At that moment, Uchiha Tunan, positioned in the corner of the courtyard, could clearly see the dense clusters of chakra-infused insects surging toward him. His Sharingan's enhanced dynamic vision and Byakugan's penetrating insight allowed him to track every movement with precision.
Just as the insects were about to swarm his feet, he swiftly maneuvered along the courtyard, avoiding the encroaching swarm while hurling kunai toward Yamanaka Ryosuke.
With graceful agility, Ryosuke dodged the kunai effortlessly.
This kid is troublesome, but it's all going according to plan.
A flicker of satisfaction crossed Ryosuke's concealed face as he silently completed a hand seal.
Unbeknownst to Uchiha Tunan, Ryosuke had already deployed a secondary ambush, a squad of kikaichū hidden in the shadows of the surrounding buildings. As soon as Tunan moved forward, they would launch a synchronized assault, trapping him from both sides.
Step.
Uchiha Tunan's foot touched the ground.
Now!
Yamanaka Ryosuke's hands formed the final seal.
Secret Technique: Insect Sphere!
"Agh!"
Uchiha Tunan let out a startled cry as the insect tide engulfed him.
Following Ryosuke's command, the kikaichū began to drain Tunan's chakra at an alarming rate.
Within moments, Uchiha Tunan collapsed motionless.
Ryosuke swiftly used his Insect Clone Technique to teleport next to the fallen Uchiha, recalling his insects after completing their task.
I must move quickly.
He prepared to render Tunan unconscious for transport. Capturing the target alive meant a higher evaluation. A true Root operative executes missions flawlessly.
As Ryosuke raised his hand—
Suddenly, his kikaichū sent a distress signal.
Illusion!
Breaking free of the genjutsu in an instant, Ryosuke's gaze snapped back to the ground—
Uchiha Tunan's body had vanished.
In its place lay a wooden decoy.
A substitution? No… a wood clone!
Ryosuke's eyes scanned the courtyard, hyper-alert. The surroundings were eerily silent.
Then—
A dark shadow flickered across the ground.
Ryosuke's instincts screamed danger, and his head snapped upward—
Against the backdrop of the full moon, Uchiha Tunan stood on the roof, his silhouette framed by cold silver light.
The glow obscured his face, but the scarlet gleam of his three-tomoe Sharingan burned unmistakably in the darkness.
Several black crows perched on his shoulders—each with identical red eyes.
A chill ran through Ryosuke's spine.
Genjutsu…? No—this is something else.
Uchiha Tunan's voice carried through the night, calm and commanding:
"In your next life, choose your enemies wisely."
Raising his left hand, he swiftly formed seals with his right.
The moment his left hand moved—
A faint shimmer coursed through the courtyard.
What is that?!
For the first time, genuine shock flashed beneath Ryosuke's mask.
Fire Release: Phoenix Sage Fire Technique!
Fwoosh!
A fiery serpent raced along nearly invisible chakra wires, crisscrossing the courtyard in an intricate web.
During their skirmish, Tunan had covertly embedded chakra-infused metal wires throughout the battlefield using his Wind Demon Shuriken and kunai.
Now, those wires became conduits for raging fire.
Ryosuke was ensnared. A trapped insect on a spider's web.
Damn it!
Desperate, Ryosuke abandoned his kikaichū technique and sprinted toward an unburned section of the courtyard.
I won't die here.
But even if he escaped the flames, the mission was already a failure. The Uchiha Clan was bound to notice.
And in Root—failure meant death.
I must still complete the mission.
From a nearby rooftop, Aburame Shihei observed the unfolding disaster, the inferno reflected in his goggles.
"It's over."
He sighed.
Even if Ryosuke somehow escaped, Danzo's Cursed Tongue Eradication Seal would ensure he never spoke again.
The mission was designed for failure.
Root operatives were disposable. Ryosuke had never truly existed in their records.
And once his job was done, his fate was sealed.
---
Meanwhile, deeper within the Uchiha district—
A contingent of Uchiha elites, led by Fugaku Uchiha and the clan elder, surged toward the flames.
"The hell is going on?!" Fugaku scowled.
The elder's expression darkened.
Leaving Uchiha Tunan on the outskirts was a mistake.
---
Back in the courtyard, Ryosuke was inches from breaking free of the fire net.
His masked eyes glinted with deadly resolve.
If I can just escape—
Then, it happened.
His foot landed on something unnatural.
No solid ground. No courtyard tiles.
A trap!
The earth beneath him gave way.
Ryosuke instinctively activated his Insect Clone Technique, but—
Too late.
---
Uchiha Tunan's lips curled into a faint smirk.
"Checkmate."
He pulled the chakra wire in his left hand—
Simultaneously, he launched kunai from his right.
The kunai struck the suspended Wind Demon Shuriken still connected to the wires, redirecting them with renewed momentum.
Ryosuke plummeted.
Above him—
The chakra-metal fire net collapsed, converging upon his position.
Tzzzt—!
Lightning Release: Thunder Binding!
Bolts of electricity arced through the flaming web, crackling with paralyzing force.
Ryosuke's kikaichū reacted too late.
If they tried to scatter, they would conduct the electricity among themselves, accelerating their own demise.
His body plunged into the trap.
---
SPLASH!
A sickening realization dawned—
This isn't water…
It was oil.
Pure, highly flammable ninja oil.
And above him, the burning net descended.
This is bad.
Even if he used his kikaichū, they would be soaked in oil.
If they tried to escape—
Fire. Electricity. Explosion.
---
Zzzt… Crackle…
The chakra-infused flames licked the edges of the pit.
In a final, desperate act, Ryosuke reached for his kunai—
But at that moment—
The detonation tags lining the pit's walls ignited.
BOOM!
A blinding pillar of fire and lightning erupted skyward, consuming the entire trap.
The explosion's shockwave rippled through Konoha.
Most of the village witnessed the inferno.
---
Uchiha Tunan watched calmly from the rooftop.
His Sharingan spun as he surveyed the battlefield.
The flames reflected in his eyes.
There was no escape.
For Yamanaka Ryosuke, this was the end.