Decisive Danzo

Sensing the terrifying power of the Fire Style, Danzo, the red-haired Anbu, and the surrounding Root members immediately retreated.

"Corpse Dog, lead your squad to destroy all data at Base A-1. The rest of you, proceed to Base A-2! Retreat!"

Danzo heard that the Anbu were approaching, and that Uchiha Shisui was extremely difficult to deal with; he couldn't possibly defeat him in three to five minutes, and even a few minutes wouldn't be enough to kill him.

Danzo a quick decision and prepared to flee.

"Hi!"

One of the root members immediately answered loudly.

Upon hearing the reply, Danzo immediately retreated. Danzo had already anticipated the consequences of failing to kill Uchiha Shisui; the Fourth Hokage would undoubtedly declare him missing-nin for attacking a comrade and then issue a warrant for his arrest and execution.

Boom!

Danzo, who was retreating, heard the sound and looked back. He saw a white ball of light rising in the battlefield, its area probably close to 100 meters.

It's hard to imagine that this is Ninjutsu without hand seals that can be performed in such a short time.

"Even if I become missing-nin, I will save Konoha! The day I adapt to my new arm will be the day I return! My comrades of Konoha, please be patient and wait for my return!"

Danzo, Danzo harbored a lifelong ambition to be a lone hero. Protecting Konoha and becoming Hokage was his Danzo pursuit and the way of the ninja.

Are they trying to escape?

Upon seeing Uchiha Shisui 'Danzo forces retreat, Shisui was in poor condition, hesitated for a long time before turning around and heading towards Konoha.

Shisui planned to meet up with the Hokage and the Anbu before returning to pursue them.

After leaving the battlefield, Shisui had been traveling through the forest for a short while when he encountered a reinforcement team from the Anbu.

Swish! Swish! Swish!

The nine-member Anbu support team surrounded Shisui. The leader was Uchiha Tekka, codenamed Tekka. Tekka's crimson eyes scrutinized Shisui for a moment, and after confirming his identity, he asked:

"Shisui! Where is the enemy?"

There are quite a few Uchiha clan members in the Anbu. Tekka and Shisui are among the most outstanding and highly valued. They are all very familiar with each other, especially when it comes to masks.

"Iron! Danzo rebelled! They're behind us! Follow me!"

Shisui immediately recognized the person wearing the familiar mask as Uchiha Tekka, and relieved, he jumped back and returned to the battlefield.

With a wave of his hand, the group of Anbu followed behind Uchiha Shisui.

The team of seventeen was divided into two groups, one in front and one behind. Tekka led the two front teams, a total of nine people, while two more teams, eight people each, trailed behind.

After Shisui's journey back and forth, it took him about ten minutes to return to the previous battlefield. The Root ninjas had all fled, and even their corpses had been collected.

"Root Base! Ironclad! They're destroying the base and destroying evidence! Over here!"

Uchiha Shisui had previously escaped from the Root's base. Although the hill south of the Jade Dragon River had been destroyed by Fire Style Ninjutsu, Shisui still managed to pinpoint the entrance.

Shisui glanced at the entrance and said to Uchiha Tekka beside him:

"Iron! There's a rebel squad down there. Send one squad down to search for them! Danzo and his men fled west; they haven't gone far. We need to split into two groups to pursue them! We can't let him escape!"

Uchiha Tekka nodded and said in a deep voice:

"Boat Squad, go down and search! Ant, you stay here and wait for the squads behind. Once you've regrouped, move towards us. Disperse!"

Uchiha Tekka his hand, and four Anbu jumped into the passage and entered the Root's base. One Anbu waited outside to guide the two teams behind him.

Seeing this, Uchiha Shisui turned around and chased after Danzo in the direction they had left, with Tekka and the remaining three following behind. A total of five people went to pursue Danzo's group.

As long as they hold off the enemy, reinforcements will keep arriving from the rear.

Naraku, accompanied by a small squad of Anbu guards, leaped through the forest, his eyes closed, activating his Sensory Ninjutsu.

"Is that the Azure Dragon River? Danzo's Chakra, and his subordinates, disappeared after approaching the Azure Dragon River?"

Azure Dragon River, located 50 kilometers from Konoha, is a tributary of the Vast River, just like Jade Dragon River. The Vast River is the largest river near Konoha in the Land of Fire, with numerous tributaries including the Naka River.

Having disappeared into the Azure Dragon River, they cannot be found simply by searching the entire Azure Dragon River. The waterways are interconnected, and if Danzo and his group were to infiltrate the Vast River, finding them would be like searching for a needle in a haystack.

Naraku opened his eyes, his gaze deep, and uttered a soft shout:

"Speed up!"

"Hi" X4

Naraku and his group sped up, not conserving their Chakra, and frequently used the Body Flicker Technique as they headed towards the Azure Dragon River.

About half an hour later, Naraku and his group arrived near the Azure Dragon River and met up with a group of Anbu members.

"Lord Hokage!" X5

Uchiha Shisui and his Tekka team greeted Naraku softly as he descended from the sky.

"Um"

Naraku responded softly, glancing at the group. They were all covered in dust and dirt, their Tekka masks were gone, and one of the Anbu had bandages wrapped around his arms and legs, a simple first aid treatment, with blood seeping through the bandages.

Tekka stepped forward and said softly:

"Lord Hokage, we were ambushed in the forest while pursuing the group."

Fortunately, no one was killed... Our squad searched the middle reaches, while one squad each searched upstream and downstream for traces of Danzo and his men.

They must have jumped into the Azure Dragon River and lost their scent and trace."

Naraku did not answer, but closed his eyes, clasped his hands together, formed a hand seal, and activated Mind's Eye of the Kagura, carefully searching the surrounding area.

However, sensory Ninjutsu greatly interferes with perception underground or underwater. Generally, it becomes almost impossible to perceive anything when diving to about three meters underground, and the same is true for underwater depths of five or six meters.

After a long while, Mind's Eye of the Kagura failed to detect any trace of the enemy. Naraku opened his eyes and said in a deep voice:

"Tie, your squadron will monitor the Azure Dragon River area for a month, searching for Danzo and whereabouts."

"Hi!"

"Shisui put, the rest of you go and carry out the mission. They just went underwater; perhaps they can find some clues. Go!"

"Hi!" X8

The four members of the Tekka Squad and Naraku's four guards vanished on the spot, using the Body Flicker Technique to leave and search for traces.

Naraku gazed at the river for a while, then turned to look at Shisui and asked softly:

"Shisui, when did you awaken the Mangekyō Sharingan?"

"Many years ago, when I was on duty at the Eastern Stronghold of the Land of Fire, the death of my comrades caused me to awaken the Mangekyō Sharingan."

A look of reminiscence flashed in Shisui's eyes, and her somewhat ambiguous answer suggested she was unwilling to recall the moment she activated the Mangekyo.

Seeing Shisui's expression, Naraku abandoned his idea of asking for details and said softly:

"I see. I overlooked that. Does your eye harbor a Dōjutsu called Kotoamatsukami? Tell me about its specific effects."

When he possessed Shisui earlier, Shisui said he used Kotoamatsukami on Danzo, but the result seemed to be a little different from what Naraku had imagined.