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"Not good! It's a fake!"
When the Cloud Ninja realized that the Sarutobi Shinzo they had captured was a fake, they were immediately filled with shock and fury. In an instant, numerous Cloud Ninja began to chase after the fleeing figure.
Elsewhere, with a gentle breeze blowing over, figures of ninjas appeared on both ends of a bridge connected to a cliff.
A masked Uchiha Yoru, wearing sunglasses, meticulously counted the ransom. On the other side of the vermillion bridge, five ninjas from the Sarutobi clan were filled with anger and apprehension. If Shinzo wasn't so important to them, they would have definitely risked a rescue attempt.
Under his sunglasses, the crimson flicker of the Mangekyō Sharingan was briefly visible. At that moment, the ninja checking on the unconscious Shinzo's eyes twitched. This Sarutobi clan ninja was instantly caught in a genjutsu, and after carefully checking and confirming no error, he solemnly nodded.
"It is Lord Shinzo, there is no mistake."
The Sarutobi clan's Jōnin said this to his distant comrades, who then let out a sigh of relief. The most important thing was for Lord Shinzo to return safely.
"Can we make the exchange now?"
The masked Uchiha Yoru asked hoarsely, and the Sarutobi ninja who came to check, warily nodded. Under the watchful eyes of the other party, he slowly started storing all the valuables into a sealing scroll.
The moment he was securing the valuables, the other side swiftly grabbed Shinzo and retreated. At the same time, the other waiting Sarutobi ninjas rushed forward to provide cover.
"Cover Lord Shinzo!"
In the blink of an eye, one side took the valuables, while the other side protected the hostage and retreated. Simultaneously, the other elite members of the Sarutobi clan rapidly moved forward to guard against any threats.
Having secured the valuables, Uchiha Yoru also retreated. As he left, he slowly curved his lips and uttered a single word.
"Explode!"
Suddenly, a rustling sound came from the body of Shinzo, who was under the Sarutobi clan's protection. The protecting ninjas' pupils shrink as they look down and notice an explosive tag inside his garment.
"Quick, get away, this Lord Shinzo is a fake."
This time, a member of the Sarutobi clan sensed something immediately. However, in the midst of a massive explosion and burst of flames, the ninjas from Konoha were filled with rage.
"Chase! We must not let them get away."
As the flare shot up into the sky, elite members of the Sarutobi clan, along with ANBU and ROOT agents, who were already hiding more than ten kilometers away beyond the sensory range, quickly moved towards the direction of the flare.
Boom~
Meanwhile, the sturdy bridge on the cliff exploded, one explosive tag after another igniting in the flames, collapsing the bridge in an instant.
This was just a delay tactic and wasn't enough to stop powerful ninjas.
In the dense forest, a dark figure swiftly moved, with a group of elite Konoha ninjas chasing in a fan-shaped formation far behind.
Interestingly, another group of Cloud Ninja was also pursuing a different figure in the distance.
In the dense jungle, only the sound of ninjas moving swiftly through it can be heard. The rapid jumps and movements of the ninjas stir up gusts of wind, and fleeting shadows pass by, with falling leaves marking their trail.
In the fast-paced chase, the figure of Uchiha Yoru moves extremely quickly, and both sides would have lost to each other long ago if they hadn't been exerting their full effort.
The ninjas from Konoha are filled with anger, "Damn it, catch up, Lord Shinzo must still be in their hands."
"We can't let them get away."
During the frenzied pursuit by a group of elite ninjas from Konoha, suddenly, a sensor ninja from the Anbu changes his expression and issues a warning: "Not good, there are large chakra reactions in the distance, fifteen people, with massive amounts of chakra, especially one whose chakra is of monstrous level, far exceeding that of a normal Jonin."
"Be on guard! The enemy has laid an ambush."
Faced with the sensor ninja's report, the elites of Konoha don't lose their composure; instead, they calmly start to choose their tactical approach. Although the enemy has an ambush, they also have reasons they can't abandon, and their purpose isn't slaughter but to rescue the target.
Similarly, the pursuing squad from Kumogakure also has a sensor ninja, who becomes very solemn upon detecting the presence of the other party and reports to their leader, Killer B.
The same trick deceived Kumogakure, after all, neither side considered the terrifying illusionary abilities of the Mangekyo Sharingan. When they discovered Shinzo was a fake, they immediately started the pursuit.
