"Wind Release: Great Breakthrough!"
Uchiha Hōko's battle instincts were sharp. As soon as the Fireball Jutsu detonated, he countered with a gust of wind that blew the flames right back.
Fenghuo, caught in the vortex of flame and wind, had his Sharingan spinning wildly. Empowered by the Eight Gates, he forced himself out of the genjutsu. The moment he regained clarity, he saw the incoming torrent of flame and wind—and responded instantly.
"Leaf Rising Rock!"
His heel struck the air with force, redirecting the combined elemental onslaught just inches past his forehead. The raw impact cracked the earth beneath his feet.
"Fire Release: Dragon Flame Bomb!"
"Fire Release: Great Fireball Jutsu!"
"Fire Release: Phoenix Sage Fire Technique!"
Hōko pressed forward, giving Fenghuo no time to recover. Fire jutsu flew in relentless waves—if assassination failed, he'd crush him head-on with overwhelming power.
Fenghuo tried to close the distance, retaliating with his own flames, but Hōko had already analyzed his fighting style. He knew about Fenghuo's Muji (handseal-less) technique—the Rasengan. Letting him get close would be a mistake.
Boom!
The battlefield erupted. Heat shimmered in the air as rocks cracked and splintered under the pressure. But despite the blazing inferno, Fenghuo felt colder and colder.
Fighting a jōnin with pure ninjutsu was draining his chakra like a sieve. The Eight Gates consumed tremendous stamina, and maintaining his Sharingan pushed him past his limits. Yet he couldn't stop. It was like speeding downhill in a car with no brakes—running on fumes while a truck barreled behind him.
Blood seeped from his torn soles. His legs trembled. His skin blistered with burst capillaries.
Damn it, I can't hold on much longer!
Fenghuo's vision flickered.
Of the Thirty-Six Stratagems, running away is the best!
"Getting tired, brat?" Hōko's laughter echoed like a whipcrack. "A genius? I love killing geniuses. And those eyes of yours... I'll crush them myself before you die!"
"Fire Release: Great Fireball Jutsu!"
Using the distraction of Hōko's speech, Fenghuo launched a fireball at the left rock wall.
Boom!
Rubble rained down in chunks, blanketing the area in dust.
"Wind Release: Great Breakthrough!"
Hōko blasted the debris away—but Fenghuo was gone.
"You think you can run?"
Hōko sneered and gave chase.
Fenghuo gasped for air, his lungs burning. His legs barely moved beneath him. Still, he ran, retreating down the forest path.
There was a cliff earlier… with a river below. That was his only chance.
Would the fall kill him? Would Hōko follow? It didn't matter.
"Little brat, you can't escape!" Hōko's voice rang out behind him. He was closing in.
Damn it!
Fenghuo's body gave out—his Sharingan faded, the chakra gates within him shut down.
"Wind Release: Great Breakthrough!"
Hōko sent another gust to knock him off his feet.
Wham!
Fenghuo tumbled, rolled, bounced off the ground—
—and finally rolled off the cliff's edge.
Whoosh!
He plunged through the air like a stone. The river below rushed up to meet him.
Splash!
The cold hit like a thousand needles. Pain shot through every limb, nearly knocking him out. But the water kept him conscious—barely.
He surfaced, coughed, and sputtered, the river pulling him away with terrifying speed.
I won't die here!
He thought of the training under Maito Dai—grueling, merciless, and real. He wouldn't go down that easily.
He blinked through the freezing spray—then saw it. A man across the riverbank, tall and heavily wrapped in a cloak. His forehead protector bore the symbol of Takigakure—scratched through the middle.
A missing-nin from the Village Hidden in the Waterfall... That face—!
Jūkin Kakuzu?!
"Help! Help me!" Fenghuo shouted, swallowing river water mid-sentence.
The man turned briefly, but started walking away.
"I'll pay you! One hundred thousand ryō!"
Kakuzu froze.
He turned slowly.
Then dashed forward and hauled Fenghuo out of the river with one hand.
"You're Konoha," Kakuzu rasped, eyeing the forehead protector. "Can a brat like you even afford 100,000 ryō?"
"Of course! My master is loaded! Super, super loaded!" Fenghuo's teeth chattered, but his tongue worked just fine.
Kakuzu snorted, pleased. "Then you've hired me."
"Get lost."
Uchiha Hōko landed on the river's surface with practiced ease, the water barely rippling under him. "This is Uchiha business. If you don't want to die, stay out of it."
Kakuzu narrowed his eyes at the tomoe in Hōko's Sharingan.
He grinned. "So you're the one after him? Uchiha jōnin, huh... Dog eats dog. Love to see it. But kid—" he looked at Fenghuo— "100,000 won't cut it. This guy's worth at least half a million."
Fenghuo's jaw dropped.
This bastard's raising the price in the middle of a life-or-death chase?!
"Fine! 200,000!" he shouted.
"500,000. Three days of protection. No refunds."
"Five—what?! Three days?!" Fenghuo felt his blood freeze harder than the river had.
Back when he and Yuhi Kurenai had escorted the Inoue brothers for almost two months, the mission had only paid 80,000 ryō!
Still, Fenghuo gritted his teeth.
"…Deal!"
Uncle Kurenai, I'm really counting on your savings when this is over… or I'm dead either way.
Visit patreon.com/Morgansenpai to get 30+ chapters