Uchiha Yuan slowly rose to his feet, his gaze as sharp as a blade, sweeping arrogantly across the surrounding Cloud shinobi whose killing intent flared like a storm.
Two kunai slipped into his hands as he took up a combat stance.
"Kill him!"
A Cloud ninja bellowed and leapt forward, slashing down at Uchiha Yuan with his blade.
In the next instant, the surrounding Cloud shinobi all sprang into the air, attacking from every direction.
Fire Release — Great Fire Stream!
Wind Release — Great Breakthrough!
Suddenly, two immense jutsu — wind and fire — erupted simultaneously, merging into a roaring tide of flame that swept across the Cloud shinobi.
The raging firewave forced them to retreat in disarray, their attacks instantly broken.
Uchiha Yuan blinked in surprise at the sudden wall of flames, then turned to see a large number of Leaf shinobi charging onto the battlefield.
Konoha's reinforcements had arrived.
The Fourth Raikage saw it too, and immediately shouted, "Kurokaku! Kill Uchiha Yuan, now!"
He had a strong premonition — this was the best, and perhaps last, chance to eliminate Uchiha Yuan.
Storm Release — Encouraging Lattice Plasma!
Kurokaku's hands flashed through seals, and an intense burst of chakra exploded forth. A blinding beam of energy shot toward Uchiha Yuan.
At that desperate moment, a massive figure dropped from the sky, landing heavily beside Uchiha Yuan.
"Super Push Palm!"
A giant hand materialized out of chakra and thrust forward, blocking the incoming blast of lightning-infused plasma.
"Captain Yuan, are you all right?"
Yamanaka Mokuno landed lightly and looked at Uchiha Yuan with concern.
"Don't worry. I'm not dead yet."
Yuan replied calmly, then turned his gaze to the burly figure beside him. "Captain Akimichi, thank you. If you hadn't come when you did, that Storm Release technique would've been impossible to dodge."
The large man beside him was Akimichi Kai, squad captain of the Third Division, Fifth Company.
The massive chakra hand he'd used reverted to normal, revealing a blackened, charred wound across his palm.
Akimichi Kai's face was grim as he looked toward the heavily guarded Fourth Raikage. "Captain Yuan, it's our fault for arriving late. You were surrounded by Cloud shinobi."
He then noticed the severe injuries covering the Fourth Raikage's body, and shock flickered in his eyes.
The Fourth Raikage is badly injured… Was that Uchiha Yuan's doing? If so, this could completely shift the tide of battle.
One after another, Konoha shinobi appeared and formed up around them, facing down the Cloud forces.
Before long, Sarutobi Shin'nosuke arrived with six Leaf ninja. His left arm was bandaged, his body covered in soot and blood, and his flak jacket bore the marks of intense combat.
Seeing the Fourth Raikage, Shin'nosuke's eyes widened slightly in surprise. "Fourth Raikage, your surprise attack has failed."
The Raikage's gaze was cold as he stared at the Sarutobi. "We'll meet again."
Then he turned toward Uchiha Yuan, his eyes lingering for several seconds before he said icily, "Withdraw."
With that, the Raikage leapt away under the protection of his subordinates, vanishing into the distance.
Watching the Cloud forces retreat, Sarutobi Shin'nosuke finally exhaled — they were in no condition to keep fighting either.
He turned toward Uchiha Yuan, and his face darkened upon seeing his injuries.
"Quick! Get Captain Yuan treated immediately!"
At that moment, Uchiha Yuan looked like a half-dead corpse — his clothes in tatters, his exposed flesh a map of horrifying wounds.
Supported by Yamanaka Mokuno, Yuan said weakly, "I'll leave the rest to you, Captain Shin'nosuke."
Shin'nosuke nodded. "If not for you holding off the Fourth Raikage's assault, our lines would have been broken — the rear camp would've been surrounded."
After Yuan was carried off, Shin'nosuke examined the battlefield.
The terrain here is completely altered — a sign of how fierce the fighting was. To think Uchiha Yuan stood his ground against the Fourth Raikage himself…
He sighed, his expression complex. "Captain Yuan's contribution today is beyond measure."
"Indeed," one of the nearby shinobi said softly. "To face the Fourth Raikage alone… Captain Yuan must've gone through hell."
"The casualties here are terrible. It's hard to believe the Raikage was actually stopped."
As the Konoha shinobi murmured among themselves, another ninja appeared before Shin'nosuke, delivering the battle report.
"Unbelievable… so Uchiha Yuan fought the Fourth Raikage alone? No wonder Lord Orochimaru values him so highly."
Shin'nosuke's voice carried genuine awe. He had assumed the Raikage had been stopped by a coordinated defense, not by one man's stand.
"Judging by his wounds, it's clear he paid a terrifying price to hold that line," another medic remarked. "His injuries aren't just from combat — it looks like his body's collapsing after using some secret technique."
"I see…" Shin'nosuke murmured, lost in thought. "Let's hope Captain Yuan recovers soon."
In the Konoha camp, inside a quiet tent.
Uchiha Yuan slowly opened his eyes. Footsteps approached, and a woman in her twenties wearing glasses appeared before him.
"Thank goodness, Captain Uchiha Yuan, you're finally awake. I'm your attending medic — Yakushi Nonoyu."
At her words, Uchiha Yuan's gaze deepened.
So it's you… the Wandering Priestess.
"How long was I unconscious?" he asked.
After Yamanaka Mokuno brought him back, he had lost consciousness completely — his body had been pushed past its limit.
Yakushi Nonoyu replied, "You've been in a coma for five days."
"How bad are my injuries?"
Her expression turned grave. "Captain Uchiha Yuan, your wounds are the worst I've seen in years. Your internal organs and blood vessels show signs of fracturing. I've managed to stabilize some of your vital damage, but full recovery will take a long time."
As she spoke, Uchiha Yuan quietly extended his spiritual sense through his own body — confirming that everything she said was true.
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