46-50

Chapter 46: The Mission

"Teacher!" Anko was the first to greet Orochimaru, followed closely by Shikane.

"Lord Orochimaru!" Shisui, who was standing beside them, also bowed respectfully.

"Everyone's here." Orochimaru, dressed in a Jonin uniform, looked at the three of them.

"Are we taking on a mission?" Anko's eyes lit up when she saw the familiar mission scroll in Orochimaru's hand. Her desire for battle was strong, and she longed to go on a high-level mission outside the village to boost her meager mission count.

"A B-rank mission, intelligence gathering." Orochimaru tossed the mission scroll to Shikane.

"Aren't you coming with us, teacher?" Anko was taken aback when she saw Orochimaru hand the scroll to Shikane. She looked up at him with a puzzled expression.

"I'm not leading this team." Orochimaru shook his head.

Just as Anko was about to ask another question with a pout, a gentle and familiar voice suddenly sounded behind them.

"Is everyone gathered?"

"Senior Minato?" Turning around, Anko subconsciously called out the name of the man who had appeared behind them, his hair still swaying slightly in the air.

"We meet again. You've all become even more outstanding!" Minato, with a warm smile on his face, greeted Orochimaru first, then turned his gaze to the three of them with a friendly smile.

"Is Senior Minato the team leader this time? That's fine too." Anko's pout relaxed. She had a good impression of Minato, who was like a little sun, from their previous interactions.

"I have my own mission. I'm just the Jonin in charge of this mission." Minato smiled. Then, without waiting for Anko to ask any further questions, he said to Orochimaru, "Then I'll take them with me, Senior Orochimaru."

Orochimaru nodded. His gaze lingered on Shikane for a moment, then he formed a hand seal and his body dispersed like grains of sand in the wind.

"We're the last ones to leave the village. If you're ready, let's go." Minato said to the three of them.

...

Following Minato out of the village, there were a few other people waiting outside.

One was a tall, plump man with symmetrical patterns on his face. Shikane immediately recognized him as Choza Akimichi, a Jonin from the Akimichi clan who often visited his father during his breaks.

The other had the standard Inuzuka clan markings. He was currently squatting on the ground, petting the brown dog beside him. Shikane had also met this Inuzuka Jonin, Tsume Inuzuka, because of dog food and other transactions.

"Let's go." Minato said, and immediately led the team on their journey.

Of course, to accommodate Shikane and the other two, the three of them didn't move too fast. While on the road, Minato also took the time to explain their mission to them.

"This time, we're responding to a request for help from our ally, the Sand Village." Minato got straight to the point and briefly explained the reason and the current situation.

"So, are we going to the Sand battlefield now?" Anko asked after listening. She glanced at Shikane and saw that he wasn't speaking, so she took the initiative to ask.

"No, that's not our battlefield!" Minato shook his head. "We just need to help them hold off some of the Cloud ninja. Your mission is to gather intelligence, not to fight on the front lines."

"The Cloud Village is led by the Raikage, Ay, this time. Based on the intelligence provided by the Sand and our own gathered information, the Raikage has brought along the elite Jonin and Chunin of the Cloud.

This part will be resisted by the Sand themselves. Their battlefield is the true battlefield. You're in the rear, and although you might encounter Cloud ninja squads, as long as you're careful to avoid them, the danger isn't great." Choza's deep voice followed, calming any potential fears the three might have.

After all, even elite Jonin might not be able to come out unscathed from a battlefield where a Kage is involved, let alone these youngsters who haven't been on many missions outside the village.

"We'll hold off the enemy Jonin and powerful foes who invade Konoha for you. So don't worry!" The silent Tsume also spoke.

Under normal circumstances, Jonin wouldn't be so kind to three Chunin, but these three had various connections to them, and there was Orochimaru behind them. It was like Jonin taking their own clan's children to the battlefield, comforting their nervousness and offering some experience and advice.

"I remember giving you a kunai, Shikane. Do you have it with you this time?" Minato asked softly as he moved forward.

"It's in my pouch." Shikane took out a three-pronged kunai from his ninja tool pouch and showed it to Minato.

