Shadow Writing Dust Realm

As expected!

Uchiha Ao sighed inwardly.

The only thing in Konoha that mattered most to Orochimaru was the research data concerning immortality.

In the future, Orochimaru would even accommodate Danzo and modify his right arm, likely because Danzo used the research data of the Second Hokage as leverage.

"The Second Hokage's research data? Teacher, how did you know? Something so well-hidden must be guarded extremely strictly..."

Ao asked suspiciously.

Just as Orochimaru was about to say something, he suddenly sensed people approaching from behind, and new teams were catching up from the distance.

"Those flies are on our tail again."

"Teacher, you go first! I'll hold them off for you."

"Don't die!"

"Rest assured, I won't die that easily."

"If you can make it out of Konoha alive, I will grant you one wish."

"Really?"

Uchiha Ao stopped in his tracks and chuckled.

Although he didn't want to easily set a death flag, a promise from Orochimaru was no small matter.

He already had an idea in mind.

As of now, he was confident he could escape Konoha as long as he didn't face a Kage Level powerhouse.

Confidence brought by the increase in strength.

Ao didn't hesitate in the slightest and spoke bluntly.

"Teacher... I do have a wish I've kept hidden for a long time... I want a pair of Byakugan!"

Ever since Orochimaru had arranged for him to study Kekkei Genkai, he had been preparing for this.

He had set his sights on the Byakugan of the Hyuga clan.

The Byakugan was the second greatest ocular Kekkei Genkai, second only to the Uchiha's Sharingan.

It had an extremely close connection to the Otsutsuki bloodline.

It was also linked to the Tenseigan, which was on the same level as the Rinnegan.

Compared to the Rinnegan, which required the power of Indra, the evolution of the Tenseigan was much purer; it only required the fusion of Otsutsuki power.

This could serve as a bloodline backup for his brand-new body in the future.

Orochimaru, who had been about to leave, paused, nearly stumbling and falling to the ground.

He turned his head and gave Uchiha Ao a deep, lingering look.

"Ao... having you is truly my good fortune..."

Even he didn't dare to covet the Byakugan, yet this kid had his eyes set on them.

"Once this matter is over, I will find a way to help you fulfill this wish..."

"For now, just do a good job of holding off these Anbu for me!"

Orochimaru's speed suddenly increased; no longer hiding his strength, he fully unleashed the aura of a Kage Level powerhouse.

"Orochimaru, stop!"

Kakashi shouted, throwing several shuriken from his palm.

"Kakashi, your opponent is me!"

Seeing this, Ao felt somewhat dissatisfied with Kakashi ignoring him.

This guy didn't seem to take him seriously at all.

Was he not worthy of the "Copy Ninja" treatment?

As his voice fell, Ao waved his hand, and a burst of spiritual energy radiated out, knocking the shuriken directly into a nearby tree trunk.

"Demonic Illusion: Hell Viewing Technique!"

Kakashi had no intention of getting entangled with Uchiha Ao; his Three-Tomoe Sharingan spun, and an illusion immediately enveloped Uchiha Ao.

"The captain's genjutsu is still as strong as ever; this Uchiha clansman actually fell for it so easily."

A subordinate couldn't help but praise.

These words were overheard by Uchiha Inabi not far away, and his face turned livid.

He looked at Uchiha Ao and cursed him for being a good-for-nothing, learning to defect like others without having the skills to back it up...

He was a disgrace to the Uchiha clan!

Just as he was cursing Uchiha Ao in his heart, his expression suddenly changed, his eyes widened, and his pupils constricted.

It was as if he had seen something utterly terrifying.

"Quick, pursue him!"

Kakashi barked the order without any wasted words. He handed the Uchiha Ao, who had fallen into a genjutsu, over to his subordinates and immediately took off in the direction Orochimaru had fled.

"No problem, Captain! Once I finish off this Uchiha clansman, I'll..."

Squelch!

A pale blue Chakra Scalpel plunged into the Anbu's chest, cutting off the rest of his words before he had the chance to speak them.

"Underestimating your enemy on the battlefield... did you lot even... graduate from the Ninja Academy?"

Ao's voice suddenly rang out from behind the Anbu.

One strike!

Another Anbu comrade had just reacted and turned around to look at his side, only to be met head-on by a pair of Three-Tomoe Sharingan.

He didn't even have time to close his eyes.

His entire world plunged into darkness.

Two strikes!

The Chakra Scalpel in Ao's hand sliced through their necks with ease.

Two elite Chunin Anbu had died just like that, so easily.

The enemy he had been struggling desperately to deal with only a short while ago.

Was now no match for him in a single exchange.

Kakashi's footsteps came to a halt...

His Sharingan suddenly erupted with powerful ocular energy, instantly shattering the veil of confusion before him!

"You... this is a genjutsu!? No... there's no mental fluctuation of a genjutsu."

Kakashi said in a tone of shock and uncertainty. He stopped in his tracks, his entire body tensed in guard.

He had clearly felt the genjutsu being cast upon Uchiha Ao, so how was the opponent able to easily slip behind his comrades?

Not even his Sharingan had noticed the movement.

What on earth was going on!?

The figure of Uchiha Ao before his eyes vanished once again.

This technique is called the Shadow Writing Dust Realm...

Ao curled his lips into a smile, silently reciting in his heart.

He savored the moment of toying with Kakashi, feeling a sense of pleasure deep within.

This was Kakashi, after all!

The genius ninja he had once looked up to.

Now, he was trapped in a predicament by a technique of his own creation.

The Shadow Writing Dust Realm was a brand-new application of the Sharingan that Ao had created by combining the unique advantages of his own soul.

