No One Could Save Him

Minato Namikaze and Uchiha Fugaku wore stiff expressions.

Yamanaka Tatsuya had clearly seen that they were on good terms with Qin Yu.

He had deliberately given this order to limit Qin Yu's ability to fight back.

At the same time, he could avoid sending his subordinates into the fray and reduce Root Division's casualties.

It was a clever plan that killed two birds with one stone.

"Heh. Root Division really has no shame. You accuse me of insubordination, but what about Yamanaka Fu and Aburame Torune, who sold our outpost's intel to the Cloud Ninja? Did you kill them, or hand them over to the Third Hokage for punishment?" Qin Yu said with a half-smile.

"Or did Root Division handle their punishment itself and lock them up?"

The Konoha ninja around them were visibly shaken.

They had also heard something about Yamanaka Fu and Aburame Torune selling out the outpost's intel.

By their reckoning, with more than a hundred elite Cloud Ninja led by the AB Duo, breaching the pass and killing Uchiha Qin Yu should have been easy.

As long as everyone at the outpost died, what they had done would remain a secret.

But they had never expected Qin Yu to become an unforeseen variable at such a critical moment.

Not only did he possess the powerful Sharingan, he had also killed more than a hundred Cloud Ninja in an instant and driven back the AB Duo.

When word of it reached Konoha, it had caused a huge stir.

What's more, A, the next generation's heir to the Raikage title, had clearly suspected that Yamanaka Fu and Aburame Torune had given him false intel and had tossed the scroll to Qin Yu.

Of course, if this had really been a plot to lure the enemy into a trap, it would have been a great achievement for Root Division.

But A had clearly misunderstood Yamanaka Fu and Aburame Torune's intentions, so he had handed the scroll to Qin Yu.

The quiet challenge echoed through the cavern.

Yamanaka Tatsuya's face turned livid as he glared at Qin Yu.

He was Yamanaka Fu's father, and Danzo's student as well.

He had volunteered for this mission to clear Yamanaka Fu's name and frame Qin Yu.

He had never expected Qin Yu to get straight to the point the moment he showed up.

Looking at Qin Yu, who seemed entirely unbothered, Yamanaka Tatsuya snorted. "You're just a Chunin. This isn't your concern."

"Yamanaka Fu and Aburame Torune are members of Root Division. If they've done something wrong, of course Root Division will deal with it."

At that, Minato Namikaze and the others furrowed their brows.

Having an organization handle its own members' wrongdoing was hard to justify anywhere.

"Heh. So Root Division gets to decide what's right, then? You get to decide whether someone's a traitor?" Qin Yu smiled amiably. "In that case, shouldn't I be allowed to deal with my own affairs?"

"Boy, what are you talking about?" Yamanaka Tatsuya barked. "Are you questioning Root Division's fairness, and Lord Danzo's? That's a grave offense against the Konoha High Command."

"Men, seize him!"

The four Root Division ninja who had stepped out from the crowd exchanged glances, then moved forward again.

Seeing this, Qin Yu's smile widened. "Looks like might makes right."

"Then don't blame me for showing no mercy."

As he spoke, arcs of lightning crackled around Qin Yu.

In the next instant, he vanished from where he stood, swift as a phantom.

When he reappeared, he was already standing before Yamanaka Tatsuya.

"What speed!"

Both Gekko Kuro Yoru and Uchiha Fugaku were visibly shaken.

And Yamanaka Tatsuya, facing Qin Yu head-on, was even more shocked.

He had never expected Qin Yu to attack him so suddenly, even under the pressure of the village's high command.

Without any flourish, Qin Yu reached out and seized him by the throat.

"You brat, you're asking to die!" Yamanaka Tatsuya roared.

But inwardly, he was delighted.

If Qin Yu attacked him in full view of everyone, then the baseless accusation would become a certainty.

But when he tried to move, he met a pair of eyes as red as blood, and his expression changed dramatically.

"Can't move, can you?" Qin Yu said with an amused smile.

He had already used the hypnotic properties of his Sharingan to restrain Yamanaka Tatsuya's body.

If he hadn't deliberately left him conscious, he would have already sunk into the world of the genjutsu.

For anyone, nothing was more terrifying than being unable to control their own fate.

"Uchiha Qin Yu, what are you doing? Let go of me! I represent Lord Danzo!" Yamanaka Tatsuya shouted in alarm.

Qin Yu paid him no mind and smiled. "I represent myself. I can't stand you, so die."

"Qin Yu, show mercy!" Minato Namikaze hurriedly tried to stop him.

But black flames suddenly flared up, spreading across Yamanaka Tatsuya's body in an instant.

The searing heat and piercing pain helped Yamanaka Tatsuya break free of the genjutsu.

Before he could react, Qin Yu flung him out of the cavern with a backhanded throw.

Thud!

Yamanaka Tatsuya slammed into the ground. Without a moment to think, he rolled frantically across it.

He tried to smother the Black Flame covering him,

but to Uzuki Cangwu and the others, it was painfully clear how futile his efforts were.

"Save me! Why won't these flames go out? Use Water Release! Anyone good at Water Release, hurry and save me!" Yamanaka Tatsuya screamed hysterically.

The four Root Division ninja exchanged glances, then all began using Water Release Ninjutsu.

"Water Release: Water Wave."

"Water Release: Water Spout."

"Water Release: Water Dragon Bullet."

"Water Release: Water Whip!"

Watching the last two Root Division ninja use even Water Dragon Bullet and Water Whip,

Qin Yu almost felt like asking whether they had a grudge against Yamanaka Tatsuya.

Yet as one Water Release technique after another struck Yamanaka Tatsuya,

the ink-black flames showed no sign of going out.

The eerie sight sent a chill crawling up everyone's legs.

"No! Qin Yu, let me go! I was only doing Danzo's bidding. This has nothing to do with me. I don't want to die!" Yamanaka Tatsuya was overcome with despair.

He struggled to crawl toward Qin Yu.

But it was all futile. The moisture coating him only made the Amaterasu burn more fiercely.

In an instant, it swallowed Yamanaka Tatsuya whole.

As his screams rang out, everyone felt as if they had fallen into an ice cellar.

They understood Amaterasu more deeply now.

Unless you were skilled in sealing techniques, or kept the Black Flame from touching you,

once it hit, no one could save you.

When the screams died away, Yamanaka Tatsuya had turned to ash in the Black Flame.

The smell of burning filled the air, making everyone feel like retching.

As they looked at Qin Yu, their eyes held a little more awe and fear.

One wrong word, and he killed with Black Flame.

And once he attacked, there was no way to save the victim. That was just as despairing for everyone else.

As for whether they still had the nerve to provoke him, they would have to think twice about their own chances first.