I'll Leave

"Anbu are carrying out official duties. Do you know the consequences of insisting on getting in our way?"

The man in the blue-patterned mask threatened him in a low voice.

Naturally, he recognized the young man before him.

Body Flicker Shisui, the strongest among the younger generation of the Uchiha.

During his time stationed at the border, even powerful shinobi from the Village of the Bloody Mist would immediately retreat upon discovering his presence.

As he spoke, the man kept his gaze lowered, not daring to meet his eyes at all!

The arrogance he had displayed earlier had completely vanished at this moment.

After all, the person before him was not only the Uchiha's strongest young fighter, but also Konoha's foremost genjutsu master!

With his resistance to genjutsu, he might have been able to bully children with a Single-Tomoe Sharingan, but he did not dare underestimate a powerful existence like Shisui.

"I also don't know what the consequences are for Root members impersonating Anbu."

Uchiha Shisui's voice was soft. He was merely stating a fact in an entirely normal manner, without the slightest hint of threat.

However, Arata could vaguely sense the anger he was constantly suppressing.

"?"

Was he angry because of me?

The boy looked at the tall figure standing before him, confusion appearing in his eyes.

Other than being questioned by him for an entire afternoon yesterday, he should not have had any other interactions with him.

The Root squad captain wearing the blue mask fell silent.

His gaze subtly shifted forward, wanting to see what his companion was thinking.

After all, he did not want to give up this once-in-a-lifetime hunting opportunity.

Arata Uchiha was an experimental subject Lord Danzo had specifically ordered them to capture.

But unfortunately.

Even though his companion was an expert of the Aburame Clan, he was currently being watched by two of Shisui's clones and could not act. The name Body Flicker was not an empty one.

"Hmph. I'll report this truthfully to the Hokage."

After a brief stalemate, the Root squad captain coldly left behind that threat. What was worth noting was that the person he said he would report to was the Lord Third, not his direct superior, Shimura Danzō.

Clearly, he refused to acknowledge that they were Root shinobi, as Shisui had said.

But!

Just as he turned to leave, a sudden change erupted.

Violent chakra surged within Yu Zhi. A ring of blue chakra flames formed around the knuckle blade on his left hand, then blasted toward Shisui without warning.

And that was not all. In an instant, countless tiny chakra clusters appeared throughout the area behind them—eerie and terrifying.

The Aburame Clan expert had made his move as well!

Arata abruptly gripped his Horizontal Blade, chakra rapidly spreading across its surface. He knew he could not simply wait to die, yet a sense of powerlessness rose from the depths of his heart. The ninjutsu he had practiced was all meant for dealing with Itachi.

He had never considered other enemies.

Against shinobi whose strength was not too far from his own, he could still rely on sneak attacks and movement techniques to maneuver around and suppress them.

But against a brute who specialized in Taijutsu and an Aburame Clan member known for calmness and strangeness, his experience was completely inadequate.

Still, he had to stop at least one of them.

They were elites from Root, after all. They even possessed a certain degree of resistance to the Sharingan. How many could Shisui block? Or rather, how far would he go for him?

That was still unknown.

Therefore, he needed to keep at least some chance of escape in his own hands.

"Snake—Ram—Monkey—Boar—Horse—Tiger."

Sheathing his blade and forming hand seals took only two breaths. This was the fastest speed he had achieved after years of training.

Arata's thoughts were clear. Against a Taijutsu shinobi who could crush him in combat and resist the Sharingan's invasion, he had no way of dealing with him.

Unless he used an enhancement skill like Demonification.

But it was daytime. Leaving aside whether he could instantly control the enhanced power, or whether it would be enough to contend with that man, the blazing sun hanging high overhead alone would cripple it by half.

Therefore, he could only use Fire Release to temporarily force back those terrifying insects!

Yet Uchiha Shisui moved faster than he did.

The Kikaichū filling the sky halted in midair, while their master vigilantly positioned himself directly before Arata. The eyes beneath his black robe were actually closed.

Of course, Arata would never think the man was wary of him.

Then aside from himself, there was only one person he could be guarding against.

The chakra he had gathered was temporarily held back. The boy's gaze slowly shifted behind him, where he saw the burly, domineering Root squad captain standing dumbly in place.

His swift fist and sharp ninja tool had been just a fraction away from reaching Shisui!

Yet that tiny fraction had brought everything to a halt.

"Are you going to continue as well?"

Having dealt with one opponent, Uchiha Shisui slowly turned around. His gorgeous, crimson Mangekyō Sharingan poured forth an irresistible pressure.

"I'll leave."

A hoarse voice emerged from beneath the black cloak.

The overwhelming swarm of Kikaichū also orderly crawled back into his wide sleeves. He could rely on the insects' eyes to avoid looking directly into the Sharingan, and he could easily deal with Shisui's two clones, but he had no confidence in facing two powerful Uchiha.

At this moment, he also raised Arata's danger rating considerably.

"I will report this matter truthfully to the Lord Third."

"For example, acting under the name of the Anbu. For example, two jonin attacking an eight-year-old junior of my clan. And for example, that little fellow named Shiro Uemura."

Shisui's voice remained calm.

But his anger was beginning to slip beyond his control.

All those coincidences were nothing more than a carefully calculated scheme.

After Arata left the clan grounds and the Root scouts who first discovered him guessed his destination, the giant black gear hidden beneath Konoha had already begun to turn.

The Aburame Clan expert did not answer. He merely helped up his companion, who had fallen after being caught in genjutsu, and swiftly fled into the distance.

Uchiha Shisui's appearance had indeed been beyond their expectations.

However, his threat was nothing but a joke. Lord Danzo would help them settle everything.

After Root left, Uchiha Shisui instantly appeared on the slope of the small back hill, blocking the two little ones who had just tried to sneak away from this troublesome place.

"I trust that the little ones of the Nara Clan and Akimichi Clan are honest and reliable children, right?"

He spoke slowly.

Shikamaru Nara's eye twitched at that.

"We don't know anything. We didn't see anything."

He wanted no part in such a troublesome matter.

But that was clearly not the answer Shisui wanted. He continued quietly watching the two little ones in his sight.

If the parents of those genin had questioned him together with Root earlier, his testimony alone would definitely not have been enough. As for that chunin, it would already have been good enough if he remained neutral.

"I know, I know. Those guys provoked Arata first, then the Anbu attacked them."

Shikamaru Nara gave up struggling. He should never have watched the show in the first place!

"Mm, thank you."

Shisui nodded slightly, then turned to look at Choji Akimichi beside him.