"That's good. You should know its purpose." Minato didn't say anything more.

The six-person team continued on their journey, and after a day and a half, they arrived near the border of Konoha.

In a clearing, the six of them rested and recovered their strength. Then Minato said goodbye to Shikane and the others, "Let's part ways here. We're close to the battlefield now, and the chances of encountering enemy ninja are high. Be careful when you're on your mission!"

After seeing Shikane and the others nod, Minato took Choza and Tsume and disappeared from the spot in the blink of an eye.

"What should we do next?"

Watching the three disappear, Anko and Shisui looked at Shikane, who had been appointed as the team leader by Orochimaru.

"Infiltrate the Grass Country and the Rain Country, and determine their stances." Shikane opened the mission scroll and looked at the listed tasks with Shisui.

Of course, the scroll didn't state things clearly, and even the mission requirements were vague.

"What? There aren't even any specific requirements. To what extent do we need to complete this to be considered successful?" Anko was a bit speechless looking at the vague mission requirements.

"That depends on how the higher-ups who evaluate the mission view the intelligence we submit." Shikane said casually.

"We're probably not the only team on this intelligence-gathering mission. There should be other teams as well, like the Anbu." Shisui, who had trained in the Anbu, knew very well that such intelligence-gathering missions usually involved two or more teams working together, usually unaware of each other. This was to ensure that if one team was wiped out or captured, other teams could still complete the mission and maintain secrecy.

(End of Chapter)

Chapter 47: Encounter Battle

The sky was gloomy.

A small black bird descended from the sky, folding its wings and landing on Shikane's finger. Its beak gently pecked his fingertip twice, then fluttered its wings and took flight once more as Shikane flicked his hand.

"Someone's coming!" Shikane suddenly made a hand gesture.

Shisui and Anko, who were walking with Shikane, immediately dispersed, concealing themselves among the leaves of the trees.

Shisui and Anko were no longer surprised by Shikane's ability to control birds. If he wanted to, Shisui could also achieve this effect using his Sharingan, but there would be a difference in communication and intelligence gathering.

...

"There are several chakra signatures ahead." A team of four bronze-skinned ninja wearing Cloud Village headbands were swiftly traveling through the trees. One of the Cloud ninja, who was forming hand seals, seemed to sense something and alerted his captain.

"Konoha ninja?" The leading ninja at the front of the team didn't stop upon hearing this. Instead, he quickened his pace.

With the speed at which ninja travel, the two sides didn't have to wait long before they spotted each other approaching.

"Konoha brats?" The leading Cloud ninja saw Shikane and the other two in a defensive triangular formation, and a cruel smile appeared on his face.

He slowly drew the long sword from his back, pointing the tip at the three of them, and sneered, "I thought I'd encounter Konoha Jonin, but it turns out it's just three kids!"

Although he made an attacking posture, the leading Cloud ninja didn't immediately attack. Instead, he discreetly glanced at the sensory ninja beside him.

Seeing the sensory ninja shake his head, he relaxed, confirming that they had only encountered this three-person team.

"Judging by your nervousness, is this your first time on the battlefield? Then let me teach you a lesson, and the price is your lives!"

The Cloud ninja captain said coldly, his killing intent bursting forth. He lightly tapped his foot on the ground and instantly vanished.

In the next moment, the vanished Cloud ninja flickered and appeared before Shikane, the tip of his sword flashing with electricity, piercing Shikane's chest before he could react.

The Cloud ninja captain, having taken down one, didn't show much joy on his face because the feeling transmitted back from his sword tip piercing the opponent's body was completely different from the feeling he usually had when cutting someone.

It was like stabbing into nothingness.

Not good!

Just as the Cloud ninja captain wanted to pull back, a powerful grip suddenly came from the blade, firmly grasping it. In the next second, he felt a sharp blade pierce his ankle.

He looked down in shock and saw Shikane emerging from a dark shadow, holding a short sword, the blade now embedded in his leg muscle.

"Damn it!" The Cloud ninja captain roared, his entire body suddenly transforming into a blinding humanoid lightning, exploding in front of Shikane.

