In the darkness, Jizo moved like a phantom. Wielding a short sword, he simultaneously engaged all three Root ninja. Figures blurred within the dim light as the three Root operatives were steadily forced back under his assault. After just a few exchanges, all three had been repelled.
"Who are you? Why are you interfering in Konoha's internal affairs?" one of the Root ninja demanded, glaring fiercely at Jizo. This mysterious newcomer who had appeared out of nowhere was absurdly strong, completely suppressing all three of them using taijutsu alone.
"No particular reason. I just don't like rats skulking in the shadows," Jizo replied casually. He then turned to Uchiha Hiroaki behind him. "You go first. I'll cover the rear."
Hearing Jizo's words, Hiroaki, who had been watching with suspicion and uncertainty, seemed momentarily stunned. He then gave Jizo a slight, grateful bow before quickly turning and fleeing.
"Damn it!" Seeing their target escaping, the three Root ninja prepared to give chase again.
"Heh! Thinking of chasing him? Dream on!" A cold sneer flashed in Jizo's eyes. "Fire Style: Great Fireball Jutsu!" His hands flew through seals, and a massive fireball erupted from his mouth. This fireball was easily more than twice the size of the one Uchiha Yashiro had unleashed earlier. It blasted forward, completely blocking the path of the three Root operatives. The Root ninja's expressions shifted rapidly; the power of the newcomer's jutsu was outrageously immense. They hastily dodged out of the way.
Two minutes later, the fight was over. By the faint moonlight, two of the Root ninja could be seen impaled on rock spears that had jutted diagonally from the earth, while the last one had been decapitated.
"Danzo, oh Danzo! You've really done us a huge favor!" Jizo glanced in the direction Hiroaki had fled, murmured softly, then flickered and vanished from the spot.
At the Uchiha merchant caravan campsite. Flames raged, soaring towards the sky. The dozens of caravan members were almost all dead. Only two Uchiha clansmen were still making a desperate last stand, putting up futile resistance. Both had activated their Sharingan, but they were heavily wounded, their deaths all but certain. Nearby, Ryoma Aburame, concealed beneath his hooded robe, slowly closed in with several Root ninja.
Suddenly, faint footsteps sounded behind the two embattled Uchiha. They spun around simultaneously, utter astonishment showing on their faces. They recognized the person – he was just an ordinary civilian from the caravan. He actually survived!
Ryoma Aburame also paused his advance. The young man walked calmly out of the inferno, appearing as if strolling through a courtyard. He looked to be in his early twenties, wearing a pair of distinctive sky-blue goggles over his forehead. Watching the young man approach so casually, Ryoma's expression changed drastically. He thrust out his hands, and a vast, black cloud of insects surged forth, swarming towards the newcomer.
"Go," the young man said softly to the two Uchiha, then his hands rapidly formed seals. "Fire Style: Great Fire Annihilation!" An absolutely colossal torrent of fire erupted from the young man's mouth, surging forward like a tidal wave, washing over the incoming swarm of insects and crashing towards Ryoma and the Root ninja behind them.
"Retreat, quickly!" The moment the young man unleashed this Fire Style jutsu, Ryoma and all the Root operatives paled in shock. They had never witnessed Fire Style on such an unbelievable scale. Boom! Rumble! The sea of fire engulfed the entire campsite, swallowing the surrounding trees whole. Ryoma Aburame, his expression grim, immediately led his Root ninja in a rapid retreat. The opponent's strength far exceeded their imagination.
The two Uchiha clansmen, scrambling away desperately, looked back at the apocalyptic scene, disbelief warring with wonder on their faces. Such powerful Fire Style! Is this a hidden expert dispatched by the clan?
Great Fire Annihilation – this was the B-rank Fire Style ninjutsu that Tatsuya had secretly obtained from Uchiha Misuke over a year ago. In his past life, Tatsuya recalled that when Lord Madara used this technique, it took the combined Water Style jutsu of over a dozen shinobi just to block it. Tatsuya had coveted this jutsu for a long time. Although his relationship with Shisui was good even before Misuke approached him, he hadn't dared to rashly ask Shisui for such a powerful clan technique. Uchiha Misuke, however, had directly brought him the training scroll. The power of Great Fire Annihilation was immense, but it placed extremely high demands on the user. A ninja with insufficient chakra reserves would likely be drained completely after just one use.
The young man currently wearing the blue goggles was Tatsuya's second clone body. Its cell sample had been created by fusing cells from the one-eyed clone body (Jizo) with cells from Hinata and Tatsuya himself. Catalyzed by the Fujinhoin and the Secret Art of Body Activation, this clone body automatically awakened the Byakugan upon reaching maturity. Tatsuya had specifically equipped him with the blue goggles to conceal this fact. Tatsuya had named this clone "Kagutsuchi," after the Chinese god of fire, due to its exceptionally high affinity for fire-natured chakra. In Kagutsuchi's hands, even ordinary Fire Style ninjutsu could inflict tremendous damage.
Having narrowly avoided the Great Fire Annihilation, Ryoma Aburame didn't hesitate; he immediately led his remaining Root operatives in a swift retreat. It was obvious from that single jutsu that they were no match for this individual. This wasn't an opponent who could be overcome simply by superior numbers. Moreover, Ryoma was now deeply concerned about Lord Danzo. He had to get his team back to ensure Danzo's safety as quickly as possible.
Kagutsuchi watched Ryoma and his subordinates depart. After confirming that the two Uchiha clansmen had successfully escaped, he, too, flickered away, following the retreating Root ninja.
Two li away, the battle between Danzo's group and Uchiha Yashiro's pair was reaching its conclusion. On the ravaged battlefield, Uchiha Yasumasa lay dying. His right arm had been severed completely, and his body bore dozens of wounds. He no longer possessed any strength to resist. Nearby, Uchiha Yashiro was in slightly better condition, but he was also covered in numerous injuries. Among them was a gash across his chest and abdomen, half a meter long, sliced so cleanly it looked like the work of a sharp blade, with his internal organs faintly visible within. Yashiro's chakra was completely exhausted; he couldn't even maintain his three-tomoe Sharingan any longer. Opposite him, Danzo Shimura stood unharmed, surrounded by the ten-plus remaining Root operatives, securely trapping Yashiro. Two Root members had already died during the battle; facing the enraged Uchiha elder was perilous, and the slightest mistake could cost them their lives.
Danzo glanced back towards the direction of the campsite. Seeing the raging firelight illuminating the sky, surprise and gravity touched his features. Such powerful chakra fluctuations!Could it be reinforcements from the Uchiha clan? In the entire shinobi world, individuals capable of wielding Fire Style ninjutsu of that magnitude were exceedingly rare.
Swish, swish, swish~ A series of sounds signaled arriving shinobi. Ryoma Aburame landed with several Root members. "Lord Danzo," Ryoma reported urgently, his voice heavy, "a powerful enemy is approaching from the rear!" Danzo said nothing, but he understood everything from the grim expressions on Ryoma and his men's faces. Leaning heavily against a large tree, gasping for breath, Uchiha Yashiro's eyes suddenly lit up with a flicker of hope. Are they clan reinforcements?