Chapter 436: Outbreak of the Third Great Ninja War
Tension filled Yasushi's home as well.
Takeshi still hadn't returned.
Yasushi's mother now knew her husband hadn't gone on a mission but had been secretly arrested. She spent her days anxious and unable to eat.
"Mom, you don't need to worry so much."
Yasushi wasn't entirely at ease either, but he couldn't say that directly to avoid making her more concerned. He could only try to comfort her with reassuring words.
"Clan Leader already said Lord Hokage promised him Father would return soon."
"Besides, the village is about to go to war with Sand Village. With Father not here, that's actually a good thing."
He tried to make his voice sound relaxed and confident, his mouth carrying a cute smile.
"That's what you say, but how can I stop worrying?"
His mother's face was full of worry, her brow seeming to hold an unshakeable cloud of anxiety. She couldn't calm down at all.
"Then how about this? I'll go ask Teacher Kushina and find out exactly when they'll release Father."
Yasushi left the house and headed straight for Kushina's place.
He knew Kushina had no say in such matters, so his main goal was to indirectly pressure the Hokage through Minato.
With Minato's personality, he surely wouldn't refuse this kind of request.
But to Yasushi's surprise, after hearing his words, Minato's face showed difficulty.
This usually sunny and reliable blonde jonin now furrowed his brow slightly, seeming uncertain how to respond.
"Well... Takeshi's current situation is rather special. He's not with ANBU right now, so I'm somewhat powerless to help."
Not with ANBU?
Yasushi's heart jumped. He immediately realized the problem.
Arrested secretly using the Hokage's credentials, but not held by ANBU. Where else could he be?
Without question, Root!
If someone fell into Danzo's hands, could anything good come of it?
A chill crept up his spine, making even his fingertips feel cold.
Yasushi's expression grew serious. He took a deep breath, carefully considered Minato's character, decided he wasn't the suspicious, dark-hearted type, and simply asked directly, "Does Lord Minato mean my father has fallen into Elder Danzo's Root?"
Minato was clearly startled, looking at Yasushi with a strange expression.
"Yasushi, how do you know Root exists?"
Yasushi crossed his arms over his chest, curling his lip disdainfully with a cold laugh. "Who in the village doesn't know about Elder Danzo and Root's famous reputation? It's just that the adults have too many concerns. Even though they know, they pretend not to, afraid of offending Elder Danzo and getting arrested on fabricated charges."
"'Better to offend the Hokage than offend Danzo.' That saying isn't a joke!"
"If you offend Lord Hokage, he's magnanimous and has always been benevolent. He might not do anything to you."
"But if you offend Elder Danzo, with his petty nature, he'll definitely make your life difficult."
"And our Lord Hokage has always favored Elder Danzo, always turning a blind eye to his violations. He can never bring himself to punish him severely. Even if you die unjustly, what can you do about it?"
With those words, Minato's face turned green.
The village was full of shinobi. Root's operations weren't without trace. How could no one know?
Minato had always known the ninja clans had some complaints about Root, but he hadn't thought it was very serious.
But now even a six-year-old child knew about Root, knew Danzo's methods. The situation was probably far more serious than he'd imagined.
He didn't think a six-year-old like Yasushi would make up lies like "better to offend the Hokage than offend Danzo."
"Where... where does this talk come from?"
"How can there be such absurd rumors in the village?"
Involving the Hokage, Minato felt somewhat panicked and started speaking incoherently.
"Whether it's rumor or not, just investigate privately and you'll know, won't you?"
Yasushi rolled his eyes, looking at Minato with extremely contemptuous eyes.
"Even a kid like me knows about this. You're the ANBU commander and you don't know anything?"
"Looks like everyone's been deliberately hiding things from you as ANBU commander!"
Yasushi relied on his young age, putting on a fearless act. He stopped just short of pointing at Minato's nose and cursing.
His small body stood ramrod straight, words shooting out like rapid arrows, carrying a reckless momentum.
"Why don't you just tell me directly whether my father can come back alive or not?"
"Should I go home and prepare a memorial tablet ahead of time so I'm not caught unprepared when it happens?"
"Or should I buy a wheelchair and crutches in advance, have them ready for my father?"
"No, no, no..." Minato broke into a cold sweat, waving his hands frantically in embarrassment. "It's not that dangerous."
"Elder Danzo is also a village advisor. He does things by the rules."
"Takeshi is just helping with an investigation, answering some questions. They won't torture him, much less endanger his life."
"Tch!" Yasushi sneered coldly, full of unconcealed mockery.
"So 'doing things by the rules' means using a fake Hokage order to trick someone out, then arresting them outside the village?"
"Also, why is an internal village investigation being handled by Root instead of ANBU taking it over? Does that follow the rules?"
"I..."
Minato felt his mouth go dry, not knowing what to say.
He knew in his heart that Hokage order wasn't fake, but he couldn't admit it. Otherwise, the nature of the incident would change completely.
He licked his dry lips, his gaze somewhat evasive, momentarily unable to meet Yasushi's burning stare.
After all, he still had too much sense of shame, his moral baseline wasn't low enough. He wasn't a qualified politician.
Yasushi unleashed a barrage, saying what he wanted to say, then with a sense of release after venting, he got up to leave.
"Since Lord Minato says my father won't be in danger, I naturally have to believe you. I hope Lord Minato won't lie to a child like me."
After watching Yasushi leave, Minato immediately took off like his pants were on fire, flashing away from home and heading straight for the Hokage's office.
He had to have a serious talk with Lord Hokage about the Root problem.
How they talked wasn't clear, but the effect was quite obvious.
A few days later, the door sounded and Takeshi appeared before them with a smile.
"I'm home."
"Oh, honey, you're finally back!"
Yasushi's mother perked up, quickly setting down her work and hurrying over to grab his arm and look him up and down.
"Don't worry, it was just routine questioning, asking about some intelligence. I'm not injured."
Takeshi smiled and patted his wife's shoulder, hiding all his worries inside.
"That's good, that's good!"
Only then did his mother relax in delight, quickly pulling him to sit down, making tea and pouring water along with a round of nagging.
As if using these daily trivial actions to rapidly fill the void of her husband's absence, completely covering over those days of anxiety.
"Don't fuss over this." Takeshi quickly stopped her. "The frontline situation is urgent. Apparently Water Country and Earth Country have also joined the war. I have to follow the clan forces immediately to resist Mist Village's attacks."
"Eh?" His mother was shocked, the heart she'd just set down immediately rising again. "You're going to the battlefield again?"
The color drained from her face at a visible rate. The teapot she'd just picked up clanged against the table edge, hot water splashing out a few drops.
She quickly grabbed a cloth to wipe it up, complaining in a low voice.
"If I'd known, you might as well have stayed with ANBU a few more days!"
"It's fine." Takeshi hurried to comfort her. "I'm now a Three-Tomoe Sharingan expert. Even on the battlefield, there won't be much danger."
He deliberately straightened his back, his tone carrying forced lightness and confidence.
"Originally I was supposed to do missions and slowly advance to chunin. This war came at just the right time. After I earn some merit on the battlefield, I'll come back as a jonin."
After comforting his mother, Takeshi pulled Yasushi over and spoke in an extremely resolute tone, "I will protect you both. I absolutely won't let anyone hurt you!"
Good grief!
Seeing that look in Takeshi's eyes, Yasushi's heart jumped.
That gaze flickered with an almost tragic, determined light.
This looked exactly like someone about to risk his life.
He had the resolve to die!
What exactly did Danzo say to his father? How did he provoke him?
Could Danzo have threatened him using his family?
He quickly grabbed Takeshi's hand and forcibly pulled him outside the door. After avoiding his mother's view, he spoke very seriously, "Father, you can't believe a single word Elder Danzo says!"
"He's best at using bonds like family, relatives, and friends to threaten people. Anyone who thinks doing things for him will protect their loved ones ends up completely sold out by him. Not only do they throw away their own lives, but not one of their relatives escapes either!"
