"Kyu, use every means at your disposal to kill the person before you, or you will be the one to die today."
After saying this, Danzo fell silent, merely watching the imminent life-and-death battle unfold before him with a calm demeanor. His placid attitude made it seem like he was asking you to perform a trivial, insignificant task.
[As expected. Ever since arriving in the Naruto world, I've been mentally preparing myself for the possibility of killing. But I really have to thank Danzo for this; it helps minimize my psychological burden.]
Looking at the familiar build and face before her, Amane sneered inwardly while simultaneously planning her next moves.
It's probably best to start by feigning confusion and helplessness.
Her grip on the Kunai trembled slightly, and her rapid, shallow breaths were clearly audible to both Yue and Danzo on the field.
Danzo's expression remained impassive, but inwardly, he felt a surge of pleasure. He was extremely satisfied with Amane's current performance. It was the exhilarating feeling of having someone completely under his control—this was why power and schemes were so intoxicating.
Meanwhile, Yue, wearing Kushina's face, stared at her expressionlessly, drawing the short sword from her waist as if she had never met Amane before, radiating an aura of cold-blooded intent.
"Understood..."
After saying this, Amane took several deep breaths. The trembling in her body ceased immediately, as if she had fully immersed herself in the impending battle.
Instantly, the sound of countless clashing metals filled the air densely.
These were the numerous sealing scrolls Amane had released! Each scroll contained a multitude of Ninja tools, and among the thrown weapons were more sealing scrolls. Not only did this make the attacks more concentrated, but it also allowed her to retrieve, seal, and then re-release some of the weapons for another attack!
Danzo couldn't help but feel even more satisfied.
It wasn't because of Amane's practical application of Sealing Jutsu in combat, but rather her instinct—the ability to rapidly adjust her mindset after a moment of inner turmoil and immediately spring into action!
He had originally thought that if Amane couldn't fight normally, he would use genjutsu to control her. But now, it seemed the Fourth's daughter was practically born to join his Root organization.
"Wind Release: Breakthrough!"
Facing the relentless barrage of Ninja tools, Yue immediately used Ninjutsu to counter. Clearly, her level of seriousness was completely different from half a year ago. A powerful gust of wind pressure, capable of crushing everything in its path, slammed directly into Amane.
But in response, there was only a 'poof' of white smoke.
This time, Yue didn't remain cautiously still like before. Instead, she quickly formed hand seals again, intending to use a larger-scale Ninjutsu to force Amane out.
Logically, Amane should have revealed herself at this point, using the Body Flicker Technique to close the distance, or continued to retrieve the thrown weapons for long-range harassment. But even after Yue completed her hand seals, Amane remained as if she had vanished, with not a single sign of movement.
And this time, the Ninjutsu was the Uchiha clan's signature technique: Great Fireball Technique, its range covering the entire area where they had previously clashed!
Yet, after the flames swept through, there wasn't even a hint of white smoke to be seen.
Yue, wearing Kushina's face, couldn't help but feel puzzled, and her expression visibly grew anxious. She couldn't help but steal a glance at Danzo's utterly unmoved, ice-cold face. The rising fear within her made her hurriedly refocus her attention.
Yue began to carefully recall the details of the battle. No matter how you looked at it, a child just four and a half years old only knew a handful of techniques. It couldn't be anything more than the Transformation Jutsu. Could the Sealing Jutsu she had learned in the past six months really make Amane invisible?
But why was there no reaction at all after the flames swept through? Yue immediately remembered the initial stage of the battle, when Ninja tools were flying everywhere.
If Amane had secretly transformed her real body into a Kunai or shuriken during that chaos and thrown it into a hidden corner far from the battlefield, it would make perfect sense.
[Although I'm not a Sensing Ninja, I'm not foolish enough to fall for the same trick twice. During that initial chaos of flying tools, she definitely didn't pull any stunts.]
Yue trusted her own eyesight on this point.
In that case!
Without hesitation, Yue immediately began forming hand seals again. Unfortunately, this time, she was interrupted by a sudden flash of red light striking her face.
[So she didn't hide at all just now! She used a sealing scroll to absorb part of the Great Fireball's power, then hid with the Transformation Jutsu, waiting for an opportunity to use my own technique against me!]
She hadn't expected Amane to reach this level in just six short months, but Yue remained calm.
Although her Great Fireball had been countered, its power was less than a third of the original and could be easily dodged without even needing to use Chakra to speed up.
Yue's previously anxious expression grew calm, even beginning to show a hint of smugness. She had seen through Amane's intention.
She immediately turned around and, sure enough, saw Amane's figure preparing to attack her.
