As Fuguki Suikazan's voice fell,
the killing intent that had lain dormant suddenly erupted!
Black shadows shot out from hidden bushes, treetops, and cracks between rocks like arrows released from bowstrings, rushing toward the Shakuka Town stronghold!
Fuguki Suikazan and Raiga Kurosuki led the charge. Behind them came a line of Kaguya clansmen whose bodies erupted with countless bone spikes. Their momentum was overwhelming, as though they intended to swallow the entire stronghold in one bite!
"Enemy attack—!!!"
A Konoha sentry on duty noticed them. While shouting the warning, he raised his hand and fired a signal flare.
A dazzling red light instantly illuminated the night sky, exposing the figures of the charging Kiri ninja below to everyone's sight!
"…Why are there so many?!"
"Damn it, has Kirigakure deployed its entire army? And how long have they been hiding outside before finally revealing themselves now? Hurry and notify Lord Koo and Lord Fugaku! Tell them to come support us!!"
The captain responsible for the night watch was shocked by the dense mass of Kiri ninja filling his vision.
He rapidly issued orders to the companions beside him, directing them to resist the enemy while sending two people racing toward the tents in the rear to report the situation to the jōnin.
By the time these things were done, the two sides had already clashed at close range!
Inside the rear encampment—
"…What's happening?"
Uchiha Fugaku awakened abruptly from sleep.
After a brief moment of confusion, he quickly rose, put on his armor, and rushed out of his room.
Gekkō Shigure, Kakashi, Asuma, Honekawa Koo, and the others reacted in the same way, charging out from their resting places one after another.
For a time, the piercing alarm and the sound of hurried footsteps blended together.
"It's the Kirigakure ninja! They've launched a surprise attack under cover of night!"
"Quickly, defend the stronghold according to the predetermined defensive positions! We absolutely cannot let them break inside!"
"All Uchiha, follow me! Suppress the Kiri assault from the front!
"Kakashi, lead your people in using Earth Release to reinforce the walls!
"Gekkō Shigure and Honekawa Koo, watch the rear! Be careful of Kirigakure infiltrating from that direction…
"And find a way to notify Captain Mikami!"
Although the attack had come suddenly, Uchiha Fugaku possessed some battlefield experience and had prepared contingency plans long ago.
He rapidly issued orders. Aside from feeling nervous, a faint trace of delight even appeared in his heart.
How should one put it?
Kirigakure's attack was not a good thing, but it had genuinely provided him with a once-in-a-lifetime opportunity to prove himself!
As long as he could repel this group of Kiri ninja…
No, merely repelling them would not be enough.
It would be best if he could crush them in one decisive battle, capture or kill Fuguki Suikazan and the others, destroy their active forces, and completely shatter this round of Kirigakure's offensive!
If that happened…
the name Uchiha Fugaku would resound across the entire battlefield and perhaps even make Sarutobi Hiruzen and the others view him in a new light!
Soon,
the ninja from both sides began fighting atop the walls.
"Water Release: Water Colliding Wave!"
"Ninja Art: Hidden Mist Technique!"
"Earth Release: Earth-Style Wall!"
One ninjutsu after another was released, colliding violently in midair.
Large amounts of fog spread outward, obscuring everyone's vision.
Then kunai and shuriken flew back and forth through the rising white mist.
The clang of metal, explosions of ninjutsu, muffled groans, and screams from the wounded quickly sounded one after another, intertwining into a symphony of death.
And judging from the situation…
Konoha was actually at a disadvantage!
That was normal.
Aside from the dozens of elites Yuu had brought from Konoha, most ordinary Konoha ninja held no advantage against Kiri ninja of the same rank.
In single combat, their odds of victory might even be only thirty percent.
That was because the weakening effect of the Hidden Mist Technique on low- and mid-ranking ninja was no less severe than that of the Bringer-of-Darkness Technique.
During the previous encounters, Yuu had always fought several enemies at once and restrained the opposing experts, allowing Uchiha Fugaku and the others to freely support their comrades.
That was why the battles had appeared so overwhelmingly one-sided.
Now that Yuu was absent and had only left behind a shadow clone for communication, Fugaku and the others could not be everywhere at once.
Naturally, the remaining Konoha ninja began suffering under the pressure.
Moreover, Kirigakure had obtained intelligence on Konoha's defensive arrangements in advance.
