Seeing Sasori of the Red Sands immediately activate the Third Kazekage Human Puppet,
Uchiha Ye's body instantly blazed with light as gurgling magma was compressed again and again, radiating a chilling, oppressive energy.
It finally erupted in a terrifying crimson wave that blasted outward indiscriminately. "Molten Realm—Scorching Flow Blast!"
The moment Uchiha Ye launched his attack, the Root members sensed something was wrong and hurriedly fled.
But!
Compared to the destructive heat wave surging forth like a tsunami,
they were simply too slow.
"Ah!!!"
As though trapped in the Blazing Hell, their flesh evaporated at incredible speed and their chakra ran dry.
Even their bones shrank under the scorching heat before being reduced to nothing.
They managed only a single despairing scream before vanishing from the world along with their bodies.
Even a hundred meters in the air, protected by the Third Kazekage,
Sasori of the Red Sands still felt a searing pain, as though his chakra core were about to be burned away.
Naturally, the earth below fared even worse.
The once-lush forest had been scorched black, transformed into searing sand.
Only waves of heat continued to drift through the air.
"Ye's gotten even stronger!"
Sasori of the Red Sands could sense it clearly.
Compared with the time he killed Orochimaru, that attack's temperature and destructive power had increased considerably.
"That guy really is a freak! He's growing way too fast!"
He knew Uchiha Ye was exceptionally talented.
But he had never imagined he was this strong.
His rapid progress even surprised Sasori.
"Let's go!"
After Sasori of the Red Sands landed, Uchiha Ye said calmly.
But a closer look would have revealed the coldness hidden in his eyes.
There was no reason Uchiha Ye wouldn't realize what Sasori had.
The Root members had been able to ambush them so precisely because someone in Akatsuki had betrayed his whereabouts.
And there could only be one person responsible.
"Uchiha Obito, are you really so impatient to get rid of me?"
Only he could have known the route Uchiha Ye was taking to Mist Village and contacted Root in Konoha.
"Fine. Since you can't wait any longer, it's time to settle our grudge!"
He was no longer the boy who had just joined Akatsuki and could only react passively to Uchiha Obito.
Now, he had the strength to face Uchiha Obito head-on.
Since Uchiha Obito was so eager to act,
Uchiha Ye had nothing to fear.
He would simply meet the challenge head-on!
"But I'm afraid I'll have to disappoint you. Using Root members to learn about me won't work!"
Uchiha Ye glanced at a spot on the ground behind him and curled his lips in open mockery.
Two hundred meters behind him, Zetsu's presence had appeared.
Thanks to his mastery of Life Return,
the range of his Observation Haki had grown considerably, along with its precision and the number of targets it could detect.
His former limit of one hundred meters had now increased to two hundred!
"This guy... He's spotted us again?"
Only after Uchiha Ye had left did Zetsu, dressed like a pitcher plant, emerge from underground.
Looking at Uchiha Ye's retreating figure, he couldn't help feeling wary. "His detection range has suddenly increased by that much again!"
"Looks like we can't use the one piece of information we had on him anymore!"
Before this...
they had been certain Uchiha Ye's detection range was one hundred meters.
But that was clearly no longer the case.
"Besides, he immediately realized what we were up to and ended the fight in an instant. He didn't give us any chance to understand or gather information about him."
"This is troublesome. Now Obito will have to slowly figure out what this guy can do during the fight."
The two of them could suddenly understand
why Uchiha Obito was so eager to eliminate Uchiha Ye.
"He's as clever as Uchiha Itachi, but has a level of mystery and insight that Itachi can't match."
"If I were in Obito's shoes, I'd get rid of him first, too!"
Black Zetsu said, his gaze sharp.
White Zetsu strongly agreed.
Four days later!
The two arrived at Hengbing Port in the Land of Water as scheduled.
Uchiha Itachi and Biwa Juzo had already been waiting there.
After another half a day, Deidara and Zabuza arrived.
Then everyone began discussing the details of the operation.
"I'll handle the main capture mission with Big Brother Sasori."
"Itachi and Big Brother Juzo, you two will hold off the Mizukage's guards and any other enemies who might show up."
"Deidara and Zabuza, wait in the air and keep watch over the area. Provide support from outside the battlefield as needed."
"What do you all think?"
Uchiha Ye explained his plan.
"What should we do if things go badly and we get surrounded?"
Uchiha Itachi glanced at Uchiha Ye and asked, "We're breaking into a place like Mist Village, so we have to be fully prepared!"
At that, Sasori of the Red Sands and the others also looked at Uchiha Ye.
They thought his plan was better,
so none of them had put forward their own plans. They had simply agreed to follow his.
"We'll retreat in pairs, maintaining our basic formation!"
"Deidara will provide air support and disrupt the enemy's pursuit. Then I'll take control of the situation."
"At the same time, Big Brother Sasori will connect his puppet strings to me. Deidara will then fly everyone into the air, while I continue attacking the ground from above to ensure our retreat goes smoothly!"
Hearing Uchiha Ye's plan for their retreat, everyone nodded in approval.
They also felt a little more respect and goodwill toward him.
Naturally, this made Uchiha Itachi even more wary of Uchiha Ye.
He knew Uchiha Ye definitely felt no goodwill toward Konoha.
Yet Uchiha Ye's abilities were so exceptional.
So whether it was to protect Konoha
or to protect his only younger brother,
he needed to remain on guard against Uchiha Ye at all times.
"All right. Since no one has any objections, we'll follow the plan we just discussed."
As he spoke, Uchiha Ye looked at Uchiha Itachi and the others. "If anything unexpected happens, Itachi, I hope you won't hold back your ideas. Let's work out a plan together so we can get out safely!"
Uchiha Itachi was exceptionally clever. Uchiha Ye certainly wasn't going to leave him on the sidelines.
"Understood!"
Uchiha Itachi answered calmly.
With the plan decided, the operation began.
According to the information Zetsu had provided, after suppressing the Kaguya Clan, the Fourth Mizukage had remained at a stretch of coast outside Mist Village to handle government affairs.
This was partly to draw out all the opposition within the village so he could wipe them out in one fell swoop later and clear the way to ruling Mist Village.
It was also to deter the forces nearby that had recently begun stirring. By personally overseeing the front lines, he could prevent the enemy from invading.
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