Uchiha Kairen glanced back.
The two wounded Root operatives were nowhere to be seen. Turning to Honō and Retsu, he asked quietly,
"Did either of you see those water release users from before?"
Both looked back and shook their heads.
"No sign of them."
A faint smile curved Kairen's lips.
"Then it's just as I thought. Sensei must've already handled them. I have a plan—might even turn this around on them."
The three huddled together, whispering for a moment—then broke into sly, confident grins.
"Shuriken Shadow Clone Jutsu!"
"Uchiha Shurikenjutsu!"
"Shuriken Shadow Clone Jutsu!"
Dozens of shuriken tore through the trees. The attack barely grazed their pursuers, but it had the intended effect—scattering their formation.
A moment later, another wave of shuriken flew—this time targeting only the center and left flanks. The right group didn't even dodge, pushing ahead faster than the rest.
Kairen suddenly veered right. Honō and Retsu pressed forward as planned.
The three Root ninja chasing Kairen signaled for the others to keep going, then pursued him alone.
Kairen's movements were erratic, looping in circles as though orbiting some unseen point, occasionally flicking shuriken to keep his pursuers on edge.
Then he dropped to the ground and charged straight at them.
"Fire Release: Phoenix Sage Fire Jutsu!"
The branches beneath the Root shinobi exploded in flame.
As they hit the ground, the earth beneath them gave way—
"Earth Release: Swamp of the Underworld!"
Before they could recover, Kairen appeared ahead.
"Wind Release: Gale Palm!"
The wind fed the flames into a roaring blast. The explosion consumed all three pursuers before they could even scream.
"Sensei," Kairen said, panting, "Honō and Retsu are luring their group to the left side of the valley—the place we scouted earlier. We're closest there. We should set up before they arrive."
Uchiha Ankoku studied his student, pride shining in his eyes. He said nothing, but his silence carried approval.
Together, the two reached the ambush point and began laying traps. Kairen marked two subtle clan signs along the path—signals Honō and Retsu would recognize instantly. Then they hid, waiting.
Soon, the two younger Uchiha appeared, exhausted but still moving fast. They spotted the marks, subtly adjusted their escape path, and slowed just enough to bait their pursuers forward.
The Root ninja, thinking their prey was faltering, tightened their formation.
At the perfect moment, Honō and Retsu suddenly burst forward—and the traps detonated.
Explosions thundered through the forest. The two Root agents at the rear leapt back instinctively—
but a voice rang out behind them:
"Fire Release: Dragon Fire Jutsu!"
A torrent of fire roared through the smoke, killing one instantly. The survivor barely blocked in time and found himself face-to-face with Kairen.
The squad leader of the Root operatives reacted fast, dashing out of the smoke with another elite at his side. They tried to break free of the trap zone—
only to see two blazing spheres descend on them.
"Fire Release: Great Fireball Jutsu!"
and
"Wind Release: Great Breakthrough!"
Their combined jutsu—Great Inferno Burst—struck with devastating force, incinerating one of the enemies outright. Honō and Retsu didn't linger; they sprinted toward the right flank, drawing off the survivors.
Now the forest had splintered into three battles.
Kairen fought furiously against his opponent—an agile, brutal assassin whose taijutsu and ninjutsu were both razor-sharp. Even with his Sharingan active, Kairen struggled to keep up.
He'd tried every trick he knew—feints, clones disguised as shuriken, illusionary movement patterns—but nothing stuck. His chakra was burning fast.
Elsewhere, Ankoku was dominating his fight. His opponent, already wounded, could only defend. Each exchange left new cuts across his body. Victory was only a matter of time—
but Ankoku's mind wasn't on himself.
He needed to support his students. His opponent knew it too, fighting desperately to buy time for reinforcements.
Meanwhile, Honō and Retsu fought in perfect sync but were clearly overmatched. Their foe was a high-level ninjutsu specialist, fluent in Water, Earth, and Lightning Release, combined with Body Flicker.
Simple techniques—but used together, relentless.
Every time they gained ground, another counter came. The air cracked with chakra bursts, fire and lightning crashing through the forest.
Despite the chaos, both Honō and Retsu's teamwork deepened. They mixed their attacks—one defending, one striking, sometimes combining their jutsu in midair. Still, they were forced back again and again, bruised and gasping.
The battle was turning against them.
Whether Kairen could survive—and whether Ankoku could finish his fight in time—would decide it all.
The Root shinobi sneered as he slashed forward.
"Not bad for a cursed brat of the Uchiha," he hissed. "A shame your talent's wasted on that damned clan.
Your kind should've been drowned at birth."
He smirked.
"The Uchiha are a disease rotting Konoha from within. Don't worry—Danzō-sama will see to it that your people join you soon enough."
His taunts didn't anger Kairen. What caught his attention was something else—
Root shinobi weren't supposed to talk.
That split second of confusion cost him. The enemy's kick slammed into his arm and skull, sending him tumbling through the dirt.
Pain exploded across his head; his nose and ear were bleeding, vision spinning.
The Root ninja stalked forward, sword raised.
"You know why I'm telling you this?" he laughed. "Because your mother killed several of our promising recruits during your initiation. We Root rarely form attachments—but each of us has someone to protect.
My brother died by her hand.
I can't wait to see her face when she finds your corpse."
Through the haze, Kairen blinked.
Mother... killed them?
He remembered that night—how she'd vanished after his trial.
A warmth bloomed in his chest. So she fought for me... for us.
He smiled faintly through the blood. She's incredible. I'm going to live. I have to live—to see her again.
The Root shinobi sneered.
"You love your family that much? Then I'll send you to join them. Don't keep your brother waiting."
He lunged—
but froze.
Because Kairen's eyes had changed.
The single tomoe in each Sharingan spun and split into two, forming the double tomoe pattern.
The enemy faltered. In that instant, the world around him warped—replaced by the illusion of his dead brother standing before him.
"Too late," Kairen whispered.
"Genjutsu: Sharingan."
His blade flashed.
The Root operative's head fell to the forest floor.
Kairen stumbled, breathing hard, the world tilting.
If not for that breakthrough… I'd be dead already.
His vision dimmed.
Still too weak…
Those were his last thoughts before everything went black.