"Captain, two large squads of ninjas have been spotted ahead. They are forming a fan-shaped encirclement, with thirty-eight people, each with chakra levels exceeding that of an average Chunin..."
With the report, Killer B, usually casual, shows a serious expression and frowns.
Ninja squads are generally composed of four members, including a leader and three members. For larger missions, there are so-called large squads, consisting of seventeen people, a format followed by Konoha's Anbu and other major ninja villages.
Therefore, the thirty-eight enemies could be considered as two large squads. All of them are elites.
In the original story, when Orochimaru defected, Konoha issued an order stating that capturing the S-rank rogue ninja Orochimaru required two Anbu large squads.
This time, the lineup is just as formidable, but Killer B's side is also of high quality, though slightly outnumbered.
"The sensor ninja continues to scout, at the same time, send a signal to the peripheral personnel to prepare for assistance."
"Yes."
Eventually, Killer B decides to take a hard stance initially, as they have lost a huge sum of money in this ordeal and even had their target taken away, which is a big loss.
"Prepare for battle!"
After Killer B shouts, he instantly erupts in a red tailed beast cloak, and his speed dramatically increases. Under the resolute gaze of his team, Killer B wants to see if he can catch up at the last moment.
Both sides believe this is the other's trick.
Uchiha Yoru, rapidly moving ahead, suddenly felt a sense of crisis and reflexively glanced sideways, his pupils shrinking immediately.
He saw that Killer B, in the distance behind him, had already entered Tailed Beast Mode, or more accurately, Semi-Tailed Beast Mode.
His body was enveloped in dark red chakra, with several blood-red tails dancing. At this moment, he was gathering a chakra sphere filled with the aura of death in his mouth.
Tailed Beast Bomb! The first time facing the Tailed Beast Bomb, his body instinctively felt the fear of death, with every hair standing on end, thinking, "I'll die! I can't block it, I'll die!"
In an instant, Uchiha Yoru hurriedly stopped. Under his sunglasses, his Sharingan began to rotate rapidly, ready to use its abilities at the crucial moment.
Boom~ Suddenly, a bright light flashed, the dazzling light turned everything in sight white, followed by a huge roaring sound from behind.
A massive explosion and shockwave swept through like a vast tornado.
Uchiha Yoru, wearing sunglasses, calmly and unnoticeably glanced behind him. The Tailed Beast Bomb had just missed him; its target was not him, but to stop him.
At the same time, the terrifying strike of the Tailed Beast Bomb exerted immense pressure on the distant Konoha Village ninjas. Instantly, the elite ninjas of the Konoha changed their expressions, but remembering their mission, they gritted their teeth and followed.
Amidst the residual blast, his clothes fluttering, Killer B, in Tailed Beast Mode, had already arrived in front of him during the explosion of the Tailed Beast Bomb.
Completely enveloped in the dark red Tailed Beast chakra, without any semblance of a human, he looked entirely like a mini-Tailed Beast, especially with his ominous aura and the overwhelming pressure of his chakra. A cold sweat broke out on Uchiha Yoru's forehead.
At this moment, he seemed to finally understand the pressure Orochimaru felt facing the Nine-Tails at the Tenchi Bridge in the original story, a terrifying presence that threatened his very life.
Especially the terrifying pressure of the Tailed Beast's chakra, which was displayed in full force.
"The next one is aimed at you!"
Killer B, in Tailed Beast Mode, demonstrated the strength of a perfect Jinchuriki under such intense chakra pressure, still maintaining his sanity.
Killer B, cautious, stared at the opponent, while inside him, the Eight-Tails Gyuki also looked fearful, "Be careful, Killer B, this opponent is not simple."
At that moment, the masked Uchiha Yoru deftly threw down a figure, and under the puzzled gaze of the other, he kicked straight over.
"Sarutobi Shinzo, I leave him to you."
At this moment, while Killer B was inspecting the figure, he didn't let down his guard. But just as he confirmed it was correct, Uchiha Yoru, in black, slowly curved the corners of his mouth, showing a mocking look.
"Little octopus, my mission is completed, now it's your turn."
In Killer B's vision, the figure in black suddenly 'poofed' and disappeared, turning out to be a Shadow Clone.
"Aye, Gyuki, was what you just said true?"
After the enemy disappeared, Killer B did not lower his guard; instead, he started conversing with the Eight-Tails inside him. At this moment, the Eight-Tails sealed within him, Gyuki, was filled with a sense of dread and gravity.