It could also be called a variation of the Spirit Transformation Technique gained through the augmentation of the Sharingan, incorporating the use of soul power.

It was not a genjutsu, but rather a method of imprinting his soul's will onto the enemy's visual nerves as an afterimage, condensing a tangible human silhouette.

In this entire world, only his figure was illusory, while the surrounding environment remained a real, physical scene.

This created an illusion of "reality and fiction" combined, altering their inherent perception of him within their field of vision and thereby achieving a semi-"invisibility" effect.

This style of combat, alternating between "reality and fiction," was distinct from the illusory world of genjutsu.

It greatly compensated for his weaknesses in taijutsu.

Anyone with a soul strength lower than his was essentially unable to escape the constraints of this technique.

Even with Kakashi's Three-Tomoe Sharingan, he could not identify the "phantom" that possessed a real environment, nor could he break the boundary by altering his internal chakra flow as one would with a genjutsu.

The simplest way to counter it was to avoid looking at his eyes.

After being struck a few times, Kakashi had managed to avoid fatal wounds, though Uchiha Ao had left several non-lethal gashes on his body.

Blood flowed freely.

As a user of the Sharingan himself, Kakashi quickly discovered and understood the mystery behind this technique.

He immediately closed his Sharingan.

His vision plunged into darkness.

Instead, he relied on his ears, listening to the sounds nearby to capture Uchiha Ao's next move!

"Got you!"

Kakashi instantly bent his waist, twisted his body, and threw a Kunai, stabbing directly behind him.

Seeing this, Ao's expression shifted slightly.

Kakashi's combat instincts are terrifying.

He reacted so quickly.

Facing the Kunai attack, he had no choice but to burst out with Chakra, enhancing his movement speed to dodge it.

"You can obscure my vision and alter my sight, but you cannot hide from my ears!"

Kakashi said in a cold voice.

He placed his right hand behind his back, gripping the hilt of the White Fang, and faced the position of Uchiha Ao with a calm expression.

He quickly pinpointed Ao's movements.

"What a troublesome opponent!"

"The gap in combat instinct is just too large."

"As expected, I am still not suited for combat."

Ao shook his head and said. The amount of Chakra within his body far exceeded Kakashi's, and the number of Sharingan was two to one, yet he hadn't gained any advantage in the fight.

His flaws lay in his combat awareness and movements, which still had a massive gap compared to an elite like Kakashi who had come up from the battlefield.

But then again, he had only been in this world for a few months; how could his combat experience compare to a veteran ninja like Kakashi who had struggled on the battlefield for nearly a decade?

Keep fighting for his life?

That was impossible.

Not to mention that the Uchiha clansmen in the distance were constantly closing in.

Even if he could drag Kakashi down with him, he wouldn't emerge unscathed; the lower Kakashi's health got, the more tenacious his will became.

Continuing this stalemate was meaningless.

Ao made a decision in his heart.

"Then let's try this move..."

His hands began to form seals slowly, his clumsy movements resembling those of a student who had just started learning.

As the hand seals and technique were completed.

The massive amount of Chakra in his body was gradually mobilized along the technique's path.

It was a technique he had come into contact with while researching Kinoe, a power unique to the First Hokage.

"Ao, surrender now!"

Uchiha Inabi rushed over from a distance and shouted, a trace of astonishment at Uchiha Ao still lingering on his face.

The decisive and ruthless performance just now was nothing like the cowardly image he had seen in the past.

"Don't make any useless struggles!"

"Come back with us, accept your punishment, have your eyes gouged out, and your limb meridians severed! You might still be able to keep your life."

Uchiha Inabi led several Uchiha clansmen, acting as if victory was already in his grasp. He looked down at Uchiha Ao as if looking at a dead dog, putting on a facade of pity.

This was the greatest promise he could make.

Konoha had always treated rogue ninjas as dead or alive regardless.

No one could escape under the encirclement of so many Uchiha ninjas!

However, Uchiha Ao merely raised his head slightly and glanced at them.

He did not answer.

He opened his mouth slightly and spat out a few words that were somewhat obscure in Konoha.

"Wood Release: Deep Forest Emergence!"

Ao slammed his hands onto the ground, his palms pressed firmly against the soil as his Yang Release Chakra surged out frantically.

Once injected into the ground, it began to sprout rapidly.

Boom!

The earth churned!

Possessing two or three-tenths of the scale of the First Hokage's power, the Wood Release erupted suddenly. Countless vines, a meter thick, rose from the ground, instantly changing the entire battlefield.

Several Uchiha clansmen, caught completely off guard, were directly pierced by the vines and hoisted high into the air, letting out violent screams.

Kakashi dodged the attacks of the vines while maneuvering, unable to spare the attention to keep a close eye on Uchiha Ao's movements.

The Wood Release, which had disappeared for decades, had reappeared in the world at this moment!

In an instant, a dense forest covered a range of several hundred meters, changing the entire tide of battle. It caught all the pursuers off guard and simultaneously drew widespread attention from Konoha.

Even Orochimaru, who was about to reach the Hokage Rock, couldn't help but turn to look.

"Good lad..."

Orochimaru exclaimed. He was really going all out for the Byakugan!

To cause such a commotion and help him attract most of the attention—was he really not afraid of being trapped in Konoha?

Interesting.

It seems that if he doesn't get him a pair of Byakugan, it won't be right when they meet again.

At the same time, Shimura Danzō, who had been watching the battle from the Hokage Building, noticed this scene and, disregarding the instructions of the Third Hokage, immediately rushed toward the location of the Wood Release.