Drawing a deep breath, Danzo formed a rapid succession of hand seals and spat out an enormous sphere of wind composed of countless wind blades, sending it roaring toward Naruto and Sasuke.
He followed close behind with a Vacuum Blade in hand, forming hand seals with his free hand. As certain techniques were gradually released, the bandages on his right arm slowly fluttered off.
"Hey, you old dog, aren't you looking down on us a little too much, blasting that thing at us?"
Bathed in lightning, Sasuke curled his lip and appeared more than ten meters away in an instant. Did Danzo really think a single Vacuum Great Sphere could hold them both off while he undid the seals on his right arm?
So what if Danzo already had a few pairs of Sharingan acquired through underhanded means? Both the concentration of Hashirama cells and the number of Sharingan were surely far below what he had during the Tenchi Bridge incident. At worst, Sasuke could just copy the answers.
But his Sharingan keenly caught the hint of a smile at the corner of Danzo's mouth, and Sasuke abruptly froze.
No!
What a treacherous bastard Danzo was. Whenever his life was in danger, he would never take a reckless gamble.
How could he possibly go anywhere alone? Perhaps he would walk over by himself if Hiruzen Sarutobi summoned him for a meeting, but at any other time, how could he not have a few Root elites at his side?
Even if Sasuke's Sharingan had subtly misled him, intentionally or otherwise, amplifying certain thoughts in his heart, Danzo would never make such a mistake, however rash he became. Selfishness was, after all, one of his fundamental operating principles.
Once he thought that through, Sasuke began to catch on.
So much time had already passed tonight. He and Naruto had killed one group and captured another, so how was it possible that they hadn't seen a single Root elite?
It made no sense at all!
They couldn't still be at Root headquarters or have been sent off on other assignments. Danzo was most likely waiting here for Obito, who should originally have appeared, to wipe out the Uchiha Clan together. He would definitely have brought those Root elites along.
So there was only one possible truth!
Pushing up a nonexistent pair of glasses, Sasuke felt alarm bells ring in his mind. The chakra in his body circulated, ready to activate his fallback at any moment.
But...
"Ninja art: Mind Body Switch Technique!"
A shout suddenly erupted inside his mind, followed by a surge of mental power that could only be described as formidable. For almost anyone, mental power like that would have been overwhelming.
Except...
The corner of Sasuke's mouth twitched. He nearly laughed out of sheer exasperation.
The instant Yamanaka Fū connected to his mind through the Mind Body Switch Technique, Sasuke sensed his location. The man was underground, surrounded by a ring of special kikaichū that blocked chakra sensing.
It wasn't because of where they were hiding, but rather...
"Who gave you the nerve to try controlling a member of the Uchiha Clan with a Three-Tomoe Sharingan using a flawed Yin Release Secret Art?"
He had learned quite a bit from Ino about Yin Release Secret Arts like the Mind Body Switch Technique. With further development, it could even be used for things like possessing someone else's body, but it was hardly unbeatable against ninja with exceptionally powerful minds or chakra.
The raw numbers were right there, after all, and the technique's mechanics weren't that heaven-defying. If its numbers couldn't measure up, it could easily be turned against the user. Even an ordinary Uchiha with a Three-Tomoe Sharingan was beyond what a Mind Body Switch Technique at this level could hope to challenge.
And Sasuke was no ordinary wielder of a Three-Tomoe Sharingan. Whether it was mental power, physical strength, or chakra, he was a cheat who far surpassed normal people!
Under normal circumstances, dealing with an elite Jonin like Yamanaka Fū, who had almost no weaknesses, might have taken some effort if Sasuke didn't use his cheats. Although the Secret Art the man relied on had been rendered useless and could barely do anything, his fundamental abilities were still up to standard.
But alas, he had refused the open road to heaven and thrown himself into hell, where there was no gate.
Sasuke had plenty of experience dealing with outsiders who entered his mental world. Tang San had easily destroyed someone who tried to possess him back then, let alone Sasuke, whose specialty was mental power.
After all, although he wasn't particularly skilled at genjutsu, his mental attacks were anything but weak.
