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Chapter 67 is out on patreon
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The ninja ranking system in this world differed slightly from what Xuan knew in his previous life. Or rather, it was the same system, just categorized with more granularity.
For instance, based on Xuan's knowledge from his past life, the Naruto world was divided into Genin, Chūnin, Special Jōnin, Jōnin, and Kage-level.
Here, however, the ranks above Special Jōnin were divided further: Jōnin, Elite Jōnin, Peak Jōnin, and finally, the strongest Clan Head-level powerhouses.
In this era, the rank of Jōnin was detailed into three distinct stages.
Xuan had been a bit unaccustomed to this when he first arrived, but after thinking about it, it made sense. Even in the original story, there were hints of this, though it wasn't explicitly stated.
Take Kakashi, for example. In the original story, Kakashi became a Jōnin at age 12. But was the 12-year-old Kakashi on the same level as the Kakashi from the main storyline?
After coming to this world, Xuan realized that by these standards, 12-year-old Kakashi was classified as a standard Jōnin. By the start of the main plot, he was an Elite Jōnin. Later, after mastering Kamui with his Mangekyō Sharingan, he was a Peak Jōnin.
The difference in strength was clear at a glance. It could be said that in a one-on-one fight, an Elite Jōnin would only need ten moves to defeat a standard Jōnin.
The Hyuga Jōnin that Xuan and Madara had desperately fought and killed last time was merely a standard Jōnin. He wasn't even in the same league as the three standing before him now.
"Three Elite Jōnin... you really think highly of me!"
Xuan drew a sharp breath, addressing Hyuga Tamamo.
Tamamo smiled at him.
"Never underestimating an enemy is the universal rule of ninjas. When hunting down an enemy genius, one must use their full strength. You should understand this."
Xuan gave a dry laugh but didn't speak.
He wasn't overly worried about his safety. Before coming here, he had left a Flying Thunder God kunai with Uchiha Masa. He could retreat whenever he wanted; even Elite Jōnin couldn't stop him.
While talking to Hyuga Tamamo, he unfurled the scroll he had just taken out. With a pulse of Chakra, he shook it violently. Instantly, a massive cloud of kunai flew in all directions—some landing on the ground, some nailing into the walls, and one even landing right at Hyuga Tamamo's feet.
Everyone was startled by Xuan's sudden movement. One of the Elite Jōnin instantly appeared in front of Hyuga Tamamo, watching Xuan guardedly. Although he didn't believe Xuan could pull any tricks right under his nose, it was always better to be careful. If the Princess were injured due to his negligence, his sin would be grave.
Seeing them look at him nervously, Xuan gave a harmless smile. He had learned this move from Namikaze Minato in the original story. When he watched Naruto back then and saw Minato scatter kunai all over the floor before fighting the Fourth Raikage and Bee, he felt the move was incredibly shameless—almost rogue-like. But it suited Xuan's tastes perfectly.
"Don't be nervous, just some kunai!"
While his mouth spoke words to distract them, his mind was calculating furiously.
Three Elite Jōnin... I definitely can't beat them head-on. But Hyuga Tamamo is only about Chūnin level. If I can catch her, I might have a winning chance. Also, there are those seven Chūnin. That's 1,000 Points each. If I can't catch Tamamo, I'll wipe them out in passing and then flee with the Flying Thunder God.
"Baffling behavior. Kill him. We've wasted enough time tonight. After all, we aren't far from the Uchiha territory; we can't guarantee we won't be detected," Hyuga Tamamo ordered coldly, her gaze turning icy.
Almost the instant she gave the order, the other two Elite Jōnin moved.
In a split second, two figures—one in front and one behind—surrounded Uchiha Xuan. Their longswords were already thrusting toward his vitals.
This speed... it's almost double that of the previous Jōnin! It's approaching the limit of what the Three-Tomoe Sharingan can track. Is this the strength of an Elite Jōnin?
Xuan thought, activating the Flying Thunder God in that fraction of a second.
Ninjas of the Warring States period mostly fought with Taijutsu as their primary method and Ninjutsu as support. Few specialized in just one area. The Hyuga clan was the leader in Taijutsu, so the Taijutsu prowess of their Elite Jōnin was second to none in the entire era, far surpassing their peers. They were incredibly confident in their speed—so confident that they believed even the Senju and Uchiha were inferior to them in pure Taijutsu.
Therefore, they were confident in this strike. A five-year-old Uchiha brat, even if he was a once-in-ten-thousand-years genius, hadn't even reached the level of a Jōnin yet. How could he possibly dodge this blade?
But their blades hit nothing but air.
Under their disbelieving gazes, the brat before them vanished without any warning signs. With their strength, they actually couldn't even track his movement.
"Rasengan!"
Xuan suddenly appeared behind one of the Elite Jōnin. The Rasengan in his right hand was already formed, thrusting toward the man's heart.
"Naive!"
The Elite Jōnin sneered. Within the 360-degree vision of the Byakugan, Xuan's position was exposed the moment he appeared. The Jōnin's longsword stabbed backward with the speed of lightning, aiming straight for Xuan's throat. At this speed, before the Rasengan could hit his heart, Xuan would be the one with a pierced throat.
"Damn it!"
Cursing inwardly, Xuan vanished again instantly, reappearing behind the other Elite Jōnin.
But what greeted him was another cold, gleaming blade.
Whoosh!
The sword stabbed empty air again. Suddenly, the area around the two men was filled with Uchiha Xuan's afterimages. These were illusions left behind by his continuous use of the Flying Thunder God.
The two Elite Jōnin were encountering this era-defying Ninjutsu for the first time. Their Byakugan didn't blink once, staring dead at their surroundings. Originally, they thought the Clan Head sending three of them to kill one Uchiha kid was making a mountain out of a molehill. But now, it seemed like brilliant foresight. This monster... he had to die. They couldn't give him even a sliver of a chance to grow up.
Xuan continued to use the Flying Thunder God to jump between the kunai, constantly looking for an opening. But the combat experience of these two Elite Jōnin was simply too rich. Their focus was at its peak, revealing no flaws. Combined with the assistance of the Byakugan, Xuan suspected that the moment he materialized for an attack, he would be met with a ruthless counter-strike.
Whoosh...
Xuan appeared on top of a thatched hut in the distance, the Rasengan still spinning in his hand. He finally gave up on looking for a flaw in their defense. Killing an Elite Jōnin right now was too difficult; one slip-up and he would be the one dying.
Bang!
"8 Trigrams Vacuum Slash!"
A violent wave of blade energy struck the thatched hut almost the instant Xuan appeared. The entire hut shattered into pieces. A massive cloud of dust rose up, obscuring the result of the attack.
"He dodged it!" the Elite Jōnin who swung the blade said. It was hard for him to keep his tone calm. He really couldn't understand how a mere Special Jōnin could do this.
"I have never seen such a bizarre Ninjutsu. He must die tonight! We cannot give him the chance to grow."
The other Elite Jōnin tightened his grip on his sword, his killing intent overflowing.
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