Ranked Crimson Technique

Yamanaka Fu's speed was extraordinary; for a rear-support ninja of the Yamanaka Clan, the velocity he suddenly erupted with rivaled that of an assassination-type ninja!

His figure flashed instantly before Uchiha Akira!

There was nowhere to hide!

Yet what was cleverer still was that his gaze remained locked on the ground.

Well, well.

The corners of Uchiha Akira's mouth curled slightly, and the Three Tomoe Sharingan in his eyes emerged, flashing with a scarlet light that seemed to lose its effect for a moment.

Yet he did not care in the least.

Wielding a kunai, he slashed back upward, his movements turning several fractions faster and his eyes holding a hint of excitement:

"You mean to tell me you want to play close quarters with me?!"

"Clang!"

In Yamanaka Fu's startled gaze, a terrifying shockwave and force traveled from the short blade, sending a sharp pain through the web of his hand and knocking the blade from his grip as he found himself completely unable to hold it!

"How is this possible! What kind of monster are you?"

He could not believe it.

As an assassination-type ninja, the first lesson he was taught was never to lose his blade, yet a moment ago he had been utterly unable to hold onto it, leaving his hand still plagued by spasms!

Even if he picked up the weapon again, he could only muster fifty percent of his strength.

Panic flickered deep in his eyes.

With just a single contact, his short blade had already been rendered useless; no wonder Lord Danzo was so wary of Uchiha Akira.

"Too fast!"

Before Yamanaka Fu could react, Uchiha Akira's figure wrapped around him like the wind, his scarlet Three Tomoe Sharingan flashing with light as his fist carried the formidable strength of a collapsing Mount Tai!

The piercing whistle through the air and the pressure of the wind were deafening!

"I absolutely cannot take this punch head-on!"

Yamanaka Fu's mind raced: Uchiha Akira's linear attack has also given me the opportunity to execute the Mind Transfer Jutsu!

He rapidly thrust out both hands, determined to cast the secret technique before the strike landed, and abruptly raised his head!

[Mind Transfer Jutsu!]

He lifted his head, and while executing the secret technique, he let out a sharp cry: "Toru!!!"

Hum--!

Once successful, Uchiha Akira would suffer an instantaneous opening no matter how powerful he was!

Suddenly, however, his pupils constricted and his beat skipped a beat: Wh-what are those eyes?

A pair of scarlet, shuriken-like Mangekyō Sharingan appeared before him.

Resembling the stars in the night sky, they bore complex and dazzling patterns that were dizzying to behold, his consciousness having already entered Uchiha Akira's body via the Mind Transfer Jutsu.

"The secret techniques of the Yamanaka Clan are indeed powerful, but has anyone ever told you that before these eyes, any spiritual ninjutsu is like a mayfly trying to shake a tree?"

Inside the spiritual space.

Utterly devoid of any power to resist.

A trace of terror that overturned his understanding gripped Yamanaka Fu's heart.

Remaining within Uchiha Akira's body was already his absolute limit; he was completely incapable of suppressing the opponent's spirit. As members of the Yamanaka Clan who excelled in spiritual power and used it as their offensive method, standing before Uchiha Akira was like being a single grain of sand beneath a towering mountain.

"Is this your limit?"

Uchiha Akira chuckled lightly, watching Yamanaka Fu—who was pouring cold sweat and barely maintaining the secret technique—and sent him flying with a vicious punch!

In reality.

"Insect Devastation!"

The distance was too close to deploy a wide area of parasitic insects, and Aburame Toru's body produced countless nanoscale venomous bugs that spread across his entire body like a gradually dyed cloth tunic. He would never let this opportunity slip by!

The moment he made contact with Uchiha Akira.

The toxic insects would instantly multiply and destroy Uchiha Akira's internal organs!

Yet suddenly, a jolt went through his heart as he caught sight of a pair of scarlet Mangekyō Sharingan. Without the slightest pause in his movements, Uchiha Akira drove a fist like a falling mountain peak viciously toward Yamanaka Fu!

"No! We are members of Root; if you kill Yamanaka Fu, Lord Danzo will never let you off!"

Aburame Toru's expression changed drastically.

How could he fail to see that Yamanaka Fu's consciousness was scattered and that he had already lost awareness? This punch would cost him his life!

Yet Uchiha Akira's speed was even more urgent, falling like a descending meteorite with unstoppable force. Under Aburame Toru's gaze, Yamanaka Fu—devoid of any consciousness—had his chest brutally pierced through!

Akira's other hand instantly gripped Yamanaka Fu's lower leg by the ankle.

Like swinging a giant hammer, he smashed him down fiercely toward Aburame Toru!

"No, impossible!"

"How did you break free from Kaede's control so quickly? No, wait, you weren't controlled at all!"

Aburame Toru's breathing stopped, cold sweat streaming down his spine.

It was too fast; before he could even react, Uchiha Akira had slain Yamanaka Fu with lightning speed, as if the retaliation of Root could not shake him in the slightest.

He wanted to retreat, but his body was nailed firmly to the spot like a deeply rooted tree.

Yet Uchiha Akira let out a cold snort.

Using Yamanaka Fu as a weapon, he struck Aburame Toru and left him heavily injured.

By the looks of it, he had more breaths going out than coming in.

"Overestimating your abilities."

The gaze Akira cast down from above held only indifference, as if the actions he had just taken were merely crushing two ants to death.

"Danzo?"

He sneered, pronouncing the other man's death sentence:

"It's already his good fortune that I haven't gone looking for trouble with him, but unfortunately, Aburame Toru, you won't live to see that day."

"Hh, hh, Lord Danzo miscalculated your strength, everyone... everyone miscalculated your strength."

The moment Aburame Toru opened his mouth, a mouthful of blood spewed out.

He gave a miserable laugh.

He understood that it wasn't that they were too weak, but that the enemy was too strong, to the extent that both he and Yamanaka Fu—two elite jonin—were no match. He did not beg for mercy; he simply did not want his friend Yamanaka Fu to die a wrongful death.

"Yet even so, Uchiha Akira, sooner or later you will die. Anyone targeted by Lord Danzo is destined to die in the gloomy shadows--"

Before he could finish his sentence.

Akira had no interest in chattering further with him. He picked up Yamanaka Fu's short blade and cleaved off Aburame Toru's head with a single stroke.

With a flick of his hand.

The blood shook off, leaving only a short blade white as snow, shimmering in the moonlight with a cold frost-like gleam.

"Hm, decent blade."

Stowing the knife away, he casually formed hand seals with both hands. In an instant, the earth below churned and vines emerged, acting like giant hands from the netherworld to drag the two corpses a hundred meters deep into the earth, ensuring they would never surface again.

"Danzo, is it?"

A frigid voice drifted from his retreating figure, sounding as though it came from the deepest pits of the netherworld.

"The death of a hero belongs amidst the throng of the people, and your sins should likewise be exposed to the light of day!"

[Ding! Detected Lord Hashirama's inner anger; the village absolutely forbids the existence of any darkness that destroys peace, even if it wears an outer garment named after the village, the roots of darkness must have their wings clipped!]

[Quest: Eradicate the minions of Root!]

[Quest reward: Wood Release: Ranking Technique!]

A decent quest.

The Ranked Crimson Technique could be considered the ultimate defense of Wood Release, incapable of being shattered even by Uchiha Madara wielding Armored Susanoo alongside the Nine-Tails!

"Then."

Uchiha Akira stepped stride by stride into the Uchiha Clan: "Let's start by eliminating the minions, though we must mind our methods and manner, lest we end up painted as rebels."

He shook his head.

"The feeling of being misunderstood is hardly pleasant."