Save Izumi

Duanmu swallowed, his heart churning. Digging out a dead person's eyes directly filled him with a visceral disgust, but his craving for power and his fear for his own safety gnawed at him like venomous snakes.

Duanmu steeled himself and carefully removed the two eyeballs that were still giving off a faint crimson glow.

Warm liquid smeared over his hand, and the sticky sensation made his scalp prickle.

After placing the Sharingan into the container he had prepared in advance, Duanmu rushed without stopping to the Uchiha clan's Gold Treasury Pavilion. The guards here had also been drawn away by the commotion Obito and Itachi had stirred up.

Duanmu held his breath, gathered chakra at his fingertips, and pressed them lightly against the Gold Treasury Pavilion's heavy wooden door.

Defensive runes covered the door, which had been crafted from special timber. Even amid the chaos of the night of the massacre, it still gave off a chilling aura.

Duanmu recalled the method of breaking it recorded in the scroll, then infused chakra into the grooves of the runes at a specific frequency. A faint "click" came from the hinge, and the heavy wooden door slowly opened inward by a crack.

He slipped inside, and the rich scent of ink and old paper rushed at him. The interior of the Gold Treasury Pavilion was deeper than he had imagined. Rows of towering bookshelves stretched all the way to the vaulted ceiling, neatly stacked with yellowed scrolls and ancient texts.

Moonlight spilled through a narrow skylight, casting mottled light and shadow across the floor and illuminating the dust drifting through the air. Duanmu did not dare delay. He quickly pulled from his robe a list of secret techniques he had long since memorized—key targets he had organized according to memories from his previous life.

His gaze swept over the labels on the shelves, and he quickly locked onto the area marked "Forbidden Techniques Section."

The scrolls there were all bound with dark red silk thread, their covers stamped with the Uchiha clan's wax seal.

Duanmu carefully drew out a scroll titled Uchiha Fire Style Secret Technique: Flame Thunder God. The moment he opened the first page, surging fire-nature chakra burst out from between the pages, scaring him so badly that he hurriedly snapped it shut.

Then there were Uchiha Style Shuriken: Manipulation Technique, Genjutsu: Shackling Stakes Technique, and many other forbidden techniques.

Just then, the crisp clang of metal hitting the ground suddenly came from outside the pavilion.

Duanmu's heart almost stopped. He immediately extinguished the fire striker in his hand and darted into the shadow of a bookshelf like a civet cat. Two patrolling Root shinobi walked past carrying long blades, their masks gleaming coldly beneath the moonlight.

"...Search carefully. Lord Danzo said the Uchiha forbidden technique scrolls must never fall into outsiders' hands," one of them said in a low voice, their footsteps gradually fading away.

Cold sweat seeped from Duanmu's forehead. So Danzo had already set his sights on this place.

He did not dare linger. His gaze swept one last time over an inconspicuous wooden chest in the corner.

Inside was a pile of damaged forehead protectors and old ninja tools, and something hard seemed to be pressed beneath the bottom layer. Duanmu pried open the chest and found a forehead protector inlaid with a Three-Tomoe Sharingan. Though the eye had lost its luster, it was perfectly intact. His heart stirred, and he stuffed the forehead protector into his robe as well—perhaps it would come in handy someday.

When he slipped out of the Gold Treasury Pavilion again, he heard Uchiha Izumi's voice.

"Itachi, tasukete—Itachi, save me!"

Duanmu followed the voice and saw Obito walking toward Izumi step by step.

"Holy shit, isn't that Itachi's 'little girlfriend'? I've got to save her and make Itachi owe me one." Duanmu's eyes abruptly sharpened, and his mind raced.

Save Izumi? That was undoubtedly a huge risk. Obito's strength was unfathomable, and his own paltry skills were no better than an ant before him.

But if he could successfully save Izumi, not only would he earn Itachi's favor—that favor might have an unexpected use in the future—more importantly, this might be the only tiny correction he could make to this tragedy, a chance to save an individual life without violating the "general direction of the plot."

He saw Izumi curled up in the corner. Her once lively Sharingan were now filled with terror, and tears mixed with dust as they streaked down her cheeks. Obito's black robe was like the cloak of the god of death. With every step he took closer, the shadow of death thickened. The long blade in his hand reflected icy killing intent beneath the moonlight; clearly, he had no intention of leaving anyone alive.

"It's useless." Obito's hoarse voice carried a trace of mockery. "Your Itachi has already personally sent the Uchiha into hell."

"No... impossible!" Izumi shook her head violently, her body trembling with fear. "Itachi wouldn't..."

At the instant Obito's long blade was about to fall, Duanmu gritted his teeth and gathered the last of his chakra into his feet, unleashing the fastest speed he currently had—though it was still pitifully slow, what he was betting on was that Obito's attention was entirely on Izumi, and that one moment of surprise!

He sprang out from under the eaves where he had been hiding. At some point, several smoke bombs had appeared in his hand, and he threw them with all his strength toward Obito's feet!

Bang! Bang!

The smoke bombs exploded beside Obito's feet, and dense white smoke instantly spread out, blocking the view.

"Who's there?!" Obito had clearly not expected anyone to jump out at this moment. His movement instinctively froze, and the hand holding his blade paused as well.

Now!

Without the slightest hesitation, Duanmu used the cover of the smoke and charged toward Izumi like an arrow leaving the bowstring. He grabbed Izumi's arm and dragged her in the opposite direction with all his strength.

"Come with me!" Duanmu growled, his voice a little distorted from tension and exertion.

Izumi was stunned by this sudden turn of events and failed to react for a moment. She was only pulled along by Duanmu on instinct, stumbling as they ran.

Obito's furious roar came from within the smoke. "You're courting death!"

A terrifying pressure instantly locked onto Duanmu!

He knew Obito had already reacted. The threat of death followed him like a shadow.

He did not dare look back. All he could do was desperately pull Izumi along as they sprinted through the tangled alleys of the Uchiha clan compound.

He was not familiar with the terrain here and could only rely on the hazy memories from when he had been lurking earlier, choosing only those narrow passages with plenty of turns to duck into.

Behind them, piercing whistles tore through the air—kunai and shuriken! Duanmu pulled Izumi into a sudden sideways roll, dodging by a hair's breadth. The ninja tools sank deep into the wall where they had just been, sending stone chips flying.

"Don't stop! Run!" Duanmu gasped heavily, his heart almost leaping into his throat. He could feel Obito's almost tangible gaze fixed firmly on his back. Every breath felt like a race against death.

"Your eyes! Hurry, use your Sharingan!" Duanmu suddenly remembered and shouted at Izumi beside him, who was still somewhat dazed. There was no time to explain. They had to use every bit of strength available.

After being shouted at, Izumi seemed to finally snap out of her terror. She instinctively widened her eyes, and her crimson Three-Tomoe Sharingan abruptly lit up in the darkness. Though filled with fear, they still improved her vision considerably in the dim alleyway.

She immediately spotted an obstacle at the corner ahead and hurriedly warned him, "Left! There's a rock!"

Duanmu reacted extremely quickly, yanking Izumi sharply to the right. The two of them brushed past the half-man-tall rock by the narrowest margin. Behind the rock was a dead-end wall. If they had crashed into it, the consequences would have been unthinkable.

"Th-thank you..." Izumi's voice carried a sob, but her feet did not dare pause in the slightest.

At that moment, the space before the two of them instantly twisted, and Obito walked out of it, dragging his long blade.