It did not take long for casualties to appear.
Amid the chaos,
Uchiha Shisui swung his sword repeatedly and cut down two Kiri ninja.
Then he quickly used the Body Flicker Technique to reach Uchiha Fugaku, who was directing his clansmen to use Fire Release to suppress a breach.
He spoke rapidly,
"Squad Leader, Kirigakure's offensive this time has far exceeded our expectations. Their objective probably isn't merely to destroy the Shakuka Town stronghold!
"The other outposts may also be under tremendous pressure right now… Should we find a way to split off one or two squads and send them as reinforcements?"
"This…"
Uchiha Fugaku cut down the attacker in front of him and frowned.
Indeed, Kirigakure's current operation looked carefully planned.
It was impossible that they had deployed only this force.
If the other strongholds were also suffering attacks of this scale…
then caught unprepared, they might not be able to hold.
If the southeastern defensive line were broken through, then even if Shakuka Town survived, Konoha would still suffer an overall loss.
"Your suggestion is good."
Uchiha Fugaku took a deep breath.
"Someone must confirm the situation…
"Shisui, take Inabi and Tekka, then select a few people from Captain Gekkō's unit. Break out through the rear and prioritize checking the situations at the Iwasaki Town and Naruzawa Town strongholds. Provide support according to circumstances!"
"Understood!"
Shisui nodded and immediately turned to gather personnel.
Meanwhile, Kakashi, Obito, Asuma, and the others each led the members of their respective teams, occupying separate positions and fighting against the Kiri ninja.
As a valuable medical ninja, Rin was not allowed to participate in the defensive battle.
Instead, she worked with Kurenai and the others to sort and treat the wounded produced during the fighting.
Everyone became occupied, with no time left to think about anything else.
…
Uchiha Fugaku only needed to consider how to dismantle Kirigakure's offensive.
Yuu had far more things to worry about.
At this moment,
Yuu was still lying inside the eagle's nest high on Eagle Peak, sleeping drowsily and dreaming.
In the dream, he seemed to see the three sisters of the Three Basic Techniques, along with the Great Fireball Technique and Phoenix Sage Fire Technique, surrounding him in human form.
They chattered noisily, threw themselves into his arms, and competed for his attention.
The Yuu inside the dream developed a terrible headache from all the arguing and only wanted to find somewhere quiet.
Just as the dream's plot advanced to a critical section,
suddenly,
a drop of icy water fell from above and landed directly on Yuu's forehead.
Yuu's eyelids moved, and he awakened from sleep.
Before even opening his eyes, he felt additional information enter his mind.
It was the message transmitted when the shadow clone he had left behind was dispelled.
"…The stronghold was attacked?"
Kirigakure actually still dared to make a move?
Were they really that brave?
Yuu jolted upright and looked around.
He did not see the giant eagle, so it had probably gone out hunting.
After a brief hesitation, he removed the final rice ball from his ninja pouch and began eating.
His struggle with the giant eagle the previous day had consumed a great deal of energy.
Even after sleeping for several hours, he had not fully recovered.
Before setting out to return, he needed to eat something and restore his condition.
"Chirp, chirp—"
One of the three young eagles also awakened and began crying with its mouth open, apparently hoping to beg some food from Yuu.
This time, however, it did not get its wish.
Not long afterward,
the sound of flapping wings approached from the distance.
The giant eagle, which had been missing when Yuu awakened, flew back while carrying a mountain goat in its talons and dropped it onto the platform.
Fine.
Given the giant eagle's size, ordinary food truly would not even fill the gaps between its teeth.
Even this fully grown mountain goat looked small in comparison.
The eagle could probably eat the entire thing alone without sharing any with its chicks.
Yuu took out a kunai and helped drain the blood.
Then he spat out a Great Fireball, roasting the goat meat until it was half-cooked before handing it over to the eagle family.
"Eat quickly. I'll need your help with something afterward."
"?"
The giant eagle tilted its head and looked at Yuu in confusion.
However, it did not ask anything and simply lowered its head to devour the goat meat, replenishing its strength.
Meanwhile, Yuu prepared the summoning contract.
While still in Konoha, he had obtained several blank summoning scrolls through Tsunade and kept them in reserve.
Now he pulled one out, rapidly wrote on it, and signed his own name.
Once the giant eagle finished eating and pressed its talon onto the scroll, the summoning contract would officially be established.