"Huh?"
Takeshi's gaze went blank. The resolute expression on his face instantly froze, replaced by bewilderment and shock, as if a carefully constructed psychological defense had been instantly pierced by an unexpected bullet.
He looked at his son with his mouth hanging open, his mind going a bit stupid.
Did I... did I say something?
I don't think I said anything. How does my son seem to know everything?
Looking at his foolish father, Yasushi let out a long sigh, feeling helpless at his father's "innocence."
He shook his head and began spinning his tale. "I learned many things about Elder Danzo from Teacher Kushina and Lord Minato. It's truly horrifying to hear!"
"Let me put it this way. Right now, Elder Danzo and Root have become a cancer in Konoha Village, too big to fail. Even Lord Hokage can't do anything about them!"
"Otherwise, why do you think you were arrested by Root instead of Lord Minato's ANBU?"
"Lord Hokage had already promised Clan Leader Fugaku he would release you, but you were still detained by Elder Danzo in Root for several days."
"This is clear proof!"
"Elder Danzo wants to become the next Hokage, so he's been eroding Lord Hokage's authority in various ways. This has already made Lord Minato and others very dissatisfied."
"Father, we must firmly stand on the Third's side. We absolutely can't pick the wrong team!"
"Ah! So that's how it is!" Takeshi slapped his forehead, his expression of sudden realization mixed with some lingering fear.
He immediately believed his son's words.
His son was only six. If he didn't have Minato's detailed guidance, how could he possibly know so much that even his own father didn't know?
He'd never been particularly shrewd to begin with. Otherwise, he wouldn't have remained a genin for so many years.
Compared to Danzo's level, he was a small fry, easily manipulated by Danzo.
But compared to a time-traveler like Yasushi, he was also junior. His insight really might not match Yasushi's. Being fooled by Yasushi was quite normal.
Seeing that he believed it, Yasushi immediately hammered the point home, his tone becoming even more certain. "No matter what Elder Danzo promises you, it's all lies!"
"Similarly, no matter what threats Elder Danzo uses against you, you don't need to believe them either!"
"He just wants to be Hokage, but he's not Hokage yet!"
"Village matters are naturally decided by Lord Hokage, and there's Lord Minato and Teacher Kushina watching over things. Protecting our whole family shouldn't be a problem."
"Besides, we're Uchiha. Clan Leader Fugaku is someone who protects his own. If Danzo wants to make a move on me and Mom, he'll have to ask if Clan Leader Fugaku agrees first!"
Many times, once thinking breaks open, many mental shackles immediately loosen.
With Yasushi putting it this way, Takeshi thought it over from another angle and immediately felt he didn't need to be so afraid of Danzo after all.
He straightened his back. That death-seeking resolve in his eyes was gradually replaced by a kind of clarity. Even his breathing seemed much smoother.
At this point, Yasushi couldn't worry about whether this might create friction between Fugaku and the village. He immediately encouraged Takeshi, "Father, you should go find Clan Leader right now and report Elder Danzo's matter to him. Let Clan Leader Fugaku know your heart is with the Uchiha. Naturally, he'll shield you from the pressure from Elder Danzo's side."
"It's best if you have him go settle accounts with Lord Hokage and demand an explanation for us."
"Threatening clan members inside the village to join Root and become Root spies within the clan is something that can be big or small, depending on whether the clan wants to pursue it."
"We don't necessarily need the village to really give us an explanation, but as long as we make everything clear and let Lord Hokage and all the village clans know about this, Elder Danzo definitely won't dare move against our family secretly in the future, risking universal condemnation."
"That way, even if you have some weakness in Danzo's hands, it will immediately become ineffective."
"That makes sense!" Takeshi nodded and immediately strode quickly toward Fugaku's house.
Yasushi hurried to keep up with a light jog from behind while quietly reminding him, "Father, absolutely don't mention Lord Minato or Lord Hokage. Just say this is your own choice."
"Don't worry, I understand!" Takeshi turned back and gave Yasushi a "leave it to me" look, waved his hand signaling Yasushi to go back, then strode away and disappeared around the street corner.
Meanwhile, Yasushi stood at the street edge grinding his teeth, pondering how he could kill Danzo.
There's a saying: you can be a thief for a thousand days, but you can't guard against thieves for a thousand days. Especially a scoundrel like Danzo who had such obvious hostility toward the Uchiha. It was impossible to guard against him.
Strength!
In the end, it came down to insufficient strength!
If he truly had the kind of power to dominate everything, then finding an opportunity to directly kill Danzo outside the village wouldn't be difficult.
As long as he did it cleanly, who would know he did it?
But he didn't have that power, and that was the problem!
For the first time since awakening, Yasushi urgently realized the importance of strength.
*******************
Chapter 437: Encountering Rasa on the Battlefield
Something's off about this plot!
Yasushi looked at the war reports posted in the village, his mind starting to have doubts.
Why hasn't the Third Kazekage died?
Wasn't his death supposed to be the spark that ignited the Third War?
Where's Sasori?
What's he up to?
And Rain Country? Since when did the Third War involve Rain Country?
Plus, from what he remembered, the Third War was a free-for-all melee. While everyone fought Konoha, they also fought each other.
Mist Village sneak-attacked Sand Village. That's how Pakura became famous and how she died. So why are the two villages allied now?
Rock Village wasn't fighting Sand Village either. They've also allied. What's the logic here?
So the Third War has become everyone ganging up on Konoha?
The more Yasushi read, the more alarmed he became. This plot didn't match the manga or anime he remembered at all.
Could it be... he'd transmigrated into some fanfiction?
Then who was the protagonist of this fanfiction?
Looking around, it seemed like it had to be the Third Kazekage, or maybe someone in Sand Village.
This is so wrong!
How did Nagato end up in Sand Village as the Third Kazekage's disciple?
Whoosh.
A figure appeared beside Yasushi. It was the little girl Uzuki Yugao.
"Yasushi, Teacher Kushina wants us to gather."
"Okay."
Following Yugao, they soon arrived at Kushina's house.
"I called you here today because there's something I need to tell you."
"Cloud Village has also joined the war, so the frontlines are strained. We have no choice but to let the current batch of academy students graduate early."
"As my disciples, your abilities far exceed ordinary academy students, so naturally you're no exception."
"So starting today, you've graduated from the academy. You're officially genin and will head to the frontlines."
"Oh, we're genin now!" The two girls who knew nothing about war cheered excitedly.
Yasushi, however, had no desire to go to the battlefield. He couldn't help but wail, "Come on, Sister Kushina, I'm only six!"
Kushina gave him an irritated look and said reproachfully, "Kakashi graduated at five and became chunin at six!"
"Weren't you always saying you wanted to surpass Minato's disciples?"
"Now's your chance. Perform well!"
Yasushi stuck out his tongue. He knew this involved village strategy and couldn't be changed, so he stopped wasting his breath.
"Alright then!"
"I'll try to make jonin before Kakashi and make Teacher happy."
Kushina smiled briefly, then her expression turned serious. She stepped forward to hug each of the three in turn, saying earnestly, "Don't worry about jonin or not."
"For your teacher, nothing matters more than you returning safely from the battlefield."
Yasushi immediately took advantage, grinning cheekily. "Don't worry, Teacher. Once we're on the battlefield, we'll just find some place to hide, use a transformation jutsu. No one will find us."
"When the war's over, we'll come out and collect the spoils."
"Nonsense again!" Kushina swatted Yasushi's back reproachfully, reminding them, "Remember, on the battlefield, the more you fear death, the faster you die."
"Trust your comrades. When danger comes, support each other. Don't desert, or even if you escape back, the village won't forgive you."
All three quickly agreed seriously.
Kushina sighed again. "As your teacher, I should be leading you on missions. But my status prevents me from easily leaving the village."
"So once you're on the battlefield, you'll have to rely on yourselves."
