Return to Konoha

Shimura Danzō's face turned livid. Although he could use his Sharingan to track Yusuke's movement trajectory, his own physical hardware was too poor to keep up with his reactions.

A flicker of panic finally crossed his face; he had not expected Yusuke's trump card to be so terrifying.

"How many more times can you resurrect?"

Yusuke let out a low roar, refusing to give Shimura Danzō a moment to catch his breath, and charged at him once again.

Red-Backed Shrike let out a shrill, piercing whistle as it thrust straight toward Shimura Danzō's heart.

Shimura Danzō tried his best to dodge, but the gap in speed was too great.

"Pfft!"

The long spear pierced through him again, and Shimura Danzō fell to the ground, dead.

The scene distorted, and time rewound.

Shimura Danzō resurrected, but the tomoe in the Sharingan on his right eye dimmed further, nearly extinguishing!

"Second time!"

The elite jōnin beside Shimura Danzō finally reacted, leaping forward to intercept Yusuke.

But Yusuke did not engage him, continuing his fierce assault on Shimura Danzō.

Yusuke's attacks were relentless; the moment Shimura Danzō regained consciousness, Red-Backed Shrike was already upon him!

"No—!"

Squelch, the third death!

Rewind! The three tomoe in Shimura Danzō's right eye grew even dimmer.

The last ordinary jōnin attempted a rescue, only to be backhanded by Yusuke's spear and sent flying into a rock, his bones shattering; he was clearly beyond saving.

On the battlefield, only two elite jōnin remained from Root, one standing where Shimura Danzō had died the second time.

The other, having been swatted into a large tree by Yusuke, was just now struggling to stand.

Shimura Danzō resurrected for the fourth time, his face pale as paper, the three tomoe of his right-eye Sharingan now completely grayed out.

His aura was withered; the rewinds had consumed too much of his chakra.

"It's over, Danzō."

Yusuke's voice was icy. Red-Backed Shrike transformed into a lethal cold light, piercing Shimura Danzō's heart once more.

This time, the elite jōnin finally reacted, channeling chakra into his short blade to meet Yusuke's incoming spear head-on.

The spear was parried by the elite ninja, and the tip, originally aimed at Shimura Danzō's heart, veered directly toward his right-eye Sharingan.

Shimura Danzō's pupils dilated, and at the final moment, he tilted his head back.

The spear tip gouged out his Sharingan, sending it flying elsewhere.

"Aaaaaah!"

Shimura Danzō clutched his injured right eye, screaming in agony, his left eye glaring at Yusuke with hatred.

The elite jōnin standing before him roared, "Get Lord Danzō out of here!"

He tore open his clothing, revealing a sealing formation inscribed upon his body.

"This is? Reverse Four-Symbols Sealing." Recognizing the sealing jutsu, Yusuke retreated rapidly.

The elite ninja who had been thrown into the tree forced himself to muster his remaining strength.

He quickly body-flickered to Shimura Danzō's side, hoisted him up, and turned to flee.

The elite ninja who had activated the Reverse Four-Symbols Sealing began to spray a massive amount of ink-like liquid from his chest.

"Hum—"

After Yusuke had retreated two hundred paces, everything within a hundred-pace radius of the elite ninja was sealed into a single point in space.

Only an empty spherical void remained.

"A sealing jutsu that costs one's life; Shimura Danzō's subordinates are truly loyal."

Yusuke frowned. He opened his senses to the maximum, but Shimura Danzō's aura had vanished completely; he had clearly employed a highly sophisticated concealment technique.

"Can't catch him now." Yusuke sighed. He was nearing the two-and-a-half-minute limit of [Phase 1: Incursio - Armor Form].

He felt the burden on his body growing heavier; if he maintained it any longer, his body would collapse first.

Furthermore, he didn't know if things were going smoothly for Hyuga Aya and Inuzuka Go.

Danzō might still have hidden cards, and he had to confirm their safety as soon as possible.

Yusuke deactivated Incursio, and the armor and spear dissolved into motes of light.

A wave of intense weakness and the backlash from his injuries hit him instantly, making it difficult to even stand.

He quickly retrieved the healing potion Tsunade had prepared for him from his ninja pouch and swallowed it.

Then, he pulled out a Sealing Scroll, placed the now-inert Sharingan from nearby into the center of the scroll, and performed the hand seals.

"Seal!"

The technique on the scroll glowed faintly, completely sealing the eyeball within. Yusuke carefully tucked the scroll away.

"Although this eye is already ruined, it is ironclad proof that Shimura Danzō has been transplanting Sharingan and coveting the power of the Uchiha."

"I'll find a suitable opportunity to 'accidentally' let the Uchiha see it."

"Danzō, even if you were lucky enough to survive this time, your days in Konoha won't be easy from now on."

He gave a cold smile and lingered no longer.

He locked his perception onto the Flying Thunder God technique mark he had previously left on Hyuga Aya.

"Flying Thunder God Technique!"

With a soft hum, Yusuke's figure vanished from the chaotic battlefield.

Almost the instant he appeared, Hyuga Aya felt the hair on the back of her neck stand up.

Her gaze turned sharp in an instant, and she spun around, ready to unleash a barrage of Gentle Fist strikes on the ninja behind her.

"It's me," Yusuke's voice came.

Upon seeing that it was Yusuke, the vigilance in her eyes slowly faded, and her pure white eyes swept over his entire body.

They lingered for a moment, especially on several obvious wounds and the heavy scent of blood.

"Captain!"

"Are you alright? You smell so strongly of blood; was the enemy very strong? How many were there?"

Inuzuka Go rushed over, his face filled with undisguised worry and nervousness.

Yusuke's face was somewhat pale, his chakra reserves heavily depleted.

The wounds on his body had yet to be treated and were now throbbing with pain.

He waved his hand, his voice weary yet unusually calm: "It's fine, just a small nuisance. It's already been taken care of."

His gaze moved past Inuzuka Go to look at Hyuga Aya, and the red-haired little girl standing timidly behind her—Kushina Uzumaki.

Seeing Yusuke covered in blood, the little girl's face went pale, as if reminded of the tragic state of her clansmen in the Land of Whirlpools, and she instinctively shrank back behind Hyuga Aya.

Hyuga Aya stared silently at Yusuke; she saw the wounds on his body and smelled the thick stench of blood.

The people the Shimura Faction sent to hunt him down were definitely not as simple as a "small nuisance."

"It seems things have been very quiet on your end," Yusuke said, the corner of his mouth twitching.

"Yes, no signs of tracking or ambushes," Hyuga Aya replied briefly, her Byakugan scanning the surroundings once more to confirm their safety.

Yusuke didn't respond. He walked to the side, sat down, and took out a Military Ration Pill and some water to quickly replenish his strength. Thanks to Tsunade's medicine, his wounds were slowly healing.

His gaze swept over Hyuga Aya inadvertently.

At this moment, Hyuga Aya had returned to her usual cold expression, quietly guarding Kushina Uzumaki without any unusual behavior.

There was no probing, no questioning, and certainly no display of any greed.

It seems the urge to kill and loot is absent this time.

It appears that the previous warning, the strength I displayed, and the danger we shared this time have led this genius of the Hyuga Branch Family to choose cooperation over confrontation for now.

That is a good sign, Yusuke thought to himself.

The remainder of the journey was exceptionally peaceful.

They were not attacked by Shimura Danzō; it seemed highly likely that he was holed up in some mountain ravine somewhere, nursing his wounds.