However—just as the Akita jonin's blade was about to cleave straight into Uchiha Ran—
Ran's face suddenly changed.
In the blink of an eye, the familiar Uchiha features twisted and transformed into the face of Haito, the Iwagakure special jōnin.
"W–Wait… why is it Haito?!"
The thought flashed through Akita's mind—
—but momentum had already betrayed him.
He couldn't stop the strike.
"No—no—no! Get out of the way!!"Akita screamed inwardly, panic surging like wildfire.
The slash was far too sudden.
Faced with Akita's blade at point-blank range, Haito instinctively raised his hands, trying to form seals—
—but it was too late.
There wasn't even time to complete the hand signs for a Substitution Jutsu.
Haito's pupils widened.
Shhk—!
With a sharp flash, Haito clutched his throat and collapsed to the ground, blood spraying as his body fell limp.
"Demon… this Uchiha is a demon…"The thought erupted in Akita's mind.
"No—there's still a chance!"
"The two special jōnin beside me are already dead. Akahoshi and Natsuhiboshi are far away—"
"Which means the one next to me must be him!"
"There's still a chance!"
Akita spun around and slashed again—straight at "Haito."
But as the blade came down, "Haito" flickered—
—and reverted back into Uchiha Ran.
Ran vanished in a blur, narrowly dodging the strike.
"Damn Uchiha brat!!"
Seeing that he had at least forced Ran back, Akita wasted no time. His hands flew through seals.
Earth Release—Earth-Style: Mud Flow River!
Akita's gaze hardened. His fingers moved with practiced precision as dense chakra poured into the technique.
In an instant, a roaring torrent of earth erupted beneath Ran's feet.
What had been solid ground turned into a raging, swamp-like river of mud and stone, swallowing Ran's legs and violently sweeping his body away from Akita.
"What—?!"
Akita stared in surprise.
At the same time, he caught sight of the panic and unease flickering across Ran's eyes—
—and a wave of grim satisfaction rose in his chest.
Uchiha Ran seemed trapped, unable to break free from the crushing mudflow.
Just as Ran struggled to form seals, preparing to unleash Fire Release: Dragon Flame Bomb—
An earth clone Akita had prepared earlier suddenly appeared directly in front of him.
One clone hurled a kunai wrapped with explosive tags.
The other clone rapidly formed hand seals—
—and a massive earth dragon burst forth before it.
The dragon opened its stone maw and spewed forth a violent torrent of earth and rock, roaring with destructive force.
Carried away by the mud river, Ran barely managed to use Substitution Jutsu, narrowly escaping the explosion from the tagged kunai—
—but when faced with the Earth Dragon Bullet, there was no way to fully defend.
The devastating blast struck him head-on.
BOOM—!
Ran's body was violently blown away, tumbling through the air.
Akita watched coldly, without hesitation.
Now.
This was the opening.
Akita's two shadow clones began forming seals at breakneck speed, fully prepared to drain every last drop of chakra if it meant killing this Uchiha.
"Earth Release—Earth Spear Thrust!""Earth Release—Stone Thorn Bind!"
At the same time, Akita slammed both palms onto the ground.
"Earth Release—Mountain Crusher Technique!"
The earth clones' eyes were icy as multiple earth-style techniques erupted at once.
The ground around Ran trembled violently.
Razor-sharp earthen spears burst upward like blades, stabbing precisely toward his body.
In Akita's eyes, Ran knew he couldn't afford to be skewered—he leapt into the air, narrowly dodging the earth spears—
—but the jagged stone thorns still sliced into his limbs, tearing open wounds.
It wasn't over.
Akita's gaze never left Ran.
He knew—this was the perfect moment.
The Mountain Crusher Technique had already been completed.
While Ran was suspended midair, unable to control his body—
Two towering mountains surged upward on either side of him, each forming a massive semicircle.
The distance between them rapidly shrank—
—and then they slammed together.
Akita seemed to hear Ran's scream echo at the final moment.
A bloodthirsty smile crept onto Akita's face.
But he wasn't finished yet.
Whether the Uchiha brat had been crushed into paste or not—
—he would seal him.
Even if Ran somehow survived, Akita would make sure he despaired.
"Earth Release—Mountain Seal: Grand Burial!"
Strange, dense sealing characters began crawling across the surface of the mountains.
Then—
The entire formation sank downward, disappearing into the earth.
Finally.
That Uchiha demon… is sealed.
Two comrades had been sacrificed.
But to Akita, it was worth it.
He didn't understand how the Uchiha brat's genjutsu worked—
—but sealing him was revenge enough.
Exhaustion washed over him.
Akita slowly closed his eyes.
His chakra was nearly completely drained.
"Ak—""Akita-jōnin!"
Akita stood there, eyes closed, recovering chakra, planning to assist Akahoshi against Natsuhiboshi next.
After all, that strange meteor of the Star Ninja Village—
—Lord Ōnoki was very interested in it.
In his hazy state, Akita thought he heard Akahoshi calling him.
Tch… so impatient, Akita thought irritably.My chakra's bone-dry—I can't help you yet.
Meanwhile, as Akahoshi battled Natsuhiboshi, he kept glancing toward Akita and Uchiha Ran.
What he saw made his blood run cold.
In his vision—
Akita first killed their companion, the special jōnin A Le.
Then he ruthlessly cut down Haito.
After that…
He unleashed a flawless combo—at empty air.
Mud Flow River.Earth Spear Thrust.Mountain Crusher.Even a high-consumption sealing technique.
Even while being struck by Natsuhiboshi's attacks, Akahoshi had no choice but to shout Akita's name at the top of his lungs.
Yet strangely—
Akita didn't seem to hear him at all.
Even more terrifying—
Though Natsuhiboshi was evenly matched with him—
Akahoshi couldn't see his own reflection in Natsuhiboshi's eyes.
As if—
—he didn't exist.
"What… is going on?!"
While fighting, Akahoshi looked toward Akita again, shouting desperately, trying to wake him.
If Akita fell—
—he was finished.
And then—
—in that single glance—
Akahoshi saw Uchiha Ran.
Ran raised a finger to his lips.
Shh.
Then, with one hand, he tilted his blade slightly to the side.
Light flashed along the sword.
Akahoshi squinted—
—and in the next instant, his eyes nearly split apart.
Uchiha Ran casually hooked an arm around Akita's shoulder—
—and calmly drove the blade straight into Akita jōnin's heart.
A flash of white light.
The sword sliced through Akita's heart and body as effortlessly as cutting tofu.
Blood flowed down the blade.
Drip… drip…
Only after Ran sheathed his sword did he slowly step away.
Akita remained standing.
Eyes closed.
Face relaxed.
"Akita-jōnin!!"
Akahoshi's shout finally reached Akita's ears.
Akita frowned impatiently and replied calmly—
"Yeah, yeah. I heard you. I'm coming to help."
Akahoshi stared in horror.
Akita's heart and torso had been cut open.
Blood was pouring out—
—and yet he spoke as if nothing had happened.
"H–How… how is this possible…?"
As Natsuhiboshi sent him flying, Akahoshi's mind collapsed into confusion.
This—
—was completely beyond his understanding.