"Yasushi, you're the most flexible thinker. On the battlefield, look after Jun and Yugao."
Knowing the three lacked combat experience, she explained numerous precautions in detail, then personally brought them to the mission hall and entrusted them to Minato.
Originally, the Third hadn't wanted to start a full-scale war. He'd just wanted a small-scale battle with the Third Kazekage to drain Fugaku's eye power.
So when the war began, the Uchiha clan headed to the frontlines under Fugaku's leadership.
Who knew the Third Kazekage wouldn't cooperate at all? As soon as Konoha entered the field, he immediately began forming alliances, paying a huge price to bring both Mist Village and Rock Village to his side.
When Mist Village joined the war, recalling Fugaku would be too obvious. So the Third had no choice but to send Orochimaru to hold the eastern front.
Fortunately, Rock Village later joined the western front, bringing tremendous pressure on the Uchiha clan. According to frontline reports, Fugaku had already used his Mangekyo techniques several times.
Though he achieved remarkable results each time, his eye power consumption was quite significant. At least the Third and others were very satisfied.
Now Cloud Village had also entered the war, opening another northern front. This put enormous pressure on Konoha Village, forcing them to pull even academy students out to make do.
Jiraiya and Tsunade both refused to return, so the heavy responsibility of the northern front had to fall to Jiraiya's disciple, Minato.
"Don't worry, I'll look after them as much as possible."
Minato waved over a jonin and introduced him. "This is Jonin Aburame Hirochi. You'll be operating with him from now on."
The three perked up and quickly bowed in greeting.
After Aburame Hirochi exchanged words with Kushina, he led the three away.
"Since time is tight, we'll talk as we go."
"Our mission this time is escorting supplies. Two other chunin squads will be operating with us."
"The northern front is currently only seeing small-scale skirmishes in a probing phase, so this route shouldn't be dangerous."
"You lack combat experience, so if fighting breaks out, act within your abilities. Focus on harassment and support. It won't be your turn to risk your lives until after I'm dead."
"However, if we encounter bandits or weak enemy attackers on the road, I won't intervene. You and the genin from the other squads will handle them. Consider it advance combat training."
"Any problems?"
"No problems!" all three answered in unison.
The Aburame jonin nodded in satisfaction and led them to rendezvous with the other two squads.
These two squads also followed the veteran-leading-rookie model, with experienced shinobi leading newly graduated genin.
But you could tell at a glance these two squads' genin were more green. Their faces still showed childish innocence, and you could even faintly see fear and panic in their eyes.
After the three squads assembled, they first got to know each other and discussed their specialties to facilitate coordination during combat.
Naturally, Yasushi discovered the other six kids all came from ordinary civilian families. They were the cannon fodder genin who graduated with just the basic three techniques.
The one or two jutsu they could actually use had been hastily taught after their rushed graduation. They weren't even proficient yet.
If they really encountered enemies and had to fight, they'd probably rely mainly on blade techniques and taijutsu, with kunai, shuriken, and explosive tags as support.
Konoha Village was quite generous. Even these rookie genin got an explosive tag each.
Though who knew if it was meant as a suicide bomb.
So when they learned these three genin each had signature skills, the other two chunin's eyes nearly turned red with envy.
"Alright, check the supplies. Prepare to move out!"
At the Aburame jonin's command, over a dozen carts of supplies were pulled out by horses and headed north in a grand procession.
Just as the Aburame jonin said, they encountered no enemy ambushes along the way. At most, some desperate bandits showed up, all becoming experience points for Yasushi and the others.
Human adaptability truly was terrifying. In just a few short days, Yasushi transformed from an adorable little boy into a cold-blooded executioner.
Fortunately, Yasushi's psychology was mature. He quickly adjusted his mental state without getting caught up in grand issues like "shinobi world peace" the way Itachi did.
After some initial discomfort, Yasushi quickly became unfazed by killing.
By the time they successfully delivered supplies to the frontlines, these genin fresh from the academy had all grown into qualified warriors.
In the following days, Yasushi traveled everywhere with the Aburame jonin, taking many missions, killing many people, and earning considerable merit.
With his Sharingan and the Aburame jonin's excellent intelligence-gathering abilities, he never encountered real danger.
This situation continued until he became chunin.
"The situation is this, Yasushi. You're now a chunin squad."
"For effective team deployment, from now on you must take missions independently."
Yasushi smiled as he accepted the appointment papers from the Aburame jonin, bowing gratefully. "Thank you for looking after us these past days, Aburame-sama."
"When the war ends, please come to my home for a meal so we can properly express our gratitude."
Jun and Yugao also bowed in thanks.
"Haha, it's settled then. I'll definitely eat my fill when the time comes."
Both sides parted reluctantly, each going to receive their missions.
Yasushi brought Jun and Yugao to the mission assignment area, skillfully pulling out a pack of cigarettes and handing it over.
"Nara-senpai, our squad is taking our first mission. Please see if there's anything suitable."
Nara Shikaku had already received Minato's request. He immediately accepted the cigarettes with a smile and flipped through the mission book on his desk.
"For your first independent mission, better to be cautious."
"How about this? There's a routine patrol mission requiring reconnaissance around the battlefield perimeter before reporting back. It's to prevent enemies from flanking from unexpected directions outside the main battlefield."
"Mission rank and compensation will depend on the actual intelligence gathered."
"Good, we'll take that one." Yasushi accepted without hesitation.
They were all connected. He knew very well how much he was being looked after and absolutely trusted that Nara Shikaku had given him a safe, good mission.
After registering the mission, Yasushi smiled and bid farewell to everyone in the tent. Leaving the camp, they began making reconnaissance circuits according to the map.
But what he didn't know was that after he left camp, a White Zetsu figure emerged from underground and followed them from a distance.
"Ah, without Aburame-sama's insect reconnaissance, it feels so inconvenient!"
"If we had a Byakugan teammate nearby, that would make things so much easier."
Yasushi complained to Yugao beside him as he leaped through the treetops.
Jun, at the front of their triangular formation leading the way, turned back and rolled her eyes at Yasushi, saying irritably, "Yeah, yeah, I don't have ninja dogs to help scout. I'm really sorry about that!"
Yugao quickly played peacemaker, teasing, "Oh come on, so what if there's no dog?"
"Little Jun's nose is sharper than a dog's anyway. Having a dog or not doesn't matter."
"If enemies really attack, Little Jun will definitely smell them coming."
After experiencing life-and-death battles together, their camaraderie had grown much closer than before. Various jokes and teasing came out frequently.
"That's enough, you two! Stop making fun of my dog hair allergy every time!" Jun called out in embarrassed annoyance.
"Haha..." Thinking about how someone from the Inuzuka clan was actually allergic to dog hair, Yasushi and Yugao burst into laughter.
"By the way, Jun, if you're allergic to dog hair, are you allergic to cat hair too? Also, can your clan's secret techniques work with ninja cats instead of ninja dogs?"
"What are you even thinking?!" Jun complained loudly. "Cats and dogs are completely different!"
"Their body structures and biological habits are totally different, okay?"
"Besides, jutsu are refined through countless trials. How can you just switch animal partners and keep using them?"
The three chatted and laughed while circling the battlefield perimeter.
After traveling for some time, Jun's nostrils suddenly twitched. She stopped abruptly and raised her left hand.
Yasushi and Yugao immediately halted and drew their weapons.
Yugao took a defensive stance while Yasushi leaped forward, blocking Jun's front. His Sharingan opened as he stood ready.
From the dense forest ahead came rustling sounds. A group of Sand Village shinobi emerged from behind the trees.
"Haha, lucky us today. We actually ran into some little kids."
"Looks like Konoha Village really is finished if they're sending children to the battlefield."
"Rasa-sama, leave these brats to us!"
"You rest. Save your strength for when we rendezvous with Cloud Village."
The group laughed, not taking Yasushi's team seriously at all.
