Boom— Another loud explosion echoed.
The residual force of the Rasengan blasted a massive crater into the trunk of a towering tree behind them, shaking loose chunks of bark. The elite Sand Jonin slumped like a ragdoll, sliding down the trunk before collapsing to the ground.
Umino Yoru activated Wind Breathing and flashed forward in an instant, his right hand clamping like an iron vise around the Sand Jonin's jaw. With precision, he dislocated the man's temporomandibular joint—preventing him from biting down on a suicide poison pill.
"Water Style: Starch Syrup Capture!"
"Water Style: Starch Syrup Capture!"
Two shadow clones cast the binding technique again, ensnaring the Sand Jonin in sticky syrup-like ropes.
The elite ninja, already on the brink of death after taking a direct Rasengan hit, was barely clinging to life.
Umino Yoru quickly formed hand signs and performed a medical ninjutsu.
"Water Healing Technique!"
A faint green, watery sphere emerged from his hands, encasing the Sand Jonin and barely sustaining his flickering life force.
"Shun, are you alright?"
Yoru turned to Uchiha Shun, whose eyes were bloodshot, the three-tomoe Sharingan now faded. The forbidden (imprisonment genjutsu) he had used must have taken a heavy toll.
"Lord Yoru, I'm fine. I can still cast genjutsu."
"Hn." Yoru neither agreed nor disagreed.
Shun reactivated his three-tomoe Sharingan, locking eyes with the dying Sand ninja as he unleashed an interrogation genjutsu.
Even near death, an elite Jonin's will was formidable. Extracting information through genjutsu was no easy feat.
But under Shun's relentless mental assault, the Sand ninja finally broke—disclosing critical intel before his shattered organs gave out completely.
"As expected, Shimura Danzō can't be relied on."
Yoru shook his head, unable to hide his disappointment.
Despite outnumbering the Sand forces four to one, Danzō's assault on the River Country defense line had failed miserably. Had it not been for Akimichi Torifu swallowing a three-colored pill at the last moment and unleashing an overwhelming burst of strength, the entire unit might have been wiped out.
The Sand forces had dared to divert their main army to hunt down the Uchiha Battalion and Umino's Unit because they had a strategic weapon—poison gas bombs.
Additionally, the One-Tail's Jinchūriki, though not directly engaging, had served as a deterrent.
The result? Danzō's main force was caught completely off guard.
The Sand's poison gas bombs, used in traps and defensive formations, were devastating—especially when deployed for the first time.
Lady Chiyo's expertise in toxins, combined with the Wind Country's abundance of poisons, made the gas bombs a nightmare. Had Tsunade been on the frontlines, summoning Katsuyu might have mitigated the damage—but Danzō had no such ability.
Thankfully, the One-Tail's Jinchūriki hadn't fully intervened. Otherwise, even Torifu's Red Pepper Pill wouldn't have saved them from annihilation.
After repelling Danzō's forces, the Sand didn't pursue. Instead, they tightened their defenses and focused entirely on eliminating the Uchiha Battalion and Umino's Unit behind enemy lines.
By now, the Uchiha Battalion had been completely routed, and the eastern Shinano Forest mountain pass was firmly under Sand control.
The surviving Uchiha had scattered, breaking into smaller groups to evade pursuit. Only a handful of elites would attempt crossing the towering eastern mountains—their survival left to chance.
"Just as I thought."
Though Yoru hadn't anticipated the poison gas bombs, the overall battle's trajectory matched his predictions.
The Uchiha's fate? Exactly as he foresaw.
He even suspected that even if some Uchiha elites made it back to the Shinano Plains, Danzō would be waiting with his sickle.
Every awakened Sharingan was registered with both the Uchiha clan and Konoha. Unless harvested secretly during war, obtaining them was nearly impossible.
Danzō's current stock of Sharingan? Likely stolen from fallen Uchiha in past wars.
That bandaged right eye of his? Probably belonged to his former teammate—Uchiha Kagami.
"Shun, your three-tomoe Sharingan… is extraordinary."
Yoru was genuinely impressed. Shun's genjutsu prowess was strong enough to interrogate an elite Jonin.
After some discussion, Yoru learned the truth:
Uchiha Shun was Kagami's posthumous son.
Kagami had died in Konoha Year 16 (during the First Shinobi World War) at just 25 years old.
After that, the Uchiha clan's ties with the Hokage's faction frayed. Shun, growing up fatherless, struggled within the clan—but thanks to Kagami's legacy, he survived to adulthood, married early, and even had a son last year.
"Shun, don't worry. We will make it back. I still plan to be your son's sensei, after all."
"You'd better keep your word, Lord Yoru."
"Of course."
Yoru gave his full assurance. Among Konoha's current generation, only Uchiha Shisui, Hatake Kakashi, and Might Guy stood out as elite fighters. Taking on a prodigy as a student? A rare opportunity.
Once Shun had recovered, Yoru resumed clearing the forest of Sand pursuers and their summoned falcons.
Especially those falcons—they had to be exterminated completely.
After half a day of tense maneuvering, every scout and summoned bird within several dozen kilometers had been eliminated.
Without their aerial reconnaissance, the Sand pursuit unit lost all effective tracking capabilities.
They tried sending more scouts and falcons—but none returned. Eventually, they gave up the futile effort.
However, after crushing Danzō's main force and dismantling the Uchiha Battalion, the Sand had redirected overwhelming numbers toward Umino's Unit.
The situation was becoming a death trap.
Even without precise intel, the Sand could still predict the general escape route.
And with so many Genin in Umino's Unit, their pace was slow. If not for River Country's dense forests and rugged terrain, they would've been overtaken long ago.
"We need to strike hard—break their momentum. If we keep running, they will catch us."
Riding atop his giant white summon ("Big White"), Yoru meditated, absorbing intel from his shadow clones.
The Sand's pursuit speed meant they'd catch up within a day.
And further south, the terrain would open up—fewer forests, fewer rivers.
A terrible battleground for a retreat.
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