The scar-faced ninja's veins bulged with fury, his expression twisted.
"Damn brat—go die and join your friends in hell!"
"Lightning Release: False Darkness!"
A spear of blue lightning shot straight toward Uchiha Retsu.
"Earth Release: Earth Flow Wall!"
Retsu threw up a wall of earth to block the strike, then bolted toward the direction of his allies, tossing shuriken behind him to slow pursuit.
"Lightning Release Body Flicker!"
"Lightning Release: Ground Current!"
In a flash, the scarred man appeared right beside Retsu. He stomped his foot down, sending lightning racing through the ground, and in that same instant delivered a vicious kick to Retsu's right arm as he turned to block.
The next moment, Retsu's back was struck by the lightning surge from beneath. His body was flung from the treetop, crashing hard into the earth. He rolled several meters before stopping, propping himself against a tree, blood spilling from his lips.
He pulled out a shuriken with his left hand, breathing raggedly, ready for one last stand. His right arm was bent at an unnatural angle—clearly broken.
The scar-faced jōnin didn't slow down, charging straight at him.
"Go repent in hell, you little bastard!"
For a heartbeat, Retsu locked eyes with him—
And suddenly, the world changed.
Time itself seemed to slow.
He could see everything—the enemy's movement, the arc of the blade, every flicker of killing intent.
This feeling… Sharingan… I awakened it…?
"Damn it," he thought bitterly. If only it had opened earlier. Now I don't even have the strength to run.
Even so—he clenched his jaw, the pride of the Uchiha burning in his chest.
"Fine," he roared, eyes blazing red. "I'll trade my life for yours—Uchiha honor be damned!"
"Come on then, bastard!"
The scar-faced man flinched. Something about that gaze—those eyes—unnerved him. He jumped back just in time to dodge three spinning shuriken.
Then, a shadow flashed between the trees.
A man with a blade in hand landed in front of Retsu.
Retsu saw the familiar crest on his chest and broke into a bloody grin.
"Hah! Hahaha—perfect timing! One-on-one, clan to clan!"
He turned to the newcomer, his voice weakening.
"Honō's up ahead… follow the shuriken trail… they've probably found him already… Go…"
He coughed, blood spilling from his mouth, and collapsed unconscious.
Uchiha Nobunaga glanced down at Retsu's battered form.
"Stay with him," he ordered a few ninja. Then he led the rest toward Honō's direction, his expression grim.
He didn't even spare a glance for the scar-faced enemy locked in battle with Min — to him, that man was already as good as dead.
… … …
"Time's up," said the red-haired girl coolly. "They haven't come back. Something must've happened. We can't delay any longer—let's deal with the little tail."
As she spoke, she feigned waking from unconsciousness, twisting her body suddenly. Her hands slipped free of the ropes, and she kicked off the man's back, leaping away at full speed—straight toward where Uchiha Honō was hiding.
"Don't let her escape!"
The burly man shouted in mock panic, sending four ninja after her in hot pursuit.
Seeing this unfold, Uchiha Honō didn't hesitate. He turned and ran for his life, using every ounce of strength in his body.
Lady, come on! You found me—fine, I admit I'm not good enough. But could you not treat me like an idiot? You just escaped from a jōnin's grip—if you had this kind of strength all along, why didn't you kill him earlier?
And now you're running my way—what, afraid I'd run off? Great. Just great.
Kairen, Retsu, hurry up already… I'm starving, damn it…
Half panicking, half muttering nonsense, Honō sprinted through the forest.
The "red-haired girl" behind him gave up her act, canceling her transformation technique, revealing herself to be a purple-haired kunoichi.
"Stop right there, brat!" she shouted. "I was going to let you die like a hero saving a damsel—but you didn't want that! Fine then! I'll chase you to death myself!"
"Hey now," Honō yelled back between breaths, still running full tilt, "I know I'm charming enough to make women fall for me, but we're really not a match, ma'am! Please don't trouble yourself over a kid like me!"
Even as he joked, his eyes caught something on a nearby trunk — Retsu's unique squad mark.
His grin returned.
Then, as if on cue, the five pursuers behind them stopped. Honō halted too, wary, glancing at the purple-haired woman.
"What's wrong? Tired already? That's a shame. Another minute and I might've let you catch me."
Just then—
A hand smacked him hard on the back of the head. Honō nearly tumbled out of the tree.
"Enough with the jokes," a stern voice said.
Standing behind him was a Uchiha with twin blades on his back, eyes sharp and calm.