Yasushi's gaze swept over them and his heart sank.
Forget that there were at least a dozen shinobi here. That guy bringing up the rear with his gloomy face was clearly the future Fourth Kazekage, Rasa.
They were screwed!
Hit the jackpot!
How could they be this unlucky to run right into a Sand Village sneak attack?
Without hesitation, Yasushi flung out a handful of smoke bombs and shouted, "Scatter and run! Save whoever you can!"
Before he finished speaking, Yasushi was already turning to flee. At the same time, he pulled out signal flares from his coat and lit all of them, throwing them in all directions.
"Heh heh, trying to escape? Not happening!"
"Wind Release: Sickle Weasel!"
A roar came from behind, followed by a violent hurricane sweeping from the rear. It scattered all the smoke completely and sliced the signal flares into fragments.
*******************
Chapter 438: Counterattack
The instant he threw the smoke bombs, Yasushi plummeted downward.
Mid-air, his hands formed seals rapidly. Another figure identical to him appeared from thin air.
His real body pushed forcefully against the clone's foot, launching it far away.
That figure flipped mid-air, bounding between treetops with deliberate commotion to draw all the pursuers' attention. Using the dense forest as cover, it fled quickly into the distance.
Meanwhile, Yasushi's true body changed hand seals and transformed into a rock, dropping behind a large tree to hide. He watched as a group of Sand shinobi chased past him.
But he knew clearly that the clone's meager abilities couldn't delay them long. Once it took a hit and was exposed, the enemy would definitely return to search.
Under carpet-style searching, no amount of hiding would help.
After all the Sand shinobi passed, Yasushi immediately canceled his transformation and changed into one of the Sand Village shinobi who'd been taunting them earlier. He quietly pursued in the direction Jun had escaped.
If they scattered and fled separately, the chances of escape were nearly zero. But if all three worked together, maybe they could hold out a bit longer.
If there really was no other choice... he quietly pressed his hand against the back of his neck.
There, a diamond-shaped mark flickered faintly.
A few days after his chance encounter with Arato, he discovered this "Karma Seal" had somehow appeared on his body.
This terrified him!
No one understood better than Yasushi what the "Karma Seal" really was.
It was literally a countdown to being possessed!
Perhaps many people would be willing to become Isshiki Otsutsuki's "vessel," but Yasushi wasn't!
Trying to replicate Kawaki's method of breaking free from the Karma's restraints was nearly impossible.
That's why Yasushi worked so hard studying sealing techniques. This was part of the reason.
Yasushi knew clearly that the Karma was extremely powerful. If truly utilized, it could easily reverse a battle situation.
But the risk was equally great. The more times he used it, the closer the "vessel's" body would become to the "original."
Once the "vessel" fully matured, that's when the "original" would come to harvest the fruit.
However, Yasushi didn't know that the "Karma Seal" on the back of his neck didn't belong to Isshiki Otsutsuki, but came from his own future self.
Originally, Six Paths Yasushi had planted the "Karma Seal" on Arato with ill intent, specifically wanting to cultivate the new "savior" into his own "vessel."
But the way of heaven is one foot high, the devil ten feet. The Sage of Six Paths had no intention of fighting him head-on. Instead, he used the Dragon Vein to send Arato back twenty years.
But the Sage of Six Paths had miscalculated too.
He'd only thought that Uchiha Yasushi was relatively weak during this period, so Arato could easily eliminate him.
What he hadn't expected was that Arato's moral sense was quite high. He didn't just find an opportunity to kill young Yasushi without asking questions. Instead, he personally went to Konoha Village to gather intelligence, wanting to see what kind of person this villain who might destroy the world in the future was, and whether he could be reformed through education.
Similarly, the Sage of Six Paths hadn't expected that when Yasushi's "Karma Seal" placed on Arato discovered the young Yasushi, it selected young Yasushi as the new "vessel" and automatically transferred to Yasushi's body.
Through a series of mishaps, Yasushi had finally obtained the golden finger custom-made by his future self.
The only regret was that he didn't know this golden finger came from "himself." His heart remained extremely vigilant, not daring to use it recklessly.
But the current situation was too dangerous. If he didn't use the power within this "Karma Seal," he'd probably have only one path: death.
Die now or die later? Did this question even need an answer?
Yasushi followed the Sand shinobi's footprints ahead and quickly caught up.
Clang, clang, clang...
The sound of clashing weapons came from ahead. Yasushi quietly approached and carefully observed.
This was two chunin squads. The two leading chunin were standing back with crossed arms, relaxed expressions, watching four genin surround and attack. Clearly they also intended this as training.
Those four genin attacked in waves. Though their coordination was somewhat crude, they had numbers on their side, keeping their prey trapped firmly in the center.
Inuzuka Jun's back pressed against a tree, her body covered in blood. Her ten fingers were sharp and deadly, struggling to fend off the four enemies' rotating attacks.
Her breathing had become heavy and chaotic. Each parry or claw swipe seemed unbearably difficult.
Clearly, defeat was only a matter of time.
Yasushi's head spun. Intense dizziness and phantom pain made his vision go black, nearly exposing his presence.
This was the painful feedback from his clone being killed.
He knew he couldn't wait any longer. His eyes darted, then he immediately circled quietly halfway around, coming to the battle's other side near Jun. He then deliberately made his footsteps heavier and charged out from the side.
The six Sand shinobi startled at first, but when their gazes swept over Yasushi's familiar face, they immediately relaxed.
Before they could ask questions, Yasushi shouted loudly, "You need to be careful!"
"That Uchiha kid just tricked us with a clone."
"He's definitely still somewhere in the forest. He might come to rescue his companion."
"Also, are you sure this one isn't a clone either?"
One chunin pointed at the blood on Jun's body and laughed. "Don't worry, this one's definitely real."
"If that kid comes to rescue her, that's perfect, right?"
"Saves us the trouble of looking for him!"
Thanks to the transformation jutsu's versatility, Yasushi's disguise of this shinobi's appearance and voice had no flaws.
These two chunin probably never imagined someone could completely memorize another person's physical details in a single glance and transform flawlessly.
Their gazes swept through the forest behind Yasushi, assuming a larger Sand Village force was behind him. Their suspicions about this "comrade" before them had greatly decreased.
Not wanting them to notice inconsistencies, Yasushi kept talking with a mocking expression. "She's just a kid. You're taking way too long here!"
"The other one's already been caught. Now we're just waiting on you."
"Need me to give you a hand?"
As he spoke, he strode toward the fighting group.
Being publicly mocked by a "comrade" for low efficiency, the two chunin immediately felt embarrassed. Their training mindset was instantly replaced by impatience.
"We were just letting the rookies practice. Otherwise, why would it take this long? We don't need your help."
They snorted coldly. Their wrists flicked, sharp kunai flashing cold light between their fingers. Their forms shifted slightly, preparing to personally enter the battle and deliver the killing blow.
Seeing the enemies wouldn't delay any longer, Jun's face turned ashen with despair filling her heart.
But just as despair soaked through her like ice water, an extremely familiar scent that absolutely shouldn't exist here drifted into her nostrils, mixed with blood and dust.
This scent... was Yasushi's!
Though masked extremely faintly by transformation jutsu and Sand Village scents, for the sharp-nosed Inuzuka clan, this was like thunder in the darkness.
Her nose twitched instinctively. She looked toward Yasushi and saw that those eyes belonging to a "Sand shinobi" held no enemy coldness, only familiar concern and reassurance.
Their gazes met in mid-air. With his back to the two chunin, Yasushi gave her a meaningful look.
Jun's heart jumped. She immediately unleashed all her remaining strength.
"Passing Fang!"
A flush rose on her face. She shouted and launched her counterattack.
Her body suddenly spun at high speed, becoming a rapidly rotating blur. She swept up all the fallen leaves and dust from the ground like a drill bit, carrying a piercing whistle as she charged straight at the four genin.
