Father-Son Match

At that moment, everyone clearly felt Shiba Seika's resolve!

Though they didn't understand why their captain harbored such hatred for Konoha, their long-standing trust and obedience compelled them to follow his orders.

Kenjiro volunteered to head down the mountain and set up a firebreak, also taking charge of evacuating the villagers.

Ajisai continued to monitor the situation in the mountains.

Meanwhile, Masuda Ikki and Karasuba followed Shiba Seika around to the high slopes to start the fires.

At this time, the moonlight was cool, and Yūno Ryōma, stationed in the temporary underground base in the forested mountains, remained completely unaware of the impending blaze.

He was burning the midnight oil, reading and compiling the intelligence gathered during the day.

(From left to right: Orochimaru, Danzo, Yūno Ryōma)

When he first arrived in the Land of Rain, his focus had still lingered on the battlefield between Konoha and Sunagakure.

But over the past few days, as local intelligence work gradually expanded, his initial resistance to the task Danzo had given him had shifted into a measure of genuine interest.

"This organization called Akatsuki is quite a threat! Especially that young man suspected to be from the Shimura clan—ruthless methods, extraordinary intellect. It's hard to believe he's only a teenager," Yūno Ryōma muttered to himself while reviewing the documents.

Beside him, the Root operative codenamed Wu chuckled and said, "Could that kid really be Lord Danzo's relative? Is he trying to become the Shadow of Rain?"

Danzo had a title called the Shinobi of Darkness, and while it was likely self-proclaimed, it still held considerable recognition within Root.

Yūno Ryōma gave an awkward smile and didn't respond.

As the organization's highest commander, he had far more contact with Danzo than these lower-ranking Root operatives, so his filter was naturally thinner.

If you asked him, at the same age, Lord Danzo would probably be reduced to dust by the young man in the intelligence reports...

What was Danzo doing at fifteen or sixteen?

Following the Second Hokage on a mission to Kumogakure, then losing his nerve at the critical moment, making a choice he still regretted to this day.

As a Root veteran, Yūno Ryōma had no desire to critique his superior bluntly, so he simply stayed silent.

Unfortunately, Wu beside him completely missed the tension and kept rambling on.

"If you ask me, if that kid really is a Shimura clan member lost outside, why doesn't Lord Danzo come here himself and adopt him as his son?

I think that kid is born for Root. He might even become your successor someday, Lord Ryōma."

Yūno Ryōma's mouth twitched into a strained smile.

But just then, he abruptly lifted his head from the desk, the motion so violent it knocked over a pile of scrolls, startling Wu.

"What's wrong?" Wu asked.

Yūno Ryōma's face went pale. "Quick, wake everyone up! My insects have detected a fire outside!"

Wu's expression changed too, and he swiftly used the Body Flicker Technique to leave, rousing the sleeping members one by one.

But by the time they woke, donned their gear and masks, and reached the entrance of the base, all they saw was a blazing sea of fire!

Though the "Fire Release: Great Fireball Technique" was mocked in the original work as a merciful technique—never actually killing anyone across the entire manga—it was still a signature move of the Uchiha clan, and its efficiency at burning down a mountain was undeniable.

In no time at all, the entire slope was engulfed in flames and thick smoke.

Yūno Ryōma's expression was grim!

His Insect Jutsu was severely suppressed in this environment!

The insects' innate fear of fire made them unwilling to work under these conditions, and forcing them could even trigger a backlash.

"Get out of here immediately! Retreat outside the ring of fire! Everyone be careful—my insects can't assist with reconnaissance in this state!" Yūno Ryōma ordered hastily.

He was originally the team's sensory-type ninja, but now his perception range was even worse than an ordinary ninja's.

And the next moment, this weakness was seized upon by the hidden enemy!

A Root ninja leaped high, trying to break out of the sea of fire, but as his feet landed on an unburned treetop above, a violent explosion consumed him in the next instant!

"Boom!"

"Aaaaaah!"

The explosion mixed with screams fell from the heights, dragging the hearts of the Root members into the abyss.

"Watch out! There are traps around! A lot of Exploding Tags on the trees!"

Cold sweat dripped from Yūno Ryōma's temple.

The mountain fire had crippled his insects and suppressed his perception range, and now hidden traps had appeared all around!

These interlocking killing moves meant the enemy had come prepared!

Had their underground base's location been exposed all along? And he hadn't noticed a thing in these past few days!

That explosion seemed to trigger a fuse, and soon more and more blasts rang out around them!

The fire grew fiercer with it, and looking out, the moonlit landscape was nothing but billowing smoke and raging flames!

"Damn it! Where are the enemies?! Who's scheming against us?! Why so many Exploding Tags?!"

Wu's eyes burned red with fury, yet he was utterly powerless.

He was a ninja skilled in Fire Release, but in this environment, his abilities were useless—any move he made would only backfire.

Yet his careless remark suddenly struck Yūno Ryōma like a revelation.

"Exploding Tags? That's right, Exploding Tags! The intel said there's a girl in the Akatsuki Organization who's very skilled at making Exploding Tags!"

In that moment, Wu was stunned.

"How is that possible? Ryōma, are you saying this fire is the Akatsuki from the Land of Rain scheming against us?!"

Just seconds ago, he'd been planning to have Lord Danzo come adopt the kid as a foster son.

But he never expected the situation to shift so abruptly!

The other party had rejected his adoption offer and instead sent back an invitation to a Father-Son Match.

The two Root ninjas, codenamed Po and Luo, who were standing nearby, also looked utterly incredulous.

"How is that possible?! A few mere Rain Ninja could pull off something like this?"

These past days, Yūno Ryōma had been the one organizing the intel; the other two had mostly stayed on standby at the base, so their understanding of Akatsuki was still stuck at what they knew before setting out.

They still thought it was just a ragtag group from the Land of Rain that had incurred Lord Danzo's wrath due to the Uchiha's framing.

Yūno Ryōma's expression was grim. At this moment, he alone had enough respect for the ruthless youth described in the intelligence.

"Now's not the time for talk. Grab the scrolls, abandon all unnecessary supplies, and break out immediately!"

Luo was still sneering. "Hmph! Once we get to a place with less fire, I'll personally twist off those bastards' heads!"

But as time passed—

One minute, two minutes, five minutes, ten minutes went by...

Luo's smile gradually stiffened. The face beneath his mask was completely soaked with sweat, the accumulated droplets at the edge of the mask nearly forming a small stream.

"Why... can't we break out?"

For a full ten minutes, they had tried to break through in every direction.

But no matter whether they went left, right, forward, backward, uphill, or downhill, the surroundings remained an unchanging sea of flames and an endless array of Exploding Tag traps!

At this point, Yūno Ryōma finally realized that he had still underestimated the madness and ruthlessness of the youth described in the intel.

"That bastard set the entire mountain on fire? How dare he? Is he insane?!"

As if answering Yūno Ryōma's muttering, a scream suddenly rang out behind him, further pressing on the already frayed nerves of the Root ninjas!

Seizing the perfect moment when these Root ninjas were exhausted and on the verge of collapse, Shiba Seika and his group, who had been hiding in the shadows all along, finally revealed themselves and struck!