Just as Hyūga Hizashi had said, this place really was a buried mountain.
The tower above ground was only the tip of the iceberg.
The farther down they went, the larger the interior became, as though the entire mountain had been hollowed out. Countless metal pipes and stairways crisscrossed their field of vision like blood vessels inside some enormous beast, filling the air with the cold smell of rust.
As they advanced,
visibility around them dropped sharply.
One trap after another was triggered.
Metal arrows shot from the rock walls on both sides.
Poison gas poured out from the pipes.
And mixed among them were several Kiri ANBU hiding in the darkness, occasionally attacking in coordination with the mechanisms.
Together, they formed a deadly net filled with danger at every step.
An ordinary squad would probably have been overwhelmed by now.
But Yuu's team was just a tiny bit stronger than average.
Even the weakest member, Obito, was a three-tomoe Uchiha with the strength of a special jōnin.
On top of that, Hizashi's Byakugan could see through most traps and mechanisms.
So the majority of the dangers were resolved with relative ease.
By the time they had made it this far,
only Kakashi, who had the smallest chakra reserves, and Obito, who was desperate to rescue Rin, had consumed enough chakra to start breathing heavily.
Most of the others had merely gotten a little dirt on the hems of their clothes.
Yuu himself had barely taken action at all.
After all, he needed to preserve his strength for the possible appearance of the real boss.
Still, to prevent any accidental casualties, Yuu summoned Katsuyu once and had her split into six smaller slugs, assigning one to each member of the rescue team so they could receive treatment for any injuries sustained during the advance.
"Haa… haa… Yuu, Brother Hizashi, have you found where Rin is yet?"
Obito anxiously asked while rotating his Sharingan to observe their surroundings and respond to ambushes.
"…I'm looking."
Yuu replied.
At this moment, his eyes were slightly closed as he concentrated on sensing the Seed of Vitality inside Rin.
Some of the seed's energy seemed to have already been consumed, causing its presence to become extremely faint.
Beside him, Hizashi continuously scanned the surroundings with his Byakugan.
Shisui was also controlling dozens of ninja crows at the same time.
He released them into the cavern like bats, sending them flying through every corner and even into narrow ventilation ducts and windows, trying to observe the spaces beyond and relay the information back.
With all three methods working together—
finally…
"Found her!"
Yuu abruptly opened his eyes and looked in one direction.
Hizashi and Shisui also noticed something almost at the same time.
"There seems to be a tunnel over there leading to the opposite side of the mountain.
"Beyond it is a very large hollow chamber…
"Rin is probably being held there!"
"Let's go!"
The group immediately changed direction and rushed forward.
Before long, they reached the long, narrow passage.
It had clearly been artificially excavated and reinforced with iron plates.
Its height and width were only two or three meters.
Dark and deep, it resembled an ancient well laid sideways.
"Careful!
"There are traps above, below, and on both sides of this passage!
"There are also a large number of chakra signatures inside!
"Kirigakure's people are probably hiding there!"
Hizashi had barely finished speaking—
Click. Click. Click.
The sound of mechanisms activating rang out.
Then—
more than a dozen hidden panels on the ceiling, floor, and walls of the passage suddenly burst open.
Masked Kiri ANBU rushed out from within, wielding kunai and short blades as they charged toward Yuu and the others.
Judging by the numbers,
almost every remaining Kiri ninja in the base had gathered here.
The battle erupted instantly.
This lightless environment somewhat restricted the Sharingan of Fugaku and the others.
But since they had received an early warning and were already prepared, they still displayed excellent close-combat ability.
They blocked the attacks coming from every direction and immediately began counterattacking.
Sparks from colliding metal flashed in the darkness, briefly illuminating the figures moving through the tunnel.
Suddenly—
Yuu's eyelid twitched.
A warning sensation abruptly rose in his heart.
The next instant,
a black figure shot out from behind a section of rock wall to the side and charged straight toward Hizashi at the rear of the formation.
Hizashi sensed the attack one second before the figure appeared.
He retreated while assuming the opening stance of the Gentle Fist.
But—
too slow!
The black figure moved so fast that afterimages trailed behind him.
There was no fancy technique.
He simply tightened his grip on a kunai and thrust straight forward—
directly toward Hizashi's eyes.
Although Hizashi desperately leaned backward to evade,
blood still sprayed from around one of his eye sockets!
