Two figures arrived on the quiet battlefield, one after the other. Kagutsuchi landed first, followed closely by Jizo. Seeing Jizo and Kagutsuchi appear sequentially, Danzo Shimura's ugly face filled with gloom. Judging by the situation, the three Root ninja sent to pursue Uchiha Hiroaki were almost certainly dead or doomed. These two were complete strangers; Root's intelligence network had absolutely no information on them. This meant one of two things: either they were established individuals concealing their true identities, or they were recently emerged powerhouses making their debut. Danzo leaned towards the former possibility, yet their apparent youth suggested the latter was more likely. How could two such powerful young shinobi appear out of thin air in the ninja world, especially within the Land of Fire! As this thought crossed his mind, Danzo shot a cold glance at a nearby Root ninja – the one responsible for intelligence gathering.
While Danzo sized up Jizo and Kagutsuchi, the two clones were likewise carefully assessing Danzo and his remaining Root operatives. A debate raged in their shared consciousness: should they risk sacrificing one clone body to eliminate this cunning old fox, Danzo, right here and now? After a moment of observation, they both discarded the notion. Danzo himself was strong, and he had over ten Root ninja backing him up. Even if Jizo activated his Mangekyō Sharingan, teaming up with Kagutsuchi offered no guarantee of success. Furthermore, using the Mangekyō Sharingan again would further shorten Jizo's lifespan and severely degrade his eyesight. Yamato's cells were inherently inferior to Hashirama's cells, and Jizo's body, cultivated from a sample fused from three different cell types, meant its ability to sustain the Mangekyō was very limited. The potential risks far outweighed the potential rewards. Tatsuya saw no need for a head-on clash with Danzo. His real target was Uchiha Yashiro! Being able to frame Root for this entire incident was already an unexpected bonus.
With his decision made, Jizo flickered, appearing instantly beside the startled Uchiha Yashiro. Before Yashiro could even react or speak, Jizo appeared before him with blinding speed. Pluck! Jizo's hand shot out, and he plucked Uchiha Yashiro's eyes directly from their sockets. "AAAAHHH!" Yashiro screamed, collapsing to his knees in agony.
Farther off, fury flashed in Danzo's eyes. They're also after the Uchiha clan's Sharingan! Resolving his hesitation, Danzo's hands formed seals, and he unleashed a dense barrage of Wind Style: Great Vacuum Bullets, firing them like a machine gun towards Jizo. Swish~ A shadow flickered in the night. Jizo, airborne, perfectly evaded every single Great Vacuum Bullet. His three-tomoe Sharingan was now active. Behind him, Uchiha Yashiro wasn't so fortunate. His body was riddled by several of the Great Vacuum Bullets, effectively finishing him off.
"Sharingan!" Danzo cried out involuntarily, recognizing the crimson eyes. "You're an Uchiha?" An Uchiha clansman who had awakened the three-tomoe Sharingan, right before him! Jizo ignored Danzo's exclamation and continued towards the dying Uchiha Yasumasa. Naturally, Jizo wouldn't pass up such a rare opportunity to collect another pair of three-tomoe Sharingan.
"Tch! Your opponent is me!" Seeing Jizo's movement, Danzo and his Root operatives prepared to intervene. But a figure blurred in front of them – Kagutsuchi, still wearing his goggles. Leaping into the air, Kagutsuchi's hands became a flurry of motion. A long dragon made of fire erupted from his mouth, attacking Danzo and his group directly. Beside Danzo, a Root ninja reacted swiftly, forming seals and spitting out a Water Dragon to meet the fiery assault head-on. Boom! The fire and water dragons collided violently. Instantly, a massive cloud of steam billowed up at the point of impact, further obscuring visibility on the already dark battlefield. The Fire Dragon's momentum was hindered but not completely stopped. It pushed through the dissipating steam with residual force, continuing towards Danzo. Danzo and his men's expressions tightened slightly as they flickered away to dodge. Under normal circumstances, Water Style held an advantage over Fire Style. Yet now, the Root ninja's Water Style had actually been overpowered. This demonstrated that the fire ninjutsu wielded by this young man was far more potent than that of ordinary shinobi.
Within the thick, swirling steam cloud, several sharp, brief sounds of clashing metal and choked screams rang out. By the time Danzo emerged from the mist, three fewer Root ninja were by his side. Danzo immediately used Wind Style to blow the steam away. As the mist cleared, Kagutsuchi slowly walked out, a long sword now held in his hand. Not far behind him, the corpses of the three Root ninja lay carelessly discarded.
Danzo's hands didn't stop moving. Wind Style: Wind Cutter Jutsu, Vacuum Bullets, Vacuum Serial Waves – one technique after another flowed seamlessly. On either side, the remaining Root ninja launched coordinated attacks. Furthermore, the swarms of insects summoned by Ryoma Aburame constantly harried Kagutsuchi, tailing him relentlessly. It was baffling how many insects the man could conceal; Kagutsuchi had seemingly wiped out a huge number earlier with Great Fire Annihilation, yet Ryoma still commanded such a multitude.
Beneath the blue goggles, Kagutsuchi's Byakugan had long been active. Aided by his heightened perception and superb physical abilities, he evaded every single attack. Amidst a continuous cacophony of attacks and explosions, Kagutsuchi single-handedly contended with Danzo and his entire Root contingent.
The fierce battle raged for over half an hour. When the smoke and dust finally settled, both sides had withdrawn slightly, breathing heavily. Kagutsuchi stood on a tree branch, panting hard. Opposite him, Danzo and his remaining Root operatives also showed signs of fatigue. They looked at Kagutsuchi with profound apprehension in their eyes. This single individual had managed to keep all of them occupied. Of course, both sides had been holding back. Danzo and his Root ninja kept reserves partly due to Jizo's continued presence and potential threat.
"Alright!" Jizo's form flickered into existence beside Kagutsuchi. He had successfully collected Yasumasa's Sharingan. "We've gauged their strength sufficiently. Time to go." There was no need to prolong the fight. Kagutsuchi also had reserves he hadn't tapped into. The Yin-Yang Seal was inscribed on his body; if he went all out, he could still unleash several more large-scale, destructive ninjutsu on the level of Great Fire Annihilation. However, information about the Yin-Yang Seal had already been exposed previously. If Kagutsuchi used it now, Danzo and the others would undoubtedly recognize it and potentially deduce his identity or connections.
Hearing Jizo, Kagutsuchi casually brushed the dust from his clothes. Then, together, both clone bodies vanished from the spot using Body Flicker.
Watching them depart, Danzo's expression was exceptionally grave. This time, Root had truly tried to steal a chicken, only to lose the rice used to lure it—the operation had backfired spectacularly. Not only had they lost several elite operatives, but they now had to consider how to handle the Uchiha clan's likely reaction. Clearly, they had been manipulated. But even now, Danzo still had no idea who was pulling the strings from behind the scenes.
"Clean up this battlefield," Danzo commanded, his gaze sweeping over the devastated landscape. "Then return to Konoha immediately!"