Yuhara couldn't help but marvel at how strange fate could be—what were the odds of running into Raiga under these circumstances?
Still, no matter how intrigued he was by the coincidence, he never forgot what mattered most: as a ninja, you act efficiently and without hesitation.
Stealth and ambush were fundamental tools of a shinobi. Yuhara had no interest in posturing or exchanging drawn-out threats before a fight.
If he opened his mouth, it was only to bait his opponent—create an opening, then strike.
He'd grown quite proficient in this style.
But not every target would fall for it, especially not someone like Raiga, a battle-hardened veteran.
Clang!
A crisp metallic clang rang out as Raiga reacted in a flash, drawing one of his swords and parrying Yuhara's kunai with pinpoint precision.
Then came the counterattack. The twin swords in Raiga's hands moved with fluid grace, slicing through the air with a sharp whoosh as he unleashed a furious offensive.
Under the flurry of strikes, Yuhara found himself on the defensive. Raiga was faster and more skilled than he had expected.
His blade technique was formidable, and he never once made the mistake of meeting Yuhara's Sharingan gaze—always keeping his head slightly turned, his focus on the fight.
To maintain such intense pressure while also avoiding direct eye contact—that alone proved Raiga's strength.
"But he's slipping… he wants to create distance," Yuhara realized.
Despite being pressed, the Sharingan allowed him to evade each strike with relative ease.
More importantly, he could sense the disruption in Raiga's rhythm. The attacks were loud and aggressive, but they lacked real effectiveness.
Clearly, Raiga didn't want to stay in close combat. At a distance, he could use other jutsu—like his weapons' special techniques or his ace: the Hidden Mist Jutsu, which was extremely effective against Sharingan users.
Sure enough, after a particularly sharp clash, Raiga suddenly pulled back, widening the gap just as Yuhara dodged another strike.
Though his expression was serious, his tone was full of sarcasm. "You think you're qualified to take my life? I may have left the Mist Village, but don't think you can just take me down that easily."
"True," Yuhara replied calmly, straightening his posture. He smiled slightly. "Your swordsmanship is indeed impressive. But whether I'm 'qualified'—well, we'll let the battle decide. As a rogue ninja, didn't you expect this day to come?"
"Of course I knew it might happen," Raiga said with a grin, already forming hand seals as he spoke. "I just didn't expect the ones sent after me to be from Konoha."
He chuckled, chakra building in his core. "But I got lucky. You're alone. No backup in sight. And you're an Uchiha, no less. Didn't your elders warn you to be cautious when dealing with Mist shinobi?"
As he finished speaking, mist began to gather all around them. Dense, swirling fog filled the air—his Hidden Mist Technique was now fully deployed.
Yuhara stood unshaken.
"I admit, the Hidden Mist Technique is troublesome against the Sharingan. Especially with how much chakra you're pumping into it."
But instead of panic, Yuhara actually smiled.
Something about his expression made Raiga's instincts scream, but it was already too late.
Yuhara's chakra surged, and his body slowly began to rise into the air.
"Let me ask you something," Yuhara said, now hovering above, eyes locked on Raiga below. "How big is the area your Hidden Mist can actually cover?"
Before Raiga could answer, Yuhara had soared high above the fog, gazing down at his opponent with calm authority.
The Hidden Mist's effectiveness depended entirely on how much chakra Raiga was willing to spend.
But no rational ninja would gamble all their chakra on a single technique—especially just to obscure one enemy.
Raiga was no fool. He'd never poured everything into this technique.
Now, his face darkened as realization hit.
Flying jutsu… this is trouble.
He muttered a curse under his breath but didn't immediately cancel the jutsu.
Instead, he watched closely, trying to gauge Yuhara's stamina and flight ceiling. If the flight wasn't long-lasting—or not very high—he could still turn the tables.
But Yuhara had no intention of giving him that chance.
Without a word, hands flashing through seals, he unleashed a torrent of chakra. The air around him grew hot, rippling with pressure.
"Fire Style: Great Fire Dragon Technique!"
With a thunderous roar, a massive dragon of flame erupted from Yuhara's mouth, spiraling down like a meteor, aimed directly at the mist-covered ground.
Raiga's expression changed instantly. He dove aside just in time to avoid the blazing dragon, while simultaneously pumping more chakra into the mist to thicken it.
He had no choice.
If he didn't, that damned flying Uchiha would rain fire down on him endlessly, picking him off like a hawk stalking prey.
BOOM!
The fire dragon slammed into the earth, exploding with a deafening blast.
The surrounding fog lit up with blazing orange and red, as the heat distorted the air and scattered debris across the field.
Raiga barely managed to dodge it, but the temperature alone was suffocating. He was drenched in sweat, the ground beneath him scorched.
Damn it… Fire Release and flight? He can combo them like that?
Frustrated, Raiga peered up through the mist.
And then his heart sank.
Yuhara was still up there—untouched, unfazed, and already preparing another jutsu.
"Fire Style: Phoenix Sage Fire Technique!"
Dozens of flame projectiles burst from Yuhara's mouth like flower seeds scattering in the wind, sweeping across the entire fog-covered field.
Controlled by chakra, the flames spread far and wide, saturating the area.
There was no escape—every inch of the Hidden Mist Technique was blanketed by fire.
Before mastering flight, Yuhara had seen Fire Release as a supportive technique—good for suppressing or flushing out enemies.
But now that he could fly?
It had become a tool of total domination.
Aerial bombardment. Pure, unrelenting firepower from above.
As a transmigrator, Yuhara understood something this world had no concept of:
Air superiority.