"Brother Hizashi!"
Kakashi was the closest.
He immediately stepped forward and swung the White Fang short blade toward the black figure, trying to force him away and save Hizashi.
Clang!
A piercing metallic tremor rang out.
Kakashi was already at jōnin level now, even if he had yet to officially receive the title.
His slash was both fast and vicious.
Yet the other person casually blocked it with a single kunai.
The tremendous force transmitted through the blade numbed Kakashi's hand, nearly making him lose his grip.
The next instant,
the black figure raised a leg and unleashed a side kick.
Kakashi's vision blurred.
Before he could react, tremendous force struck his abdomen.
His entire body flew backward as though smashed by a giant hammer.
He crashed into Obito, who had been rushing forward to help.
The two of them slammed into the hard rock wall together, shaking loose fragments of stone that rained down around them.
"…Heh."
The black figure snorted.
Without even looking at Kakashi or Obito, he once again raised the kunai and thrust toward Hizashi's forehead, seemingly intending to kill him outright.
At the critical moment—
Boom—!!
A white figure appeared in midair.
Yuu grabbed Hizashi by the shoulder and pulled him aside while twisting his waist.
His right leg swept out like a steel whip!
Before his foot had even arrived, a sharp explosion of displaced air erupted.
The wind pressure plastered the black figure's cloak tightly against his body!
"Heavenly Foot of Pain!"
This was one of Tsunade's commonly used techniques—
the application of Super Strength through the legs!
Yuu's speed was already astonishing.
His timing and positioning were nearly perfect.
Yet the black figure actually managed to react.
He bent his elbow and forcibly raised it in front of Yuu's sweeping kick.
Boom!
The violent force exploded outward.
Ripples like waves spread through the surrounding air.
Even Fugaku and the others fighting nearby had their clothes whipped violently by the sudden blast of wind as stone fragments and dust rose into the air.
The black figure was sent flying backward.
But while still in midair, he adjusted his posture.
Both hands slipped into his sleeves and emerged again.
A scroll had already been unfurled.
Countless black shadows shot from it—
kunai and shuriken attached to explosive tags!
There were so many that they practically covered the entire passage!
Whoosh! Whoosh! Whoosh—!
"Water Formation Wall!"
A thick wall of water rose from the ground in front of Yuu, blocking the incoming kunai and shuriken.
Then it surged forward like a wave, extinguishing all the explosive tags that had already been ignited before being thrown.
The few that detonated early had their impact absorbed by the water as well.
Splash—
The water fell.
The black figure once again appeared in everyone's vision.
At that moment—
"Now!"
Fugaku had already finished off the Kiri ninja in front of him.
He turned toward the black figure.
The instant the water wall collapsed, a fierce light flashed through his eyes.
The three tomoe in his left eye spun into a black pinwheel pattern.
His gaze locked directly onto the black figure's chest.
"Amaterasu!"
In an instant—
black flames ignited on the figure's chest.
The Mangekyō dōjutsu—
Amaterasu, the legendary inextinguishable black flames said to burn everything!
"Got him!"
The corner of Fugaku's mouth rose.
He was already preparing to smile.
As far as he knew, once someone was hit by Amaterasu, they were dead.
The flames would not extinguish until their target had been completely burned away.
However…
the black figure didn't panic in the slightest.
He casually placed one hand at his neck and made a light cutting motion.
A piece of armor, together with the burning cloak, slid off his chest.
Then he simply tossed it aside.
"???"
Fugaku stared in complete disbelief.
No, seriously…
That was fucking Amaterasu!
What was this supposed to be?
You just took off your clothes and removed Amaterasu with them?!
Was this a joke?!
Shisui behind him also looked speechless.
As an elite Uchiha, he had studied the Mangekyō and had a general understanding of what Amaterasu was.
This dōjutsu had appeared several times throughout Uchiha history.
But…
it could be countered like that?
Wasn't that a little too ridiculous?
Among everyone present,
only Yuu's pupils contracted slightly in understanding.
It seemed this black figure's true identity was very likely—
Uchiha Madara's shadow clone.
After all, the physical ability he had just displayed already exceeded that of an ordinary Kage.
He also knew exactly how to counter Amaterasu.
And the first person he targeted after appearing was Hizashi—
the one person whose Byakugan could potentially see through his true identity.
When all three clues were combined,
it was difficult to imagine anyone other than Madara.
