Grass is Jiraiya

Boom!

With a thunderous crash, the wall shattered as a fireball blasted through it.

"Uchiha Sōgetsu, what are you doing?!" Uchiha Fugaku's heart nearly stopped from fright, his entire body going numb.

He couldn't bear to imagine—if that stone tablet were damaged, even the few stubborn elders of the clan tearing him apart alive wouldn't be enough to vent their fury!

In that instant, he even felt the position of Clan Head slipping away.

"Lord Fugaku, there's someone inside the wall!" Sōgetsu cut him off before Fugaku could explode. "This person has trespassed into the Uchiha's sacred ground—they might be one of Danzo's men!"

What?

At the mere mention of 'Danzo,' Fugaku reacted like a man triggered by a conditioned reflex, his sharp gaze piercing straight through the smoke and dust.

Sure enough, within the haze-filled wall, he detected a mass of 'chakra.'

Meanwhile, Black Zetsu was still in a daze.

How had he been discovered?

With his ability to conceal his presence, even the sages of the Three Great Sacred Lands couldn't necessarily detect him if he didn't want to be found.

How had this Uchiha brat spotted him?

But unfortunately, before Black Zetsu could reach a conclusion, Fugaku charged forward like a hunting leopard, his goal crystal clear: capture him, and never let him leave alive. If Danzo and the Third Generation found out, the Uchiha Clan was finished!

For now, he didn't even care if the stone tablet got damaged.

If this spy from 'Danzo' actually escaped, the Uchiha would be in grave danger!

"Fire Style: Great Dragon Fire Technique!"

The Clan Head's actions were indeed extraordinary.

The same jutsu, wielded by Fugaku, doubled in power out of nowhere—a humble B-rank technique unleashed with the ferocious might of an A-rank!

Boom!

The moment the massive fire dragon appeared, the temperature in the secret chamber skyrocketed.

The roaring flame serpent, wrapped in terrifying waves of heat, charged forward without hesitation, unstoppable as it slammed into the chamber wall. In an instant, the explosive force kicked up a visible shockwave.

Sōgetsu was pushed back several steps by the blast, the hairs on his skin curling from the heat.

Retreat!

Black Zetsu didn't hesitate for a second, turning into a viscous liquid and slipping through the cracks in the wall.

It wasn't that he feared Fugaku and Sōgetsu—though he wasn't skilled in combat, he had plenty of survival tricks. What worried him was exposing himself too early and ruining his plans.

But Sōgetsu had no intention of letting him go. Locking onto Black Zetsu's position, he threw a shuriken while reminding the Clan Head beside him: "Lord Fugaku, he's over there!"

"Ahhh, you damned Uchiha brat!" Black Zetsu, intercepted again, cursed in fury.

"Don't even think about escaping!" Fugaku roared with rage, stomping the ground hard.

Boom!

The moment his chakra erupted, the floor around him cracked like a spiderweb.

The next instant, Fugaku Disappeared on the Spot, his form leaving a trail of afterimages, accompanied by a sound like a sonic boom.

Boom!

Black Zetsu, hiding in the wall, was punched out by Fugaku.

This Uchiha Clan Head was not only skilled in ninjutsu but also terrifyingly strong in Taijutsu. Before Black Zetsu could react, Fugaku twisted midair, his sharp right leg sweeping like a whirlwind, cutting through the air with a sharp whistle.

"Konoha: Strong Fist Whirlwind!"

The powerful whip kick slammed directly into Black Zetsu's face.

"Ugh!"

Black Zetsu flew back like a cannonball, crashing heavily into the opposite wall of the chamber.

Run!

Black Zetsu immediately turned into a pool of mud, repeating his trick to escape through the wall cracks.

"Lord Fugaku, he's fled the chamber!" Sōgetsu sneered inwardly, continuing to prompt Fugaku.

Sensing Fugaku closing in from behind, Black Zetsu, fleeing in disgrace, cursed Sōgetsu madly in his heart.

