Might Duy opened the Sixth Gate—Gate of View (Keimon)—and his chakra surged like a torrent, boiling through his entire body. Blood vessels on his skin bulged violently, glowing with an eerie mix of blue and red from the intense inner pressure.
"Ahhhh!"
Might Duy roared. Veins distorted his face as he stepped into the air—the sheer pressure of his leap cracking the air with a piercing howl. He shot forward faster than most eyes could track.
"Leaf Whirlwind!"
BOOM!
His momentum broke the sound barrier. The air combusted around his leg, producing crimson friction-flames that howled like wild beasts. With devastating force, his kick crashed toward the masked assassin.
The Crow-Masked Shinobi's expression twisted in horror. The power from this so-called "eternal Genin" was nearing that of an elite Jōnin.
'How is this possible?!'
But his years at the Foundation had trained him well. Suppressing his panic, he locked eyes with Might Duy and quickly formed a Genjutsu using his Three Tomoe Sharingan.
"Shikumi no Jutsu! (Killing Intent Illusion!)"
Simultaneously, he layered it with another technique:
"Kasumi Jūsha no Jutsu! (Mist Servant Technique)!"
Dozens of dark illusions surged forth—phantom clones meant to confuse and deceive. These Genjutsu could mislead even seasoned Jōnin, creating false images and disorienting space perception. Meanwhile, he prepared the Body Flicker Technique (Shunshin no Jutsu) to escape.
But—
Might Duy didn't hesitate for even a tenth of a second.
By now, the chakra raging through his gates had surpassed normal human limits. With that kind of chakra overdrive, Genjutsu was utterly ineffective.
BOOM! BOOM!
Red flames flared again with a banshee screech. Duy's flaming kick smashed into the enemy's abdomen, sending the Crow Shinobi hurtling fifty meters through snow. He crashed into a tree the width of a grown man's arm and barely came to a stop.
Crack-crackle!
The snow around him ignited like a peacock fanning its burning tail—bright red flames shimmering atop white powder.
"Guh! Pfft—!" The masked man coughed blood, which dripped down beneath the edge of his mask.
Might Duy stepped forward, leaping through the air again like a phantom, his eyes burning.
"You...!"
Yagui gritted his teeth. The Three Tomoe spun wildly in his eyes, but the crippling damage to his abdomen drained his vitality. He couldn't continue.
BOOM!
Duy's second blazing kick exploded into the terrain. Bark and wood chips blasted outward like a meteor storm, embedding into nearby trunks with blazing heat.
Just before the finishing blow landed, the Crow Shinobi disappeared in a puff of smoke.
Substitution Technique.
Duy landed hard, panting. The flow of chakra threatened to rupture his blood vessels. Seeing the enemy had escaped, he exhaled deeply—and slowly began to close the Inner Gate.
Not far away, Fenghuo stood wide-eyed and trembling, unable to tell if it was fear or awe making him shake.
'That was the Eight Gates Released Formation! No—at least a prototype of Morning Peacock (Asa Kujaku)! I actually witnessed it!'
Still dazed, Fenghuo barely reacted as Might Duy walked up and embraced him tightly.
"Fenghuo, I'm truly sorry I put you in danger!" Duy said solemnly. "It won't happen again—I promise you!"
Fenghuo was stunned. He had been the target. He brought the threat. Yet this man was apologizing?
"Huff... Huff..."
Duy continued taking deep, strained breaths. The Sixth Gate had clearly taxed him heavily.
"Uncle Duy—you... no, I'm the one who caused this. Kai and you were almost—! I should be the one to apologize!" Fenghuo said quickly. "Uncle Duy, you're hurt—let me use medical ninjutsu!"
He reached out, intending to apply the Mystical Palm Technique, but Duy raised a hand.
"No need. It's just chakra exhaustion. Medical ninjutsu won't help overdrawn muscles," Duy said, ruffling Fenghuo's hair with a smile.
Just then, a figure shimmered into view—a blur of white hair in the snow.
"Duy! So it was you!"
It was Hatake Sakumo—the White Fang of the Leaf, and commander of Konoha's Anbu!
From the moment Duy opened the Sixth Gate to the enemy's retreat, only about ten seconds had passed. This was a remote forest. No ordinary ninja could have responded that fast.
But Sakumo did.
Fenghuo froze. Seeing this legendary shinobi in the flesh chilled him to the core.
"Lord Hatake!" Duy exhaled in relief.
"What happened? That level of chakra release didn't go unnoticed," Sakumo said calmly, his sharp eyes resting on Fenghuo—but with an unexpected warmth.
"A Jōnin from the Uchiha clan tried to abduct Fenghuo," Duy explained. "I intervened."
Sakumo smiled faintly. "A Jōnin, huh? Duy... you continue to impress."
Duy chuckled awkwardly.
"Let's move. I'll have Anbu sweep the area," Sakumo said.
Kai was still asleep nearby. Duy didn't wake him—just carried him gently.
As they walked, Sakumo looked at Fenghuo with mild curiosity.
"So... you're Uchiha Fenghuo?"
"Yes, Lord Hatake," Fenghuo replied, nervous.
"You've heard of me?"
"Uncle Duy just mentioned you..."
Sakumo chuckled. "What did you think of that battle?"
Don't put this on me! I'm seven! What kind of senior grills a first-grader for a mission debrief?!
"I... I don't know, sir," Fenghuo said meekly.
Sakumo gave him a thoughtful glance, then let it go.
(Privately, the Third Hokage had already instructed him to watch over this child.)
Elsewhere...
Whoosh!
Three masked Anbu raced under the moonlight, following a blood trail through the forest.
They stopped at a riverside clearing.
"Target located!"
"Confirmed deceased!"
"Eyes removed—unable to verify Uchiha heritage."
The three exchanged grim looks, preparing to recover the corpse.
"Wait—careful!"
BOOM!
The body exploded—three paper bombs hidden within. The blast destroyed all evidence in a flash of fire.
"Dammit! Everyone okay?!"
"I'm fine."
"There goes our only lead. What do we tell the commander?"
These Anbu were Sakumo's team, tasked with hunting down the Crow Shinobi. But someone had erased the trail.
They left.
Half an hour later, more shadows appeared. Another trio of figures searched the area silently, then disappeared.
Half an hour after that—
A ripple appeared beneath the riverbed. From a concealed cavity, the Crow Shinobi emerged—barely alive. His waist and abdomen were shredded.
Blood spilled downstream as he gasped for air.
"Damn you... Might Duy," he hissed, staggering into the woods. The Three Tomoe Sharingan spun wildly in rage.