The roaming electricity spread along the ground, causing multiple paralysis damage to all creatures within its range.

Lightning Release: Lightning Ball.

A crackling ball of lightning descended from the sky, landing directly on the spot where Shikane and the others had been. The power of the lightning ball instantly blasted a large crater in the ground, its temperature extremely high.

The Cloud ninja captain, who had used a Lightning Clone for the initial probing attack, landed back with his team after releasing the Lightning Ball.

"There are more enemies!"

Before the Cloud ninja captain could speak, the sensory ninja on the Cloud team suddenly changed his expression and dodged while warning the others.

A blazing fire pillar, like a fire dragon, erupted from one direction, accompanied by a fierce wind. It seemed to have found an extremely clever timing, engulfing three of the four Cloud ninja in its flames.

The leading Cloud ninja captain reacted swiftly, forming hand seals and leaning forward, spewing a rotating water wall that collided with the fire dragon.

Water Release: Water Wall!

The collision of high temperature and water flow instantly created a mist-like water vapor that spread with heat.

Having blocked this sudden Fire Release attack, the four Cloud ninja took the opportunity to quickly retreat.

The sensory ninja, while dodging, seemed to have noticed something and abruptly turned his head in one direction. What met his eyes was a pair of blood-red pupils.

Damn it!

It's an Uchiha!

As one of the Five Great Nations, the Cloud Village wasn't completely unfamiliar with the Sharingan. He subconsciously wanted to close his eyes, but it was too late.

His mind unconsciously fell into the genjutsu.

In the next moment, blood splattered in the air. The Cloud sensory ninja snapped out of the intense pain, clutching his slit throat as he fell from the sky, kicking up dust on the ground.

"Uchiha!" The Cloud ninja captain also saw Shisui's signature blood-red eyes. He didn't expect to encounter an Uchiha here!

According to intelligence, the Uchiha usually formed teams with other Uchiha and rarely left the village to take on missions. It was very rare to encounter an Uchiha with the Sharingan while on missions outside the village.

The Cloud ninja captain's body instantly crackled with electricity, stimulating his cells and drastically increasing his speed. He appeared behind Shisui like a flash, avoiding his Sharingan's direct gaze.

"Die!" The Cloud ninja captain, his body flickering with electricity, swung his arm behind Shisui. His long sword cut through the air, slashing towards Shisui's neck.

The sword tip smoothly sliced through Shisui's neck, but the momentary loss of balance and the sight of countless black crows flying around made the Cloud ninja captain's pupils shrink.

Genjutsu!

When?

Just as the Cloud ninja captain was trying to find a way to break free from the genjutsu, his body seemed to have been hit by a Body Flicker Technique, losing control.

A layer of black stained his shadow, then started to climb up his body.

"This is...?" The Cloud ninja captain, regaining consciousness, looked at the dense black branches on his body. In horror, he involuntarily, like a controlled puppet, used Body Flicker to return to his two surviving teammates.

Thud!

Thud!

The sound of a blade cutting through flesh rang out twice in succession. The two Cloud ninja who were suddenly attacked by their own leader still had expressions of disbelief on their faces, not understanding why their leader would suddenly attack them. They fell to the ground with their questions unanswered.

In the next second, under the horrified gaze of the last Cloud ninja, Shisui's blade sliced through his throat, blood splattering from the back of his neck.

(End of Chapter)

Chapter 48: Rest

Rumble!

Serpentine lightning flashed beneath the dark clouds, illuminating the black sky for a brief moment. Heavy rain poured down like water, the curtain of rain so dense that faces were indistinguishable just a few meters away.

Deep within a cave, a faint fire flickered.

"With such heavy rain, our tracks should be washed away, right?" Anko sighed in relief, looking at the downpour outside. Her face was full of exhaustion, and she looked disheveled.

In just one day, they had experienced multiple battles. The Cloud ninja were like sharks that smelled blood, swarming towards them.

They had already eliminated three Cloud squads, one led by a Jonin, and the other two consisting entirely of Chunin and elite Chunin. Anko looked so battered because she had nearly died in a counterattack by the Cloud Jonin.

