Number One was an earth-affinity ninja. Sunagakure's Sand Manipulation Technique was essentially a variant of Earth Release adapted to the desert. Without sand, its power dropped dramatically. What if I transplanted a purer, more powerful earth-affinity heart into Number One, or... a Wind-Release Heart to complement the Sand Manipulation Technique?
His gaze grew eager.
These three jonin hearts... were pretty high-quality.
The Sunagakure ninja across from them wanted him and Kakashi, while Uchiha Makoto wanted all three of their bodies!
Both sides thought they were the hunters, and the other side was their prey.
The only problem was that his two "teammates," Kakashi and Harada Yuichi, were still beside him.
Although Uchiha Makoto did not mind showing them some of his strength, something as shocking as "harvesting hearts for experimental materials" was better kept secret for now.
After all, earning their trust was not easy. Scaring them off would be a problem.
I'll need a few tricks to bundle up these three jonin and take them away without those two "knowing."
With that thought, Uchiha Makoto stopped hesitating.
He formed hand seals, his movements slow but exceptionally steady.
"Summoning Technique!"
Amid an enormous cloud of white smoke and a piercing caw, a colossal creature descended with a crash onto the forest clearing!
It was a crow... so enormous that the sight of it stole their breath!
Its feathers were pitch-black as ink, gleaming with a cold, metallic sheen.
Its body was massive. Simply standing there, it measured over ten meters in length.
When it spread its wings slightly, its wingspan reached an astonishing twenty-odd meters, its shadow instantly blanketing more than half the clearing.
Its sharp beak resembled a curved scythe, and four eerie, scarlet eyes arranged in two rows gazed coldly down at them.
This was the summoned beast