As he spoke, he took a silver bottle from the Ninja Tool pouch at the back of his pants and raised it to his mouth. A sweet scent spread on the wind, and Shisui Uchiha and Itachi Uchiha understood that Akatsuki's Wujie was drinking alcohol.
"Senior Wujie, the three prohibitions for a Ninja, have you forgotten?" Itachi Uchiha asked while watching his back. Wujie Kohinata ignored him, drained the bottle in one go, and let out a satisfied groan.
"Ha, let this senior teach you something," he said, finally turning to face Itachi Uchiha and Shisui Uchiha with a grin. "A Ninja must learn how to hide killing intent. Our 'Takemikazuchi no Otoko' here does that very well."
The moment his words fell, a cold flash cut through the air. kacha rang out as metal struck metal. Wujie Kohinata looked at the metal bottle blocking in front of him, a Kunai buried deep within it, and sighed. "Ah, that was expensive liquor. What a waste."
Grim expressions appeared on the faces of Shisui Uchiha and Itachi Uchiha, since the one who had just attacked was clearly Shisui Uchiha. "You already noticed?" Shisui Uchiha said in a low voice. "Submit quietly, Wujie Kohinata. The Third Hokage is lenient toward criminals who surrender. You should not be killed."
Even as he spoke, his eyes had already turned scarlet, six tomoe rotating calmly within. Wujie Kohinata lowered his head, deliberately avoiding Shisui Uchiha's gaze, and a mocking smile crept across his face.
"Shunshin Shisui, you are fairly well known too," he said softly. "But is it because you only walk in the sunlight that your thinking is limited to this level, or is it because compared to that man over there, you are still just a naive kid?"
He flicked ash from his cigarette and glanced sideways at the ever smiling Yunchuan Hyuga. "You should know what I have done, and you should also know whether I would be forgiven if I turned myself in."
"I just did not expect that the ones sent to kill me would be not only two geniuses from the Uchiha Clan, but also our war hero. I am truly honored."
Yunchuan Hyuga shrugged in imitation of him and said, "Consider it rehabilitation training." Wujie Kohinata could not help but smile. "You are an interesting one. Under normal circumstances, I would not mind sharing my drink with you, but unfortunately..."
As he spoke, the Chakra within his body surged, clearly recalling his Shadow Clone with Release. At the same time, Itachi Uchiha also released the Shadow Clone he had left at the Konoha Hospital, having long been monitoring Wujie Kohinata.
"My son was talking to a Shadow Clone pretending to be his father. He must be very angry now," Wujie Kohinata said, scratching his head. "That means I need to hurry back and find a good excuse to explain things to him."
As his words ended, his stance lowered, left hand extending forward while the right stayed near his chest. It resembled the unique posture of the Gentle Fist, but his hand was shaped like a blade rather than a fist.
Itachi Uchiha did not attack immediately and instead voiced his thoughts. "Someone as capable as you, why choose to become a spy?" Wujie Kohinata smiled with an air of age. "When you grow old, there are many things you are forced to do. Those are matters only understood later in life."
After a brief silence, Itachi Uchiha asked, "After you die, what will happen to your sick son?" Wujie Kohinata replied calmly, "That is why I cannot die here."
His left pupil vanished, veins spreading around his eye as his smile faded. "Even if I have to kill you all, I cannot die," he said coldly. Byakugan?
The expressions of Shisui Uchiha and Itachi Uchiha changed slightly as they jumped back without hesitation. The intelligence never mentioned Wujie Kohinata possessing Byakugan. The Kohinata had split from the Hyuga Clan generations ago, and their bloodline was so thin that even Root believed the eyes could no longer awaken.
A Jonin with Byakugan was far more troublesome. Genjutsu worked by disrupting an enemy's Chakra, but members of the Hyuga Clan with Byakugan could keenly sense disturbances in their own flow. This meant he had deceived everyone, including the higher ups led by Hiruzen Sarutobi.
"This is atavism," Yunchuan Hyuga said suddenly. "Even if reasons are made to separate the Main Family and the Branch Family, blood ties cannot truly be severed." As his words fell, a wave of scorching heat rolled in.
"Fire Release: Great Fireball Technique!" From a distance, Shisui Uchiha raised his hand, formed a seal, and expelled a massive fireball that could swallow Wujie whole.
Wujie Kohinata's expression did not change as he raised his palm directly toward it. With a sharp sound, the fireball split cleanly in two before him, flowing past both sides of his body. He showed no obvious Ninjutsu signs, and no special Chakra wrapped around him. To Itachi Uchiha's eyes, it looked as if the fire had been cut apart by itself.
"To use the Gentle Fist that severs an enemy's Chakra flow means one understands that flow completely," Yunchuan Hyuga explained again. "Ninjutsu is also formed from Chakra. With Byakugan to judge its movement, cutting it in half is not difficult."
"It is a pity that the Main Family and Branch Family remain trapped by the limits they set for themselves. They focus only on secret Taijutsu like the Gentle Fist and neglect the development of Byakugan."
As he spoke, Wujie Kohinata vanished and reappeared beside Itachi Uchiha, engaging him and Shisui Uchiha in close combat. Yunchuan Hyuga stood on a tree, calmly watching from above without any intention of joining in.
By the time the fight neared its end, the situation had become clear. Wujie Kohinata leaned against a tree, breathing heavily. His dark outfit was torn in many places, exposing mangled flesh and seeping blood.
A bone-deep wound on his left shoulder poured blood, the work of the Short Sword in Shisui Uchiha's hand. His right arm hung twisted, the joint crushed by Itachi Uchiha. His former sharp presence was gone, leaving only the ragged struggle of a wounded beast.
Yet his bloodshot eyes remained locked on the two figures standing together before him. Itachi Uchiha was breathing hard as well, his Sharingan glowing with an eerie red light as he searched for a final opening. Shisui Uchiha stayed steadier, watching the directions Wujie might try to flee.
"That is enough, Senior Wujie," Shisui Uchiha said, his voice heavy. "You have no way out." Wujie bared his teeth in a smile mixed with blood. "A way out? From the moment I stepped onto this path, I never thought about one."
He drew in a sharp breath and, despite the pain, formed a seal with his remaining hand for a final desperate struggle. Itachi Uchiha and Shisui Uchiha moved almost at the same time.
Itachi Uchiha's Kunai thrust straight toward Wujie's heart, while Shisui Uchiha used Shunshin to appear at his side. The Short Sword traced a lethal arc toward his neck.
At that critical instant, Yunchuan Hyuga, who had stood aside as if detached from the battle, moved. He formed no seals and gave no warning, only lifting a finger slightly on the blade he held before him.