Scarface's veins bulged as if they were about to burst. He shouted angrily, "You little brat, go join them in the afterlife!"
"Lightning Release: False Darkness!"A streak of blue lightning shot straight toward Uchiha Retsu.
"Earth Release: Earth-Style Wall!"Uchiha Retsu quickly formed a solid wall and immediately dashed toward the direction of reinforcements, occasionally throwing a few shuriken behind him just in case someone thought chasing him was a good idea.
"Lightning Release: Lightning Body Flicker!""Lightning Release: Ground Walk!"
In a flash, Scarface appeared right next to Uchiha Retsu. He unleashed the Ground Walk technique and then landed a powerful kick right on Retsu's right arm as he tried to turn and block.
Retsu took a heavy blow to his back from the Ground Walk, and his right arm was hit with tremendous force. His whole body tumbled from the tree, slamming into the ground and rolling a good distance before crashing against a tree. He spat out a mouthful of blood, pulled out a shuriken with his left hand, and prepared for one last desperate struggle. His right arm was visibly twisted out of shape—clearly broken.
Scarface didn't pause; he charged straight at him, roaring, "Brat, go repent in hell!"
Uchiha Retsu stared at Scarface rushing toward him. For a brief moment, everything seemed to slow down. That feeling... Sharingan! He had awakened his Sharingan!
"Damn it! Why didn't you open up sooner? Now I don't even have the strength to run!"
"Screw it! I'll bet it all on the clan's honor! One for one!" Uchiha Retsu roared with all his might. "You bastard! Come on!"
Scarface suddenly jumped back, nimbly dodging three flying shuriken. A shadowy figure holding a sword appeared right in front of Uchiha Retsu.
Uchiha Retsu looked at the newcomer and burst out laughing. "Hahaha! Come on, now it's one-on-one! One of our clan against one of you!"
He then turned to one of his clan members who was watching over him and said, "En is up ahead. Follow the path where the shuriken landed. He must've been spotted. Go, quickly!"
After saying that, he spat out some blood and passed out cold.
Uchiha Nobunaga took a glance at Uchiha Retsu lying on the ground, gave a few ninjas orders to stay behind and look after him, and then led the team to chase in the direction of Uchiha En.
From beginning to end, he didn't even glance at Scarface, who was still fighting Mei. In his mind, Scarface was already as good as dead.
"Time's up. They haven't come back yet. They must've run into trouble. We can't wait any longer. Let's take care of that little tail," the red-haired girl said. She pretended to wake up groggily, then wriggled her body to quickly undo the ropes. She kicked off the back of the big guy and sprinted at full speed toward Uchiha En's direction.
"Don't let her get away!" the big guy shouted, pretending to be panicked. Four ninjas immediately chased after the girl.
Uchiha En saw the scene and didn't waste a second—he turned around and bolted, running with every ounce of strength he had.
In his mind, he grumbled, Big Sis, I get it, you found me... Fine, that's on me for being weak. But can you stop treating me like an idiot? You can escape from a Jonin, but you didn't do it earlier? If you're so strong, why not just kill him outright? And now you're running toward me? It's obvious you don't want me running away!
Haruki, Retsu, hurry up! We've been running for so long, I'm starting to get hungry, he thought to himself as he kept sprinting, still filled with random thoughts.
The red-haired girl saw his reaction and realized she was exposed. She canceled her Transformation Jutsu, revealing her true form—a purple-haired girl. She shouted, "Hey, you little brat! Stop right there! This big sis is offering you the chance to die a hero saving a beauty, and you don't want it? Fine, then I'll chase you down myself and kill you!"
"Hey now, I know my good looks are painfully lonely, but we just aren't right for each other, Big Sis. Why make things hard for a poor kid like me?" Uchiha En laughed as he ran, still cracking jokes. He had just spotted one of Retsu's special markings.
Suddenly, the five pursuers came to an abrupt stop. Uchiha En also stopped running.
He turned back to the purple-haired girl and called out, "What, not chasing anymore? I was almost convinced! Give it another try; maybe I'll change my mind!"