That momentum was unstoppable, as if it would tear through any obstacle.
Faced with this sudden, almost suicidal counterattack, the four were startled and instinctively leaped back to dodge, avoiding her sharp edge.
But the instant their bodies retreated without any guard, that figure they thought was their "comrade" moved like a ghost.
Yasushi swept across like lightning hugging the ground. The short blade in his hand traced a cold, precise arc, stabbing through one genin's back and out his chest in a flash.
"How dare you!"
"He's a fake!"
Roars exploded like thunder, full of furious rage at being fooled.
The relaxed ease on the two Sand chunin's faces instantly twisted, replaced by shock and violent anger.
They never imagined this "comrade" who seemed to come in support was actually a deadly wolf.
They rushed forward urgently. Kunai and shuriken flew continuously from their hands, trying to stop Yasushi's sneak attack.
Their reaction wasn't slow, but everything was already too late.
Yasushi opened his Sharingan. In those crimson eyes, the single tomoe slowly rotated, clearly capturing and predicting every tiny movement of the enemies, every trajectory of thrown weapons.
His footwork wasn't particularly exquisite, his movements not especially strange, but somehow he could smoothly bypass the genin's defensive line, sending the short blade in his right hand into their chests.
He moved among the genin like a butterfly through flowers.
The kunai in his left hand became a flickering wheel of light, precisely knocking away several shuriken flying at him with crisp clangs.
The short blade in his right hand was like a viper's tongue. Each swift strike stabbed in and pulled out, taking away the warmth of life.
Pfft, pfft, pfft...
Several muffled sounds of blade entering flesh rang out in succession, followed by blood bursting from vessels. Four streams of blood sprayed from the four genin's chests.
The four Sand genin's faces still showed expressions mixing shock and intense pain, but their bodies had already fallen uncontrollably. Their life force rapidly drained with the blood flowers blooming from their chests.
The previously tight encirclement instantly collapsed.
Yasushi didn't pause. His body passed through the gaps between falling enemies, delivering a kick to each body.
The four not-yet-fallen corpses became the best obstacles, carrying heavy force as they crashed toward the charging chunin.
Simultaneously, his left hand clamped Jun's arm like an iron vise, pulling her along as he turned and fled madly into the deep forest.
"Stop!"
The two chunin roared but had to slow their charge, instinctively catching their crashing comrades and glancing urgently at the wounds to see if they could still be saved.
But what they saw was an explosive tag stuck inside the shinobi vest, its fuse hissing and burning down to the end.
That dancing spark enlarged rapidly in their pupils.
"Damn it!"
Both reacted extremely fast.
Almost the instant they saw the explosive tag, they used all their strength to shove the tagged comrade away while grabbing the nearest genin's body and retreating frantically backward.
Boom!
The deafening explosion echoed through the forest. The scorching shockwave mixed with shredded cloth and bloody remains sprayed out in a fan shape.
Though the two chunin retreated in time and weren't hit by the blast directly, they were still splattered head to toe with blood and debris, hot and sticky.
The physical damage was negligible, but the spiritual humiliation and sense of defeat burned like poison fire.
They'd actually been played by a child using such a simple yet vicious trap. It was utter shame.
Even worse, shoving away that genin hadn't saved the other three.
Yasushi's blade was vicious. One strike went straight to the heart.
One glance told them the remaining three subordinates couldn't be saved.
With fury and frustration having no outlet, they roughly tossed the corpse aside. Their eyes were bloodshot as they locked onto the swaying figures ahead, channeling chakra into their feet and pursuing even faster.
"Damn brat!"
"I'll skin you alive!"
"You can't escape!"
They roared, having somewhat lost their rationality.
The enemy was three kids. They'd known this from the start. So suffering such a huge loss now was especially hard to accept.
But they didn't know Yasushi had no intention of escaping.
Rasa and the other jonin would arrive soon. If he didn't reduce enemy numbers as much as possible, even if he could use the cheat to save his life later, protecting his two companions wouldn't be easy.
So Yasushi used the same trick again. Rounding a large tree, he formed seals quickly and created another clone.
He had this clone continue running with Jun while he pressed against the tree's back, hiding in the shadows, waiting for the two chunin to arrive.
The two chunin's complete attention was locked on the two fleeing ahead. They never imagined Yasushi would dare counterattack.
Just as their forms had barely passed the trunk, old strength exhausted and new strength not yet born, the shadow behind the tree moved.
Yasushi erupted like a death claw from hell, from bottom to top. His short blade became a cold silver lightning bolt, stabbing straight into one person's abdomen and slicing downward.
The sharp blade cut a huge, gruesome wound along the abdominal midline.
Warm blood mixed with organ fragments and slippery intestines, propelled by blood pressure, gushed out, splashing on surrounding tree trunks and fallen leaves. The air instantly filled with thick, pungent blood stench.
"Ahhh..."
That chunin fell heavily with a scream. The other also showed shocked terror on his face, his reaction a half-beat slow.
Yasushi didn't even look at his handiwork. The instant he withdrew his blade, his form had already shot away like an arrow from the string, choosing a completely different direction from the clone and disappearing again into the dense forest, leaving only a ground of blood and enraged roaring behind.
It wasn't that he couldn't kill the other chunin, but if he couldn't finish it instantly, fighting even briefly would let nearby Sand shinobi who heard the commotion surround him completely.
So his correct choice was mobile warfare. Fight while fleeing, escape as far as possible.
As for hunting, that was all just a bonus.
*******************
Chapter 439: Mass Slaughter
"Huff... huff..."
Yasushi gasped heavily for breath.
Though naturally gifted and having opened his Sharingan, his age was a critical weakness. His chakra was severely insufficient.
With his short little legs, escaping Sand Village's pursuit really wasn't easy.
Though Rasa was no longer valued in Sand Village, the people who could follow him on missions were all his former supporters. Many were elites who'd been tempered by war, experienced and coordinated.
His earlier surprise attack that killed a group had completely relied on catching them off guard. Once the others became alert, killing enemies instantly became much harder.
The Sharingan was indeed a cheat ability, but he was too young and hadn't learned genjutsu. Relying only on the Sharingan's taijutsu enhancement, the effect wasn't actually that great.
The only reason he'd lasted this long without being caught was because under intense exertion and life-or-death pressure, the Karma Seal at the back of his neck had taken effect, gradually and imperceptibly strengthening his physique and chakra reserves.
This process was silent and invisible. Yasushi himself wasn't aware, thinking he was just performing exceptionally well under crisis, squeezing out his potential.
"Over here! Don't let him get away!"
"This bastard is like a rabbit, runs too damn fast!"
"Just slow him down for a bit!"
Chaotic voices came from the side again. Without hesitation, Yasushi immediately changed direction and charged toward the opposite side of the voices.
Fortunately, this was Fire Country's dense forest, not Sand Village's desert. Rasa and his group were unfamiliar with the terrain and could only split up to search, giving him some room to evade.
Even when encountering enemies, they were just scattered small squads. He wouldn't get completely trapped.
"Wind Release: Great Breakthrough!"
Violent wind suddenly surged from behind, slashing toward his back.
The sharp whistle of wind was piercingly shrill. Before it even approached, it already chilled the heart.
Yasushi had no time to look back. Relying purely on sensing abnormal airflow and life-or-death instinct, his body dropped sharply and he dove forward, rolling on the spot. Clumsy but effective, he dodged the Wind Release attack and hid behind a large tree.
Sharp, blade-like airflow swept past overhead, bringing stinging pain.
The sound of snapping branches filled the air. The dense canopy above seemed swept by an invisible giant blade. Countless broken branches and leaves mixed with wood chips poured down like rain, as if to bury Yasushi beneath.
"Fire Release: Fireball Jutsu!"
A soccer-ball-sized fireball followed immediately, striking precisely among the scattered branches.
