Daki moved through the darkness toward Kusagakure battleline. Her pale form glided between the trees with inhuman grace.
'Lord Muzan's orders are absolute,' she thought as she traveled. 'An Uchiha with three-tomoe Sharingan. Alive and functional.'
The weight of her mission pressed heavily on her mind. Failure meant facing Lord Muzan's wrath, something no demon could survive. The memory of his crimson eyes and overwhelming presence made her increase her pace.
Few hours passed before she reached the battleline. The territory showed clear signs of recent battles - burned trees, crater-filled clearings, and the lingering chakra signatures of powerful jutsu.
'The Konoha camp should be somewhere in this area,' Daki reasoned. 'They wouldn't position themselves too far from the battlefield.'
Her enhanced senses picked up traces of human activity as she searched through the night. Multiple chakra signatures clustered together in the distance, creating a distinct pattern that suggested an organized military encampment.
'There. Between Land of Grass and Land of Fire's borders. That must be Konoha's forward base.'
Daki suppressed her demonic aura completely and approached the camp's perimeter. The sight that greeted her made her pause. Hundreds of shinobi occupied the area, their combined presence creating a formidable defensive network.
'Attacking now would be suicide,' she acknowledged. 'Even with my abilities, facing this many opponents at once would end in failure. I need to identify targets and wait for the right opportunity.'
She found a concealed position in the forest canopy and settled in to observe. Hours passed as she studied the camp's layout and patrol patterns. Her patience was rewarded when she spotted familiar clan symbols among the guards.
'Uchiha clan members at the perimeter. Their Sharingan makes them ideal sentries for detecting approaching enemies.'
Daki continued her surveillance, noting which Uchiha possessed the required three-tomoe Sharingan. Most were younger members with only one or two tomoe, but several veterans had three tomoe as Lord Muzan demanded.
'The isolation of the Uchiha clan after Madara's betrayal works in my favor,' she realized. 'They patrol in pairs with other clan members rather than mixing with different clans.'
Two full days of observation revealed a promising pattern. A pair of Uchiha named Toru and Miruko consistently patrolled the eastern sector during night shifts. They rotated with Aburame clan members at regular intervals, providing a predictable window of opportunity.
'Perfect. Night patrol away from the main camp. A target with the required bloodline limit.'
Daki spent the third day planning her approach. The patrol route took the Uchiha pair through a small clearing approximately one kilometer from the camp's edge. The location provided enough isolation to avoid immediate reinforcement while offering multiple escape routes.
'I must strike quickly and decisively,' she decided. 'Capture one of the targets before they can raise an alarm. Any delay risks attracting the entire camp.'
The moon hung like a pale blade in the star-filled sky as Daki positioned herself in an oak overlooking the clearing. Her flesh ribbons coiled beneath her kimono like sleeping serpents, ready to strike at her command.
'They should arrive within minutes,' she calculated, tracking the familiar chakra signatures approaching along their predetermined route.
Uchiha Toru and Uchiha Miruko emerged into the moonlit clearing exactly as expected. Both possessed the three-tomoe Sharingan that Lord Muzan required.
Daki struck without warning. Razor-sharp flesh ribbons erupted from her body and shot through the air toward both shinobi. The attack came from multiple angles, designed to overwhelm their defenses through sheer volume.
Toru specialized in genjutsu while Miruko excelled at kenjutsu.
"Enemies!" Miruko's sharp voice cut through the night as both Uchiha activated their sharingan.
Time seemed to slow as the crimson eyes with their spinning tomoe analyzed the incoming attack. Miruko's katana flashed like liquid silver, intercepting the ribbons aimed at vital points with precise strikes. Sparks flew as steel met demonic flesh.
Toru remained stationary but his Sharingan tracked the writhing ribbons with intense focus.
Toru's hands flew through seals. "Genjutsu: Shinkirou no Jutsu!" He focused his chakra on the flesh ribbons themselves rather than their wielder.
Daki hissed as her own weapons seemed to multiply and writhe chaotically in her vision. The overlapping illusions disrupted her control, causing several ribbons to miss their targets entirely.
"Annoying eyes!" she spat, materializing fully on the branch above. "You just make this more difficult!"
She gestured sharply and five ribbons detached from her body completely. They moved with independent purpose, snaking through the air and along the ground toward both Uchiha. The autonomous weapons ignored Toru's visual genjutsu since they lacked minds to deceive.