Of course…
there was still the possibility that Madara had arranged for White Zetsu Tobi to possess some elite jōnin skilled in taijutsu and raise that person's strength to the Kage level.
But that possibility was somewhat smaller.
Under everyone's gaze,
the black flames finished consuming the discarded armor and cloak before quietly fading away.
The black figure rolled his neck.
Then he suddenly rushed forward!
Clang—!!!
This time, Fugaku swung his kunai and met him head-on.
The two collided in the center of the passage.
Their weapons clashed, producing dazzling sparks.
For a moment, they actually seemed evenly matched.
"Hmph!
"Before these Sharingan of mine, every single one of your movements has already been seen through!"
Fugaku shouted proudly.
Then his speech suddenly accelerated.
"Yuu, you guys go on ahead!
"I'll deal with this bastard and catch up with you soon!"
"…"
Yuu almost wanted to tell him to stop talking nonsense.
Your strongest move, Amaterasu, was just casually removed.
Where exactly was this confidence coming from?
But there was no time to think too much.
After all, their primary objective was rescuing Rin.
Considering they were members of the same clan, Madara probably wouldn't immediately kill Fugaku.
Once Yuu finished dealing with the main issue, he could always come back and fish Fugaku out.
"Then I'll leave him to you, Senior Fugaku!"
"Everyone, move!"
Yuu made the decision immediately and called for Kakashi and the others to continue forward.
Hizashi had already been helped to his feet by Shisui.
Although his eyes were injured and he could no longer see the road clearly, his legs still worked well enough, so he followed.
The black figure glanced toward Yuu and the others as they left.
He made no attempt to pursue.
Instead, he turned his attention toward Fugaku.
"So that was the Uchiha clan's so-called 'Mangekyō'?
"Seems its reputation exceeds its actual worth.
"So much for a prestigious clan boasting a thousand years of history."
"…Hmph.
"A barbarian from Kirigakure dares speak so arrogantly?"
Fugaku snorted.
"Then allow me, the clan head, to teach you the true value of the Uchiha Sharingan!"
…
After realizing that Uchiha Madara had already begun interfering in the confrontation,
Yuu stopped holding back.
While advancing, he directly activated Instant Prison Shadow Killing Formation.
His body split into more than a dozen afterimages that raced through the narrow tunnel.
The White Fang short blade in his hand wove a cold and deadly web of sword light, swallowing every Kiri ninja in front of him.
It took less than two breaths.
Nearly twenty Kiri ANBU froze where they stood.
Blood erupted from their necks, chests, and other vital areas, creating a hellish painting inside the tunnel.
The air filled with the thick smell of blood.
Blood gathered into a small stream flowing across the floor, only to be trampled through and covered in footprints.
For Kakashi, Obito, and Shisui,
this was nothing unusual.
They had already personally witnessed Yuu using this technique to harvest Kiri ninja.
But Hizashi had only arrived with the reinforcements a few days ago and didn't know much about Yuu's strength.
Even with his vision blurred, he could still vaguely see the Kiri ninja ahead falling in rows like harvested wheat.
The shock in his heart was indescribable.
Soon,
the passage ahead began to widen.
The faint sound of water could be heard.
As Yuu rushed out of the tunnel first,
the view suddenly opened up.
An enormous underground cavern appeared before them.
Jagged stalactites hung from the ceiling.
At the center of the cavern was a gigantic pool dozens of meters across.
The water was dark and seemingly bottomless.
It appeared to connect all the way to the ocean outside the mountain.
Several thick iron chains lay scattered around the edge of the pool.
"What is this?"
Obito stared blankly.
Yuu, however, immediately understood.
So…
the Three-Tails sealing ceremony had probably already been completed.
This pool had likely originally been used to contain the Three-Tails.
Although it was empty now,
Yuu could still faintly sense the enormous, violent chakra lingering in the area.
At that moment,
everyone looked upward.
Dozens of meters above the ground, a long and narrow metal platform extended from the cavern wall.
A brown-haired girl wearing a Konoha flak jacket was bound with ropes to one side of the platform.
She appeared to be unconscious.
Beside her stood a black-robed man wearing a Kirigakure ANBU mask.
Although the mask hid his face,
his posture alone was enough to tell them—
this man was terrifyingly strong.
~~~
Patreon(.)com/Bleam
— This Fanfic is Completed in Patreon!