't be a threat.
Taking down the Tsuchikage's only son wouldn't just be a strategic win—it'd be a political nightmare for Iwagakure.
"Guess I'm really doing something 'important' now, huh," Kei smirked.
In a way, even without perfect teamwork, their attacks were still tying up the enemy.
Kei glanced around briefly. Hyuga Ayaka was holding on, even under pressure. She was proving herself stronger than either Neji or Hinata ever were in his memories. The battlefield was the true catalyst for growth.
Despite her injuries, her defensive skills—typical of the Hyuga Clan—were keeping her alive. Blood was at the corner of her mouth, but she was still standing.
As for Kenta and Rin, their situation didn't look too bad. Kenta, despite always wearing that fake smile, seemed to have a hidden depth to him. Carrying Rin on his back like a "support accessory" and still keeping an Iwa shinobi at bay? That was no easy feat. No wonder he'd survived eight years on the battlefield.
Refocusing, Kei charged back into the fray. Kakashi's second strike had reached Kitsuchi, but the latter casually sidestepped it.
At that close range, Chidori couldn't reach full effectiveness. Kakashi was clearly frustrated, and understandably so—he wasn't yet the legend known as the "Copy Ninja."
As Kakashi was kicked away and Kitsuchi moved in for the finishing blow, Kei appeared in his path, slashing a kunai straight at his chest.
It was fast, precise, and deadly. Kitsuchi had to halt his pursuit and dodge. Annoyed, he swung a fist at Kei.
Kei leapt back instantly, but Kitsuchi showed his elite ninja skills. He rapidly formed hand seals and slammed his hands onto the ground—chakra surged through the earth.
Kei, however, remained calm. His Sharingan spun as he neared the ground. Just before landing, he pressed his right hand to the earth, shifting sideways mid-air. Spikes of earth burst through where he should have landed, impaling only his afterimage.
Kei touched down and immediately began evasive maneuvers—his body moved in a dazzling rhythm of sudden stops, angle shifts, accelerations, and rapid pivots.
It looked almost too smooth, as if he'd practiced it countless times.
Neither the earth spikes nor the explosive-tag-laced kunai Kitsuchi hurled afterward could land a single blow. Kei dodged them all effortlessly.
It was clear: Uchiha Kei with his Sharingan was on a completely different level.
But Kitsuchi seemed to realize that stalling Kei was pointless—he turned his focus back to Kakashi...