Miruko found herself forced into a frantic dance of evasion. One ribbon wrapped around her ankle and yanked hard. She channeled lightning chakra into her blade and slashed downward, severing the appendage in a burst of electrical energy.
Toru launched explosive-tagged shuriken toward Daki's position while maintaining his genjutsu. She deflected them casually with two additional ribbons, her expression showing clear disdain.
"Foolish humans! Your tricks are pathetic!"
Three ribbons streaked toward Toru with lethal intent. He dodged two but the third wrapped around his forearm, its razor edge biting deep. Cold demonic energy seeped from the wound as the ribbon prepared to sever his arm.
Toru met Daki's gaze directly. "Genjutsu: Kanashibari no Jutsu!"
Sudden stiffness seized Daki's limbs. Her demonic physiology resisted the paralysis technique, but the momentary disruption was enough. Toru wrenched his arm free as blood flowed from the deep cut.
Miruko exploded forward with lightning crackling around her blade. "Die, monster!"
Daki snarled as she broke free of the genjutsu's effects. She manifested hardened ribbons like shields to block the devastating thrust aimed at her heart. The impact shattered her makeshift defense and sent shockwaves through her arms.
'They're stronger than anticipated,' she realized as pain flared and immediately began healing. 'But still just humans.'
Rage flooded through her as she redoubled her assault. The clearing became a deadly battlefield as ribbons lashed like whips, stabbed like spears, and sought to encircle both Uchiha. Toru layered multiple genjutsu to disrupt her attacks while Miruko pressed the physical assault with masterful kenjutsu.
The battle was progressing in Daki's favor when new chakra signatures flared at the clearing's edge. Two powerful presences approached rapidly from the camp's direction.
"Senju! To the East!" Toru shouted as he recognized the incoming reinforcements.
Two figures burst from the treeline. One slammed his hands onto the ground. "Doton: Doryuheki!" A thick earthen wall erupted between Miruko and a cluster of attacking ribbons.
The second Senju formed rapid seals. "Suiton: Suijinheki!" A swirling dome of water deflected the barrage of ribbons Daki sent toward the newcomers.
"NO! You stupid leaf-vermin! You ruined it!" Daki shrieked in fury as her carefully planned ambush crumbled.
'Four Jonin-level opponents. I cannot handle this alone without revealing my full power and drawing the entire camp.'
Panic warred with rage as she realized the implications. Failure meant facing Lord Muzan's disappointment. That thought sent ice through her veins.
"Gyutaro!" she screamed into the night. "GYUTARO! THEY'RE RUINING EVERYTHING!"
The oppressive wave of demonic energy hit the clearing like a physical blow. Gyutaro materialized from the shadows beside his sister, his yellow eyes surveying the four Konoha shinobi with undisguised hatred.
"Can't handle a simple hunt without making noise, sister?" he rasped, his voice dripping with venom. "Pathetic humans interrupting our work."
Two massive curved blood sickles tore from his forearms, dripping corrosive poison that sizzled on the forest floor. The acrid smell filled the air as smoke rose from the contaminated ground.
"Senju scum first," Gyutaro decided, targeting the interlopers rather than their primary objectives.
"Blood Demon Art: Rippling Blood Slashes!"
Waves of solidified, poisoned blood fanned out horizontally toward both Senju. Daichi, the earth specialist, roared as he formed seals. "Doton: Doryuheki!"
The blood waves sheared through the stone wall like paper, spraying deadly shrapnel in all directions. Daichi cried out as chunks of rock embedded in his shoulder, but Gyutaro was already moving.
Haru, the water release specialist, had been forming seals for a water dragon technique. He blocked Gyutaro's sickle with a water-coated kunai, but poisoned blood splattered across his face and neck.
His screams echoed through the forest as skin blackened and began dissolving. The poison shut down his chakra system within seconds, and he collapsed while clawing at his liquefying flesh.
"HARU!" Daichi bellowed, staggering from his own wounds.
The horrific death stunned both Uchiha momentarily. Daki seized her opportunity and sent a dozen ribbons not to kill, but to capture. Five wrapped around Toru, pinning his arms and coiling around his legs despite his struggles.
"Genjutsu: Kai!" he managed, but the technique did nothing against pure physical restraint.
Miruko lunged for Daki with her lightning-charged blade. "Release him!"
Gyutaro intercepted her strike with his poisoned sickle. The collision shattered her finely crafted katana under the demonic strength and corrosive blood. She stumbled back, weaponless and stunned.