Meanwhile, Yamanaka Fū's expression changed abruptly after entering Sasuke's mental world. He had intended to control Sasuke for a while to create an opening for Danzo and his companions, but this place was completely different from the mental worlds he normally invaded!
"Hehehehe, this is the first time I've seen someone so tired of living. A skulking rat like you has already earned his own death!"
An icy voice came from every direction. Yamanaka Fū's expression changed drastically, and he immediately tried to release the technique, only to discover that no matter what hand seals he formed, he couldn't escape this mental space.
Just then, a right eye suddenly appeared overhead. Its scarlet three tomoe spun, and as it blazed with light, a purplish-red beam enveloped him as though it were solid.
Boom!!!
A tremendous explosion was followed by the sound of a shattering mirror. After a dizzying whirl, Yamanaka Fū found himself back in his own body, but his vision was a blurry wash of blood red.
Blood flowed from all seven orifices. His mind was weakened, and his soul was on the verge of shattering.
"Hehehehe, little rats, I've found you." Sasuke's voice suddenly came from Yamanaka Fū's mouth, startling the Root operatives underground and leaving them aghast.
His eyes instantly widened, and he clutched his throat, unable to conceal the terror in his gaze.
Listening to the thunderous sounds above and checking his own condition, Yamanaka Fū gritted his teeth and shakily pulled a black pill from inside his clothes. It was a secret medicine passed down through their three clans, similar to the Akimichi Clan's chili pills. Unlike those pills, which enhanced physical strength, this one enhanced mental power.
A vicious glint flashed in Yamanaka Fū's eyes as well, and his bearing instantly became resolute. Although Sasuke's mental power was unfathomable, and using his Secret Art on him again would only be throwing his life away, there was another brat among their targets this time!
The Nine-Tails was sealed. A mere Jinchūriki brat would be easy pickings when he staked his life on one final gamble.
With a cold smile, Yamanaka Fū made a gesture with both hands and activated the Mind Body Switch Technique again.
On the surface, fierce winds howled around Naruto as he took Danzo's Wind Release head-on, then lunged at him like a mad dog sinking its teeth in. He laughed with unbridled exhilaration.
The wounds carved into his body by the wind blades healed within a breath. With the gale boosting him, Naruto's speed had already reached a terrifying level.
He was hardly any slower than the lightning-wreathed Sasuke, and his speed was still climbing. With such terrifying speed behind him, both Naruto's strength and his reactions had reached an inconceivable level, forcing Danzo back step by step in close combat.
This was a master of Wind Release nintaijutsu who had clashed head-on with Susanoo using a kunai, only for the kunai to shatter while he himself emerged completely unscathed!
"Sasuke! Come on! Let's see who can first... holy shit! What the fuck is that?"
[Mind Body Switch Technique!]
A somewhat hysterical roar rang out inside Naruto's mind, sending faint ripples across the water in his mental space. Dazzling red light flashed immediately afterward. Yamanaka Fū looked up and saw what appeared to be a pair of scarlet slit pupils. While he was still utterly bewildered, an enraged roar followed, as though someone had been woken from sleep.
"Roar! Get the hell out!"
Clang-
The instant Yamanaka Fū's figure appeared, it shattered into fragments and vanished without a trace. At the same time, underground, the Root operatives guarding him watched in shock as Yamanaka Fū, who had just unleashed his Secret Art, suddenly spat out a mouthful of dark blood mixed with countless fragments. Blood poured from all seven orifices, and he died on the spot.
"Holy shit! What happened?!" ×2
Sasuke drove an Eight Extremes Chidori from his palm toward Danzo's back. Sensing that Yamanaka Fū, whom he had tagged with a Spiritual Mark, had died, he instantly looked baffled. Then he saw Naruto wearing the same baffled expression and realized that Yamanaka Fū had attacked him with his Secret Art too. As certain possibilities occurred to him, Sasuke became even more bewildered.
He almost failed to register that he had pierced straight through Danzo and that the lightning erupting from his palm had instantly reduced the man to charcoal.
What just happened?!
Before you continue