Assassination

On the other side, Uchiha Chen was still immersed in the memory of Anko's charming and adorable face during their feeding session, unable to pull himself away for a long time.

He couldn't help but chuckle to himself.

However, when he looked up and checked the time, he was suddenly shocked to realize that it was already past noon!

He cursed "damn it" under his breath, remembering that he was supposed to go and apologize to Uchiha Izumi today.

Uchiha Chen felt a wave of remorse, realizing that he had broken his promise once again.

Including today, he had stood Uchiha Izumi up for two consecutive days! Knowing full well that such behavior might lead her to misunderstand, he quickly tightened his collar, clutching the other portion of Three-Color Dango close to his chest to keep them warm with his body heat.

He hurried toward the small river where they used to train, hoping to see Uchiha Izumi as soon as possible and offer his apologies.

Finally, he arrived at the riverbank.

Looking from afar, he saw a figure sitting by the water with long hair draped over her shoulders, wearing a deep purple sleeveless robe.

Her feet were dipped gently into the river, creating ripples. Seeing this, Uchiha Chen felt a slight sense of relief, assuming that Uchiha Izumi wasn't too angry and was still waiting for him.

He quickened his pace and walked up, saying, "Izumi, I am so sorry. Some things came up these past two days; I really didn't mean to stand you up..." As soon as he finished speaking, he reached into his robe, preparing to take out the Three-Color Dango hidden inside as a gift of apology.

Suddenly, Uchiha Chen keenly sensed two hidden killing intents permeating the surroundings. His expression turned grave in an instant, and without a moment's hesitation, he reached out and pulled Uchiha Izumi into his arms.

Immediately after, he performed the Body Flicker Technique, vanishing from the spot in a flash.

The very moment they left, a gale as fierce as a hurricane swept through, mixed with raging flames that resembled a fire phoenix. These flames radiated a suffocating heat, as if the scorching sun had descended, slamming heavily into the ground.

The earth was first violently torn apart and lifted by the wind, then mercilessly bitten and incinerated by the fire phoenix. Finally, a heaven-shaking explosion erupted, and the powerful shockwave sent Uchiha Chen and Uchiha Izumi, who had just retreated to the side, flying through the air.

When the shockwave finally subsided and the dust cleared, the scene before them was shocking: a layer of what had been solid ground was burned into molten lava, slowly cooling as the dust settled.

Witnessing this, Uchiha Chen felt a pang of anxiety and quickly scooped up Uchiha Izumi, fleeing the scene immediately.

At this moment, Uchiha Chen did not know who had launched the attack, but he was certain that the target was likely himself. He needed to find a safe place to settle Uchiha Izumi before returning to settle the score with the attackers.

Uchiha Chen arrived at the cave he and Izumi had discovered together over the past month.

He stood there quietly, focusing his mind and carefully sensing the movements around him.

A moment later, confirming that the pursuers had not yet caught up, he breathed a temporary sigh of relief.

Uchiha Chen gently set Izumi down and looked down at her.

The explosion had left her looking a bit disheveled, but fortunately, she hadn't suffered any serious injuries, only appearing a bit dusty and soot-stained.

Taking a deep breath, he spoke slowly: "Izumi, those attackers were after me. I will leave you in this cave; it is relatively safe here."

"In a moment, I will use the Earth Release Technique to seal the entrance, while leaving some air vents."

As he spoke, Uchiha Chen led Izumi deeper into the cave so she could hide further inside.

Turning to look at Uchiha Izumi, he saw she seemed quite frightened by the attack, remaining silent and even trembling slightly.

Seeing this, Uchiha Chen made up his mind to kill every single one of the intruders.

A surge of pity welled up in his heart, and he gently reached out, placing his hand on her head to comfort her softly: "Don't be afraid, I will be back soon."

His voice was filled with confidence, hoping to bring her a sense of peace.

After saying this, Uchiha Chen turned and walked resolutely toward the cave entrance.

He closed his eyes, concentrated his energy, and began to perform the Earth Release Technique.

Although he wasn't yet a master of this technique, he had practiced it diligently while training with Izumi, so he was reasonably proficient.

With a soft shout, he declared: "Earth Release: Earth Wall Technique!"

A wall of earth slowly rose, sealing the cave entrance tightly.

Uchiha Chen carefully inspected the wall, ensuring that a few hidden vents were left to allow for air circulation.

Having done this, he finally felt a bit more at ease.

Turning back, he worried about whether Izumi would be afraid of the darkness inside the cave, but he could only resolve to finish the fight quickly and return immediately.

Uchiha Chen hadn't gone far before he unexpectedly encountered two ninjas approaching.

These two ninjas looked incredibly ordinary, perhaps even featureless; even if you stared at their faces, you would lose them in a crowd the moment you looked away.

Uchiha Chen found it quite strange: to be born with such a perfect face for espionage, yet they were out here doing assassination work?

He almost couldn't help but laugh out loud.

However, he quickly composed himself, entered a combat state, and drew a Kunai from his ninja tool pouch.

Uchiha Chen had intended to ask who had sent them, but seeing the hand seals they were forming, he dismissed the thought.

The two men quickly performed hand seals to execute two C-rank ninjutsu, and to his surprise, the two techniques fused perfectly mid-air, creating a powerful force.

The wind fueled the fire, and the fire amplified the wind; what were originally C-rank techniques now erupted with the power of a B-rank ninjutsu!

A technique of such power was enough to kill an average Jonin.

But to think they could kill a Uchiha clan Jonin with Three-Tomoe sharingan using this was nothing but a pipe dream.

Uchiha Chen secretly praised the tacit coordination between the two, but felt nothing but contempt for the person who had dispatched them to assassinate him.

On the other side, having returned to the Root, Shimura Danzō suddenly let out a violent sneeze.

Returning to the fray, the opponent's ninjutsu had already reached Uchiha Chen.

Seeing Uchiha Chen remain completely motionless as if about to be struck down, the two who had just finished their attack exchanged a glance before weaving hand seals once more to initiate a new round of ninjutsu.

However, this time they did not launch offensive techniques, instead shifting their focus to defense.

Deep within their minds, they shouted the names of their techniques: "Water Style: Water Formation Wall!" "Earth Style: Earth Formation Wall!" Immediately, an earthen wall rose slowly behind them, followed by a wall of water that coiled up like a serpent, creating a dual-layered defense.

Sure enough, just as they had anticipated, the Uchiha Chen who had been struck in front of them instantly dissipated into a cloud of smoke.

At the same time, a blazing inferno erupted from the position directly behind their newly formed defenses.

Upon closer inspection, it was the B-rank Great Dragon Fire Technique!

The scorching flames, resembling a ferocious fire dragon, lunged toward them at blinding speed.

The fire first rapidly evaporated the Water Formation Wall before slamming into the Earth Formation Wall.

The searing fire dragon, like a ravenous beast, greedily gnawed at the earthen wall before it.

After devouring the wall, it was on the verge of swallowing the two hiding behind it, only to be successfully blocked by a second Earth Formation Wall that had been prepared just in time.

In the end, unable to break through the second Earth Formation Wall, the fire dragon detonated, scattering into countless sparks that rained down all around.