[Still just a kid after all. Specifically using a sealed Ninjutsu counterattack to create a smokescreen, then using the Body Flicker Technique to attack from behind. I have to admit, her Body Flicker Technique is quite good.]
A mocking smile curled at the corner of Yue's mouth as she kicked out—only to hit empty air. At the same time, a small hand touched her from behind.
[The one in front is an ordinary clone, the real attack is from the Shadow Clone behind!]
Yue was inwardly shocked.
Ordinary clones are extremely easy for Sensing Ninjas to see through, and they are merely illusory decoys. With the existence of the superior Shadow Clone Jutsu, which can actually cause damage, many Ninjas treat ordinary clones as a transitional phase and stop using them altogether.
Yue hadn't expected Amane to take advantage of the fact that she wasn't a Sensing Ninja, combining it with the ordinary clone's lack of physical form to make her kick pass through empty air, successfully causing her posture to collapse and leaving her open to attack!
[Resourceful. Truly worthy of being that man's child.]
Danzo nodded inwardly. This feint attack utilizing the ordinary clone's lack of physical substance, while not very useful in high-level battles, fully demonstrated Amane's talent for applying Ninjutsu.
He couldn't help but feel even more confident that Amane could learn that technique.
[It's about time for the real assessment to begin. Uzumaki Amane, can you truly become the ideal pawn in my hand?]
At this moment, Amane approached Yue, whose movements were now sealed. Holding a Kunai, she seemed poised to finish off the person on the ground.
"Wait! I am your..."
Before Yue could finish her sentence, Amane slit her throat. Then, after two or three seconds, this Amane turned into a puff of white mist and dissipated. Another Amane walked out from the side, approached Danzo, and knelt on one knee.
"Lord Danzo, mission accomplished."
The entire process was seamless and fluid. Using a Shadow Clone to complete the task further highlighted Amane's cautious nature.
[Although there was a moment of hesitation, the execution was still very decisive.]
Danzo didn't miss a single instant of the action. When Amane slit Yue's throat, there seemed to be a fleeting sense of hesitation, as if she had to mentally push herself to commit.
"Kyu, what did you feel when you saw Yue wearing that face?"
Danzo asked.
"It was strange. I felt very concerned."
"So, you didn't use the Kunai to pierce Yue's heart from behind, but instead used a Sealing Jutsu to restrain her movements?"
"No. It's because I was confident I could restrain her with Sealing Jutsu. If Yue had been a Shadow Clone, I could have counterattacked."
"..."
Danzo fell silent for a moment, but soon gave a slight nod.
Growing up in an environment that restricted social interaction and emotional development, even if her heart instinctively felt something, she would subconsciously ignore it and prioritize the teachings of Root. This was precisely why Danzo had captured Amane in her infancy to raise her.
[It seems Amane is ready to be deployed.]
Thinking this, Danzo couldn't help but feel he should have taught Amane the Multiple Shadow Clone Jutsu earlier. With the Uzumaki Clan's vast Chakra reserves and physical stamina, she could certainly withstand it and use it as a foundation for rapid growth.
This would add another layer of success to his plan to assassinate the Third Hokage.
If nothing else, as long as he handled it properly and revealed Amane's identity to Kakashi in a suitable manner, Danzo was confident he could make this man who had lost everything obediently become a sharp blade in his hand.
And as long as Amane mastered the Uzumaki Clan's Adamantine Sealing Chains, then the Third's so-called'strongest summon' would be nothing more than an ordinary monkey.
Unfortunately, these were all 'what-ifs' for now. Moreover, being only four and a half years old, it was unknown whether she could even sustain the Adamantine Sealing Chains.
[The next step: have Orochimaru transplant Hashirama cells into her? Or, for the sake of stability, have her delve deeper into Sealing Jutsu, then attempt to learn the Space-Time Ninjutsu, the Flying Thunder God Technique?]
Amane's outstanding performance in this assessment made Danzo hesitate momentarily.
Although the Uzumaki are distant relatives of the Senju, Hashirama cells are unreasonably domineering. It would be a gamble.
[Nonsense. Haven't I seen Hiruzen's failures clearly enough? Indecisiveness and overcaution are major taboos. If Uzumaki Amane can survive this hurdle, not only can I secure this position, but I can hold it firmly.]
A blood relative of the current Jinchuriki, possessing the ability to suppress the Tailed Beast at any time, plus the Flying Thunder God Technique.
And most importantly, she obeys his every word.
"Contact Orochimaru."
Danzo was very much looking forward to it. He wondered just how much of the First Hokage's prowess the Uzumaki Clan could bring out with Wood Release.