In a clearing within the forest, after an intense battle, Kakuzu and the Uchiha group pulled back, panting heavily as they kept a close watch on each other's movements.
Neither had ever faced such formidable opponents before, and both were hesitant to continue the fight. Continuing might cost them their lives, but leaving now would mean all the energy and chakra they had expended would be wasted.
As they were locked in a standoff, a sudden sound drew their attention.
An old ninja and a young ninja appeared before them, walking slowly to the center of the clearing, both wearing eerie smiles.
Damn it, another party is involved! Both Kakuzu and the Uchiha clan were alarmed, but their chakra reserves were too low to sustain high-intensity combat unless they chose to risk their lives.
Struggling to their feet, Kakuzu and the Uchiha raised their kunai, deciding to take the initiative.
Byakuya glanced at the Uchiha and then at Kakuzu in the distance before turning to Hanzo, "Sensei, you take care of Kakuzu. He should have about three lives left. Don't mess up."
"Hmph, I don't need you to remind me." Feeling underestimated, Hanzo snorted and walked towards Kakuzu.
Even if Kakuzu was at his peak, he wouldn't be a match for Hanzo. Though Kakuzu couldn't die from injuries, Hanzo's scythe was not something to be underestimated.
With Kakuzu left to Hanzo, Byakuya walked towards Shisui and the other Uchiha.
The Uchiha, with their red eyes, stared intently at Byakuya. He looked young and harmless, quit easy to beat up. But sending a boy to fight them seemed to underestimate the Uchiha too much.
One of the Uchiha captains, other than Shisui, did not waste any words and immediately activated his Sharingan genjutsu.
Byakuya did not evade the genjutsu, choosing instead to face it head-on.
Seeing Byakuya not avoiding his gaze but looking directly at him, the Uchiha captain smiled.
Courageous enough to look into the eyes of an Uchiha, this kid had guts.
Did his elders not teach him the terror of the Sharingan? It's time to show him the harsh reality of the ninja world and the sorrow of not having the Sharingan.
However, the next moment, Byakuya continued walking towards the Uchiha, showing no signs of being affected by the genjutsu.
Seeing this, the Uchiha captain's eyes widened before he cast the Sharingan genjutsu again, only to have it fail once more.
Byakuya smoothly reached the Uchiha ninja's side and smiled, "Why aren't you using the genjutsu anymore? You can increase its intensity."
"This is impossible! This is impossible!" The Uchiha captain was shocked. He couldn't believe someone could ignore the Sharingan genjutsu.
"Your perspective is too narrow. The Sharingan is not invincible."
Byakuya paused and then continued, "The essence of genjutsu is to disrupt the five senses by influencing chakra. As long as my chakra is strong enough, you can't affect me."
This was indeed the case. The Uchiha could use the Sharingan to beat up ordinary ninjas because ordinary ninjas had inferior chakra reserves, physical attributes, and genjutsu defenses compared to those with bloodline limits. When facing a truly strong opponent, the Sharingan's effectiveness diminishes. Of course, the Mangekyou Sharingan is an exception.
At this moment, Shisui, who had been silent for a long time, also activated his Sharingan genjutsu. Sensing the chakra fluctuation, Byakuya noticed Shisui. Unlike with the other Uchiha, Byakuya did not dare to underestimate Shisui and chose to temporarily avoid direct confrontation.
Ordinary Uchiha were just that—ordinary. Shisui, however, was anything but ordinary. Although Shisui had not used the Mangekyou Sharingan in battle, it was better to be cautious. It was also uncertain if he had awakened it at this point.
After subduing the only two Jōnin, Byakuya approached the rest of the Uchiha. Forming hand seals, he slammed his palms to the ground and shouted, "Summoning Jutsu!"
As the smoke cleared, a giant salamander appeared. Byakuya stood on top of the salamander's head and commanded it to release toxic gas. He then channeled his chakra and used the Adamantine Sealing Chains.
The Uchiha tried to resist but failed each time. Their fire-style jutsu was drowned out by Byakuya's water-style jutsu. When they used taijutsu, Byakuya effortlessly evaded, even hiding explosive tags among his clones, catching them off guard.
Even Shisui, after his slash was dodged by Byakuya's water body flicker technique, could only narrowly avoid the venomous chains of the Adamantine Sealing Chains while watching his clan members get captured.
After retreating several dozen meters, Shisui crouched on a treetop, both shocked and angry. He did not understand why Byakuya was attacking the Uchiha, but he recognized the salamander and the sealing techniques from Konoha.
The salamander was Hanzo the Salamander's summon. How could it be in the hands of a ninja using Konoha's sealing techniques? Could it be that encountering the bounty hunter Kakuzu wasn't a coincidence but part of an organized, planned conspiracy? Was the village working with outsiders to target the Uchiha?
Shisui wasn't brave enough to delve further into these thoughts, nor did he have the time. Apart from himself, all the other clan members who acted with him had been captured. Even his situation was precarious. He had to choose between fleeing or fighting desperately.
After a moment of contemplation, Shisui chose the latter option. He couldn't abandon his clan members and flee alone, even though the odds were not in his favor.
While Shisui was deep in thought, Byakuya, using a mayfly technique, appeared beside him and said impassively, "Stop struggling. You've been poisoned too. You won't get far. If I really wanted to kill you all, I wouldn't have summoned the salamander."
Upon hearing Byakuya confirm the identity of the salamander, Shisui was shaken and momentarily let his guard down. Byakuya seized this opportunity, pulling out a black rod and stabbing it into Shisui, then using a sealing technique to restrict his movements.
With his actions restricted, Shisui completely lost the ability to resist and was taken back to the clearing in the forest. After tying Shisui with some vines, Byakuya threw him among the other Uchiha.
Seeing Shisui's capture, the remaining Uchiha ninjas lost hope of escaping and started cursing, "Damn it, even Shisui got captured. How can this brat be so strong? Where the hell did he come from?"
Byakuya glanced at the cursing Uchiha ninja and said calmly, "Fifty thousand ryo."
The Uchiha ninja looked confused and asked angrily, "What fifty thousand ryo? What are you talking about, kid?"
"One hundred thousand ryo. Feel free to keep cursing..." Byakuya said leisurely. He didn't care about others' insults, as long as they paid. If necessary, he could even sell them to the black market.
Seeing this, Shisui thought there might be a chance for a turnaround and inched forward a few steps.