If it weren't for this damned brat, how could he have ended up in this situation?

As long as he could escape the chamber—just escape the chamber!

Black Zetsu sprinted for his life, while behind him, Fugaku chased like a madman, throwing out chakra as if it cost nothing, firing off jutsu one after another.

His motto was simple: if precision fails, overwhelm with firepower!

Fire Style: Phoenix Sage Fire Technique!

Fire Style: Flame Bullet!

Fire Style: Violent Storm Dance!

Fire Style: Dragon Flame Song Technique!

"Aaaah—"

Black Zetsu screamed as he ran. No matter how skilled his footwork, he couldn't withstand the coverage of a large-scale Fire Style technique. His entire body was set ablaze.

He had lived for thousands of years, and aside from those two unfilial sons, he had never hated anyone this much!

"Uchiha Sōgetsu!!!" Black Zetsu's eyes blazed with maddened fury and hatred, his teeth nearly ground to dust. "If I make it back alive, I'll make sure Madara kills you!"

Finally, through relentless effort, Black Zetsu managed to escape to the surface.

"Fire Style: Great Fire Annihilation!"

From behind came Fugaku's enraged voice, his violent Chakra shocking to the core.

Fugaku's chest swelled to its limit, the Chakra accumulated in his throat transforming with his hand seals. The scorching flames erupting from his mouth instantly raised a towering inferno across the flat ground.

Boom!!!

Even from dozens of meters away, the immense wave of flame carried a palpable heat.

Especially in the dead of night, nearly half the Uchiha clan saw the shrine direction engulfed in blazing fire, illuminating the darkness as if it were day.

"Uchiha Fugaku! Uchiha Sōgetsu!" Black Zetsu, swallowed by the flames, revealed a terrifying venom in his eyes. "I'll remember this. We'll settle the score later!"

The roaring flames ignited the area ahead for dozens of meters, the earth gradually crystallizing under the intense heat.

And Black Zetsu, within the burning fire, seemed to melt, sinking bit by bit into the ground until he vanished entirely.

Fugaku's face was grim beyond measure, his eyes fixed on that area. "He still got away. A strange ninjutsu I've never seen before, and his Chakra is bizarre. There's no way this guy is Danzo's man. Who sent him to spy on us?"

"Fugaku-sama, why couldn't it be Danzo's man?" Sōgetsu raised an eyebrow, glancing at Fugaku as he asked.

Fugaku shot him a look and said flatly, "If you were the Third Hokage, would you trust someone like that to Danzo?"

Oh, that made sense. Sōgetsu suddenly understood.

No matter how deep the bond between Danzo and the Third appeared on the surface, behind the scenes, they were surely scheming against each other.

"Keep today's matter confidential. Don't let anyone know."

Fugaku frowned in thought, then looked at the distant, shifting figures of people. He turned back to instruct, "If anyone asks, say I was testing you."

"I understand, Fugaku-sama." Sōgetsu nodded. "Rest assured, I'll keep it secret."

On the other side, Black Zetsu, having barely escaped, rested in a tree outside Konoha.

"Damn Uchiha Sōgetsu, daring to make me suffer such a loss!"

Black Zetsu cursed through gritted teeth. "That bastard could sense me. I can't let him live. I need to have Madara kill him as soon as possible!"

"Who do you want to kill?"

Suddenly, a voice sounded in his ear.

Impossible. There's someone here. Black Zetsu froze, then turned toward the voice.

Under the moonlight, a tall, imposing figure was crouched above his head.

A wild mane of white hair cascaded down like a lion's mane, a scroll half his height hung horizontally at his waist, and the forehead protector bore the character 'Oil'.

"Just got back to the village and I run into someone I don't know."

The man rubbed his chin, eyeing Black Zetsu with interest, then grinned broadly. "Since it's such a coincidence, you're coming with me."

Damn. It's Jiraiya!

Black Zetsu couldn't help but curse Sōgetsu another few hundred times in his mind.

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