c39 - One Year
One year later, at the border of the Fire Country, the team faced another mission.
"Fire Style – Dragon Fire Technique!"
"Fire Style – Great Fireball Technique!"
The two fireballs roared toward the enemy, causing a massive explosion that engulfed everything around them. As the smoke cleared, the ground beneath trembled.
"The enemy is moving underground, three meters down. Direction: 15 degrees east. Speed: rapid. Kakashi, it's your turn."
Yuuji's eyes flickered as he analyzed the situation. A huge radiation cloud spread, penetrating deep into the ground and disrupting the movement of their adversary.
Kakashi, with his signature cold demeanor, didn't hesitate.
"Lightning Cutter!"
In an instant, Kakashi's form flickered, his sharp kunai piercing the earth with deadly precision. The ground cracked, and blood sprayed into the air as the Iwa ninja who had been hiding below was struck.
"Damn it… I didn't expect to meet you guys... Minato's team... Shibi's team's genius ninjas..."
The Iwa ninja's last words were cut off as he collapsed, his chest impaled. Blood pooled around him as he fell to the ground, defeated.
"Alright, that's the last of them."
Yuuji surveyed the battlefield, his calm demeanor making the recent violence seem almost routine. The corpses of the fallen enemies scattered the ground like forgotten remnants of war.
Nohara Rin, always quick to assist, rushed forward.
"I can heal you all, just give me a moment!"
She hurried to Yuuji's side first, eager to tend to his injuries.
"No need, Rin. It's nothing for me."
Yuuji smiled faintly, his wounds already healing with a rapid, almost supernatural efficiency.
"Super Regeneration!"
His body began to repair itself, the injuries mending so quickly they almost seemed to disappear. A kunai that had pierced his side emitted a faint sizzling sound as it was rapidly closed up.
"Yuuji… your body is really too powerful. That self-healing ability is almost like an all-round palm strike of Senjutsu..." Rin said, her voice filled with awe.
This kind of physical resilience was something no ordinary ninja could ever hope to replicate, and it left Rin both envious and amazed. The ability to regenerate from nearly any injury so quickly was a gift that every medical ninja would dream of studying.
"Don't be jealous, Rin. He probably just copied some basic medical ninjutsu techniques from you and developed it into something dangerous," Obito grumbled from a distance, clearly annoyed that Rin's attention was on Yuuji instead of him.
"Ha, idiot. Not everyone is Yuuji. Even if you trained for a lifetime, you'd never come up with something like this." Kakashi sneered.
"Shut up, Kakashi! Don't look down on me!" Obito shot back, riled up as he started rolling up his sleeves and charging at his longtime rival.
This scene was all too familiar to the group. For the past year, despite their numerous successful missions and their increasing renown on the battlefield, Obito and Kakashi never stopped their endless bickering.
Yuuji sighed inwardly. "If only they could focus like Kazue," he thought. He glanced over at her, who was standing silently by. As the war continued to ravage the country, these daily squabbles were a brief distraction from the harsh realities of the battlefield.
Kazue had been quieter than usual lately. Her condition had worsened over the past few months, but she refused to acknowledge it. Despite the fact that she was one of the strongest of the new generation, her body was slowly deteriorating. Yuuji, ever observant, noticed her pallor and the way she occasionally coughed. But he said nothing. It was a situation none of them wanted to confront.
"Your complexion is getting worse, Kazue. Are you sure you're alright? Your skin's turning pale. That's a sign of declining red blood cells, and your coughing is getting worse. It could be something with your lungs or respiratory tract…" Rin's voice was filled with concern.
"It's nothing, Rin. I know my body better than anyone." Kazue's voice was calm, but there was a faint hint of exhaustion in her eyes as she glanced at Yuuji. She knew there was no escaping the inevitable.
Yuuji, however, didn't address it directly. He simply kept his focus forward. He had come to terms with Kazue's decline, understanding that the consequences were out of anyone's hands.
In this year, the team's accomplishments had earned them increasing prestige. Following Minato's leadership and Shibi's guidance, their team's success rate had remained at a perfect 100%. Their names became synonymous with success, and Uchiha Kazue's name was often mentioned alongside Yuuji and Kakashi as one of the strongest of the new generation.
However, those outside the circle saw only Kazue's growing strength and Uchiha's legacy being renewed. Few realized that she was fighting a battle that could not be won.
"Even if I don't know what's wrong with you, Kazue, if you continue to ignore it, you'll eventually lose the ability to be a ninja." Rin's voice trembled slightly, both in concern for her friend and in fear for what the future might hold.
"I understand, Rin. But don't tell anyone. Not even the Hokage. This is something Kazue and I need to handle ourselves," Yuuji finally spoke, his voice calm but filled with authority.
Rin was silent for a long moment. Yuuji was not only the leader of their generation but also a strategic thinker, one the Hokage had come to rely on. If he said this was something Kazue had to handle on her own, then it was clear that he had already prepared a course of action, even if she didn't fully understand it.
"I won't say a word." Rin sighed, accepting Yuuji's decision, even if she didn't fully agree with it.
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