"Pretty eyes, useless sword," Daki cackled as she tried to wrap more ribbons around Miruko's limbs.
Distant shouts became distinct battle cries as reinforcements converged on the clearing. Torches flickered through the trees as more Konoha forces responded to the commotion.
"Daki! GO!" Gyutaro snarled, positioning himself between his sister and the approaching threat. "Take the captives back to Lord Muzan!"
Daki hesitated, rage warring with obedience. "But brother, the Senju—"
"NOW!" Gyutaro's command brooked no argument. "The mission comes first! GO!"
She hissed but melted into the shadows as she left Miruko and took Toru with herself. "Make these worms suffer, brother!"
Gyutaro faced the first wave of reinforcements alone. Three Sarutobi clan members erupted from the trees with blazing hands. "Katon: Gokakyuu no Jutsu!"
A massive fireball engulfed Gyutaro, but he charged through the flames without flinching. His skin blackened and regenerated instantly as he became a whirlwind of poisoned steel.
"Blood Demon Art: Rotating Circular Slashes!"
One Sarutobi screamed as a sickle severed his arm. Another took a deep gash across the chest before stumbling back with poison darkening his veins.
More figures arrived rapidly. Two Uchiha with activated Sharingan threw kunai while an Aburame sent his insects swarming toward the demon. Daichi slammed his hands down despite his wounds.
"Doton: Doryuso!"
Spikes erupted under Gyutaro's feet, but he leaped impossibly high while laughing. "Blood Demon Art: Flying Blood Sickles!"
Hardened blood droplets shredded through the insect cloud and forced the Uchiha into defensive positions. One wasn't fast enough and took a micro-sickle in the thigh, gasping as poison burned through his system.
The battle became a swirling nightmare. Gyutaro fought with brutal efficiency, prioritizing crippling strikes over instant kills to buy time for his escape. His regeneration allowed him to take hits that would kill normal opponents while his poison weakened everyone who engaged him.
Seeing him regenerating from attacks created a sense of panic inside the rest of the shinobi.
Six Konoha shinobi lay dead or dying when dawn began to lighten the eastern sky. Gyutaro stood amidst the carnage, breathing hard as his regeneration strained under the accumulated damage.
"He's weakening! Press him!" the surviving Uchiha Jonin shouted, but Gyutaro could see the approaching dawn.
"Enough!" he rasped, slamming his sickles together. "Blood Demon Art: Thousand Blood Sickle Wave!"
Hundreds of tiny razor blades exploded outward in all directions, forcing every attacker to seek cover. The technique served as both weapon and smokescreen.
When the blood wave dissipated, Gyutaro was gone. He fled into the darkest part of the forest, following paths where sunlight would be delayed. Behind him lay utter devastation and the stunned survivors of his rampage.
The mission was accomplished. Both Upper Rank Six demons had completed their assigned task despite fierce resistance. The Sharingan wielders were captured, and Lord Muzan would have his captivs.
Three nights later, Daki knelt before Kenji in the main hall of their base. The candlelight cast dancing shadows across her pale features as she awaited his response to her report.
"Lord Muzan," she said, her voice carrying appropriate reverence and fear. "The mission is complete. An Uchiha with three-tomoe Sharingan have been captured as ordered."
Kenji studied her impassively, his crimson eyes reflecting the flickering flames. "Complications arose."
"Yes, Lord Muzan. Senju reinforcements arrived during the capture. Gyutaro was required to ensure our escape."
"Casualties among the enemy?"
"Multiple confirmed deaths, Lord Muzan. They cannot identify our true nature or location."
Kenji nodded slowly. The intelligence value of the attack outweighed the risk of exposure. Fear would spread through Konoha's ranks, disrupting their operations along the Iwagakure front.
"Where are the targets?"
Daki gestured, and both unconscious Uchiha materialized from her pocket dimension. Toru and Miruko lay bound by her flesh ribbons, alive but deeply sedated by demonic toxins.
'Perfect specimen,' Kenji thought as he examined them. 'Three-tomoe Sharingan in both eyes. The Absorption ability should integrate his visual prowess completely.'
"You have done well," he said aloud. "Lock him up for now."
Daki's eyes widened with obvious relief at his praise. "Thank you, Lord Muzan. It is our honor to serve your will."
"Indeed. Now withdraw."
As Daki departed with the captured Uchiha, Kenji considered the implications of this victory. The Sharingan's abilities would enhance his own considerably when properly absorbed. Moreover, it will be his key to copy ninjutsus.