Aoki let out a sharp cry and instantly pulled back, his hands moving quickly through seals.
"Fire Style, Great Fireball Jutsu!"
A scorching fireball shot out with a roar, burning every incoming kunai to ash.
The rest of the Uchiha ninja reacted with incredible speed. With the Sharingan active, not a single movement from the enemies went unnoticed.
"Genjutsu, Naraku Vision Jutsu!"
One Uchiha formed seals, instantly trapping two attackers in an illusion, leaving them standing frozen in place.
Four or five Uchiha ninja flung the shuriken in their hands.
Explosive tags ignited in the air. The shuriken hit the ground and detonated at the same moment, blanketing the area in fire and force.
"Lightning Style, Earth Walker!"
In the darkness, the enemies who had been dodging launched their own jutsu. Lightning spread along the ground, forcing the Uchiha to leap into the air to avoid it.
"Lightning Style? Are these people from Kumogakure?"
Aoki's brow creased.
But the battle gave no time for thought.
He issued a cold order.
"Finish this fast!"
The fight instantly reached its peak intensity.
Fire Style and Lightning Style clashed through the night, explosions ringing out without stop.
The Sharingan of the Uchiha Clan gave them exceptional perception, but the enemies were equally well trained and moved with precise coordination.
"Ahh!"
One Uchiha ninja was struck by a Lightning Style technique and fell to the ground with a scream.
"Bastards!"
The killing intent in Aoki's eyes surged.
He pressed his palms together and flew through seals rapidly.
"Fire Style, Dragon Flame Jutsu!"
Raging flames swept forward like an enraged dragon, swallowing three enemies whole.
In the end, at the cost of three lives, the Uchiha squad wiped out every last attacker.
Aoki caught his breath and walked to one of the bodies, pulling off the mask.
"No forehead protector."
He frowned and examined the body. The man's muscles were thick, his skin dark, and Aoki recalled that Lightning Style had been used heavily in the fight.
'Could these be Kumo-nin?'
Aoki couldn't help but wonder.
"Squad leader!"
One of the Uchiha ninja suddenly called out in a low voice.
The Sharingan had caught something unusual in the chakra signatures nearby.
"Over in the direction of the fishing port!"
Aoki's gaze sharpened.
"Bring the fallen brothers with us. We cannot let them die outside the village!"
"Move!"
The group quickly made their way to the fishing port. In a hidden underground storehouse, they finally found their target.
More than thirty survivors of the Uzumaki Clan.
The distinctive hair of the Uzumaki Clan was impossible to mistake.
Among them, most were women, children, and elders. They were huddled in corners, eyes filled with fear and wariness.
"Close your Sharingan!"
Aoki said with a serious expression. In a situation like this, building trust and calming them down was the right approach.
"Yes!"
Everyone nodded and deactivated their Sharingan.
"Everyone, we are ninja from Konoha."
Aoki put away his kunai, his expression fully earnest.
"By order of the… the Hokage, we are here to bring you back to Konoha."
The Uzumaki survivors exchanged uncertain glances. An elderly man among them asked in a trembling voice.
"Are, are you really people from Konoha?"
"We are."
Aoki nodded.
"Your clansman, Lady Mito, and Uzumaki Kushina are both in Konoha. She has been waiting for you all this time."
At the mention of Lady Mito and Kushina's names, a trace of hope finally appeared in their eyes.
But at that very moment.
"Shhk!"
A kunai suddenly drove through the chest of one of the Uchiha from behind!
"What?!"
Aoki's pupils contracted sharply. He spun around and saw a seemingly frail Uzumaki girl gripping a blood-soaked kunai, her eyes cold and empty.
"Something is wrong! That is not an Uzumaki Clan member!"
Aoki shouted fiercely, activating his Sharingan in an instant.
"Transformation Jutsu!"
At almost the exact same moment, several of the supposed Uzumaki survivors lunged forward with lethal intent!
Kunai, shuriken, and explosive tags erupted all at once in the confined space!
"Ahh!"
Three Uchiha ninja were caught completely off guard and collapsed to the ground with severe injuries.
"Protect the Uzumaki Clan!"
Aoki did not forget the mission. He roared out the order.
His Sharingan spun wildly.
"Fire Style, Great Fireball Jutsu!"
A massive scorching fireball flew forward, instantly driving the imposters back.
Both sides fell into a tense standoff.
