The Pursuit

"The barrier broke?! How is that possible?!"

The Senju and Sarutobi ninjas stared in horror as the violent gravitational storm sent them tumbling head over heels.

"Forget it! Keep forming the array! We'll go hold them off!"

A burly Senju Clan commander, his face covered in scars, was the first to recover from his shock. He roared and slammed both hands against the ground.

"Earth Release: Earth Flow River!"

With a rumble, the ground beneath Yue Uchiha instantly turned into a raging mudslide, trying to sweep the two of them away.

At the same time, five or six fully armed Senju elite jonin drew their Ninja Blades. Their chakra erupted with tremendous force, and they charged toward Yue and Hikari atop the mudslide like tigers descending from the mountains.

As one of the Warring States' foremost families in taijutsu and ninjutsu, these Senju elites would unleash absolutely lethal force if they got close!

Behind them, after a brief moment of chaos, the Sarutobi Clan ninjas bit their fingers and swiftly began inscribing densely packed runes on the ground once more.

"Don't give them a chance to catch their breath! The Four Violet Flames Sealing Array must not fail!"

The Sarutobi Clan captain roared as his hands flashed through seals so quickly they blurred.

The Four Violet Flames Sealing Array was a highly classified formation developed specifically to suppress the Uchiha Clan's "visual prowess."

It required not only four jonin with vast reserves of chakra to guard its corners, but also violet flames within the formation that could burn spiritual energy.

Once the formation was complete, the chakra connection between an Uchiha's optic nerves and brain would be severed completely. Even with a Mangekyo, they wouldn't be able to use a single ocular jutsu.

It was a perfect cage designed specifically to counter Hikari's seemingly unstoppable Yachihoko.

But what came next was even more despairing for Yue and Hikari.

"Summoning Technique!"

Two Senju Clan sealing masters and the Sarutobi captain slammed their hands against the ground together.

"Boom!"

With an extremely dense cloud of white smoke and a thunderous, earth-shaking crash, a terrifying beast the size of a small mountain materialized in Falling Cherry Valley. Its body was made entirely of yellow sand, and strange blue and purple Cursed Seal markings covered it.

"Gahahaha! I can finally get some fresh air!"

A shrill, grating laugh rang through the valley.

The One-Tail, Shukaku!

In this Warring States Period, when even the Tailed Beasts still rampaged across the land, the Senju Clan had apparently used some powerful Sealing Jutsu to form a temporary pact with this savage beast.

They'd done it as a precaution, and now it was coming in handy.

"One-Tail, use your Cursed Seal sand with the formation to completely immobilize those two Uchiha! After this, the Senju Clan will let you have more time outside each day," the Senju commander shouted.

"Fine!"

Shukaku roared and swung its enormous claw. "Desert Layered Imperial Funeral Seal!"

The sky filled with yellow sand, mixed with sinister Cursed Seal runes, as it surged toward Yue and Hikari like a tsunami.

With Shukaku's sand, which already possessed sealing properties, bolstering the formation, the violet light of the Four Violet Flames Sealing Array flared again. The pressure was several times greater than before!

At the hopeless sight before him, Yue's face darkened completely.

The Senju elites were holding them back with taijutsu, the Sarutobi Clan had its top-tier sealing array, and the One-Tail Shukaku, with its unmatched sealing ability, was backing them up!

These people had brought an absurdly powerful force just to seal Uchiha Hikari.

And there were only two Uchiha on their side.

Yue covered his still-bleeding left eye. His right eye had also begun to see double from repeatedly overtaxing his visual prowess.

Although his Amenominakanushi could repel attacks, fighting an all-around battle of endless chakra expenditure would bring him nothing. He'd only end up ruining both of his eyes again, just after they'd recovered.

Of the thirty-six strategies, retreat was the best!

As for the Uchiha supplies, to hell with them.

"Hikari, they're tough. Let's get the hell out of here!"

Yue turned and grabbed Hikari by the arm, preparing to use the Body Flicker Technique to flee.

But when he pulled hard, she didn't budge.

Hikari stood rooted to the spot, her hollow black eyes fixed on the charging Senju ninjas and the sky-filling sand.

Her Mangekyo spun furiously, and two streams of bloody tears ran down her pale cheeks.

"Hikari? What are you doing?!" Yue shouted angrily.

"The mission... isn't complete yet."

Hikari's voice was cold and hoarse, filled with a heart-wrenching emptiness.

She gripped the heavy Short Blade in her other hand. Her body trembled slightly from the strain of overusing her chakra.

"Weapons can't retreat before completing their mission. If we kill them all... the barrier will fall. I'll use Yachihoko to control that giant raccoon beast and kill them all..."

She still clung to the "tool" mentality the higher-ups had brainwashed into her. She planned to burn through the last of her life force to seize control of the One-Tail and the elite jonin, fighting to the death in this hopeless situation!

"Are you crazy?! If you try to control the One-Tail with that little chakra, your brain will explode on the spot!"

Seeing Hikari looking so resolved to die, Yue felt a nameless rage surge straight to his head.

He suddenly let go and raised his right hand high.

"Do you really not understand a word I say?"

Feeling the rush of air above her head and hearing Yue's angry shout,

Hikari's body, which had been ready to face death without hesitation, suddenly stiffened.

She instinctively shrank her neck. A rare flash of panic and fear crossed her previously hollow eyes.

Under normal circumstances, as a weapon stripped of pain and emotion, she wouldn't even furrow her brow if she were hacked to pieces. But when she saw Yue's hand raised high, poised to rap her on the head...

Was she afraid of this person like her hitting her on the head?

Or... was she afraid that if he did, the "noise" and warmth that left her so bewildered would disappear?

Seeing Hikari freeze, Yue reacted instantly.

His right eye, "Amenominakanushi," unleashed a concentrated repulsive force that slammed into the ground beneath his feet.

His left eye, "Yagokoro Omoikane," increased their chances of escape once more.

Using the enormous force of the recoil, Yue shot skyward with Hikari like a cannonball, narrowly skimming the edge of Shukaku's sealing sand as they leapt out of the encirclement.

"Intelligence was wrong. Their weapon actually wants to run?"

"Think you can get away?! Not a chance! After them!"

Seeing his prey break through, the Senju commander glared furiously and immediately signaled the pursuit.

"Grrr! You'll never escape my desert!"

Shukaku roared. Countless sandstorms turned into sharp spears and shot toward the direction the two were fleeing.

Dozens of elite Senju and Sarutobi ninjas pursued them relentlessly through the forest.

The wind howled past their ears.

Yue gritted his teeth and raced through the dense Warring States forest.

His black combat clothes had been ripped in several places by branches and the aftershocks of jutsu. Blood from his left eye trailed through the air in a startling red line.

He had one more chance to use his left eye's ability. Once he did, his left eye would go blind again.

He wasn't going to use it yet.

Beneath his arm, Hikari was held tightly against him as he shielded her.

She didn't struggle or mention the mission again.

She simply lifted her head in silence, staring blankly at Yue's jaw, streaked with sweat and blood.

In this cold, cruel Warring States Period,

this was the first time in her life she had failed to carry out a death order from her clan.

It was also the first time someone on the battlefield had been willing to abandon a mission and endure a relentless pursuit just to force her, a "weapon," to survive alongside him.

"A living... person...?"