The brother and sister turned pale with fright when they saw the Konoha forehead protector on Uchiha En's Water Clone.
"W-we are... we're residents of the Land of Bears. We came... came here to fetch some water," the boy stammered, holding up the bucket he was carrying.
After Uchiha En's Water Clone confirmed multiple times that the two were harmless, he let them pass.
After fetching water, the brother and sister didn't dare to look at Uchiha En and his companions, fleeing quickly.
"It's not easy for ordinary people in the Land of Bears! Caught between us and the Kirigakure, their country has become a battlefield," Kagetsu Yamanaka sighed.
Uchiha En didn't respond. Kagetsu Yamanaka was right; small countries without Ninja Villages and Ninja could only become cannon fodder in this war.
But now was not the time to pity these people; it was good enough to take care of themselves.
"Let's keep moving! There are three more water sources to investigate!"
Asana Hyuga and Kagetsu Yamanaka nodded, then hurried to the next water source together.
The second and third small water sources were also normal. When the three arrived at the fourth small water source, they encountered several more ordinary people from the Land of Bears fetching water.
Having encountered the siblings before, and with the first three water sources being normal, Kagetsu Yamanaka and Asana Hyuga had somewhat lowered their guard.
Uchiha En also just habitually activated his Sharingan and swept his gaze across.
However, to Uchiha En's surprise, two people among these ordinary folk possessed Chakra, and quite a significant amount at that. One person's Chakra volume was even greater than his own.
"Something's wrong. Asana, Kagetsu, prepare for battle!"
At Uchiha En's command, Asana Hyuga and Kagetsu Yamanaka immediately distanced themselves from the crowd and assumed battle stances.
Uchiha En, on the other hand, directly used Genjutsu on the person with less Chakra among the two.
Then, with a Body Flicker Technique, he jumped behind the person with more Chakra and threw a volley of shuriken.
"Clang, clang, clang~" Uchiha En's shuriken were blocked by a rising ice wall.
"Bang~" After a puff of white smoke, the Kirigakure Ninja, who had been disguised as an ordinary person, released his Transformation Jutsu.
A black-haired girl, who appeared a few years older than Uchiha En, appeared before them.
The girl turned and smacked her companion hard on the head, which finally woke the companion from the Genjutsu.
"Senior Qing? What was that?"
"Idiot! You fell for a Genjutsu!"
"Eh! But that guy's Sharingan only had two tomoe, right? Why did I fall for a Genjutsu?"
"Who knows! Be careful yourself. This guy isn't just good at Genjutsu; his Body Flicker Technique is also very fast.
Kid, you look several years younger than me, don't you? The Uchiha Clan really produces a lot of geniuses!" the girl said after sizing up Uchiha En.
"Was that Ice Release just now? Are you a member of the Yuki Clan?" Uchiha En asked.
"Senior Qing, your identity seems to be exposed."
"Slap~" Qing smacked her companion's head again and said, "I used Ice Release; anyone could guess my identity."
Qing chatted casually with her companion without any hint of tension, which annoyed Uchiha En. He formed hand signs and used the Uchiha Clan's signature Ninjutsu, the Great Fireball Technique.
Facing Uchiha En's attack, Qing didn't form hand signs, but the surrounding air temperature dropped significantly. Then, ice-style Chakra froze in the air, condensing into an ellipsoidal ice wall that blocked Uchiha En's Great Fireball.
"It appeared, Senior's Ice Release Secret Technique: Ice Rock Dome of Solitude!"
"Shut up! I don't need your commentary here. Go deal with those two guys."
The man shrank his neck and obediently went to confront Asana Hyuga and her companion.
Uchiha En looked at the woman before him with a somewhat serious expression. This person had blocked his attacks twice without forming hand signs, as if the ice wall had appeared out of thin air.
"You've been on the offensive so far; I guess it's my turn now! There's plenty of water here, so my Ice Release can unleash its maximum power." With that, Qing formed hand signs, and a giant water dragon flew out of the pond and charged towards Uchiha En.
Uchiha En immediately used Body Flicker Technique to dodge the Water Dragon Bullet attack.
But what Uchiha En didn't expect was that Qing's Water Dragon Bullet wasn't meant to attack, but to deliver water in front of him.
The next second, the Water Dragon Bullet exploded.
Qing formed hand signs again, using Ice Release to condense moisture in the air, forming ice mirrors around Uchiha En, encircling him.
Uchiha En recognized this technique: Ice Release Secret Technique: Demonic Mirroring Ice Crystals. In the original work, Haku used it against Naruto and Sasuke. The user can move freely within the ice mirrors to attack enemies.
"Your Body Flicker Technique is very fast; you must be a speed-type Ninja! But inside my ice mirrors, no matter how fast you are, it's meaningless."
Qing's voice came from all directions. The next second, Qing's figure appeared in the ice mirror behind Uchiha En, holding an ice Kunai, aiming directly for Uchiha En's back.
Uchiha En, with his Minds Eye active, had already sensed Qing's location. Uchiha En turned and smiled, waving at Qing, then his figure vanished from the Demonic Mirroring Ice Crystals.
"Crack~" A few seconds later, the ice mirror shattered. Qing looked at Uchiha En, who had jumped to a safe distance, with a puzzled expression.
This was the first time she had encountered a Ninja who could escape from the ice mirrors without destroying them.
"How did you do that?" Qing asked.
Uchiha En didn't answer, but continued to form hand signs.
This time, Uchiha En used the Phoenix Sage Fire Technique; he wanted to test if this woman's Ice Release was truly unsolvable.
Facing Uchiha En's attack, Qing once again condensed an ice wall with ice-style Chakra to block it, then used an Ice Body Flicker Technique to close the distance with Uchiha En.
Then, Qing, like Haku in the original work, formed hand signs with one hand, releasing Ninjutsu at an extremely fast speed.
The next second, a two-meter radius centered around Qing was covered in a layer of frost, and Uchiha En's feet were instantly covered in ice and snow, making him appear unable to move.
"Now you can't escape, can you! My Ice Release: Frozen Snow isn't that easy to break—"
Before Qing could finish her sentence, Uchiha En's figure disappeared.
Qing quickly looked around and realized that Uchiha En was already standing next to her two companions.
At the same time, Qing also noticed that her companion's movements had been sealed by Asana Hyuga's Gentle Fist.
"What a waste!"
"Miss, I admit I'm not your match right now, but you can't do anything to me either. Your Ice Release Secret Technique is ineffective against me," Uchiha En said with a smile.
"Your Body Flicker Technique is very strange; I really can't do anything to you. But your companions shouldn't have this kind of Body Flicker Technique, right? Do you think they can escape from my hands?
And these ordinary people, don't your Konoha Ninja like to act hypocritical? If I say that if you don't surrender, I'll kill these ordinary people, what will you do?"
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