Chapter 47

The remaining two Hidden Cloud jonin witnessed the scene and instantly saw red.

"Uchiha brat, die!"

Forcing down their injuries, the two desperately squeezed every last bit of power from their bodies and unleashed their ultimate moves as they charged at Uchiha Yan.

There was only one thought in their minds—this little brat was absurdly strong at such a young age. If he grew up, who could stop him?

They absolutely could not leave such a threat to the village!

Boom!!!

After only two breaths, a deafening explosion erupted. Violent Lightning Release chakra uprooted and crushed every tree and patch of ground within a dozen meters.

When the smoke cleared, **two figures were revealed.

They were the two Hidden Cloud jonin.

As they saw each other's faces, the shock in their eyes could not be suppressed. Their lips trembled. "How is this possible... why is it you?!"

Clearly, they had been trapped in the enemy's genjutsu from beginning to end.

"Damn it!!"

Amid heart-wrenching howls, their bodies went limp, and they breathed their last.

At that moment, Uchiha Yan's Shadow Clone appeared on a nearby branch. Looking at his handiwork, he grinned. "Tsk tsk, this mental genjutsu is seriously amazing. No wonder the original is so addicted to it."

"Toying with enemies until they can't fight back at all—this really does feel great."

"It's settled, then. From now on, I'll focus on being a dirty fighter. Hehe."

All told, Uchiha Yan had shown himself at the start, activated his Sharingan and cast a mental genjutsu once, then pierced Sarudo, the Hidden Cloud elite jonin, through the heart with Wind Release. After that, he had barely needed to lift a finger—a powerful Hidden Cloud squad of three jonin and four elite chunin had been completely wiped out.

"I need to clean this up properly. Can't leave any traces."

Elsewhere, Uchiha Yan's original body was dealing with his own situation.

"That's about enough. Dove, take the second team around and cut him off ahead. First team, come with me and flank him from behind. Move at full speed."

"Remember to leave him alive. Those are Lord Danzo's orders."

After pursuing Uchiha Yan more than ten miles outside Konoha, the man leading this group of Root ninja issued his orders.

"Understood."

Dove answered, then led his men in a speeding arc to block Uchiha Yan's path.

Dove secretly used chakra to destroy one of the Flying Thunder God Technique marks on his body, then casually sent Uchiha Yan a signal.

The corner of his mouth lifted slightly as he snorted inwardly. These trash think they can scheme against my master? Dream on.

Don't worry. None of you will die.

We'll still be comrades in the future. Following my master is ten thousand times better than following Danzo.

When has that old bastard Danzo ever treated you like people? You're all just disposable chess pieces, expendable materials.

*Uchiha Yan may have controlled us too, but he genuinely nurtures us. He gives us *, gives us secret medicines, and lets us grow with everything we have.

He also gives us complete trust. He never resorts to beating or scolding us at every turn.

He gives us the dignity of being human.

Thus, over the past few months, the four Root jonin, Dove included, had already become utterly devoted to Uchiha Yan.

Even if the control over them were removed now, they would never turn against him.

"They're here?"

Uchiha Yan sensed Dove's signal.

In truth, he did not even need the signal. The movements of those Root ninja could not escape his perception.

With a tap of his toes, he landed on a thick branch, steadied himself, and turned to wait.

"Whoosh, whoosh, whoosh—"

More than a dozen black shadows emerged from every direction at once.

There were fourteen in total.

Seeing Uchiha Yan suddenly stop and turn to stare at them, the man leading them was somewhat surprised, but there was no time to care about that now.

He spoke in a deep voice. "Uchiha Yan, you trespassed through the barrier and fled the village. We have reason to suspect that you intend to betray Konoha. Surrender immediately and return with us for interrogation. You may still be allowed to live. Otherwise—you will be executed on the spot!"

As he spoke, he waved a hand, and the ninja surrounding Uchiha Yan slowly tightened their encirclement.

"Tsk."

Uchiha Yan grinned.

The next second, his Sharingan snapped open.

