Mangekyō Sharingan

Uchiha You patted his shoulder as though comforting a dead man.

"Don't be nervous."

"I won't make a move at the village gate."

"After all, there are too many people here."

With that, he walked past the three of them and headed straight out of the village.

"Let's go."

"Aren't we in a hurry?"

The three Root ninjas remained where they stood, their gazes dark to the extreme.

The fox-masked ANBU clenched his fists.

If this were not Konoha's gates, if there were not so many people around, he would have attacked already.

Too arrogant.

This Uchiha was far too arrogant!

Shisui Uchiha watched Uchiha You's departing back, his unease growing stronger.

He wanted to catch up, but Uchiha You stopped him with a single sentence.

"Shisui."

"Don't follow me."

Shisui halted.

Uchiha You did not turn back, merely waving a hand.

"You're more useful staying in the village than following me."

"Keep an eye on the clan grounds."

"And keep an eye on your own eyes too."

That final sentence made Shisui's heart jolt.

His eyes?

What did that mean?

Could You really know something?

Shisui wanted to ask more, but Uchiha You had already left Konoha's gates with the three ANBU.

Morning light fell upon them.

The four figures grew ever more distant.

Uchiha Chuan stood beside Shisui and said softly,

"Shisui."

"Don't you think there's something very wrong with this mission?"

Shisui fell silent for a moment.

"Yeah."

Uchiha Chuan looked at him.

"Then why didn't you stop it?"

Shisui smiled bitterly.

"Because I couldn't."

He looked toward the outskirts of the village, his gaze more complicated than ever before.

"And..."

"It seems You didn't want me to stop it either."

Land of Fire border.

Four figures darted swiftly through the forest.

Uchiha You followed in the middle of the group, unhurried and unconcerned.

The three Root ninjas formed a triangular formation. On the surface, they were protecting him, but in truth, they had sealed off his retreat and both flanks.

The fox mask took the lead.

The crow mask was on the left.

The wolf mask hung back on the right.

It was a standard surveillance formation.

The moment the target made any unusual move, the three of them could immediately close in from both sides.

Uchiha You naturally saw through it.

But he could not be bothered to expose them.

In his eyes, the three were no different from dead men.

Whatever formation dead men took was meaningless.

After traveling for half a day, the group briefly stopped beside a stream.

The fox-masked ANBU took out a map and said coldly,

"Head southeast from here, and we can reach the coast before sunset tomorrow."

"After that, we'll take a ship into the waters of the Land of Water."

Uchiha You sat on a rock and casually took a drink from his canteen.

"Mm."

He still looked utterly indifferent.

The crow-masked ANBU finally could not hold back any longer.

"Uchiha You, you don't seem nervous at all."

Uchiha You glanced at him.

"Why should I be nervous?"

The crow mask sneered.

"The Land of Water isn't Konoha."

"There's no Police Force there, nor will any Uchiha Clan members support you."

"If we encounter Hidden Mist Rogue Ninja, you'd better not hold us back."

A mocking smile appeared on Uchiha You's face.

He had figured it out.

The people of Root probably all had the same problem.

Before taking action, they especially loved making their presence known.

Perhaps they had spent too long hiding underground. Now that they finally had the chance to get some air, they would feel uncomfortable if they did not say a few harsh words.

Uchiha You said blandly,

"Don't worry."

"If we really run into danger, I'll do my best to let you die with some dignity."

The crow mask froze.

The wolf mask said coldly, "What did you say?"

Uchiha You raised his eyes.

"Can't understand human speech?"

"I said you're too weak."

The air instantly turned cold.

The three Root ninjas all looked at him.

Their killing intent was no longer concealed.

The fox mask slowly put away the map.

"Uchiha You, you'd best understand your situation."

Uchiha You smiled.

"I understand it very well."

"An Uchiha who has left Konoha's surveillance."

"Three Root operatives Danzo sent to silence me."

"This is the middle of nowhere. A few deaths would be perfectly reasonable."

The three Root ninjas stiffened at the same time.

He really knew!

And he had known from the very beginning!

The fox mask's voice turned completely cold.

"Since you knew, why did you dare come out with us?"

Uchiha You rose to his feet and stretched lazily.

"Have you misunderstood something?"

"I came with you not because I failed to see through this trap."

"It's because..."

His eyes slowly turned red.

Three tomoe emerged within them, rotating slowly.

"I also wanted to find somewhere deserted to deal with you."

The three Root ninjas instantly retreated and assumed combat stances.

The crow mask sneered.

"Three-Tomoe Sharingan?"

"Is that your confidence?"

"Uchiha You, aren't you thinking too highly of yourself?"

The wolf mask also said frostily,

"Lord Danzo was right. The Uchiha Clan truly is arrogant."

"A mere Jonin dares provoke Root."

Uchiha You could not help shaking his head after hearing that.

"A mere Jonin?"

"Looks like Danzo didn't tell you how I beat Shimura Takuma yesterday."

The fox mask said coldly,

"Shimura Takuma that trash cannot be compared to us."

"We are Root."

"We have no emotions, no weaknesses, and we won't be easily controlled by your Uchiha genjutsu."

Uchiha You fell silent for a moment, then burst out laughing.

"No emotions?"

"No weaknesses?"

"Won't be controlled by genjutsu?"

He slowly raised his head, the scarlet Three-Tomoe Sharingan in his eyes spinning faster and faster.

"Have you Root people been brainwashed stupid by Danzo?"

"As long as a ninja is still human, they bleed."

"And as long as they bleed..."

"They die."

The moment his words fell—

The three tomoe abruptly changed.

Within the scarlet depths of his eyes, black markings rapidly spread like the contamination symbol from Resident Evil.

Three black crescent blades revolved around his pupils, like an opened black umbrella, or a pathogen totem spreading outward.

Mangekyō Sharingan.

Awaken!

The pupils of the three Root ninjas contracted at once.

"Mangekyō?!"

The fox mask cried out.

How was that possible!

The intelligence clearly stated that Uchiha You only had the Three-Tomoe Sharingan!

When had he awakened the Mangekyō?

Uchiha You's gaze was icy.

"Now."

"Who is merely a Jonin?"

The next instant, his left eye narrowed slightly.

The black markings suddenly spun.

His ocular technique activated.

Left eye, Black Umbrella: Pathogen Dominion.

Invisible Pathogen Chakra instantly invaded the three men through his gaze.

The crow mask was the first to sense something wrong.

He had just begun forming hand seals when his fingers suddenly stiffened.

The chakra flowing through their bodies seemed to have been contaminated by something cold and sinister. Their once-smooth chakra pathways suddenly became painfully prickling, scorching, and sluggish.

"My chakra..."

The Wolf Mask's expression changed drastically.

He tried to draw his sword, only to find the muscles in his arm twitching uncontrollably.

The Fox Mask reacted the fastest. He immediately bit the tip of his tongue, trying to use the pain to break the genjutsu.

But in the next moment, he realized something was wrong.

This wasn't genjutsu!

This thing had truly entered his body!

Like poison.

Yet stranger than poison.

Like chakra corrosion.

Yet it could continuously spread along the chakra pathways.