The fine branches and leaves immediately erupted in flames with a whoosh. Towering fire shot skyward, forming a wall jumping with orange-red light.
A heat wave hit his face, scorching his hair tips and completely cutting off his planned escape route.
"Let's see where you run this time!"
The shinobi who'd been pursuing Yasushi charged forward first. It was the chunin who'd witnessed his companion disemboweled.
His face was smeared with soot, blood, and twisted hatred. His eyes locked onto the shadow behind the tree. His form pounced like a hunting leopard, vowing to tear this brat who'd brought him endless humiliation to pieces.
But the moment his figure reached the tree, a black shadow burst from the flames. Crimson tomoe in those eyes locked onto him, carrying a desperate kind of madness. With a flick of the wrist, three kunai spun toward him.
"Cheap tricks!"
The Sand chunin snorted coldly, eyes full of killing intent.
He sank his charging body down. His short blade flashed, precisely deflecting the kunai. Amid ringing clangs, all three kunai were knocked aside, passing by him and stabbing into the empty ground behind with dull thuds.
Facing Yasushi charging after them, he rapidly changed hand seals. A clone appeared at his side. Left and right, they attacked Yasushi in a pincer.
Having already seen Yasushi's Sharingan, he knew close combat taijutsu would be disadvantageous, so he specifically made a clone for two-on-one.
With clone assistance, his tactics proved effective.
Though Yasushi's attacks were fierce, two fists couldn't beat four hands. In a short time, he simply couldn't break through the defense.
The three Sand shinobi from another squad arrived behind, instantly completing the encirclement.
The newly arrived chunin joined the battle without hesitation, forming a triangular assault with the earlier chunin and his clone.
The two genin stepped back a few paces, fingers flying as they began gathering chakra, preparing restraint-type jutsu.
As long as they could restrict Yasushi for one instant, the other two chunin could easily cut him down on the spot.
But just when all their attention focused on Yasushi, one of the kunai on the ground suddenly exploded in white smoke. Yasushi's figure emerged from it, appearing behind the two genin performing hand seals.
Before anyone could react, Yasushi's form dove low and swept past behind the two preparing jutsu, his short blade quickly slicing across both necks.
Shhk!
Both carotid arteries erupted violently. Under the heart's powerful pumping pressure, they jetted out like small fountains, shooting over three feet high and blooming into bloody flowers in midair.
The two genin couldn't even scream before collapsing.
"Bastard!"
"That's the real one!"
Both chunin's eyes nearly split with rage. They finally realized the "Yasushi" fighting them was just a clone.
The two immediately abandoned their opponent and frantically rushed back to help.
Meanwhile, Yasushi's clone was held firmly by the Sand chunin's clone, unable to break free.
On the other side, after landing his strike, Yasushi didn't linger. Without even checking his results, he immediately turned and charged into the forest, disappearing swiftly.
For shinobi, carotid injuries weren't fatal. The two chunin exchanged glances, then decisively split up. One stayed to save lives while the other continued pursuing in the direction Yasushi fled.
In the center of the battle circle, the Sand chunin's clone and Yasushi's clone still fought fiercely.
The Sand chunin quickly pulled out his medical pack and began bandaging his two dying comrades.
His entire attention focused on the barely breathing comrades beneath his hands. He had no time to worry about the two "clones" fighting not far behind.
But he didn't notice that the "clone" Yasushi suddenly glanced left and right, then abruptly abandoned defense. Instead of blocking the blade slashing toward him, he charged straight into the slash, crashing bodily into the Sand clone's embrace.
The Sand clone took the opportunity to stab straight, but unexpectedly Yasushi's "clone" didn't dodge. Instead, he grabbed the stabbing blade with one hand, fingers clamping the blade like an iron vise. At the same time, using an "injury-for-injury" method, he slashed the Sand clone's wrist.
Poof!
Taking damage, the Sand chunin's clone immediately dispersed in white smoke. But bright red blood flowed from the "clone" Yasushi's palm.
It turned out the earlier Yasushi who'd transformed into a "kunai" to ambush and kill, then drawn away pursuers, was the clone. The one who'd fought enemies head-on from the start was the real body.
From the beginning, this had been a double deception!
Now the pursuer had been lured away, the rescuer was completely unprepared, and the critically wounded couldn't resist.
Prey and hunter had switched positions in that flash of lightning.
Yasushi dropped the bloody short blade in his left hand. Ignoring the piercing pain in his palm, his feet kicked hard off the ground. His body shot forward like a released bowstring, carrying tragic killing intent straight toward that unguarded back.
The sudden change on this battlefield came too abruptly. The Sand chunin didn't notice at all. But the genin he was treating saw it. Immediately disregarding his own safety, he stretched out his hand and shoved the chunin away.
"Captain, watch out!"
The Sand chunin's body swayed. He whipped around, but only saw blade light flash and a pair of crimson eyes fill his vision.
Shhk!
One strike beheaded him!
Encountering almost no resistance, the Sand chunin's head shot skyward, his face still showing disbelieving shock.
Blood from the neck shot the head high into the air like a ball, falling far into the forest.
The severed neck gushed blood like a fountain, dyeing nearby vegetation a glaring crimson.
The headless body stiffened for an instant before slowly pitching forward.
Yasushi's gaze was ice cold, showing no mercy. Two backhand strikes finished off the other two critically wounded as well.
The battlefield fell completely silent, leaving only thick, unshakable blood stench permeating the air.
However, he didn't loot the corpses. Instead, he pulled out several food pills and stuffed them in his mouth, then leaped to the forest edge where his clone had fled. He rapidly formed seals and performed transformation jutsu again, turning himself into an unremarkable rock and lurking at the tree's base.
The clone he'd killed earlier had definitely fed intelligence back to the original. Presumably the chunin who'd chased out had already guessed the dramatic change that occurred here. Fury and anxiety would drive him to rush back at top speed.
And Yasushi would wait here like a trap for rabbits, ambushing him again.
Sure enough, in just a few breaths, urgent footsteps approached from far to near. That Sand chunin charged back, unable to suppress his rage.
But what he saw were three fallen corpses, blood spilled everywhere, and that head rolled in the distance, barely recognizable.
The hellish scene before his eyes struck his mind like an invisible hammer.
Extreme shock, grief, and disbelief made his thoughts blank for a moment. His body involuntarily froze in place, defenses wide open.
Perfect. Right in front of Yasushi, completely exposing his back.
Yasushi naturally wouldn't be polite.
The lurking "rock" suddenly erupted.
The short blade, carrying long-accumulated killing intent and all his strength, shot out like a viper from its den, piercing precisely from behind, penetrating through the gap between ribs, stabbing deep into the heart, with two extra twists for good measure.
"Gah..."
The Sand chunin's scream was full of unwillingness, fury, and finally arriving cold despair.
He futilely tried to turn, tried to see his attacker's face clearly. But life was already rapidly draining away with his shattered heart.
His body convulsed a few times before heavily collapsing to the ground, silent and completely still.
Only after confirming the last enemy was completely dead did Yasushi's nerves, stretched to the limit, finally relax slightly.
He slid down against a large tree, chest heaving violently as he gasped heavily. The exhaustion of survival and the mental impact of continuous killing mixed together.
But he didn't rest long. Brutal reality forced him to act immediately.
Yasushi tossed a few more food pills in his mouth, forcefully chewing and swallowing them, then struggled to his feet and began carefully looting corpses.
Ninja tool pouches were opened. The rich supplies and resources inside made his eyes light up.
Silver, explosive tags, food pills, hemostatic medicine... everything was there.
"So it's true about murder and arson making you rich!"
"After completing so many missions, nothing compared to this one haul."
"Sure enough, the direct subordinates following the next Kazekage on missions can't be compared to ordinary poor chunin."
Yasushi sighed with bitter humor, sweeping up everything useful and stuffing it into his already somewhat bulging ninja pouch.
Then he stacked the corpses together and carefully set one of his newly acquired explosive tags beneath one body as a contact trigger.