At that moment, someone smacked Uchiha En on the back of his head, nearly knocking him out of the tree. "Quit messing around. Retsu's hurt back there. Go check on him. Your mission's done," said a stern-looking Uchiha with twin swords strapped to his back.
Hearing that Retsu was hurt, En immediately turned and dashed back. Before leaving, he even shouted to the girl, "Hey, beautiful! Next life, I'll take you out for dinner!"
Around him was the reinforcement squad led by the Uchiha Clan leader.
Hokage's Office
The weather today was pretty nice—clear skies and a gentle breeze. With nothing else to do, the Third Hokage leisurely peered through his telescope, chuckling to himself as he watched the crystal ball.
An ANBU appeared suddenly. "Lord Hokage, the team monitoring the Jinchuriki just returned from their shift. They reported that the squad on last night's mission... they're all dead. The Jinchuriki is now missing. ANBU has already started searching. There should be news soon."
The Third Hokage's good mood instantly vanished, his face darkening like coal. "Owl, summon Jiraiya and Orochimaru to see me."
A shadow flickered across the wall and vanished through the window.
"Hiruzen, the Jinchuriki is missing! I've already sent my Root ninjas after her. This whole thing smells like Uchiha meddling. I told you, they are always restless. I wouldn't be surprised if this is part of their plan, sending out a large force to cover their tracks," said a gloomy man in plain clothes as he entered the Hokage's office.
The Third Hokage didn't say a word, but his mind was racing. He had only just heard the news, but Danzo already knew all the details and had even sent out his own squads. Clearly, Danzo knew about this way before it was reported.
Those three Uchiha brats must've stumbled into this mess by accident. Judging by the Uchiha's reaction, they left in a hurry—clearly unprepared. After all, that squad was especially protected by the Uchiha Clan.
Someone interfered with ANBU; otherwise, they wouldn't be this slow. Danzo, you're up to something again... What are you trying to get out of this?
While the Third Hokage pondered silently, Jiraiya leaped through the window, and Orochimaru knocked on the door before entering.
"Orochimaru, you and Jiraiya each take two ANBU squads and immediately begin the pursuit. If you encounter any Uchiha Clan members or Root ninjas along the way, you have the authority to command them. Here is a scroll and the Hokage's seal. Move quickly," the Third Hokage said, handing a scroll and the Hokage's seal to Orochimaru.
He then waved his hand slightly, clearly not wanting to say anything more. Jiraiya and Orochimaru didn't waste time; they nodded and left immediately.
Uchiha Haruki looked at the resting squad ahead, estimating that they were nearing the border.
Turning to Minato, he said, "When we attack, I'll hold them off. You and your partner head back the way you came. We have reinforcements behind us."
The blond-haired boy nodded. "Those two on the left—I should be able to handle them if I strike first."
Haruki thought to himself, "Man, in the original story, you saved her all by yourself. Be more confident."
Haruki nodded and said, "I'll take the ones on the right. One of them is a Jonin, so I can't hold out for too long. Move fast."
He signaled with his hand, ready to take action.
"Uchiha Shuriken Jutsu!""Manipulated Shuriken Technique!""Fire Release: Phoenix Flower Jutsu!"
Haruki unleashed a three-hit combo, separating the three ninjas on the right from the other two. He charged directly at them, instantly killing one and engaging the Jonin in close combat.
"Take the others and go!" the Jonin shouted, signaling his comrades to retreat while he continued to fight.
Haruki pulled hard on the wires, and the flying shuriken suddenly redirected, stabbing into the backs of the retreating ninjas. He then jumped back, forming seals with his hands.
"Fire Release: Phoenix Fire Crimson Claw!"
The flames engulfed one of the retreating ninjas, killing him instantly. Without pausing, Haruki continued his desperate fight against the Jonin.
At that moment, Minato sprang into action. With quick precision, he struck one of the remaining ninjas in the back with a shuriken, using the body as leverage to leap into the air. He threw another shuriken straight into the neck of the final target.
Without hesitation, Minato picked up Kushina and sprinted back in the direction they came from.