Fortunately, they had Shikane, a powerful medical ninja, on their team. She also had the Stillness of Blood Technique, a defensive technique that could turn fatal injuries into serious injuries and heal serious injuries into minor ones in a short time.

Otherwise, with her as a burden, Shikane and Shisui would have been caught by the pursuing Cloud ninja sooner or later.

"We've already left the Land of Fire. From now on, unless absolutely necessary, we should avoid combat. The Cloud has deployed too many ninja in this area." Shikane said calmly, having shaken off their pursuers.

The Cloud had indeed deployed a large number of ninja in this region. If an encounter dragged on and they couldn't achieve a quick victory, they would soon face wave after wave of Cloud reinforcements.

"I've extracted two pieces of information through interrogation." In a corner of the cave untouched by the firelight, Shisui slowly emerged from the darkness. His eyes were blood-red, gradually returning to their normal black color as he stepped out of the shadows. In the dim light, a ninja wearing a Cloud headband was bound and slumped against the cave wall.

"The main force led by the Raikage has broken through the Land of Rain and is now confronting the Sand at their border. The two sides have already engaged in multiple battles, and the Cloud ninja, under the Raikage's leadership, have started to gain a significant advantage.

Until a Sand Jonin named Rasa stepped forward and halted the Raikage's advance."

"A single Jonin? Didn't the Third Kazekage go missing? Can that Jonin Rasa stop the Raikage?" Anko was surprised. In her understanding, only another Kage could rival the Kage of a major nation.

"If nothing unexpected happens, Rasa, who inherited the Third Kazekage's Magnet Release, will be the Fourth Kazekage." Shisui sat down by the fire and said softly.

"There's another piece of information. The Cloud Village is desperately searching for food. These Cloud ninja are teams sent to find ninja outposts and gather food." Shisui added.

"Is the Cloud running out of food?" Even Anko, despite her carefree nature, grasped the key point from the information Shisui had extracted.

"The Third Raikage, Ay, led an elite force, hoping to catch the Land of Wind off guard. They marched quickly all the way here. According to their plan, they originally wanted to take advantage of the Third Kazekage's disappearance and the Sand's leaderless state. The Third Raikage would lead the Jonin to break through into the heart of the Sand Village, forcing the Land of Wind to surrender.

The Third Raikage almost succeeded, but he was stopped by Rasa, who possesses Magnet Release." Shisui summarized the information he obtained from the interrogation.

"They valued speed but failed to achieve their goal and are now bogged down by the Sand. Once a link in the plan goes off track, they need to use other means to get it back on course.

The Cloud is temporarily short on food. If the Raikage doesn't want to retreat, he needs to find other supplies for the arriving ninja army before the food arrives. Who will be his target?" Shikane analyzed based on the information Shisui had extracted.

Anko and Shisui fell silent for a moment.

"The Land of Rain!"

"The Land of Fire!"

Then, the two answered simultaneously.

"Indeed, only the Land of Rain and the Land of Fire, closest to the battlefield, can provide them with food. But the Land of Rain itself is extremely barren. Apart from being situated between major nations and often becoming a battleground for their conflicts, its rainy climate also means they won't have much food stored.

But the Land of Fire is different. We have the largest food reserves. If the Cloud wants to obtain a large amount of food and wartime supplies, they can only get them from us.

Also, I heard from Lord Orochimaru that Hanzo of the Rain Village is a stubborn old man. He definitely doesn't want anyone interfering in the affairs of the Land of Rain and the Rain Village. In other words, he won't choose a side in the conflict between the Land of Wind and the Land of Lightning.

As long as we can confirm these things, this intelligence-gathering mission can be considered complete." Shikane said softly.

"No wonder there are so many Cloud ninja within the Land of Fire and along its borders." Anko also seemed to have realized something, a look of sudden understanding on her face.

"But Konoha's food and supplies are all at the border defense posts, right? If they want to get a lot of food, wouldn't their primary targets be those defense posts?" Shisui's expression turned a bit grim.

"It's very likely that it has already happened, but we're not yet qualified to access that kind of information." Shikane shook his head and asked Shisui, "The Raikage is held up on the Sand battlefield, so who's leading the invasion of the Land of Fire?"

