Youth Edition Izanagi

Mist permeated the forest, reducing visibility to a minimum.

Yusuke's sensory ninjutsu was running at full capacity, his chakra spreading out like invisible spider silk to capture the slightest disturbance.

The "Hyuga Aya" and "Inuzuka Go" shadow clones guarded "Kushina" between them, scanning their surroundings with vigilance.

Less than ten miles from the main camp, as they entered a dense stretch of woodland flanked by steep slopes, the edge of Yusuke's perception suddenly brushed against several cold, sinister chakra signatures.

"This old thing really knows how to stir up trouble." He came to a halt. In the mist at the center of the path ahead, ten figures emerged like ghosts, blocking his way.

At the lead stood Shimura Danzō.

Leaning on his signature cane, his single eye stared coldly at Yusuke, as if looking at a dead man.

Beside him stood nine Root elites wearing various animal masks; their postures were rigid, their killing intent almost tangible.

The chakra fluctuations of these nine Root elites had all reached the Jonin level, with three of them even surpassing standard Jonin to reach the elite Jonin tier.

"Yusuke, it has been a long time."

"Hand over this Uzumaki Clan member and the things you obtained from the Uzumaki Clan."

"I might consider giving you a quick death."

Shimura Danzō's voice was low and raspy, shattering the silence of the forest with an unquestionable sense of oppression.

Yusuke stopped, his gaze sweeping over Shimura Danzō and the nine Root elites behind him.

It looks like this will be a tough fight today, Yusuke thought to himself.

Hearing this, the "Hyuga Aya" and "Inuzuka Go" shadow clones immediately stepped forward.

They shielded "Kushina" tightly behind them, assuming standard combat stances.

"Lord Shimura Danzō, so impatient? Can't even be bothered to keep up appearances?"

"Your greed is truly unsightly."

Yusuke's lips curled into a sneer of undisguised mockery.

Shimura Danzō's single eye narrowed, a cold glint flashing within. Wasting no more words, he gave a light wave of his cane-wielding hand: "Stubborn fool! Kill him!"

As the order fell, the nine Root elites vanished from their spots instantly.

"Protect 'Kushina'!" Yusuke barked, his voice cold and sharp.

The "Hyuga Aya" and "Inuzuka Go" shadow clones beside him responded immediately.

"Hyuga Aya" assumed the Gentle Fist starting stance, while "Inuzuka Go" and the "Haimaru" formed from chakra let out low growls, charging toward the enemies on the left.

Yusuke's main body swung his greatsword, lightning erupting as he charged head-on into the densest cluster of enemies on the right.

The battle turned white-hot in an instant.

"Clang!"

Yusuke's greatsword clashed violently with the short blade of a Root Jonin, lightning crawling along the steel and numbing the opponent's arm.

But another enemy's kunai silently stabbed toward his ribs.

Yusuke shifted his footing, narrowly dodging the strike, and swept his greatsword back to force a third attacker to retreat.

"Genjutsu: Mist Servant Technique!"

Dividing his focus, he cast a genjutsu on the nearest enemy.

The opponent saw layers of sword shadows before his eyes, his movements momentarily sluggish.

Yusuke seized the opportunity; his greatsword struck like a viper, a flash of lightning piercing directly through the man's chest!

"That's one," Yusuke said coldly.

On the left, the "Inuzuka Go" shadow clone roared, fighting with reckless abandon. Man and dog unleashed Gatsuga, taking one enemy down with them before vanishing into white smoke.

Almost simultaneously, the "Hyuga Aya" shadow clone was struck down by two enemies working in tandem.

"Heh, so that's how it is. Shadow clones? A clever scheme indeed."

Shimura Danzō let out a raspy, cold laugh and slammed his cane heavily into the ground.

The killing intent in his single eye was nearly physical.

Yusuke was not only stronger than estimated but also meticulously cunning, which only solidified his resolve to snuff him out here and now.

"Take him down, I want him alive."

