A highly concentrated, high-pressure storm silently and swiftly struck Shaoyu's back.
This is Danzo's Danzo technique, with concentrated power and extremely strong penetrating force, designed to deliver a fatal blow in a surprise attack.
However, just as the storm was Uchiha Setsuna to hit him, Shaoyu seemed to have eyes in the back of his head. Without turning his head, he pointed a finger at him!
Blood Manipulation - Blood Piercing!
A dark red bloodline, more condensed, faster, and possessing terrifying penetrating power than the previous scattered attacks, struck first and precisely met the incoming Vacuum Wave.
"Laugh--!"
There was no earth-shattering explosion, only a soft sound, like a hot knife cutting through butter.
The powerful Vacuum Wave was pierced directly through by that slender line of blood.
The bloodline, undiminished in its momentum, traversed dozens of meters in an instant at a speed almost imperceptible to the naked eye, piercing Danzo's forehead in Danzo astonished gaze.
"Puff!"
Red and white substances splashed out.
Danzo's body stiffened for a moment, then he fell backward.
But Shaoyu's brow twitched slightly beneath his mask.
Because in his Six Eyes perception, the chakra on Danzo's Danzo head pierced did not immediately dissipate; instead, an extremely subtle power was surging within it.
Izanagi!
You haven't even finished using your Sharingan yet?
Sure enough, the next moment, Danzo, who should have been dead, had his body blur like a phantom for a moment, and then, perfectly intact, Danzo appeared a few meters away.
His face grew even darker, his single eye filled with horror and rage, and a barely perceptible hint of unease.
Not only was his opponent incredibly powerful, but he was also forced to use up one of his precious Izanagi.
Shaoyu sneered inwardly, not entirely surprised by the outcome. He knew Danzo had many ways to protect himself.
The attack failed to kill them completely, and Izanagi had already been activated, while more Root reinforcements were on their way.
That aura... is it Sarutobi Hiruzen?
Sarutobi Hiruzen is no match for him now.
But to prevent Might Duy from coming over, let's leave first.
The objective has been achieved, and the Root has been severely damaged, forcing Danzo to reveal one of his Danzo cards, thus gaining the Mangekyō Sharingan.
There's no need to keep arguing.
Just as Danzo in shock and preparing to mobilize more forces to encircle and annihilate him, Shaoyu suddenly retreated rapidly, as if trying to escape.
"Stop him!" Danzo roared.
Several Root ninjas nearby gritted their teeth and pounced. Just then, a young figure with light yellow hair and wearing Root mask was ordered to rush over from another passage to provide support.
It appeared precisely to the side of Shaoyu's retreat path; it was Yamanaka Fū during his youth.
Shaoyu caught a glimpse of him out of the corner of his eye, and a thought struck him.
In the blink of an eye, Shaoyu's retreating figure turned at an incredible angle, moving at an extreme speed, appearing before the unsuspecting Yamanaka Fū as if by teleportation.
Before Yamanaka Fū could even react, Shaoyu delivered a precise chop to the back of his neck, instantly knocking him unconscious.
Shaoyu lifted the unconscious Yamanaka Fū with one hand, as if he were carrying a chick, and finally turned back to give Danzo a cold look across the chaotic battlefield and dust.
The next moment, chakra erupted beneath his feet, and his figure transformed into a blurry streak of light, rushing out of the ruins of the Root Base at an astonishing speed.
With a few leaps, they disappeared into the deep night outside Konoha, leaving behind only a furious yet bewildered Danzo of utter devastation for Root.
Carrying the unconscious Yamanaka Fū, Shaoyu unleashed his full speed, like a black lightning bolt streaking across the night sky, once again silently infiltrating the Uchiha Compound, heading straight for Elder Setsuna's residence.
Uchiha Fugaku was already waiting there, his face pale, holding a two-year-old child who was fast asleep and had delicate features tightly in his arms.
Itachi Uchiha.
Seeing Shaoyu appear like a ghost, carrying a strange boy in his hand, Fugaku's body visibly trembled, and he tightened his grip on his son's arms, his eyes filled with pain and resentment.
"Time is up."
Shaoyu's voice came through the mask.
He stepped forward and took the little itachi from Fugaku's stiff arms without any room for argument.
Startled, the child groggily opened his eyes, his bright black pupils reflecting Shaoyu's masked face. He didn't cry or fuss, but simply looked on curiously.
Fugaku reached out, as if wanting to touch his son one last time, but his hand fell limply to his side under Shaoyu's cold gaze.
Shaoyu carefully secured the little weasel to his chest with a specially made cloth bag to ensure he wouldn't suffer from the jostling.
Then, he looked at the distraught Fugaku, a calculating glint in his eyes.
"I'll leave you some 'evidence' so you can explain things to the Konoha High Command."
Before Shaoyu could finish speaking, his right index finger flashed out like lightning.
Blood Manipulation - Blood Piercing!
A condensed, dark red line of blood struck Fugaku's right shoulder precisely.
With a "splatter," blood splattered, and Fugaku groaned as a gaping hole appeared in his right shoulder, his tendons and bones broken, and his entire right arm hung limply.
The intense pain turned his face pale and he was drenched in cold sweat, but he gritted his teeth and didn't scream.
"The attacker stole Itachi and injured you. Go and complain to the Hokage."
Oh, right, there's also...
With a single illusion, Fugaku fainted again.
Shaoyu took out the eyes of Kagami Uchiha, which he had just obtained, gouged out Fugaku's eyes, and put Kagami's eyes inside.
The Reverse Cursed Technique was activated and successfully installed.
"I hope that by the time we meet next time, you'll have evolved into the Mangekyō Sharingan."
Shaoyu left those words behind, no longer looking at him. With a flicker of his figure, he carried Yamanaka Fū and Little Weasel, disappearing once more into the night.
He did not leave Konoha immediately. Instead, like a true ghost, he sneaked back to the vicinity of the Hyuga Clan's territory.
As the second largest clan in Konoha, the Hyuga also needs some "evidence" to muddy the waters further, make Fugaku's fate seem more reasonable, and divert some suspicion.
He pinpointed the courtyard where the most powerful aura resided, presumably where the clan leader, Hyuga Hiashi, was located.
He used the Uzumaki Clan's Sealing Jutsu to lock away the chakra fluctuations on his body, so even the Hyuga Clan wouldn't be able to detect him unless they deliberately used their Byakugan.
Approaching silently, Six Eyes precisely spotted Hyuga Hiashi handling affairs in the study.
Without the slightest hesitation, Shaoyu gathered blood lines at his fingertips once more, even through the walls and barriers.
Blood Manipulation - Blood Piercing!
"Whoosh--Pfft!"
Another line of blood pierced through the obstacle and accurately struck Hyuga Hiashi's left arm.
Hyuga Hiashi didn't even have time to activate his Eight Trigrams Palms Revolving Heaven Defense. A sharp pain shot through him as his left arm was instantly pierced, and blood stained his sleeve.
??????????
He roared in shock and anger.
"Who?!"
A powerful burst of chakra erupted, and his Byakugan activated instantly, scanning his surroundings. But the attacker had already fled, leaving only a piercing wound on his arm and a heart full of shock and rage.
"Who exactly is it? Has our Hyuga Clan offended us in some way...?"
Overnight, the son of the Uchiha Clan Head was kidnapped, the clan leader himself was seriously injured, the Hyuga clan leader was attacked and injured, the Root Base was destroyed by an unknown powerful enemy, suffering heavy losses, and even a prospective member went missing.