Golden-red light shot directly into the eyes of the seven Root ninja before him.

Mental Genjutsu: World of Delirium.

Mental Sealing Technique: Enslavement Mark.

The two mental secret techniques struck at once, and Uchiha Yan felt a large chunk of his mental power drain away.

But those seven had already been dragged into the genjutsu space he had woven.

The seventh control mark sank into their seven mental projections, following the fluctuations of their consciousness and seeping directly into the depths of their mindscapes.

"Argh—"

The seven immediately clutched their heads, fell to the ground, and screamed miserably.

"Move!"

At Dove's command, his figure flashed behind a Root jonin. One palm struck squarely against the back of the man's head.

The man let out a muffled groan and fainted at once.

Perfect Substitute: Five-Hit Combo!

Uchiha Yan did not remain idle either. His figure flickered five times in succession, every strike using the shock-force technique of Eight Extremes Collapse. Before the afterimages had faded, the remaining five were already sprawled across the ground.

Immediately afterward, he casually pressed an Enslavement Mark onto the forehead of each of the six people other than Dove.

"Gah—"

The six were forcibly awakened from unconsciousness by pain, clutching their heads and rolling across the ground.

"Greetings, my lord."

Dove dropped to one knee and bowed his head to Uchiha Yan.

"No need to be so formal."

Uchiha Yan raised a hand and said with a smile, "You handled this well. I'll remember your contribution."

"From now on, these thirteen people are under your command. They'll continue operating in Root under you."

"You can decide the specific arrangements yourself."

"If I have a mission, I'll send it directly to you."

After saying that, he also revealed his follow-up plans to Dove, ensuring that they would be able to give Danzo a convincing explanation after returning.

Dove agreed immediately. "Understood."

"Oh, right. Keep these Flying Thunder God Technique wooden tags. They might come in handy."

After thinking for a moment, Uchiha Yan pulled out a stack of wooden tags from a sealing scroll and tossed them over.

"Forget it. I might as well leave Flying Thunder God Technique marks on you too. It'll make it easier for me to find you later."

After saying that, he placed a mark on Dove and each of the thirteen Root ninja on the ground.

By then, the dozen or so people had gradually stopped screaming. One by one, they climbed to their feet and knelt before Uchiha Yan. "Greetings, my lord."

Clearly, the Enslavement Marks had completely taken control of their wills.

"Very good."

Uchiha Yan nodded in satisfaction. "From today onward, you are my people. For now, you will be under Dove's command and continue lying low in Root. Listen to him in all things."

"Come up one at a time. I'll remove the Tongue Eradication Seal for you. You won't have to watch Danzo's face anymore."

"Danzo won't notice anything either. Just remember to act convincingly."

With that, Uchiha Yan created thirteen Shadow Clones. Within only a few breaths, they had modified all the curse marks on the thirteen people.

Uchiha Yan looked toward Konoha. Kagura's Mind's Eye caught a familiar chakra approaching.

Farther away, more than a dozen chakra signatures were rapidly drawing near.

One of them was equally familiar to him.

"Minato and the Third Hokage?"

Uchiha Yan's brow shifted as understanding dawned on him. Looks like Minato still got played by the Third Hokage. That old man really won't give up.

"But your plans are doomed to fail."

"I'll remember this debt."

He was clearly displeased with the Third Hokage's maneuvering.

No one could scheme against him, much less scheme against his people.

I'll settle things with you slowly later.

Uchiha Yan firmly marked the Third Hokage down in his heart.

Then, he ordered the Root ninja he had just subdued, "The Third Hokage will be here soon. Withdraw immediately."

"Don't run into him."

That way, that old fox would not notice anything suspicious.

"Understood!"

All fourteen Root ninja, including Dove, answered in unison. In the blink of an eye, they vanished completely using the Body Flicker Technique.

"This matter should be wrapped up too."

Uchiha Yan glanced in the direction Minato and the Third Hokage were coming from. As the thought crossed his mind, he vanished from where he stood.