Uchiha Shisui had clearly not yet heard much about Uchiha Akira.
Facing Ao's question—
He showed a trace of confusion.
The name felt vaguely familiar—
But nothing more.
"…The descendant of the 'Strongest Three-Tomoe'… Uchiha Zhenshan…"
That was the only impression that came to mind.
Of course—
Even so—
There was no way Shisui would reveal anything about a fellow clan member to an enemy in the middle of a life-and-death situation.
And so—
He remained silent.
"Looks like you're not willing to answer…"
Ao was already tense.
After waiting and receiving nothing—
He had decided to withdraw.
But before leaving, he added:
"It's said that man's Body Flicker surpasses yours, Uchiha Shisui."
"As a respected opponent, I'd like to hear your answer—to verify that rumor."
His probing—
Still received no response.
Though young—
Shisui was far from naive.
Such a shallow tactic wouldn't work on him.
However—
Ao's words lingered.
Seeing he could gain nothing further—
Ao fully committed to retreat.
Maintaining vigilance with his Byakugan—
Watching Shisui carefully—
He signaled his men.
"We're leaving."
Soon—
Ao and his squad disappeared.
Only then did Shisui relax slightly.
He began recalling everything he knew about that name—
Uchiha Akira.
"…Someone who surpasses me?"
"If such a genius truly exists…"
"…that's a good thing."
Though he remembered little—
Shisui felt a quiet sense of relief.
A ninja who could make enemy Jonin remember his name—
And speak of it with such weight—
Could not be ordinary.
If given the chance—
He wanted to meet him.
With that thought—
Shisui vanished from the tree.
As Akira grew more proficient with his power—
He became unstoppable on the battlefield.
His three-tomoe Sharingan had reached perfect synchronization.
Combined with—
Advanced Body Flicker—
And overwhelming perception—
He became nearly invincible against the Hidden Mist.
Even enemy Jonin—
Were helpless unless they outnumbered him.
Thus—
"The man who surpasses Shisui of the Body Flicker"—
Became inseparable from the name—
Uchiha Akira.
Across the battlefield—
Both allies and enemies—
Had heard of him.
Perhaps because of the heavy losses he inflicted—
By the third day—
The number of Mist ninja on the battlefield dropped drastically.
It was as if—
Overnight—
They had vanished from the Land of Fire.
"Latest intel from the village."
"The Daimyo of the Land of Water and the Third Mizukage have agreed to negotiations."
"But even now, we can't relax."
"They might be planning something."
Uchiha Tekka spoke from behind Akira.
At this point—
Their relationship had subtly changed.
Over the past three days—
Tekka, Inabi, and Yashiro—
Had all realized—
The overwhelming gap between them and Akira.
Not just in strength—
But in tactics, coordination, leadership—
Even presence.
Though officially—
Tekka was still the squad leader—
In reality—
Everyone already saw Akira as the true leader.
Even Tekka himself.
That was why—
He now spoke more like someone reporting to a superior.
"As expected."
Akira replied calmly.
It sounded arrogant—
But no one found it unpleasant.
Because—
He had proven himself again and again.
"Any further orders?"
Akira asked.
"Some squads will remain here on defense."
"The rest will move south to reinforce against the Cloud Village."
Tekka answered.
"Understood."
"You take them and regroup with Fugaku."
Akira nodded.
"And you?"
"There are still a few pests hiding."
"I'll deal with them."
Tekka didn't hesitate.
He trusted Akira completely.
If Akira said he could handle it—
Then he could.
Soon—
Tekka led dozens of Uchiha to regroup with Fugaku.
Meanwhile—
Akira looked toward another part of the battlefield—
And vanished.
The Hidden Mist had truly been wounded.
They no longer dared to send large forces into the Land of Fire.
Instead—
They deployed elite squads.
Operating in secrecy—
Targeting weaker Konoha units.
Their goal—
Unequal retaliation.
Among them—
The core force—
Was none other than—
The Seven Ninja Swordsmen.
Their previous encounter with Akira—
Had ended poorly.
They were injured by explosive traps—
And struck by his near-perfect kunai throws.
After recovering—
They became active again.
Avoiding their previous battlefield—
They now moved along the southeastern border—
Circling toward Konoha forces.
Before this—
They had already destroyed multiple Konoha squads.
"Without our forces to engage them…"
"Konoha's main troops must have moved elsewhere."
"Now that their strongest are gone…"
"We can do whatever we want here."
Jinin Akebino grinned viciously.