The Root Ninja Charged In, Then Couldn't Get Back Up

As soon as Hoshiryu Uchiha left the Ninja Academy, he sensed a small squad of ninja following him.

He frowned. He truly hadn't expected Danzo to act so quickly.

This meant the worst-case scenario had arrived. Hiruzen Sarutobi's time as Hokage had come to an end.

Hoshiryu Uchiha continued on without showing any reaction, though he secretly prepared himself for battle.

Just as he passed through a relatively secluded stretch of road,

the scene before his eyes suddenly blurred, then instantly returned to normal.

At the same time, a muffled grunt came from not far away.

Hoshiryu Uchiha focused his gaze and saw a masked man supporting someone who could barely stand.

Then movement came from behind him as well. Someone had sealed off his retreat.

Using genjutsu to deal with Hoshiryu Uchiha had to be called a miscalculation on Root's part.

Although he had yet to learn Demonic Illusion: Mirror Heaven and Earth Change, the technique specifically meant to reflect genjutsu,

the Mangekyo's basic abilities were enough to reflect ordinary genjutsu.

During the brief moment he spent thinking, the Root ninja whose genjutsu had been reflected recovered with his companion's help.

The two Root ninja blocking the rear also stepped out, completing the encirclement around Hoshiryu Uchiha and the others.

Hoshiryu Uchiha chuckled softly, then quietly said to Tsunade and Nonō:

"Close your eyes. It'll be over soon."

The moment his words fell, the attack came.

"Fire Style: Great Fireball Technique! x2"

"Wind Style: Great Breakthrough! x2"

Although Root had a hard time cultivating ninja of Kage-level strength, their coordination was quite impressive.

The four of them formed pairs, with one using Fire Style and the other Wind Style.

Though they had not reached the level of a combination ninjutsu, their mutual cooperation gave their attacks tremendous power.

In the blink of an eye, their attacks slammed into Hoshiryu Uchiha's position.

After a violent explosion, smoke billowed into the air.

Before Root could confirm the results, a skeletal arm suddenly swung a blade at them the next instant.

The pupils of three of them shrank. Without even a scream, they were swept away by Susanoo and vanished from sight.

The remaining one reacted quickly. The moment he sensed something wrong, he used the Body Flicker Technique to evade the attack.

Standing not far away, he watched as Susanoo slowly emerged from the smoke, cold sweat pouring down his face.

Though Root's brainwashing had made him fearless in the face of death, humans still trembled instinctively when faced with overwhelming, irresistible power.

The Root ninja who had escaped death forcefully suppressed the resistance in his heart and prepared to attack again.

But an extremely ominous premonition suddenly welled up within him.

The temperature around him abruptly rose, and specks of white flame appeared.

He raised his hands, intending to form seals and cast a ninjutsu, but it was already too late.

The next second, Brahma's flames shot into the sky, burning him into charcoal.

The blast of air from the flames completely dispersed the smoke.

Hoshiryu Uchiha stood there with Susanoo surrounding his body, his Mangekyo slowly spinning in his eyes.

Tsunade had obediently closed her eyes, but Nonō had watched from behind him until the very end.

She watched Hoshiryu Uchiha shield them from the fatal attack and watched him deal with the trouble he had brought upon himself.

The firelight fell across his face, making his already handsome features seem even more striking.

Nonō stared dazedly at Hoshiryu Uchiha's profile.

Having already fallen into despair, she had truly waited for her prince to arrive.

Hoshiryu Uchiha, however, did not notice all that.

After confirming that every attacker had been eliminated, he dismissed Susanoo and deactivated his Mangekyo.

Even a lion had to use its full strength to hunt a rabbit. He had two burdens with him, and he himself lacked combat experience.

For safety's sake, he had directly unleashed his full power to wipe out the enemy.

"You can open your eyes now. Are you two all right?"

Hearing his voice, Tsunade opened her eyes and asked:

"I'm fine. How about you?"

Nonō also snapped back to her senses.

Though no one had noticed her actions just now, she herself was too embarrassed to face them.

She hugged Hoshiryu Uchiha tightly and whispered:

"I'm fine too."

Feeling her arms tighten around him, Hoshiryu Uchiha hurriedly said:

"I'm not hurt, Nonō. Don't squeeze so hard."

Nonō became even more embarrassed upon hearing that, her face turning as red as an apple.

Still, she obediently loosened her hold a little.

Once he was released, Hoshiryu Uchiha sighed in relief and silently complained, It'd be so unfair if I wasn't hurt in battle but got strangled by you instead.

After hearing that both of them were fine, he said:

"That commotion was a little too big. We're not safe here, so we need to keep moving. Hold on tight."

With that, he increased his speed and headed without pause toward the Senju Compound.

Fortunately, there were no more attacks along the way, and they safely returned to the Senju residence.

Mito Uzumaki had also returned by then, while Yosuke Senju and his wife stood nearby listening to her instructions.

They watched Hoshiryu Uchiha return with Tsunade in his arms and a girl on his back.

For a moment, their expressions became rather strange.

Especially when they saw the look in Nonō's eyes as she gazed at Hoshiryu Uchiha, something felt even more off.

But Hoshiryu Uchiha's next words immediately drove those little thoughts from their minds.

"We were attacked on the road."

Upon hearing this, Mito Uzumaki let out a disappointed sigh.

In such a short time, someone had already come to eliminate the evidence.

There were only so many people who knew about it. It was now beyond doubt that Hiruzen Sarutobi was involved.

Though Mito Uzumaki had sensed it coming, she still held onto hope.

She hoped Hiruzen Sarutobi would not take this road of no return, hoped he would not disappoint her.

But cruel reality often refused to bend to people's wishes.

After reflecting for a moment, Mito Uzumaki pulled herself together.

The sorrow and regret could wait until later. Konoha needed her to take charge now.

Yosuke Senju also understood the gravity of the matter. Looking at Mito, he said:

"Lady Mito, please give us your orders for what comes next!"

Mito Uzumaki looked at her resolute-faced son and was briefly lost in thought.

The next second, her gaze changed, and she said in a deep voice:

"Summon the clan heads and Jonin from every clan. I'm convening a Jonin Council!"

Yosuke Senju lowered his head in acknowledgment, then left with his wife.

As he passed Hoshiryu Uchiha, his expression shifted.

He opened his mouth, but the words he wanted to say would not come out.

Hoshiryu Uchiha had talent, looks, and character, and he came from a distinguished family.

His daughter Tsunade had always looked at Hoshiryu Uchiha oddly. Tsunade might not understand, but how could he not?

An adopted son could never be as close as a son-in-law. Yosuke Senju had practically already regarded him as his future son-in-law.

But now, another girl was looking at him strangely.

This kid won't have endless romantic entanglements in the future, will he?

The more Yosuke Senju thought about it, the more possible it seemed.

He had wanted to say something to Hoshiryu Uchiha, but ultimately gave up.

He merely patted Hoshiryu Uchiha on the shoulder.

After giving him a look that said to behave himself, he used the Body Flicker Technique and left.