Uchiha Raizen locked his gaze onto Kabuto Yakushi.
Kabuto's specialty lay in close-quarters combat. His chakra scalpels could sever a person's meridians and tendons with surgical precision. Therefore, engaging him directly in a melee was risky; the Multi-Shadow Clone Technique was the best temporary counter.
The Flying Raijin was Raizen's trump card; he would not reveal it lightly. Wood Style was even more sensitive and had to remain hidden. He would stick to the signature Fire Style of the Uchiha clan.
After a quick analysis, Raizen knew exactly how to proceed. He wanted to gain combat experience, but he could leave that to his Shadow Clones. It was safe, efficient, and insured. Once a clone was dispelled, its accumulated experience would return to the original body.
There was no need for his true self to linger here. He would leave a few clones to entangle Kabuto while he continued his journey.
Raizen gave Kabuto a playful smirk and threw a smoke bomb, obscuring the spy's vision.
"Multi-Shadow Clone Technique!"
Poof! Poof! Poof!
Seven Shadow Clones emerged through the gray haze. Six of them quickly fanned out to encircle Kabuto, while the seventh remained in the rear. His true self, however, had long since used the cover of the smoke to vanish from the scene.
"Hmph! Trying to win with numbers using Shadow Clones?" Kabuto adjusted his glasses, looking at the six clones surrounding him. "So, the real body is hiding in the back, trying to wear me down? You realize that by splitting yourself six times, your chakra is divided into seven portions. Once I destroy these clones, your original self will only have a fraction of your strength left."
Raizen's clones merely smiled. While it was true his chakra was divided, his base reserves were massive—equivalent to seven "Kakashi units." Even split seven ways, each clone possessed chakra nearly equal to an average elite Jōnin.
"Fire Style: Great Fireball Technique!"
All six clones unleashed the jutsu simultaneously from every angle.
"Hmph! Leading with the Great Fireball? You're just wasting your clones' chakra faster," Kabuto mocked. He leaped high into the air, easily clearing the converging spheres of flame. "As I thought—nothing more than a merchant with zero combat experience."
"You're right, I don't have much experience," the seventh clone in the rear spoke up. "But when it comes to IQ, I'm fairly certain I don't lose to you. While you're in mid-air, you have no leverage. Let's see how you dodge this."
Raizen had calculated the exact apex of Kabuto's jump. He blazed through hand signs and unleashed a massive fireball aimed precisely at the spy's highest point.
In mid-air, Kabuto had no way to change direction. He could only watch in frustration as the fireball hurtled toward him.
"Dammit! I was careless!" Kabuto crossed his arms in front of his face, coating them in chakra to tank the impact.
BOOM!
Kabuto was slammed violently back into the ground. As the dust settled, he stood up slowly. His clothes were charred and tattered, and his forearms were severely burned.
"I underestimated you. You are an Uchiha, after all," Kabuto muttered. He began channeling medical ninjutsu to heal his skin as he walked toward the clones. His medical skill was exceptional; the burns vanished almost as quickly as they had appeared.
He extended his hands, blue chakra shimmering into sharp blades. He sprinted toward the nearest clone.
Seeing the charge, Raizen's clones shared a grin. Raizen wasn't a fool like Naruto; he wasn't going to have his clones charge blindly into a meat grinder. As Kabuto closed the distance, all the clones immediately turned and retreated at high speed.
Kabuto skidded to a halt, staring at them. "Hey! What are you doing?!"
Raizen stopped at a safe distance. "Nothing. If you run at me, of course I'm going to run away."
Kabuto's lip twitched. "You're seven against one, and you're running?"
"Of course!" Raizen replied playfully. "I'm not a close-quarters fighter. Am I supposed to just stand there and let you cut me?"
"I'll see how long you can keep this up!" Kabuto roared, accelerating.
Raizen turned into a blur of motion, maintaining the gap. He refused to let Kabuto engage. For a period of time, they played a frantic game of cat-and-mouse. Whenever Kabuto lunged, Raizen fled. Whenever Kabuto stopped, Raizen stopped and watched him. The moment Kabuto's attention wavered, a fireball would fly at his face. When he tried to retaliate, Raizen was already a hundred meters away.
After several minutes of this, Kabuto's mental state began to fracture. He hadn't even landed a hit, and he was already on the verge of a breakdown.
"You are a disgrace to the Uchiha!" Kabuto yelled, panting. "You've thrown away all the dignity of your clan!"
Raizen retorted, "The ones who cared about 'dignity' are all dead. Idiot!"
Raizen felt a surge of satisfaction seeing the spy lose his cool. The strategy was working perfectly: When the enemy advances, we retreat. When the enemy retreats, we harass. When the enemy tires, we strike.
Kabuto spat, "You are a freak among the Uchiha!"
"A freak? I'll take that as a compliment." Raizen estimated the time. He stopped running. The seven clones began to close the circle around Kabuto.
"Not running anymore?" Kabuto watched them warily. A man this cunning wouldn't stop without a reason; he had to stay on high alert.
"Time to give you the melee you wanted. But first, let's drain the rest of your chakra. Run, Kabuto!"
The seven clones sprinted toward him, weaving signs as they moved.
"Fire Style: Great Fireball Technique!""Fire Style: Great Fireball Technique!""Fire Style: Great Fireball Technique!"
The shouts echoed in unison. Kabuto braced himself, focusing every nerve on dodging the incoming barrage.
Whoosh! One fireball went wide. Kabuto dodged with ease. Whoosh! Another followed immediately. Kabuto pivoted to the right. Whoosh! A third came from the side. He retreated backward. Whoosh! A fourth followed. Kabuto gritted his teeth and barely cleared it.
Finally, three fireballs were launched simultaneously to seal off his escape routes. Kabuto had no choice but to jump. As he reached the air, preparing to land a counter-strike, he heard the sound of hand signs again.
"Fire Style: Great Fireball Technique!"
The very first clone to have attacked had already repositioned. He was right underneath Kabuto, releasing a fireball point-blank.
"No!" Kabuto's eyes filled with terror as the massive sphere of flame engulfed him.