Instant Kill!

Uchiha You stood where he was, in no hurry to make a move.

He merely watched the three of them in silence.

"Root ninjas."

"Without emotions, without weaknesses, unafraid of genjutsu."

"That does sound impressive."

A cold smile tugged at his lips.

"Unfortunately."

"Are you afraid of viruses?"

The three Root ninjas felt a chill run through their hearts at once.

The fox-masked ninja roared:

"Move!"

The crow-masked ninja forced himself through hand seals.

"Wind Release: Vacuum..."

The technique had yet to be completed.

Uchiha You's right eye turned slightly.

White Umbrella: Cellular Reconstruction.

His body instantly erupted with terrifying speed.

Under the stimulation of his ocular power, his muscle fibers were temporarily strengthened, while his skeletal endurance, neural responses, and chakra output all rose at once.

Bang!

Uchiha You vanished from where he stood.

The next second, the crow-masked ninja flew backward and slammed hard enough into a large tree to snap it in half.

His mask shattered.

Blood sprayed from his mouth.

His chest had caved in, and his eyes were filled with disbelief.

How could he be so fast?

He had not even seen Uchiha You move.

The wolf-masked ninja took the opportunity to swing his blade from the side.

The blade flashed sharply, aiming straight for Uchiha You's neck.

Uchiha You neither dodged nor retreated, instead grabbing the blade directly with his left hand.

The sharp ninja sword sliced open his palm.

Blood flowed out.

A flicker of delight passed through the wolf-masked ninja's eyes.

But in the next instant, his expression changed.

The wound in Uchiha You's palm was healing at a speed visible to the naked eye.

Even more terrifyingly, a strand of blackish-red chakra crept backward along the blade and instantly invaded his arm.

The wolf-masked ninja felt his entire right arm go numb.

It felt as though countless tiny insects were gnawing at his muscles, making him grunt in pain.

Uchiha You said indifferently:

"Nice sword."

"Too bad its owner is too weak."

Crack!

He clenched his five fingers, crushing the ninja sword outright.

Then he threw a punch.

The wolf-masked ninja took the blow to the chest and was hurled into the stream like a cannonball.

Water exploded upward.

Blood quickly dyed the stream red.

Watching this, the fox-masked ninja finally felt fear.

This was no ordinary Mangekyo Sharingan.

This Uchiha's ocular technique was far too bizarre.

They had not even managed to fully cast their ninjutsu before being suppressed by him.

And the most terrifying part was that Uchiha You had not used his full strength from beginning to end.

He seemed to be testing his abilities.

The fox-masked ninja felt a chill in his heart.

At that moment, he suddenly understood.

They were not the hunters.

They were the test subjects.

The fox-masked ninja made a swift decision and formed hand seals with both hands.

"Secret Technique: Sealing Self-Destruction!"

Once a Root ninja failed a mission, they could not be allowed to fall into enemy hands.

It was an order Danzo had carved into their bones.

But just as he formed the seals, his body suddenly stiffened.

The black umbrella-shaped pattern in Uchiha You's left eye slowly rotated.

"Did I say you could die?"

The fox-masked ninja's pupils constricted violently.

His body stopped moving against his will.

The Pathogen Chakra within him acted like countless threads, forcibly taking over part of his nervous system.

Though it still could not completely control a Kage Level powerhouse, it was more than enough for a Jonin-level Root ninja like him.

Uchiha You walked toward him step by step.

"Don't be in such a hurry."

"I still have questions for you."

The fox-masked ninja glared at Uchiha You, his voice hoarse.

"Lord Danzo... won't let you go..."

Uchiha You smiled.

"What a coincidence."

"I had no intention of letting him go either."

As his words fell, he reached out and pressed a hand against the fox-masked ninja's head.

The Mangekyo Sharingan slowly turned.

Genjutsu and Pathogen Chakra invaded at the same time.

The fox-masked ninja's body trembled violently.

A mass of fragmented memories was forcibly extracted by Uchiha You.

The Root Base.

Danzo's orders.

The mission in the Land of Water.

Fabricating a death scene.

And...

Surveillance records concerning Shisui Uchiha.

A moment later, Uchiha You released his hand.

The fox-masked ninja collapsed to the ground, his eyes vacant as blood flowed from his nose and mouth.

Uchiha You's expression turned completely cold.

"As expected."

"Danzo has already set his sights on Shisui's eye."

He had originally planned to wait a little longer.

Now, it seemed time was more pressing than he had imagined.

If he moved too slowly, Shisui might have already had an eye gouged out by Danzo by the time he returned to Konoha.

At the thought of this, killing intent flashed through Uchiha You's eyes.

He looked down at the three Root ninjas.

The crow-masked ninja still had a breath left.

The wolf-masked ninja was still struggling in the stream.

The fox-masked ninja was already crippled.

Uchiha You raised his left eye.

"Black Umbrella: Pathogen Outbreak."

The next second.

The Pathogen Chakra within all three of them exploded at once.

Their chakra pathways ruptured, their chakra went out of control, and their internal organs were corroded.

Before the three Root ninjas could even scream, they completely lost their lives.

The forest fell silent once more.

The stream flowed gently onward.

Only a faint smell of blood lingered in the air.

Uchiha You raised his hand. The wound on his palm had completely healed.

He muttered softly:

"White Umbrella's recovery speed is even faster than expected."

"Black Umbrella's corrosion is also lethal enough against Jonin-level opponents."

"Not bad."

"At least it is more than enough for cleaning up Root fodder."

After saying that, he raised his hands and formed seals.

Fire Release burned away some of the traces at the scene.

Then he casually took out a scroll he had prepared beforehand and placed some false intelligence on the fox-masked ninja.

Since Danzo wanted to fabricate his death.

He did not mind fabricating Root's deaths as well.

Rogue ninjas from the Land of Water had attacked.

Konoha ANBU had died in battle.

Uchiha You's whereabouts were unknown.

How reasonable.

How perfect.

After dealing with the scene, Uchiha You was preparing to leave.

But just then, his steps suddenly halted.

Deep within the forest.

Two gazes watched him.

One was sharp and carried the scent of blood.

The other was cold and carried familiar spatial fluctuations.

The Mangekyo Sharingan in Uchiha You's eyes slowly faded, but the corners of his mouth rose bit by bit.

They had come.

Just as expected.

Akatsuki.

At this point in time, the only people who could appear here with such an aura...

He had already guessed who they were.

Standing beside the stream, Uchiha You's calm voice carried into the dense forest.

"You've watched for so long."

"Still not coming out?"

The leaves rustled.

The next moment, two figures slowly emerged from the shadows.

One carried the Executioner's Blade on his back, his black robe patterned with red clouds swaying lightly in the wind.

The other wore a spiral mask. His tone was frivolous, yet it carried a deeply concealed chill.

"My, my."

"I didn't expect that simply passing by would let us witness something so interesting."

Uchiha You looked at the two of them, narrowing his eyes slightly.

Juzo Biwa.

And...

Obito Uchiha.

No.

He should be called—

Tobi.

Or perhaps he preferred to call himself—

Madara Uchiha.

"Akatsuki."

"You came at just the right time."

Juzo Biwa grinned, his hand already resting on the Executioner's Blade.

"The mighty Uchiha Clan, hunted down by Konoha ANBU."

"How ironic."

Uchiha You raised his eyes to him.

"A Hidden Mist Rogue Ninja."

"You dare mock the Uchiha Clan while carrying a broken blade on your back?"

The smile vanished from Juzo Biwa's face.

Killing intent surged through the air.

Uchiha You slowly raised his hand, scarlet eyes appearing once more.

"Your blade and your life."

"I'll take them."