Shisui thought carefully for a moment and said uncertainly, "From the enemy's memories, it seems to be two young Jonin who are very close to the Raikage."

The future Fourth Raikage, A, and Killer B?

Shikane immediately identified the suspected individuals.

"Do we need to go and provide support?" Anko clenched her fists.

"Didn't Senior Minato already take people there?" Shikane rolled his eyes at Anko. If he wasn't mistaken, the multiple encounters between A and B, and Minato would happen during this period in the future.

Minato's mobility made his support and combat power top-notch. He could quickly rush to provide support after an attack on a post.

"Let's rest and recover our strength while we have this rare opportunity. I think we'll face even more battles ahead." Shikane took out a storage scroll from his body, opened it, and released explosive tags, kunai, shuriken, and other combat supplies, distributing them to Shisui and Anko to replenish their depleted resources.

After silently completing these tasks, Anko and Shikane closed their eyes to rest, while Shisui took the first watch.

Shikane, immersing his consciousness in his mind, instinctively called up the system panel.

(End of Chapter)

Chapter 49: Encounter

[Create Ninjutsu: New]

Name: Shadow Puppet

Level: A (S)

Mutation: With the blessing of Shadow Escape Bloodline, the ninjutsu level will be promoted to Bloodline Ninjutsu.

Effect: Endow shadows with life through Yin Release, enabling the user to transfer their consciousness into the shadow, invade people's minds, control their bodies, and distort their will.

Within a certain range, the controlled person can be manipulated like a puppet at will. The closer to the caster, the stronger the control effect. The farther away from the caster, the weaker the control effect.

Effect 2: Transfer the shadow into another body like a heart transplant. Suppress the target's mind with the caster's spirit and replace the human nerves with shadow nerves.

This mode has absolute control over the possessed body until the chakra is exhausted.

Conclusion: An alternative ultimate Yin Release power. The stronger the soul, the stronger the effect of the technique.

Recognition: 3010/10000 (Ninjas who die from this technique will increase their recognition while feeling its power)

Reward: Physical fitness +10, Chakra amount +500 (Note: After reaching the current physical limit, the chakra increase will be nullified)

The continuous encounters were good for one thing: they helped Shikane increase the recognition of his Shadow Puppet technique. This made him more proficient and flexible in its application.

The most criticized aspect of the Nara clan's shadow secret techniques in battle is that when facing agile ninjas who notice the secret of the shadows, it becomes difficult to hit and control them.

The activation and signs of the shadows are too obvious in places with light, and the actual manipulation is limited to one's own shadow infused with chakra.

Therefore, the Nara clan's secret techniques require the cooperation of others on the battlefield.

Shikane, possessing the Shadow Escape Bloodline, takes it a step further. He can temporarily bestow his Yin Release power upon other shadows, not limited to his own.

Of course, doing so reduces the control over the shadow and cannot last long. But at critical moments, this ability can often have a devastating effect.

When sparring with Shisui, Shikane calculated and sensed Shisui's movements and landing spots while chasing him, and controlled an area with slight shadows using Yin Release.

Then, through the shadow and ninjutsu, he forced Shisui to land in that shadow trap.

Achieving this is not easy, especially when facing the Sharingan. It requires precise control, disguise, and deception to perform this series of operations.

Now that Shisui has some understanding of Shikane's Shadow Escape, he will no longer be at an informational disadvantage like he was initially.

...

"Roy's squad is missing too? Damn it! Did Konoha's reinforcements arrive so quickly?" In the temporary camp of Kumogakure, the son of the Third Raikage, with a still somewhat childish face, was filled with anger.

Ever since that blond-haired man and his team arrived, the squads he led had suffered consecutive mission failures.

The opponent's speed was simply too fast, and they possessed the ability to teleport personnel and supplies. He had engaged in combat with them twice, and each time he was outmatched in his proud speed.

If he hadn't tempered his Lightning Release Chakra Mode to the point where he could wrap lightning around his entire body, covering every inch of his skin with a Lightning Armor, he would have at least suffered significant injuries under that blond-haired man.

