May there be no Uchiha in heaven

"Dead... dead!!"

At the valley exit, the two Root members' pupils shrank sharply, their expressions wooden as they watched their two captains' bodies split into four sections, tumbling from the cliff face. They had imagined the possibility of failure.

But never once had they imagined.

That the battle would end like this—the enemy had only struck twice...

Thud—

Yamanaka Fu and Aburame Torune's corpses hit the valley floor. Given the inherent resilience of shinobi physiques, the bodies didn't shatter on impact.

After Aburame Torune's death, the surface of his corpse was covered in deep purple venomous insects.

The air teemed with fine particles, barely visible to the naked eye—nanoscale poison bugs clustering together, gradually contaminating the atmosphere.

If Torune's body were left to rot in this area, within minutes the insects would spread, turning the place into a wasteland.

Ingetsu's expression remained calm as he looked down at the two sections of corpse, black tinged with purple under the firelight.

He simultaneously condensed Earth and Water Release chakra within his body, injecting it into the ground beneath his feet, drawing the Natural Energy of nearby plants toward the roots of the nearest large tree.

Whoosh—

The sound of earth breaking rang out as gnarled roots, like agile snakes, writhed and crawled through the darkness.

Ingetsu manipulated the tree roots, making them coil around a sealed scroll, containing Aburame Torune's two body sections.

This elite shinobi of the Aburame Clan should have been deployed on a battlefield, not in an ambush like this.

Even dead, Aburame Torune's corpse held immense value.

Sealing complete.

The roots receded.

Ingetsu casually sucked the scroll containing Torune's sealed corpse into his Storage Space.

He glanced at the hundred-cubic-meter space.

An unexpected discovery.

Jiriku and Asuma's corpses were perfectly preserved, showing no signs of decay whatsoever.

It seemed this Storage Space had extremely strong preservation... anti-decomposition functions.

Ingetsu rose to his feet, flicking the Black Blade Dark Moon in his hand, releasing Wind Release Chakra to scatter the nanoscale poison bugs in the air that tried to cling to and approach him.

He stepped over Yamanaka Fu's corpse and walked toward the two Root members at the valley exit.

"Damn it!!!"

After their initial shock, the two Root members showed no excess emotion. Accepting the situation, they gripped their longswords tightly and lunged fiercely at Uchiha Ingetsu.

Near the merchant caravan.

The Tsuchigumo Clan's elder and Hotaru watched helplessly as Ingetsu walked past them.

Both faces were ashen.

The rest of the caravan members, following Sōsen's earlier example, had their hands on their heads, crouching by the wagons.

They had doubted Sōsen before, just now understood Sōsen, and now had become Sōsen.

That was Uchiha Ingetsu!

Konoha's newly minted S-Rank Rogue Ninja.

The caravan members never imagined that the person who had hijacked them on the plains was the same man who dared to assassinate Konoha's high-ranking officials, slaughter civilians—the current focal point of the entire shinobi world!

This Uchiha Rogue Squad, just as the rumors said, was indeed on Mount Katsuragi.

Ingetsu calmly faced the charging Root members.

Hotaru's delicate brows furrowed tightly, her pretty face pale, her breath catching. As Ingetsu passed by her, the only sound in her ears was the pounding of her own heart.

She had never imagined.

That the black-robed man sitting across from her earlier, the face beneath the hood, would perfectly overlap with the flawless young man's photo on the S-Rank rogue ninja wanted poster.

On the cliffs to the left and right of the valley.

The battle between the Uchiha and Root had ended.

Earlier.

After Tamao, Nanfeng, and Sōsen led their team up the cliff, they were stunned to find that besides the Root members, a large number of other ninjas were lying in ambush.

But even so, the battle was still one-sided.

This fight made Kurenai Yuhi and Nonō reassess the strength of this Uchiha squad.

All members had Three Tomoe Sharingan.

Baptized by the grief of their escape, their Pupil Power had been elevated to its maximum, their combat strength far exceeding that of ordinary jonin.

Tamao and the others charged into the Root Organization ninjas like tigers among sheep, finishing the battle with ease.

At the rear of the formation.

Uchiha Mikoto furrowed her brows slightly, her gentle, beautiful face showing frustration as she squeezed the bloodstained kunai in her hand to ease her emotions.

