On the other side, Uchiha Yasuo was running through the forest carrying Naruto, watching clumps of trees flash past his sides, his heart as calm as still water, without the slightest ripple.
Only the bloodstains on his sleeve indicated that his journey had not been peaceful.
The Land of Fire is the strongest nation today, and Konohagakure is the strongest shinobi village; even within the country, security is tight, with patrols everywhere to prevent enemies from suddenly attacking and reaching the doorstep in one blow.
Although Uchiha Yasuo was intimately familiar with the village's security forces and could easily bypass them, he knew very well that the time window left to him was only a few hours; once Konoha discovered the Nine-Tails' jinchūriki was missing, they would surely give chase.
So to save time, he went straight ahead, not taking a single detour.
As a result, he was bound to run into Konoha's patrols face to face.
Along the way, he had already slaughtered several patrols.
Although the patrols at most were led by a chūnin and were no match for him, they did not fight head-on; instead they used various traps and poison to delay him. The variety of techniques somewhat wasted his time.
Moreover, the Nine-Tails' jinchūriki's regeneration was too strong; from time to time he would suddenly wake up and be noisy and reckless, causing him trouble.
If it weren't not yet the right time, he would have wanted to cut this brat into pieces with a single stroke!
While killing patrols to silence them, he also had to restrain the brat and be careful not to use excessive force and accidentally kill the jinchūriki, releasing the Nine-Tails.
With so many factors entangled, his speed of movement was inevitably affected.
As he was running, Uchiha Yasuo's ears twitched slightly. From the forest to his left came a faint rustling sound, and the weight in his palm suddenly grew heavier—the jinchūriki had started to struggle restlessly again.
"Ah, really now, such a troublesome brat…"
Uchiha Yasuo abruptly stopped, his knuckles striking precisely at Naruto's nape to keep him from suddenly waking during a fight and causing trouble.
Too light, and he'd wake up; too heavy, and the monster would be released—this balance was more perilous than walking a tightrope.
Then, holding Naruto in his left hand, Yasuo formed hand seals with his right, his movements so fast they left afterimages, the light of flame surging in his throat illuminating the killing intent in his eyes.
"Fire Release: Great Fireball Technique!"
A massive fireball spewed from his mouth, twisting the air as it shot toward the forest on the left.
With a thunderous boom, trees splintered and collapsed, flames roared skyward—but six dark figures shot out from the blazing canopy, landing in a line before the forest, completely unscathed.
At the sight of their familiar attire, Yasuo knew his window for safe escape had finally closed.
"Ah, the pursuers have finally caught up!"
"Looks like Konohagakure is as quick to respond as ever!"
Yasuo smirked slightly, his gaze sweeping over them, and from their bearing alone, he discerned their identity.
"So that's how it is! The ones who came aren't ANBU after all—they're Root?"
"As expected, Shimura Danzō really is Sarutobi Hiruzen's true beloved!"
"Even with his own grandson killed, he still trusts him?"
"Would Sarutobi Hiruzen really let Danzō handle even the pursuit of the Nine-Tails' jinchūriki?"
"Or has Shimura Danzō once again suppressed the information and secretly dispatched his men to carry out the mission?"
Faced with Yasuo's words, the five paid him no heed.
Yamanaka Fū and Aburame Ryōma exchanged a glance, then, in perfect tacit understanding, spread into formation and pressed toward Yasuo while shouting: "You're not Hatake Kakashi! Who exactly are you? Which village are you from?"
"By doing this, are you declaring war on Konohagakure?"
"Hehe…" Yasuo let out a strange laugh, formed another hand seal, and with a puff of smoke, his appearance changed again.
The Konoha forehead protector, the Uchiha fan crest, the blood-red eyes, and that familiar face made Yamanaka Fū stop in his tracks, exclaiming in astonishment: "It's you!"
"Uchiha Itachi!"
"Well, is that strange?"
Yasuo put on an expression as lifeless as Itachi's—expressionless, his Sharingan cold as frost, his voice flat and emotionless.
"I have cooperated with Danzo before, I know his character very well, he will surely betray me once I'm no longer useful."
