"kai!"
As the halted flow of time resumed, Loess roared again—but this time, the deep crimson wound on his neck became unmistakably visible.
Only then did he realize what had happened. He clutched his neck, fingers brushing across the blood, and his gaze toward Kai Uchiha turned sharper, more alert than ever.
And then—Kai moved.
In Loess's eyes, the Uchiha suddenly exploded forward at an astonishing speed. It was even faster than the moment Kai had taken down Shiwu… faster than when he had killed Log. The sheer velocity made it look as if time itself couldn't catch up.
Loess couldn't understand. Why had this brat hidden such power until now? Why wait until his teammates were nearly dead to unleash it?
If Kai had moved like this earlier, those kids wouldn't have ended up in such terrible shape.
I don't get it... but it doesn't matter, Loess thought grimly. This kid has to die.
If Loess hadn't remained cautious—laying traps and preparing contingencies—he might've already become another victim of this Uchiha's trickery.
"You're impressive, Uchiha brat," Loess said, letting go of his wounded neck. "Your speed is terrifying. I'd say even Namikaze Minato is comparable to you. But it's a shame—you met me. You don't have the strength to finish this. If you'd used that power earlier..."
Kai Uchiha didn't respond. His gaze was cold, focused. He had no intention of explaining himself.
If Kakashi hadn't been beaten within an inch of his life… if Aya Hyuga hadn't been so gravely injured… if Loess hadn't ignored Kai entirely from the start… and if Kenta Imai weren't barely clinging to consciousness—maybe Kai wouldn't have needed to resort to the Mangekyō Sharingan.
The Kaleidoscope was powerful, yes—but it wasn't something he could keep using. Not now. Not yet. It was still unstable, dangerous. Most of all, Kai didn't want anyone to know he possessed it.
He understood too well the burden it brought.
Uchiha Fugaku, the current clan head, most likely had one—but had never dared use it openly.
Shisui lost an eye. Itachi drowned in guilt and bloodshed. Obito became a ghost of himself. Madara—legendary as he was—ended up nothing more than a pawn.
Even Sasuke, despite how well things seemed to turn out, would've been executed for his crimes if not for his bond with Naruto and Kakashi—the Sixth and Seventh Hokage.
But Kai? Kai had no such bond.
Not yet.
And with the Uchiha clan's current strained relationship with Konoha, he couldn't afford that risk—not unless there was no other choice.
He staggered to his feet, breath ragged, chakra nearly depleted. But Loess wasn't going to let him go.
"Die, Uchiha brat!"
As expected, Loess didn't waste words. He surged forward, fists clenched, chakra flaring violently. Dust exploded behind him as he kicked off, lunging straight at Kai with terrifying momentum.
Kai saw the punch coming. He could trace every motion—but it didn't matter. He couldn't move.
The Mangekyō had drained him too much. His limbs felt like lead. His body, battered and bruised, could no longer react.
Damn it… where the hell is Minato-sensei?!
For the first time, Kai wondered if he'd been deceived by Minato's gentle smile and kind demeanor.
There was no time to dwell on that. He tried to shift his stance, barely managing to move—
—and then someone yanked him back by the collar.
"Bang!"
The deafening crash made Kai's ears ring. Shards of broken stone rained down around him.
Before he could even process what happened, Kai was dragged backward—skidding across the dirt for nearly ten meters.
His back burned from the impact, his neck aching. He turned slightly—and saw Kenta Imai standing over him, dagger in hand.
"You..." Kai's voice cracked with disbelief.
"Shut up," Kenta muttered, not even looking at him. "You think Jōnin Namikaze can teleport instantly? How long do you need to recover?"
"I—I don't know. I need time…"
"I can buy you a minute. If you're still useless after that, I'm running."
"Then you'd better start running now," Kai groaned.
He quickly understood. Kenta was hesitating… hesitating to make the same sacrifice Kai had been ready to make moments ago. But one minute—was it enough? Even with emergency chakra pills from the Akimichi clan, a minute was nothing.
Kenta ignored him, white-knuckling the dagger in his shaking hands. He stared straight ahead, where the dust was thickest.
"...He's coming."
As Kenta spoke, Loess shot out from the smoke. Even as he charged, he was weaving hand signs—earth trembled in his wake. The very ground beneath them split and cracked as the jutsu activated.
Kenta staggered, barely staying upright. Kai, who had only just managed to stand, collapsed again, balance lost.
From the corner of his eye, Kai saw Loess bypass Kenta entirely—moving with deadly precision. In a flash, Loess's left hand stabbed forward, daggering toward Kenta's chest—while his right fist, saturated with chakra, surged toward Kai with killing intent.
Kai's eyes widened. This is it.
He reached for his kunai, trying to lift it in shaky hands. Fear flooded his eyes, memories of his first mission returning—when he'd felt just as helpless.
He forced his Mangekyō open again, regardless of the toll.
Even now, when he wanted to preserve it.
Even now, when he knew it might kill him.
But before the blow could land—
Loess vanished.