"Retsu's injured. Go check on him. Your mission's done."
Honō froze for a moment, then nodded seriously. He turned to leave but called over his shoulder to the kunoichi with a lopsided smile:
"Hey, pretty lady—next life, dinner's on me."
Around them, the Uchiha clan's main strike team, led by their patriarch, had already surrounded the area.
---
Konoha — Hokage's Office
The weather was pleasant today—bright and breezy.
The Third Hokage, Sarutobi Hiruzen, sat leisurely at his desk, telescope in hand, peering into the village streets. His mood was light; he even chuckled softly as he watched the crystal orb glow.
Then—
A masked ANBU appeared out of nowhere.
"Hokage-sama. A message from the Jinchūriki surveillance team—
The squad on last night's mission was wiped out. The Jinchūriki is missing. We've already mobilized the ANBU for pursuit; we should have results soon."
The Hokage's expression darkened instantly, the warmth in his eyes vanishing.
"...Get Danzō for me," he said coldly. "And summon Jiraiya and Orochimaru—now."
An instant later, a shadow flitted across the wall and disappeared through the window.
"...Hiruzen."
A low, cold voice spoke from the darkness.
Danzō stepped into the office, dressed in plain clothes, his face grim.
"The Jinchūriki incident—I've already sent Root operatives after her. It seems the Uchiha are involved as well. I warned you they were restless. Perhaps this time they've conspired with outsiders. Gathering their forces so quickly is clearly a cover-up."
Hiruzen didn't respond.
But inwardly, his thoughts turned heavy.
He knows too much already. He's even sent his people after her before I was informed…
The three Uchiha kids—Kairen, Honō, Retsu—they must've stumbled into this mess by accident. The clan's reaction was too fast, too uncoordinated. And that team… they're one of the clan's specially protected units.
Someone tampered with the ANBU relay. Otherwise, news wouldn't have been delayed this long.
Danzō… what are you scheming this time?
As he brooded, Jiraiya dropped in through the window with his usual careless grin.
A knock followed. The door opened—Orochimaru entered, silent and cold.
"Jiraiya. Orochimaru."
Hiruzen's tone left no room for question.
"You'll each take a squad of ANBU. Pursue immediately. If you encounter Uchiha or Root operatives on the way, you have full authority to take command. Here—this is my personal decree."
He handed Orochimaru a sealed scroll and the Hokage's insignia.
They both nodded without a word and vanished.
Danzō began again, "Hiruzen, the ANBU bear responsibility for this failure. I told you before—had you entrusted her to Root, I would have guaranteed—"
"Enough," Hiruzen cut him off sharply.
"Not now, Danzō. The only thing that matters is retrieving the Jinchūriki and uncovering the truth. Everything else can wait."
… … …
Meanwhile, Uchiha Kairen crouched behind a fallen tree, watching a small enemy unit resting ahead.
They were close to the border now.
He turned to the blond boy beside him.
"When we strike, I'll hold them off. You grab your teammate and head back the way we came. Reinforcements are behind us."
Minato nodded. "The two on the left—I can handle them if I take the first move."
Kairen smirked inwardly. You'll handle them? In the original timeline, you rescued her all by yourself.
Yeah, you've got this, kid.
He nodded back. "Then I'll take the right side. There's a jōnin among them—I won't last long, so move fast."
He gave a hand signal—attack.
"Uchiha Shurikenjutsu!"
"Manipulated Shuriken Jutsu!"
"Fire Release: Phoenix Sage Fire Jutsu!"
A barrage of spinning steel and flame exploded across the clearing, forcing three enemy ninja apart from the others.
Kairen dove straight into them, killing one instantly, clashing with the jōnin head-on.
"Go! You three take the girl and move!" the jōnin barked, deflecting Kairen's next strike.
Kairen tugged sharply on the chakra strings hidden in his fingers—his shuriken snapped back in midair, impaling one of the retreating ninja through the back.
"Fire Release: Phoenix Sage Flower Nail Crimson!"
The flames flared to life, consuming the man where he stood. Kairen spun, locking blades with the jōnin again.
At that same instant—
Minato moved.
He darted forward, shuriken whistling from his hand. One struck a ninja in the heart. Using the body as a foothold, he vaulted high into the air, spinning. Another shuriken flew, cutting cleanly across another man's neck.
Then he landed beside the red-haired girl—Kushina—scooped her up, and sprinted back the way they'd come, vanishing into the forest.