Aoki scanned the enemies with cold eyes, and suddenly noticed something off.
The way these people fought was nothing like the group from before, and there was something strangely familiar about it.
He thought back to the warning Clan Head Chiya had given earlier, that single word, "Root."
'Root?!'
Aoki said through gritted teeth.
"You are Root?!"
The fake Uzumaki girl let out a cold laugh, tore off her disguise, and revealed a face completely without expression.
"People of the Uchiha Clan should not be interfering in this matter."
"Bastards!"
One Uchiha ninja cursed furiously.
"You would even kill your own people?!"
The Root ninja did not react at all. With mechanical precision, one raised a hand and gave the order.
"Silence them all."
The battle between the Uchiha and Root erupted again!
The Root ninja were utterly ruthless. They did not only target the Uchiha squad. They showed no mercy toward the remaining Uzumaki survivors either.
"Help!"
An elderly Uzumaki woman was stabbed through the shoulder by a kunai and collapsed with a scream.
"These lunatics!"
Aoki's eyes burned with rage as he rushed forward and drove that Root ninja back.
"Protect the Uzumaki Clan and break through!"
The Uchiha ninja quickly formed a defensive formation, placing the Uzumaki survivors at the center.
"Fire Style, Dragon Flame Jutsu!"
"Genjutsu, Shackling Stakes Jutsu!"
"Fire Style, Great Fireball Jutsu!"
Jutsu and genjutsu interwove with shuriken flying in every direction. The Sharingan's perception allowed the Uchiha to barely hold off Root's assault.
But the enemies outnumbered them, and having to split their attention to protect the Uzumaki survivors made the situation grow more desperate with every passing moment.
Yet as their numbers slowly shrank, not a single Uchiha showed any sign of breaking.
If anything, each loss sharpened their resolve.
"Hm? What is that?"
Suddenly, one of the Root ninja's expression shifted.
"Finish this now!"
The assault intensified sharply.
One Root ninja closed in on Aoki from behind, driving a kunai straight toward the center of his back!
"Squad Leader Aoki!"
One of the Uchiha cried out and threw herself forward without hesitation, taking the blow with her own body.
The kunai pierced straight through her back.
"Damn you!"
Aoki erupted in fury. His Sharingan spun with manic speed. The three tomoe looked as if they were on the verge of merging into one.
"Fire Style, Great Fire Annihilation!"
A towering sea of flames surged outward, driving several Root ninja back.
Just as the situation reached its most critical point.
Whoosh, whoosh, whoosh!
More than ten figures leapt out of the forest, sending a storm of kunai raining down on the Root ninja.
The Root ninja looked up in shock.
Aoki caught his breath, and something stirred in his chest.
The overwhelming pressure from his Sharingan receded like a tide pulling back.
He looked toward the arrivals.
"It is the ANBU!"
Leading the ANBU was Kiki, a subordinate of Hatake Sakumo.
He swept his cold gaze across the battlefield, locked onto the Root ninja, and said in an icy voice.
"Kill them."
The balance of the battle shifted in an instant.
With the ANBU joining the fight, the Root ninja were driven back step by step and were ultimately wiped out completely.
When the smoke cleared, the Uchiha squad had taken devastating losses. Only five were still standing.
Even so, most of the Uzumaki survivors had made it through alive.
Kiki walked over to Aoki and said in a low voice.
"This afternoon, Squad Captain Sakumo heard what Uchiha Clan Head said. He figured the Uchiha would likely take action, so he sent me to check on things. I did not expect to actually find you here."
Aoki's eyes were filled with gratitude.
"Thank goodness you arrived in time."
"These Root people have lost their minds, killing even their own!"
But Kiki shook his head.
"Root? What Root? These were nothing but invaders from a foreign village."
Aoki paused, then understood what he meant.
"Understood. I got it."
He then turned to the Uchiha around him.
"Do not forget to bring back the bodies of our clansmen!"
"Yes!"
With those words, the Uchiha began clearing the battlefield.
Aoki looked over at the Uzumaki survivors being kept safe, took a deep breath.
"Let's go. Back to Konoha."
Under the cover of night, the combined Uchiha and ANBU team quietly escorted the Uzumaki survivors and disappeared into the depths of the dense forest.
Far away, on a cliff in the distance.
A Root ninja wearing a mask stood watching everything in silence, then turned and walked away.