Uchiha orphan, so what if I'm ruthless?

Judging by their attitude, it was obvious they thought they had Uchiha Taiga dead to rights.

They stood or crouched there openly, without any cover, disguise, or even the most basic attempt at concealment.

A few young Kumogakure ninjas in particular wore undisguised smiles, eager to strike, looking at him as if he were trapped prey.

Uchiha Taiga swept his gaze over them.

Twenty-five people.

Led by Yugito Nii, they were deployed in all four directions. Their positioning seemed loose but actually contained a hidden tactical formation.

Some were responsible for frontal containment, some for flanking, some occupied the high ground, and others blocked the retreat.

Six ninja squads, six Jonin, and the rest were all at least Special Jonin level.

Coupled with the Two-Tails Jinchuriki, Yugito Nii herself, such a lineup was more than enough in Kumogakure's eyes to deal with a single person.

No, to be precise, looking at the entire ninja world today, such a team would have no problem dealing with anyone.

Uchiha Taiga, however, merely chuckled. He showed no signs of tension, let alone fear, and didn't even bother to put his guard up.

He looked at Yugito Nii with pure curiosity in his eyes.

'This chick is pretty damn gorgeous.'

After a moment of thought, Taiga spoke up. "Are you Kumogakure ninjas really in such a hurry to die?"

"Or do you truly believe you have me cornered?"

See, even at this point, he was still saying such things, which showed his good intentions.

Unfortunately, no one appreciated it.

Yugito Nii's expression remained unchanged, as haughty as ever.

She raised her chin slightly, her sharp eyes staring straight at Taiga, a faint smile playing on her lips, seemingly disdainful.

"That is not your concern."

Her voice was crisp and cold. "Uchiha Taiga, the most unique genius of the Uchiha clan. You possessed a special physique since childhood, capable of controlling natural energy, and despite being an Uchiha, you also possess the Byakugan. To be honest, such a situation has never appeared in the ninja world. We in Kumogakure are very sincere, and we hope you can recognize reality."

"Sincerity?"

Taiga repeated the word as if he had heard something amusing.

He looked at the glaring Kumogakure ninjas surrounding him and shook his head with a smile.

"Should I say your intelligence gathering is meticulous, or should I say you are too careless?"

Yugito Nii frowned slightly.

"What do you mean?"

Taiga's smile remained unchanged.

"Didn't you carefully evaluate the situation before coming here?"

Taiga took two steps toward Yugito Nii, and immediately, the sound of blades being drawn echoed all around.

He stopped and said with a smile, "Or do you think that just because you, a Jinchuriki, are leading the team, you definitely have me beat?"

Yugito Nii's expression instantly turned serious.

Her pupils shrank slightly, and she looked at Taiga with a bit more caution.

A Jinchuriki was the top secret of every village. The fact that she was the Two-Tails Jinchuriki was known only to a few in Kumogakure... the Raikage, a few high-ranking elders, and a few trusted aides responsible for her daily protection.

How did this boy know?

Where did he get this information?

Several thoughts flashed through her mind, but her facial expression quickly returned to calm.

Taiga saw her reaction, and his smile grew wider.

"It's hard to imagine that you can already control Tailed Beast chakra at your age."

His voice was not loud, but everyone around heard it clearly.

"I imagine that if other ninja villages knew this information, they would definitely be very interested."

Among the surrounding Kumogakure ninjas, apart from the few who knew beforehand, many couldn't help but cast glances at Yugito Nii.

Controlling Tailed Beast chakra?

What was that?

But among the few who knew the inside story, some couldn't help but shrink their pupils and subconsciously look at Yugito Nii.

That was an existence capable of communicating with the Tailed Beast inside them to a certain extent and borrowing its power.

Such Jinchuriki were exceedingly rare in the entire history of the ninja world, and the one in front of them was actually one of them?

Fortunately, they were all professional ninjas. They withdrew their gazes after just a glance and refocused their attention on Uchiha Taiga.

But that brief glance already contained too many emotions—surprise, admiration, and so on—causing the atmosphere at the scene to change slightly.

