"There's an Akatsuki patrol ahead. Be careful."
Ōnoki warned Fugaku and the others after they avoided a few Akatsuki ninja patrolling the border.
"Understood."
A few Iwa ninja followed behind Ōnoki, softening their steps and hiding behind thick trunks.
Once the Akatsuki patrol passed, they resumed moving forward.
No sooner had they taken a few steps than one of the Iwa ninja suddenly felt his foot give way as he crushed a rotten tree trunk.
If not for his quick reflexes, he would have plummeted from the treetops.
"What happened? Be more careful."
Ōnoki frowned, clearly irritated.
The people he personally selected shouldn't have made such a mistake.
"Sorry, I stepped on a rotten log."
"I'll be more careful."
The mortified ninja bowed his head, stabilizing the chakra underfoot once again.
"Hmph~"
Ōnoki snorted coldly but said nothing else, unaware this small accident had already caught Fugaku's attention.
"There's someone following us from behind."
Fugaku immediately noticed the sudden imbalance in chakra from that Iwa ninja just now.
He kept moving at the same pace, acting normally, quietly informing only the two men at his side.
"It should be those Iwa ninja."
"Clan Leader, should we change our route?"
The two Uchiha ninja didn't even turn their heads, acting as if nothing had happened.
"We shouldn't be too far from the Four-Tails' Jinchūriki now."
"Changing routes now would waste time."
"We'll shake them off first. We'll just create a time gap."
Fugaku thought briefly before making a decision. He was confident he could handle Rōshi swiftly and efficiently.
"Understood."
Both men nodded in agreement, never questioning Fugaku's judgment.
The three continued moving forward steadily. After passing an especially thick tree trunk, they vanished entirely from the Iwa ninja's view.
"We've lost visual contact."
Concerned, Ōnoki quickened his pace instinctively.
He couldn't afford to lose track of them at such a critical moment.
As they drew near the massive tree, Fugaku and his men came back into view.
"Good, it was just visual interference."
Ōnoki relaxed slightly and slowed down again.
"We're still far enough away. It's unlikely we'd be discovered."
One of the Iwa ninja secretly believed Ōnoki was overreacting, though he dared only think it.
"Better safe than sorry."
"Keep quiet."
Ōnoki didn't bother explaining further. The group quickly followed Fugaku past the thick tree trunk.
As they moved farther away, three figures emerged from within the seemingly hollow trunk.
It was indeed Fugaku and his two loyal subordinates.
"So Ōnoki himself came leading the team."
Watching the direction where Ōnoki and his group had vanished, Fugaku allowed a knowing smile to form on his lips.
"Just as you expected."
Though it sounded slightly like flattery, Fugaku found himself quite pleased with the remark.
"You're getting better at flattery."
"Let's go."
A noticeable smirk curled across Fugaku's lips. Without delay, he led the two men in a different direction.
It turned out Ōnoki and the others had been chasing nothing but a Shadow Clone of Fugaku and his group.
Meanwhile, unaware that he was drifting further and further away from Rōshi, Ōnoki continued charging forward blindly.
Time passed steadily. Finally, Fugaku located a Hyūga ninja who had been tracking Rōshi.
"Where is he?"
Fugaku approached the Hyūga ninja and cut straight to the point.
"Near the small waterfall ahead."
The Hyūga's face had gone slightly pale from keeping the Byakugan active for so long.
"Rest for now. The rest is on me."
Fugaku clapped the man on the shoulder—though he couldn't see it himself, he had no doubts about the accuracy of the Byakugan.
"Yes, Lord Fugaku."
Hearing Fugaku's words, the Hyūga immediately deactivated his Byakugan and pulled out a *Military Rations Pill* from his tool pouch, swallowing it without hesitation.
Moments later, the two Uchiha and the Hyūga fanned out separately, watching carefully for any disturbance nearby.
No longer masking his presence, Fugaku slowly walked toward the small waterfall.
As the distance between him and the waterfall shortened, Rōshi finally caught a disturbance.
"Who's there?"
He shot upright from where he sat, his face tensed with alertness as he stared toward Fugaku's direction.
"The one here to kill you."
Fugaku's voice entered Rōshi's ears, and his silhouette soon appeared within Rōshi's vision.
"Could it be you?!"
Rōshi's eyes widened instantly—how could he not recognize the man who'd always sought his life?
"That's right."
"Today, our grudge ends."
Fugaku didn't stop advancing. As he moved forward, his originally black pupils transformed into the Three-Tomoe Sharingan.
"Heh~ Then let me see if your skills have improved at all."
Rōshi knew full well that words wouldn't resolve their hatred.
Such hatred could only be cleansed with blood.
He still vaguely remembered those years when he was seriously injured by those black flames. His heart wasn't as hardened as his words implied.
His gaze toward Fugaku grew sharper.
"That should be what I say instead."
"If you haven't improved, don't blame me if I show no mercy."
"Oh, wait."
"Even if you've gotten better, you're still dying here today."
Fugaku's mocking tone completely enraged Rōshi, and that smirking expression on his face made him lose control entirely.
"Tch!"
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He clearly didn't take him seriously at all.
"Die."
With a furious roar, a torrent of chakra erupted from within his body, enveloping Rōshi entirely in Tailed Beast chakra.
He had directly entered his half-Tailed Beast form.
Fortunately, despite his rage, he still held onto a sliver of reason, careful not to meet Fugaku's gaze directly.
He had heard of the Sharingan's powerful genjutsu techniques.
With immense force, his limbs pushed off the ground, leaving deep cracks in the earth as Rōshi launched himself fiercely toward Fugaku.
"Your movements are still too slow."
Fugaku kept his composure, shaking his head with disdain.
Facing Rōshi's fierce attack, he merely shifted his feet slightly and effortlessly evaded every strike.
The Three-tomoe Sharingan granted him extraordinary perception, allowing him to predict every movement of Rōshi in advance. He had complete control over each of Rōshi's attacks.
"Is this the power of the Sharingan, one of the Three Great Dōjutsu?"
Rōshi stopped his assault and fixed his gaze tightly on Fugaku in the distance, his eyes betraying not a trace of discouragement.
"What you saw was merely the tip of the iceberg."
My turn.
Fugaku calmly removed the seal from his wrist guard and took firm hold of the armored war fan and scythe.
These powerful weapons, passed down through generations of the Uchiha clan, were about to reveal their full might before Rōshi.
As soon as he finished speaking, he charged straight at the half-Tailed Beast-form Rōshi.
Like I'd ever fear you?
Rōshi also rushed head-on toward the fearsome Fugaku.
The Three-tomoe Sharingan spun wildly in Fugaku's eyes, its crimson light resembling flickering flames.
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