"I want to see how long you can hold out!" Shimura Danzō's voice was frigid.

Seeing that his plan had been exposed, Yusuke dispelled his remaining shadow clones to avoid wasting chakra.

The pressure on him increased sharply; the remaining eight Root ninja coordinated with even greater synergy, their offensive coming in waves.

Yusuke fought while retreating, lightning and flames flickering on his sword, every swing carrying the lethal force of elemental transformation.

"Flying Thunder God!"

Spotting an opening in an elite Jonin's attack, Yusuke threw a specialized kunai and instantly appeared at the enemy's flank.

"Pfft!"

The greatsword carved a shrill arc through the air, and the elite jonin collapsed, clutching his spurting throat.

"The third one." Yusuke's cold voice rang out again, sounding like the roll call of the King of Hell.

"This is? Flying Thunder God!" Shimura Danzō's expression turned ugly. "You actually learned the Flying Thunder God."

This was an S-rank forbidden jutsu; he never expected this brat to have mastered it.

The remaining six Root ninjas, including two elite jonin, grew increasingly frantic in their offensive, completely abandoning defense for a life-for-a-life assault.

Three sharp killing intents locked onto him from different angles.

It was the two elite jonin from Root and one jonin specializing in speed and assassination.

One launched a frontal assault, wielding a short blade in each hand wrapped in Wind Style chakra, dancing into a storm of steel.

One snuck behind Yusuke, his short blade thrusting silently toward his heart at a vicious, tricky angle.

One leaped high into the air, finishing his hand seals: "Wind Style: Vacuum Great Sphere!"

Several high-pressure wind spheres whistled downward, sealing off Yusuke's escape routes, including the landing spots of his two Flying Thunder God kunai.

Yusuke's pupils constricted; this killing move was truly ruthless.

With his current physical constitution, taking this hit head-on would mean death or severe injury.

But now was not the time to use Incursio; he could not guarantee he would be able to slaughter everyone within the two-and-a-half-minute limit of wearing Incursio.

"Genjutsu: Cicada Time-Gap!"

He instantly unleashed the genjutsu on the enemies in front of him and above him.

The elite jonin in front saw his vision blur, and his thrusting motion faltered for an imperceptible moment.

The ninja above, who was casting the Wind Style, had his chakra flow disrupted for a split second as he maintained his seals.

Now.

Yusuke chose not to clash head-on, instead using the tiny gap created by the genjutsu to slide to the side like an eel.

At the same time, he fired another custom kunai toward the elite jonin from Root behind him.

The elite jonin sneaking from behind swatted the incoming kunai away.

"Flying Thunder God!"

Hum!

Yusuke's figure vanished again, reappearing at the kunai's landing spot, but this time, his opponent was prepared.

"Don't think you can escape." The elite jonin followed like a shadow, his blade swinging toward Yusuke's face almost the instant he appeared.

It was no wonder he was tasked with the sneak attack; his speed was simply too fast!

"Clang! Clang!"

Yusuke swung his sword in a desperate parry, sparks flying everywhere.

The immense force numbed his arms, forcing him to retreat repeatedly.

He tried to create distance again, but the other two ninjas had already recovered from the genjutsu.

Together with the remaining three ordinary jonin, they formed a encirclement, their offensive crashing down like a tide, giving him no room to breathe.

Relying on his superior reaction speed and the teleportation of his Flying Thunder God kunai, Yusuke managed to maneuver, but he was in constant peril.

His chakra was depleting rapidly, and he had sustained several wounds; though none were fatal, the bleeding was constant, and his movements began to slow.

"Pfft!"

An ordinary jonin risked having his arm slashed by Yusuke to successfully drive a kunai into his left shoulder.

Yusuke let out a muffled groan, backhanding the ninja with his sword to finish him off.

But the price was that his back was left wide open.

"Got you!" A fierce light flashed in the eyes of the other elite jonin as he thrust his short blade straight toward Yusuke's heart.