Chapter 47

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

"Uchiha brat, die!"

Forcibly suppressing their injuries, the two desperately squeezed every ounce of strength from their bodies and unleashed their ultimate killing moves as they charged at Uchiha Yan.

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

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

Boom!!!

Just two breaths later, a thunderous explosion erupted. Violent Lightning Release Chakra uprooted and pulverized all the trees and ground within several dozen meters.

When the smoke cleared, two figures were revealed.

They were the two Hidden Cloud Jōnin.

When they saw each other's faces, the shock in their eyes was impossible to conceal. Their lips trembled. "How is this possible... Why is it you?!"

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

"Damn it!!"

Accompanied by heart-rending howls, their bodies went limp, and they lost all signs of life.

At that moment, Uchiha Yan's Shadow Clone appeared on a nearby branch. Looking at his handiwork, he grinned. "Tsk, tsk, this Spiritual Illusion Technique is really incredible. No wonder the original body is so addicted to it."

"Playing the enemy around like a fiddle until they can't fight back at all—this feeling really is satisfying."

"It's settled, then. From now on, I'll focus on being a sneaky bastard. Heh heh."

All things considered, Uchiha Yan had only shown himself at the start, activated his Sharingan and cast a Spiritual Illusion Technique once, then used Wind Release to pierce the heart of Sarudo, the Hidden Cloud Elite Jōnin. After that, he had barely lifted a finger—a powerful Hidden Cloud squad of three Jōnin and four Elite Chunin had been completely wiped out.

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

Elsewhere, at Uchiha Yan's original body.

"Almost there. Dove, take the second team around and cut him off ahead. First team, flank him from behind with me. Full speed."

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

After pursuing Uchiha Yan more than ten miles outside Konoha, Jie, the one leading this group of Root ninja, gave the command.

"Understood."

Dove answered, leading his men as they accelerated in an arc to block Uchiha Yan's path.

Dove quietly used Chakra to destroy one of the Flying Thunder God Marks on himself, then casually sent Uchiha Yan a signal.

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

Don't worry. None of you will die.

From now on, we'll still be comrades. 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 disposable pawns, expendable tools he can toss aside at any time.

Although Uchiha Yan had also controlled them, he was sincerely nurturing them. He gave them techniques and secret medicine, allowing them to grow with everything they had.

He also gave them complete trust, never resorting to beatings and scoldings.

He gave them the dignity of being human.

That was why, including Dove, these four Root Jōnin had long since become utterly devoted to Uchiha Yan over the past few months.

Even if the control were removed now, they would never betray him.

"They're here?"

Uchiha Yan sensed Dove's signal.

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

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

Whoosh, whoosh, whoosh—

More than a dozen black shadows rushed out from all directions at once.

There were fourteen in total.

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

He spoke in a low 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 investigation. Perhaps you may yet keep your life. 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 bared his teeth in a smile.

The next second, his Sharingan snapped open.

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

Spiritual Illusion Technique: Madder World.

Spiritual Sealing Technique: Enslavement Mark.

The two spiritual secret techniques were unleashed simultaneously, and Uchiha Yan felt a huge chunk of his spiritual power drain away.

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

The seventh control mark followed, sinking into the seven spiritual projections and directly infiltrating the depths of their mental seas along the fluctuations of their consciousness.

"Ah—"

The seven immediately clutched their heads, collapsed to the ground, and screamed in agony.

"Move!"

At Dove's command, his body flickered, and he appeared behind a Root Jōnin, striking the back of his head with one palm.

The man let out a muffled groan and immediately passed out.

Perfect Substitution: Fivefold Strike!

Uchiha Yan was not idle either. His figure flashed five times in succession, every strike using the vibration force techniques of Eight Extremes Collapse. Before the afterimages had even faded, the remaining five were already lying on the ground.

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

"Urgh—ah—"

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

"Greetings, Master."

Dove dropped to one knee and bowed his head toward 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. You'll continue operating in Root with them."

"You decide the specific arrangements yourself."

"I'll send any missions directly to you."

After saying that, he also told Dove about his follow-up plans, ensuring that they could give Danzo a convincing story after returning.

Dove agreed without hesitation. "Understood."

"Oh, right. Keep these Flying Thunder God Wooden Tokens. They might come in handy."

After thinking for a moment, Uchiha Yan pulled out a stack of wooden tokens from his Sealing Scroll and tossed them over.

"Actually, forget it. I may as well leave a Flying Thunder God Mark on all of you too. It'll make it easier for me to find people later."

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

At this point, the dozen or so people had gradually stopped screaming. One after another, they climbed to their feet and knelt before Uchiha Yan. "Greetings, Master."

Clearly, the Enslavement Marks had completely controlled 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 infiltrating Root. Listen to him in all things."

"Come forward one by one. I'll remove the Cursed Tongue Eradication Jutsu for you. From now on, you won't need to watch Danzo's expression anymore."

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

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

Uchiha Yan lifted his head and glanced in Konoha's direction. Mind's Eye of the Kagura caught a familiar Chakra approaching.

Farther away, more than a dozen Chakra signatures were rapidly closing in.

One of them was equally familiar to him.

"Minato and the Third Hokage?"

Uchiha Yan's brow twitched as he understood. Looks like Minato was still set up by the Third Hokage. That old man really refuses to give up.

"However, your plans are doomed to fail."

"I'll remember this debt."

He was clearly unhappy with the Third Hokage's little maneuver.

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

I'll settle accounts with you properly later.

Uchiha Yan fiercely marked the Third Hokage in his mind.

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 would keep the old fox from noticing anything suspicious.

"Understood!"

The fourteen Root ninja, including Dove, answered in unison. In the blink of an eye, they vanished completely with 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 fell, he vanished from where he stood.