This wasn't to kill, but to serve as a delayed alarm.
When follow-up pursuers moved the bodies to check, the explosion and flames would become his best early warning.
After finishing everything, Yasushi continued running deeper into the forest.
The road ahead remained unknown, but at least for now, he'd won a moment's breathing room and the capital to keep struggling.
After a while, another Sand squad's figures appeared here.
Naturally, they discovered this chaotic battlefield and those stacked comrade corpses.
"It's Ryojo and them, how could..."
A younger-looking Sand shinobi couldn't help but cry out quietly. He hurried over to check his comrades' bodies, wanting to confirm the situation and gather the remains.
Then he triggered that explosive tag. A hissing burning sound came faintly from beneath the body.
"It's a trap!"
He shouted in alarm and quickly dodged away.
BOOM!
A deafening explosion rang out. Fire and thick smoke instantly swallowed that pile of bodies. Shattered limbs, organs, and tissue scattered in all directions with the shockwave.
Everyone present was a battlefield veteran. The moment they sensed something wrong, they immediately dodged quickly, taking no damage. But they could only watch helplessly as their comrades' bodies were blown to pieces.
"Damn it!"
"That bastard, I'll kill him!"
After cursing impotently in rage, he turned to the person behind him. "Rasa-sama, we can't keep treating this enemy like a child. We need to deal with him like we would a jonin."
Looking at the ground covered in shredded flesh and blood, Rasa spoke with a grim face, "I never treated him like a child. I just didn't expect him to be this strong, that even a full chunin squad couldn't take him down."
"Konoha Village really is enviable. They always have so many genius shinobi appearing."
Thinking of geniuses, he thought of Nagato and Konan who'd just joined Sand Village.
Clearly just civilian refugees, yet they possessed such exaggerated talent. Their rate of progress made even him, from a prestigious family, feel jealous.
Rasa's fingertips unconsciously rubbed the edge of his ninja pouch. An indescribable emotion flickered in the depths of his eyes.
Of course he knew these two had definitely been verified as important figures by the "time-traveler" intelligence. But the unwillingness in his heart remained impossible to calm.
In his view, no matter how strong those two were, how strong could they really get?
A village's strength relied on all clans uniting as one, working together with one heart, not on one or two genius shinobi being powerful.
Lord Third Kazekage had actually abandoned him, a loyal bloodline limit user, because of some intelligence from a "time-traveler." This was truly unacceptable.
Not just unacceptable to him, but to everyone in his faction.
And this time he'd actively requested the village let him cooperate with Cloud Village in battle precisely to prove with his strength to the village that he, Rasa, was no worse than anyone.
He believed that as long as he earned enough merit on the battlefield, even if Lord Third Kazekage was wary of the "time-traveler's" intelligence about his future, he'd have to value Rasa again.
Pakura, Nagato, Konan... none of them could surpass him!
Otherwise, Lord Third Kazekage would have to ask whether the village elders agreed.
But right now, he had to first kill this brat who'd caused his mission to start so poorly!
*******************
Chapter 440: The Karma Seal's Power
A serious jonin was completely beyond what a rookie like Yasushi could handle.
Rasa abandoned the main force and charged into the forest alone, quickly cornering Yasushi.
The clone decoy Yasushi had placed such high hopes on didn't serve its purpose at all.
"Kid, this is the end!"
Rasa stood on a tree branch, looking down at Yasushi from above. His gaze paused briefly on those Sharingan eyes, then moved away dismissively.
Just a single tomoe. Not even grown yet!
Seeing the gold dust swirling beside Rasa, Yasushi sucked in a cold breath. His heart went half cold.
A Magnet Release user, and the future Fourth Kazekage at that. Yasushi didn't think he could escape with just his bit of taijutsu skill.
Almost unconsciously, he placed his hand on the back of his neck.
Though the Karma Seal was drinking poison to quench thirst, he was already at death's door. He couldn't worry about that much. Better to use it first and deal with consequences later!
But the problem was, in the early stages when the unsealing level wasn't enough, this thing always triggered passively. There was no way to actively control it.
Only when facing mortal danger would the Karma explode with terrifying energy.
In that case, he'd gamble everything.
Yasushi drew his short blade and charged up the tree trunk toward Rasa.
Rasa's eyes drooped indifferently, his fingertips moving slightly as his hand seals changed.
"Magnet Release: Gold Dust Shuriken!"
Instantly, the gold dust circling him rapidly condensed into shuriken shapes, transforming into dozens of golden streaks that shot down like a blanket covering the sky. The speed was so fast it left only blurred golden afterimages in the air, blocking all of Yasushi's possible evasion angles.
Yasushi's Sharingan spun madly, trying to track each shuriken's trajectory. His short blade danced before him into a curtain of light. The clashing impacts came dense as sudden rain.
The tremendous impact force exploded against his blade, making Yasushi's wrists hurt intensely, as if fractured.
With his defensive movements slightly deformed, several shuriken penetrated gaps in the blade net, breaking through his defense circle.
Fortunately, with the Sharingan's enhancement, Yasushi saw the shuriken trajectories clearly and dodged in time, avoiding vital points.
But those shuriken still grazed past him, leaving several inch-long wounds.
Blood instantly stained Yasushi's clothing. His upward momentum stalled. He staggered backward, nearly falling from the tree.
"Good fighting spirit, but unfortunately, your strength is too poor."
Rasa's voice was ice-cold, carrying no emotion.
He lightly changed his hand seal. The shuriken that had missed immediately disintegrated, then instantly condensed together into a massive wave carrying overwhelming momentum that slapped down toward Yasushi's head.
That gold dust wave stood several meters high, suspended in midair. As it flowed, it released a heavy rumbling like muffled thunder. Wherever it passed, air was displaced completely, forming suffocating low-pressure zones.
Sunlight was completely swallowed. Yasushi's world contained only the boundless, oppressive darkness pressing down on his head.
Yasushi gritted his teeth and lunged sideways, leaving the tree trunk and falling to the ground. He rolled on the spot, barely avoiding this deadly strike, but also completely distancing himself from Rasa, no longer threatening him.
The sand wave crashed thunderously down. Large swathes of tree trunks and branches were torn to pieces like fragile toothpicks in an instant.
With a tremendous boom, the earth groaned in pain. Cracks spread like spiderwebs.
Shattered wood chips mixed with dirt and broken grass were lifted by the explosion's shockwave, forming a muddy ring-shaped wave that spread outward, blocking all vision in the field.
Before Yasushi could catch his breath, Rasa's voice came from above again.
"Wind Release: Great Breakthrough!"
A violent hurricane sharp as blades, carrying a piercing whistle, suddenly fell from the sky, sweeping all smoke and dust clean and exposing the open ground again.
Relying on the Sharingan's dynamic vision, Yasushi dodged and weaved through the hurricane like dancing, barely letting invisible wind blades graze his clothing hem and brush past his hair, each step treading on a knife's edge.
But the Wind Release was too dense. Even with the Sharingan, he still couldn't completely avoid all attacks.
More wounds appeared on his body. His movements began to slow. His breathing sounded like a worn bellows. Each inhalation carried the sweet stench of blood foam. Blood had nearly turned him into a blood-soaked figure.
Rasa seemed bored with this cat-and-mouse game. He formed a simple seal.
"Magnet Release: Gold Dust Drizzle!"
The sky instantly "darkened."
The gold dust floating in the air split into countless needle-thin golden spikes and poured down like a rainstorm.
The range was so wide, there was nowhere to hide!
Yasushi's pupils contracted sharply. His vision was completely filled with billions of gleaming metallic needles. The sound of needle tips piercing air filled his ears like death's droning buzz.
This despairing curtain of death covered everything within dozens of meters, leaving him absolutely no escape.
He could only cover his body surface with as much chakra as possible, curl up, and hold his short blade over his head, swinging with all his might to defend.
