After finishing, Lynn ignored Sasuke's constant muffled cries.
He immediately spread out his senses, sweeping the surrounding area.
That pure power brought Observation Haki's properties to their peak.
Even his 80% Perfect Realm and keen perception were brought into play.
In an instant, Lynn could sense everything within fifty meters of him.
The hard ground, the lush bushes and trees.
And... the ninja hidden among them.
An ambush?
Whoosh!!
A shuriken tore through the air with a sharp whistle, flying toward Lynn's back.
In the blink of an eye, Lynn vanished from where he stood.
A breeze scattered the fallen leaves. The shuriken shot through them and buried itself in the dirt.
"Where is he?"
Shimura Yuhiro and the two other ninja emerged from among the trees.
They stared at Sasuke, who was alone, bewildered.
When had that guy, Lynn Uchiha, gotten so fast?
He'd vanished in the blink of an eye.
"Why don't you... look behind you?"
A man's icy voice came from behind them.
What?
Shimura Yuhiro, their leader, jolted and immediately tried to use the Body Flicker Technique to escape.
But—
Crackling lightning had already engulfed the Chunin beside him.
"Lightning Release?! When?!"
The Chunin's face twisted in terror. He hurriedly used the Body Flicker Technique, trying to flee to the side.
But the roaring lightning erupted in an instant.
A piercing scream rang out.
The Chunin was electrocuted by the powerful lightning, his body charred black.
Shimura Yuhiro and the other Jonin watched, their hearts lurching.
What was going on?
How did Lynn Uchiha have such powerful Lightning Style Ninjutsu?
This... this wasn't what the intelligence report had said!
Shimura Yuhiro narrowed his eyes at Lynn Uchiha and hurriedly formed Hand Seals.
"Wind Release: Great Breakthrough!"
Once he finished forming the seals, he exhaled a gale. Shuriken rode the wind and shot toward Lynn.
From where he stood, Lynn Uchiha looked as if he'd frozen in shock, standing motionless.
Thud!
The Kunai and shuriken pierced the man's body, spraying crimson blood.
The air filled with a pungent, metallic stench.
Shimura Yuhiro was delighted and rushed forward.
"Heh... Lynn Uchiha, even if you're a ninja of the Uchiha Clan, you can't possibly overcome an absolute difference in strength..."
His words cut off.
Shimura Yuhiro's eyes widened as he stared at the man he'd killed with his shuriken.
It wasn't Lynn Uchiha.
It was the other Jonin!
How... how was that possible?
Had he fallen under a genjutsu?
At the thought, Shimura Yuhiro's face turned deathly pale, and cold sweat beaded across his forehead.
A powerful sense of danger suddenly gripped him.
Shimura Yuhiro snapped his head up and scanned the area, shouting again and again.
"Lynn Uchiha! You naturally evil Uchiha brat!
"You slaughtered the Uchiha Clan and deserted the village. The Third Hokage is merciful. Since you're still young, he'll give you a lighter punishment!"
As he spoke, he kept forming Hand Seals, constantly on guard against Lynn Uchiha's surprise attack.
Not far away, Sasuke was delighted to see three Konoha Root ninja arrive.
He hurriedly twisted his wrists, straining to undo the ropes binding his hands.
Sasuke raised his head and looked ahead.
He saw that Shimura Yuhiro's shuriken had struck Lynn Uchiha.
Blood suddenly sprayed into the air, and the pungent, metallic stench of it filled the air.
"I'm over here! I'm a survivor of the Uchiha Clan. I..."
Before he could finish, Sasuke witnessed the second most unforgettable sight of his life.
A jet-black flame suddenly appeared on Shimura Yuhiro's body.
The terrifying flames consumed his clothes the moment they appeared.
Then Shimura Yuhiro let out a bloodcurdling scream.
His flesh, bones, nerves, and everything else were reduced to ash by Amaterasu's flames.
Sasuke stared wide-eyed at the scene before him, unable to believe what he was seeing.
These Anbu ninja... these powerful Jonin... how could they be gone in an instant...?
"What are you thinking about?"
Suddenly, a man's icy voice came from behind Sasuke.
Cold sweat appeared on Sasuke's forehead and back in an instant.
He stiffly turned his head and saw the man standing behind him.
The man wore a chilling smile as he stared at him.
!!!
In an instant, cold sweat drenched Sasuke's back.
He hurriedly formed Hand Seals, trying to use the ninjutsu he'd only recently learned.
But—
A large, muscular hand suddenly seized his arm.
"Uchiha Sasuke," Lynn said with a warm smile. "Your brother slaughtered the entire Uchiha Clan. That leaves only the two of us openly alive among the Uchiha..."
With both hands restrained, Sasuke's expression shifted. He glared at the man before him.
The man's blood-red eyes, like a Mangekyo, hurt to look at.
"That... that was Itachi's doing. What are you grabbing me for?" Sasuke said, forcing himself to stay calm.
"What am I grabbing you for?" Lynn's smile widened.
His hand gradually released Sasuke's, then pinched the other boy's right index finger.
"Your brother slaughtered the Uchiha Clan, so you'll have to take his punishment in his place."
As soon as Lynn finished speaking, Sasuke felt a sudden, ominous premonition.
Then a piercing pain shot through his right index finger.
"Ah!!!" he screamed in agony, nearly collapsing to his knees.
Lynn held up the boy's crushed finger and said coldly,
"This is a gift for your brother."
He'd said that if he never saw Obito's corpse, he'd send a part of Sasuke to Uchiha Itachi.
And now it was time to let that bastard Itachi learn what the hell true cruelty was!
"What? They're all dead?!"
When Shimura Danzō heard the news, his first reaction was disbelief.
After all, he'd sent more than just a Root Jonin.
He'd also sent his nephew, Shimura Yuhiro.
Danzō had no sons, but in secret he'd controlled and trained many members of the Shimura Clan, filling Root with them.
"Damn Uchiha brat!"
Shimura Danzō narrowed his eyes, his expression turning dark.
"Lord Danzō, should we send more people?" a Root ninja beside him asked.
"No." Shimura Danzō raised a hand to stop him.
"Sarutobi Hiruzen is already preparing to send Hatake Kakashi, along with several squads of Jonin, to hunt him down."
Copy Ninja Hatake Kakashi, Konoha's Number One Technician.
He'd become a Jonin at the age of twelve, and now he was an elite Jonin.
"Sarutobi Hiruzen sent Kakashi to lead the pursuit of that Uchiha brat. I'm sure we'll soon see the brat strung up."
He knew a great deal about Hatake Kakashi's abilities.
After all, Kakashi had once been an Anbu ninja, so Danzō knew him well.
As for that damned Lynn Uchiha...
Danzō narrowed his eyes, already considering what to do with him.
Once the brat returned to Konoha, he'd first gouge out his Sharingan, then bring him under control.
Only he, Shimura Danzō, was truly Konoha's hope.
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