Detonating the Space

His younger siblings had already gone to the new hideout. In the original Shadow Space, Uchiha Arashi and Uchiha Izumi sat side by side.

"Are you sure your body is all right?"

Although Arashi had explained it many times, Izumi was still worried.

"Don't worry. I just used up too much chakra and overused my eyes. My eyes are bound to be damaged. I can already feel the vision in my left eye getting worse. But it's not a big deal. It's not like this is my eye anyway."

Arashi spoke without a care.

In truth, he still treasured Kamui quite a bit. But that was just how he was. With people from Konoha showing up at his doorstep, he couldn't just sit back and do nothing. He wasn't about to swallow such an insult without complaint.

"Was it really necessary to go this far? Aren't you basically telling Konoha that some Uchiha survived? They'll search for us at all costs."

Izumi's concern was reasonable.

Everyone in the Ninja World understood the need to wipe out the roots of a threat.

And the Konoha High Command could never ignore a danger like them.

"Don't worry. I've already got the Daimyo's papers. We can live in Konoha under new identities. As long as we don't reveal our Sharingan, they won't find us. Besides, we can bury the Shadow Space even deeper. You've already noticed that, haven't you? If we sink it just a little farther, even Konoha won't be able to find us.

"And don't think I'm doing all this for nothing. Keeping the Konoha High Command on edge for the long term is one of my goals.

"They'll be afraid of our existence. As long as I drag the Masked Man into this, Konoha will go mad trying to hunt him down. As the main culprit, he can't be allowed to live too comfortably."

The main reason Arashi didn't say Obito was that he couldn't be sure the Masked Man was actually Obito.

Arashi was certain, but he didn't have enough evidence to convince Izumi completely.

"But how are you going to drag him into this? The Third isn't a fool, and the advisers are all clever too..."

"Haha, of course I have my ways. You don't need to worry about that."

For example, there was a certain Pot Kage. The hypnotic effect of Illusion lasted forever, and it was time to use that hidden card.

Arashi had also used Illusion's first opportunity well in advance on someone very important. That would serve as further proof that Obito was the real culprit tonight. He had no concerns that his plan would fail.

"You're always like this. You never tell me the whole story..."

"I'll explain later. Or you can look for clues in the stories I've told you before. You already know what I can do, anyway—ah, they're here. Konoha's faster than I expected."

As he spoke, Arashi suddenly looked up toward the empty space above them.

Outside.

A large-scale ninjutsu barrier had been set up.

The Third had come in person, and Anbu Ninjas filled the surrounding area.

Nara Shikaku and Yamanaka Inoichi, two of Konoha's most trusted men, were working together.

Yamanaka Inoichi was responsible for locating the space, while Nara Shikaku was responsible for opening a passage.

Within the barrier, chakra surged. A vast shadow appeared out of nowhere and quickly formed into a vortex.

Under Nara Shikaku's control, the vortex spun faster and faster, soon forming a huge hole. The Shadow Space where Uchiha Arashi and the others had been hiding lay below.

"This technique is a stroke of genius. Creating a space inside a shadow... I'd love to study it properly."

Nara Shikaku crouched at the edge of the vortex, sending his chakra into the space as he spoke in admiration.

"Let's talk about that after we catch him. As long as the space still exists, we'll have plenty of time later."

Yamanaka Inoichi glanced at him.

"Of course. You don't have to remind me."

Shikaku turned to Hiruzen beside him. "Lord Third, the passage is open..."

Hiruzen nodded. "Then let's move."

Before he had even finished speaking, several Anbu Ninjas had already rushed out of the crowd and leaped into the space below.

Uchiha Arashi and Izumi looked up at the uninvited guests as shadows quickly swallowed their bodies.

He raised his right hand, pressed his thumb and middle finger together, and held them high.

"Wait! Don't go in! Come back first!"

Shikaku seemed to sense something. His previously calm expression changed dramatically, and he couldn't help shouting.

But Arashi wasn't about to give them another chance.

"You want to catch me? I told you I'd make Konoha feel pain. This is the second time..."

Before he could finish, he and Izumi vanished into the pitch-black shadows. Almost at the same moment, a crisp snap rang out.

In the next instant, the previously stable space suddenly collapsed. Shikaku, who had been struggling to maintain the passage, groaned as blood began to run from his nose. He fell face-first to the ground.

When they looked back at where the passage had been, it was gone.

"Shikaku!"

Yamanaka Inoichi hurried over and helped his old friend up.

"Shikaku, what happened down there?"

Hiruzen stepped forward and asked in a low voice.

"The space... collapsed. That man... he deliberately detonated the space..."

Shikaku panted, struggling to speak.

He had sent his chakra into the space partly to study its structure and try to figure out the technique, and partly to keep the passage and space stable.

But Uchiha Arashi detonated the space, causing it to collapse. The resulting chakra backlash surged through the shadows into Shikaku's body, gravely wounding him on the spot.

"What about them...?"

Hiruzen meant the several Anbu who had jumped in.

"They can't come back..."

Shikaku struggled for a moment, but in the end he told the truth.

"Damn it!"

Hiruzen Sarutobi clenched his fists, the veins on his forehead throbbing. "Can you still sense that space? If we keep pursuing him, can you still find his location?"

"I'm sorry, Lord Third. I'm in no condition to continue... And after this, he'll be even more cautious. Unless I can develop the same technique, there's no..."

There was no need for him to finish. Hiruzen Sarutobi already understood what Nara Shikaku meant.

"We can't give up. We have to drag him out! But you should rest for a while first. In the meantime, I'll have the Anbu try to track him down."

Although he was loath to admit it, this time he had lost. Konoha had lost.

Someone had sliced off the top floor of the Hokage Building. The Hokage's dignity had been thrown to the ground. Their pursuit had been thwarted, and they had lost several loyal subordinates. Nothing like this had ever happened in his entire life.

So he would never give up. He would send people to keep searching, no matter how long it took.

Elsewhere, inside the newly created Shadow Space.

"This is our new home. And before long, we'll be able to live under the sun again."

Uchiha Arashi announced with a broad smile.