Clang, clang, clang...
After a series of fine impacts, Yasushi's wrist was finally penetrated by a spike. His short blade flew from his hand, spinning away.
The next moment, pfft, pfft, pfft... Dense sounds of flesh being pierced rang out. Countless spikes penetrated his defense.
Yasushi could only try to avoid vital points, but still, countless spikes stabbed into his limbs and back. Several even grazed past his cheeks, trailing beads of blood.
He was like a broken doll pinned to the ground, a pitiful sight. His aura instantly withered to the extreme.
Only his slightly rising and falling chest proved life hadn't completely left him yet.
"It's over."
Rasa floated down from the treetop, standing not far away. Looking at Yasushi on the ground bleeding heavily, nearly unable to move, he slightly raised his hand, preparing to deliver the final blow.
"Magnet Release: Gold Dust Spear."
More gold dust gathered and compressed above his palm, forming a spear emanating heart-palpitating vibrations, aimed at Yasushi's heart, ready to strike.
Death's shadow had never so clearly, so coldly enveloped Yasushi. Every cell screamed warnings, as if the next moment would be destruction.
But the severely wounded Yasushi lying on the ground showed no fear on his face. Instead, he grinned at Rasa with a bloody, fierce smile, blood-stained white teeth flashing terrifying cold light.
"Finally... triggered!"
The Karma Seal on the back of Yasushi's neck, which had been completely silent, now seemed ignited by this ultimate death threat, suddenly erupting with unprecedented heat and stinging pain.
This wasn't the flow and boiling of regular chakra, but an indescribable terrifying energy like a burst dam, thunderously flooding into his nearly dried meridians and every part of his body.
The ground beneath him sank slightly. Small pebbles slowly floated upward against gravity, trembling.
A wild, violent chakra full of overwhelming presence surged skyward.
The wounds on his body visibly stopped bleeding and contracted. The gold dust needles embedded in him were all forced out by this violent energy, falling to the ground with clinks and clangs.
Pitch-black markings complex and strange as tattoos spread madly from the curse seal's center on the back of his neck, instantly crawling across half his face and exposed skin. Dark purple, ominous light flowed through the patterns.
And his eyes, those Sharingan that originally had only one tomoe, now saw the pupils suddenly change. The tomoe spun madly, then split into two more tomoe.
In just an instant, they leaped forward in evolution to become Three-Tomoe Sharingan.
In the depths of his gaze, mixing pain with extreme excitement, something uniquely belonging to the Uchiha clan's madness seemed completely activated by this energy in this moment.
The gap between Six Paths Yasushi and young Yasushi was truly too vast. Just casually taking one step forward already far exceeded shinobi imagination.
"What... is this thing?!"
Rasa's pupils contracted sharply. For the first time, his face showed extreme shock.
He felt a crushing, destructive pressure far beyond his understanding, heavy and thick, seemingly with actual weight pressing on his shoulders. Even breathing became labored.
It was exactly like when he'd seen Shukaku's Jinchuriki Bunpuku transform into tailed beast form years ago.
"Could he be the Nine-Tails Jinchuriki?"
This thought flashed through Rasa's mind but was immediately rejected.
The Nine-Tails Jinchuriki was Uzumaki Kushina. This intelligence wasn't secret among nations.
But in this situation, he couldn't think about all that. Without a word, he immediately struck with killing intent.
The spear left his hand, transforming into a golden lightning bolt that tore through space. The spear tip violently rubbed against air, even trailing a short, searing wake!
This strike held nothing back, condensing his full killing intent.
"Heh heh heh heh..."
Yasushi climbed up from the ground grinning, his face twisting uncontrollably.
Not from pain, but because the vast chakra instantly filling his body brought tremendous pressure, feeling like it would burst him apart.
Right now he urgently needed to vent this power.
He lightly raised his hand and firmly caught the gold dust spear.
The instant his five fingers closed, with just a slight effort, pfft, the pitch-black gold dust spear shattered like fragile glass. Iron sand like powder trickled down from between his fingers.
That effortless manner was more chilling than defeating it head-on.
"Magnet Release: Gold Dust Wave!"
Rasa's follow-up attack immediately arrived.
A several-meter-high gold dust wave released thunderous roaring like mountains collapsing and seas raging, pushing forward horizontally, attempting to use absolute quantity and momentum to completely swallow and crush the just-risen Yasushi.
Wherever it passed, the earth was plowed into deep furrows. All rubble and branches were swept in, becoming part of the gold dust wave.
The next instant, with a tremendous boom, Yasushi's figure disappeared.
Not the Body Flicker Technique, but pure, extreme speed!
A white conical shockwave exploded violently where he'd originally stood. The ground seemed struck by an invisible massive hammer, instantly cracking and collapsing.
The shockwave carried dust spreading in a ring. This was proof flesh had broken the sound barrier!
Immediately, Yasushi's figure suddenly appeared before the gold dust wave, a whip kick heavily smashing into the gold dust wave.
Boom!
A dull sound like a bell tolling.
The gold dust wave's forward momentum was instantly halted. It began trembling violently.
The ring-shaped shockwave from the violent impact snapped trees within dozens of meters at waist level, toppling outward in radial pattern.
The two forces locked in stalemate for only an instant before completely determining victory and defeat.
The massive gold dust wave was like hitting a reef. The entire wave split in two down the middle, sliding past both sides of Yasushi.
The divided gold dust flood lost its unified form, transforming into two out-of-control golden mudslides that roared into the forests on both sides, plowing two deep furrows. Everything along the way was swallowed and buried.
In the position directly before Yasushi, a shockwave blasted backward, penetrating the gold dust wave and rushing straight toward Rasa.
Rasa's heart pounded violently. He hurriedly manipulated gold dust to form a "Gold Dust Shield" around himself, blocking this strike outside.
But even just the attack's aftershock striking the Gold Dust Shield still made the shield's surface ripple continuously.
Yasushi wasn't specialized in taijutsu, nor had he learned powerful physical techniques like the Eight Gates. But under the massive chakra provided by the Karma, this kick still displayed power no less than the Eight Gates Formation's Sixth Gate: Gate of View.
Yasushi raised his right foot steaming with high-temperature white vapor and shook it. It still felt somewhat unfamiliar.
This kind of direct clash fighting style was completely different from his previous technical style relying on the Sharingan.
The reason he charged straight up to clash head-on with Rasa's Magnet Release jutsu was purely an instinctive behavior driven by the violent chakra in his body.
But after trying once, he fell in love with this barbaric, mindless fighting style. It felt much more satisfying.
"No wonder those powerful shinobi all like close combat. Turns out it's this exhilarating!"
Yasushi smiled silently. The ground beneath his feet exploded thunderously again. His figure instantly vanished from the original spot.
This time Rasa didn't even have time to make a complete defensive posture. He only felt his vision blur before an irresistible tremendous force already smashed heavily into his hastily condensed Gold Dust Shield.
Boom!
The instant they made contact, the Gold Dust Shield that had never been broken by enemies shattered like paper.
Rasa's entire body was like a stone struck by a catapult. He spat out a large mouthful of blood and flew backward, continuously smashing through seven or eight large trees before barely stopping, embedded in a cliff face with rubble trickling down.
"Heh heh... Is this all the Fourth Kazekage has?"
Yasushi stood in place, twisting his neck left and right. The crisp sound of bones rubbing together rang out. He seemed unsatisfied with this result.
But Rasa, covered in blood, raised his head. The shock in his eyes had been replaced by boiling fury and resolve.
He formed a seal with one hand.
"Magnet Release: Crystal Shatter!"
The next moment, all the scattered gold dust around Yasushi's feet violently surged up, as if a magnet had been placed on Yasushi's body. It all stuck to him in one go, layer upon dense layer.
Rasa forcefully clenched his right fist. Under magnetic force, that gold dust suddenly contracted inward, squeezing like a juicer, trying to crush Yasushi into meat paste.