Yugito Nii's face darkened.

Obviously, Uchiha Taiga had spoken her biggest secret, which made her feel very uneasy.

This boy was much more difficult to deal with than she had expected. Facing the encirclement of twenty-five elite ninjas, he could actually still smile and speak in such a teasing tone.

For some reason, Yugito Nii felt a hidden sense of unease in her heart, so she stopped wasting words and raised her hand to make a gesture.

"Attack."

The voice was not loud, but everyone moved at the exact same moment.

The movements of those Kumogakure ninjas were astonishingly fast, and their coordination was so tacit that it seemed they had practiced it countless times.

Three people charged out from the front simultaneously, their bodies covered in crackling Lightning Style chakra, their speed instantly pushed to the limit.

Veins bulged on their arms, muscles flexed, and every punch seemed to carry enough power to shatter rocks.

Nintaijutsu: Lightning Style Armor.

This was Kumogakure's signature combat style, covering the body's surface with Lightning Style chakra to stimulate nerves and muscles, granting superhuman speed and strength.

The three Jonin punched simultaneously from three directions, the wind from their fists tearing through the air with a sharp whistling sound.

At the same time, the ninjas on both sides began weaving hand signs.

Their hand speed was extremely fast, completing the signs almost simultaneously.

Lightning Style: Lightning Fang!

Several bolts of lightning shot from their palms, weaving into an electric net in the air that descended upon Uchiha Taiga.

The lightning bolts were not straight but zigzagged and leaped like living snakes, lunging at the target from different angles.

The people in the rear did not rush to attack but occupied higher positions.

Some leaped onto roofs, some jumped to second-floor balconies, and others stood on the signboards lining the street.

They held kunai and shuriken in their hands but did not throw them.

They were waiting—waiting for Uchiha Taiga to reveal a flaw, waiting for his evasion space to be compressed to the limit, and then they would deliver a fatal blow.

The entire process took less than two seconds.

Twenty-five people, twenty-five attacks, striking simultaneously from all directions.

There were no blind spots or gaps, nor did they leave him any route of retreat.

Uchiha Taiga's eyes lit up.

He moved.

His movements were flawlessly smooth, his body weaving through the attacks like a fish in water or a leaf in the wind. He seemed weightless as he drifted through every gap.

As Lightning Style: Lightning Fang shot toward him, he tilted his head slightly. The lightning bolt flew past his ear and struck the wall behind him, blasting a hole in it.

Another bolt of lightning struck from below. He lightly lifted his foot, and the lightning swept past his sole, blasting the ground where he had just stood into a scorched black patch.

The third, fourth, fifth bolt... His body spun and leaped among the lightning flashes with his eyes closed. Every movement was just right, and every attack brushed past him. Not a single one could hit him.

The three Jonin using Nintaijutsu rushed in front of him, their fists as fast as lightning, but Uchiha Taiga's eyes were faster than their fists.

Under his 360-degree field of vision, the trajectories, angles, and speeds of all attacks were taken in at a glance.

His body sank slightly, and the first punch swept over his head. He leaned back, and the second punch grazed his chest. He turned sideways, and the third punch brushed past his shoulder.

All three punches missed.

A flash of astonishment crossed the eyes of the three Jonin, as if they hadn't expected their certain-kill formation to be evaded so easily.

Their fists were still in the air, their bodies still rushing forward. Their momentum was spent, and they couldn't retract their moves.

Uchiha Taiga slipped through the gap between them, easily breaking out of their encirclement.

The next instant, he landed in an open space a few meters away and turned to face the Kumogakure ninjas. He still wore a smile on his face, a smile that made them feel an indescribable sense of unease.

"I'm very curious to know."

His voice rang out from the crowd, not loud, but everyone heard it clearly.

"What Kumogakure's attitude would be if their Jinchuriki were captured."

Yugito Nii's pupils shrank violently.

In her line of sight, the three men who had just thrown punches at Uchiha Taiga were standing blankly in place, motionless, while blood flowed down from their necks.

And everyone present, even including Yugito Nii, hadn't seen clearly when Uchiha Taiga had made his move.