Mikoto followed behind the group, originally intending to fight to the death against these Root members and the unidentified ninjas, burning out her own life.

Before dying, she wanted to eliminate as many enemies as possible for these younger clansmen—but in that first clash...

She had only killed one ninja before the others were effortlessly cut down by Tamao and the rest like chopping vegetables.

Mikoto stared at the chaotic cliffside, lost in thought. Ever since her battle with White Zetsu, she had resolved to sacrifice herself for this group of clansmen.

A sinner like her, unworthy of her clan.

Didn't deserve to live.

As the team drew closer to the chaotic borderlands where minor ninja nations clustered, it meant the Uchiha group's escape route was nearing its end.

Mikoto's chances to hide her intentions from Ingestsu and sacrifice herself for the clan through battle grew fewer and fewer.

"I'll look for another opportunity next time... If it doesn't work, once the clansmen are safe, I'll do it myself."

Mikoto's gaze gradually softened as she tightly gripped the kunai Ingestsu had given her, with no intention of returning it.

After escorting these clansmen safely through their defection.

She could complete her atonement journey and use this kunai to end herself.

Thud—thud—thud—

One by one, bodies tumbled down the cliff, the dull sounds echoing through the valley, declaring the battle over.

In the valley.

The entire Tsuchigumo merchant caravan, including the Great Elder and Hotaru, heard the heavy thuds of the corpses hitting the ground, their faces pale. Those sounds seemed to tug at the rhythm of their hearts.

Everyone stared in unison at Sōsen's back ahead of them.

Only then did they understand.

How prescient Sōsen's foresight had been. When he decisively crouched with his hands on his head back on the plain, it had actually contained such great wisdom.

Courage to surrender... Looking at it now, it was indeed a form of bravery!

If they had reported this Uchiha Rogue Squad just now, they'd probably be reincarnating alongside those three foolish guards by now.

"I was wrong. I misjudged this kid!" The Tsuchigumo Clan's Great Elder stared at Sōsen's back, sighing inwardly, his guilt maxed out.

Sōsen watched the bodies continuously falling from the cliff into the valley, his face pale as he sincerely remarked:

"These people died horribly. May there be no Uchiha in heaven!"

Thinking this, Sōsen looked toward the valley exit and was startled to find that in just an instant, Ingestsu had already effortlessly killed the tall Anbu ninja who had kicked him earlier.

Sōsen suddenly felt much more at ease.

Another Anbu ninja was pinned to the wall by Ingestsu's black blade, his mask removed, blood spilling from his mouth like a fish pinned to a chopping board.

Whoosh—

The Uchiha group regrouped and came to Ingestsu's side, forming a perimeter.

"Big Brother, your guess was spot on. Besides a few Root members on the cliff, there were about thirty unidentified ninjas lying in ambush."

Tamao's baby face was stained with blood as he grinned, showing a sunny smile.

"All eliminated?"

Ingestsu asked calmly.

Meanwhile.

He pulled the black blade from the Root member dressed as Anbu, noting the Yachihoko brand already surfacing in the man's pupils.

"Yeah, not a single one left!"

Tamao said excitedly.

Ingestsu nodded, staring at the Root member leaning against the cliff wall, thinking to himself, not a single one left—but the mission reward hadn't arrived yet...

"Did you set up ambushes on the other two mountain paths as well?" Ingestsu asked coldly.

As he spoke, the Yachihoko brand in the remaining Root member's pupils flickered red, and the man couldn't control himself, spilling the truth:

"Yes. On the left and right mountain paths, two of our Root members are lying in wait, each leading twenty hired ninjas from other villages and bounty hunters."

Ingestsu continued, "Are there any other pursuit teams from Konoha nearby?"

"I don't know."

Yachihoko could control minds but couldn't read them, though through mental manipulation, it could force the controlled to speak the truth.

Ingestsu didn't look at the man again.

He turned slowly.

The next instant, a dull sound of a heart bursting came from the Root member's chest, the red light in his pupils fading and dying out.

The Uchiha frowned.

They all turned to look at Izumi, who was blushing as she huddled among them, involuntarily recalling her words:

"I... I think all three paths are viable!"