"Danzo cannot be trusted, the Third cannot be trusted, everyone in the village cannot be trusted. The only thing I can rely on is sufficient strength."
"I already have the Mangekyō Sharingan; with the endless chakra of the Nine-Tails added, I will be invincible. Even the village will no longer be able to threaten me."
"Is that reason so hard to guess?"
Damn it!
How could it be Uchiha Itachi?
Yamanaka Fū and Aburame Ryōma exchanged glances, both with brows tightly furrowed.
Itachi was the village's well-known prodigy; the two of them clearly understood how formidable he was, and knew this was not an enemy easily defeated.
But as Root members, even if they lost their lives they had to complete their mission.
Their gazes met, and without a sound they reached an unspoken understanding.
Aburame Ryōma stepped forward a few paces, blocking Yamanaka Fū behind him, made a hand signal, and his two teammates immediately leapt forward, forming hand seals at the same time.
"Fire Release: Great Fireball Technique!"
"Wind Release: Great Breakthrough!"
A spark of fire ignited, then rapidly swelled into a huge fireball; the fire borrowed the wind's momentum and quickly spread, rolling in like a tide toward Yasuo.
The scorching flames roared and rolled through the air; where they passed, vegetation instantly withered and the ground was baked and cracked by the intense heat.
The heat wave produced by the combined ninjutsu began to warp and distort distant objects, as if the entire space itself were burning.
But Yasuo merely curled his lip disdainfully. "Hah, boring little tricks."
As the Uchiha clan most skilled with Fire Release, he knew well that most of the time Fire Release was used to obscure the enemy's vision, conceal traces, or force enemy movement and control the battle rhythm—not for direct damage.
He had no interest in trading blows with a few people here; the urgent task was to quickly end the fight and get into the Land of Rain.
Otherwise, Konoha's pursuers were endless, coming one after another, and could easily wear him down to death within Konoha's borders.
So Yasuo did not dodge at all, but quickly formed hand seals as well, returning fire in kind.
"Fire Release: Great Dragon Fire Technique!"
A fire dragon roared out from his mouth, colliding head-on with the oncoming wind–fire combined ninjutsu.
The same ninjutsu, when performed by different people, could yield results worlds apart.
If Uchiha Yasuo were still just that ordinary jōnin, this ninjutsu clash would have crushed him completely.
But now he possessed the Mangekyō; with powerful chakra reinforcing him, the might of his Fire Release had multiplied many times over.
The fire dragon and the fireball only contended for a brief moment before the former swiftly overwhelmed the latter.
The crimson fire dragon, after devouring the combined wind–fire ninjutsu, swelled several times in size. The flames that had filled the sky now became entirely Yasuo's aid, their scorching heat distorting the very air around him.
The raging torrent of fire surged forward like a tidal wave, sweeping over the Root members; the ground cracked, rocks melted, and the searing air currents lifted layers of scorched earth, devouring everything in their path.
The forest where they had been hiding moments ago ignited in an instant, crackling and bursting apart as sparks flew like meteors.
The night sky was dyed a deep crimson; billowing smoke rose like a ferocious beast into the heavens—flames filling the sky, black smoke spreading everywhere.
The heat made even the air itself burn, forming a suffocating inferno.
Yet Uchiha Yasuo did not grow careless; his eyes, now fully opened into three tomoe, scanned rapidly across the sea of fire.
Fire Release of this level could not kill jōnin.
Sure enough, a sharp shout came from within the blaze.
"Wind Release: Tornado Technique!"
A massive whirlwind suddenly burst from the center of the flames; fierce wind and fire chakra clashed violently with a deafening explosion. The swirling air currents forcibly tore open a gap in the flames, carving out a passage through the inferno.
Moments later, six figures flashed out from the firestorm. Aside from their singed ninja uniforms and somewhat disheveled appearance, they bore no real injuries.
Now!
Uchiha Yasuo tapped the ground beneath his feet, his body shooting forward like lightning, leaving trails of heat in his wake as he charged straight toward Aburame Ryōma at the front.
In this fire-filled environment, insects were most heavily suppressed; seizing this opportunity to eliminate him first was the best strategy.