"My feelings are not wrong. The sensation from the opponent, though it was only for a moment, indeed had a kind of power that even I feared and dreaded."
The power that made even a Tailed Beast feel apprehension was unheard of for Killer B, who was also filled with gravity, and this incident was very abnormal.
"Retreat!"
Taking Hiruzen Sarutobi's grandson under his arm, he ceased his Tailed Beast transformation and began a rapid retreat.
Boom boom boom~
In the distant treetops, a masked figure calmly watched the forest in the distance that kept booming. Trees were collapsing and flocks of birds flew away in panic. Clearly, the ninjas of Konoha had encountered Killer B from the Hidden Cloud Village, leading to a fierce battle.
"It seems they are still restraining themselves."
Watching the aftermath of the battle, Uchiha Yoru smiled slightly, noting that although the Hidden Cloud Village appeared domineering, they were actually quite cunning.
Upon seeing a group of Konoha ninjas and realizing that he couldn't eliminate all witnesses, he restrained the power of the Tailed Beast. After all, this was now a clash between two nations.
One was the son of the Hokage, and the other was the Jinchuriki from the Hidden Cloud Village. If they recklessly used the power of the Tailed Beasts, Konoha would certainly not hold back.
After all, externally, Konoha was in possession of the strongest Nine-Tails.
…
Konoha Base.
"Lord Yoru."
"It's Lord Yoru."
When Uchiha Yoru returned to the long-absent base, some familiar ninjas greeted him with excited and admiring smiles.
Uchiha Yoru responded with a smile and a nod, and his return quickly spread throughout the camp.
"Yoru."
As Hatake Kakashi came out to greet Uchiha Yoru, their gazes met. In front of many people, Yoru didn't hesitate to smile and speak.
"The mission is complete. The First Hokage's weapon, which has been circulating in the Land of Whirlpools, has been retrieved by Lady Tsunade."
This mission, being a matter of honor, was discussed openly. Upon hearing Uchiha Yoru's announcement, the surrounding Konoha ninjas erupted in excited cheers.
To them, the First Hokage's weapon was more of a symbolic relic, and they were excited to hear about the legendary Sannin, Tsunade.
"Congratulations, Yoru!"
Hatake Kakashi said, trying to suppress his nerves. He knew that with Uchiha Yoru's bright appearance, the issue with Sarutobi Shinzo was probably handled well, but this gave him an inexplicable sense of guilt.
"Konoha Village Jonin Uchiha Yoru reporting the completion of the mission to Commander Sarutobi Shinzo."
Uchiha Yoru, feigning a righteous demeanor, loudly declared this in front of everyone, as if to explain the situation of his mission.
It seemed that although the mission was completed, it was done by the Sannin Tsunade, and not because Uchiha Yoru lacked strength.
The clever ones thought that Uchiha Yoru was using the greater good to pressure Sarutobi Shinzo, bringing up Tsunade's involvement so that no one could hold him accountable.
However, no one thought deeper than that, except Kakashi, who knew everything and was secretly nervous.
"Commander Sarutobi Shinzo is on a secret village mission, so I am in charge of the front line now."
Kakashi pretended to be calm, but some in the crowd showed a look of concern or entertainment.
After all, Uchiha Yoru was previously the commander, and Kakashi his deputy. Now their positions were reversed.
Given the proud nature of the Uchiha clan, trouble might arise.
Indeed, upon hearing this, Uchiha Yoru's smile stiffened. However, seeing the faces of the ninjas who were on Sarutobi Shinzo's side, he forced a strong and calm smile.
"Oh, is that so? My mission is complete. It seems I'll have to wait for the village's orders and then I can rest. Good luck, Kakashi."
To everyone, this was Uchiha Yoru's retort, suggesting his contributions were enough to stabilize the front line, and now he could return to the village, merely delayed by his mission.
Kakashi's position as commander was seen as a result of him being called back to the village, not because he was stronger than Uchiha Yoru.
Some secretly sighed in relief that no confrontation occurred. Uchiha Yoru feigned a smile, reported the mission details to Kakashi, and then headed towards the Uchiha camp.
When they exchanged glances, it seemed to others that a rift had formed between them. However, the two of them silently nodded to each other, understanding each other well.
Indeed, when Kakashi saw Uchiha Yoru's nod, although unclear about what had happened, he knew that Sarutobi Shinzo might not be returning.