In theory, summoning contracts were one-to-many and covered an entire clan of ninja beasts.
In other words, aside from the adult eagle, these young eagles—and even any offspring they produced in the future—should also fall within Yuu's summoning range.
However, considering they were still young and lacked both flying ability and combat strength, there was little need to summon them for now.
He could wait several years.
With this, the primary objective of Yuu's trip was considered complete.
As for exploring the ruins of Uzushiogakure, that would have to wait until next time.
Just as he was preparing to mount the giant eagle and return to Shakuka Town, rustling sounds came from a nearby corner.
The Root ninja Shin, who was bound by the Binding Seal Formula, moved slightly, apparently about to awaken.
"…Oh, right. I nearly forgot about this guy."
Yuu slapped his forehead.
Originally, he had intended to thoroughly interrogate the Root ninja and then silence him permanently.
After all, the man had followed him all the way to Eagle Peak and witnessed the process of subduing the giant eagle.
If he were not dealt with properly and the location of the eagle's nest became exposed, it might attract unnecessary trouble.
However, there was clearly not enough time for Yuu to slowly deal with the matter now.
He could only bring Shin along, question him during the return journey, then dispose of him somewhere uninhabited.
At once,
Yuu picked up the Root ninja, climbed onto the eagle's back, and patted its head.
"Let's go."
…
Coldness. Shaking.
Shin drowsily opened his eyes.
The first thing he felt was a chill that penetrated his bones, as though his entire body were lying on something furry and flying through the sky.
A cold voice beside him was speaking.
"You're awake?"
"The operation was a success. You're already a… cough, cough. Let's discuss serious matters instead.
"Other than following me, what instructions did Danzō give you?"
"?!"
Shin was initially still confused.
But the instant he heard the name "Danzō," his entire body trembled and he rapidly became alert.
He struggled to rise, only to find himself restrained by the Binding Seal Formula and unable to move.
"You… what are you trying to do?"
"I'm a Root ninja! If you dare harm me, the village will never let you go!"
"Heh."
Yuu's smile was cold.
"What? Is Root in charge of Konoha now?
"Could it be that the person sitting inside the Hokage Building is no longer surnamed Sarutobi, but Shimura?
"When you were sent to monitor me, did you receive Lord Hokage's permission?"
"…Hmph. A sharp tongue.
"In any case, release me now, and I can pretend none of this ever happened."
Listening to Shin's shouting,
Yuu still wore a smile, but his eyes had turned completely cold.
"You seem unable to understand your current situation.
"Your life is in my hands. Whether you live or die depends entirely on a single thought from me.
"If you don't want to die immediately, you'd better answer obediently. Otherwise…"
"You should abandon those unrealistic plans now! Even if I die, I will never say anything that could harm Lord Danzō!"
"I doubt that."
As he spoke, Yuu reached out, gripped Shin's jaw, and examined the inside of his mouth.
If he remembered correctly, every Root ninja should have the Cursed Tongue Eradication Seal placed upon their tongue.
Once they attempted to reveal information concerning Danzō, the seal would automatically activate and prevent them from speaking.
Therefore,
if Yuu wanted to obtain accurate intelligence from them, he first needed to deal with this seal.
Binding Seal Formula, do you have any ideas about this?
Yuu silently asked in his mind.
Among the techniques currently on Yuu's攻略 list, the Binding Seal Formula had a relatively gloomy and reserved personality.
Her characterization was that of a "dark, emotionally unstable girl."
Unlike the Three Basic Techniques and the two Fire Release techniques, she was not particularly lively.
Normally, she rarely appeared voluntarily.
Even when Yuu initiated a [Conversation], most of her replies were extremely brief.
However, Yuu had been攻略ing her for several months and had raised her affection to around fifty.
Their actual relationship was fairly good, so a formal request for assistance like this would normally receive a positive response.
Sure enough—
after "hearing" Yuu's question, she responded following a brief silence.
[Binding Seal Formula: It's only a silencing seal. The formula is crude, barely half-trained—far inferior to the Uzumaki clan's sealing techniques… Just undo it directly.]
[Binding Seal Formula: From now on, I'll tell you what to do. You follow my instructions.]
"Alright."
At once,
under the Binding Seal Formula's guidance, Yuu began working to break the Cursed Tongue Eradication Seal.
~~~
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