What was even more troublesome was that simply overwhelming them with numbers had no effect on the blond-haired man. If they weren't careful, they would instead be seized by him and instantly killed.

Other Kumogakure ninjas didn't possess his level of defense, nor could they keep up with the opponent's speed.

After several encounters, because the opponent came and went like the wind and his name was unknown, the Kumogakure ninjas called him the Yellow Flash.

Ai and his younger brother, Killer Bee, were currently leading a small group of elite Jonin, mainly focusing on chasing the Yellow Flash and preventing him from having any free time.

The rest of the Kumogakure forces were scattered to continue their mission of gathering food and supplies.

"They can't escape! Although yesterday's heavy rain washed away many traces, their general location can be determined. Yugito has already led people to deal with them."

The speaker was a ninja with a serious expression. He was the right-hand man of the Third Raikage, a Jonin named Dodai, specially dispatched by the Third Raikage after learning of the unsuccessful missions here.

He reassured the somewhat agitated Ai, "Our current priority is to find a way to deal with that Yellow Flash. With him around, we can't execute our plan."

"I understand." Young Ai still maintained respect for Dodai. Currently, the only ones who could fight and entangle with the Yellow Flash were him and his brother, Killer Bee, who could achieve tacit cooperation with him.

However, even with the two of them working together, let alone capturing the opponent, if they weren't careful, they might even be seized by him and attacked.

"Execute the plan. This time I brought an entire sealing team. As long as you can stall him, the sealing team will try to use sealing techniques to see if they can eliminate him.

I can't stay here for too long. The situation on Raikage-sama's side isn't good either." Dodai was somewhat worried. The originally well-planned operation had encountered unexpected events one after another, causing the entire plan to completely fall apart and become unrecognizable.

"Is that Rasa really that powerful? Even Father can't..." Young Ai frowned. He had no good impression of Rasa, who suddenly shone on the battlefield, using the Raikage and Kumogakure as a backdrop.

"Rasa's techniques are too suitable for the battlefield. His large-scale attacks can easily suppress many Kumogakure forces single-handedly, and he can also fly and is proficient in Wind Release, which counters Raikage-sama's Lightning Release.

On the battlefield, he is undoubtedly a natural killing machine." Dodai still had lingering fears when he thought of the surging waves of golden sand.

Even the Third Raikage, whose Lightning Armor was compressed to the extreme and whose body was tempered to the utmost by lightning, found it difficult to move in the surging waves of heavy golden sand. He couldn't utilize his speed in突刺模式 and could only barely break through under the immense pressure to ensure his own safety.

The opponent couldn't defeat them, and they couldn't advance further into Sunagakure's territory. The battle had reached a stalemate for the time being.

Now, it was a competition of who would collapse first and whether there would be any external force powerful enough to intervene and change the situation.

At least for now, Dodai's heart was filled with a shadow of doubt.

...

"Six people, one of them has a very powerful chakra."

Just as Shikane finished his report, a barrage of dense blue fireballs came raining down from the front. Before they even got close, the intense heat from the fireballs had already caused the surrounding air to ripple with a shimmering effect.

Shisui immediately used a Water Wall to block the dense fireballs and retreated.

Then, in the next moment, a crisp voice accompanied a slender figure descending from the sky, landing opposite the three of them.

Looking at the three of them on high alert, the newcomer grinned arrogantly and said in a cat-and-mouse tone, "Caught you, little mice!"

(End of Chapter)

Chapter 50: Trump Card

"Be careful!" Shisui immediately stood in front of Anko and Shikane, looking nervously at the heroic-looking woman who appeared before them.

From her, Shisui felt a terrifying pressure.

Whoosh! Whoosh! Whoosh!

Several figures swiftly landed beside the kunoichi. The killing intent and aura emanating from two of them were so intense that it made the hairs on their bodies stand on end.

"Yugito, you're too hasty!" A Kumogakure Jonin with brown skin and black sunglasses, known as Yamashiro A, said to the kunoichi with some dissatisfaction.

"Relax, relax!" Yugito waved her hand, her gaze falling on the three of them who were on high alert not far away. "The culprits who disrupted the rear and wiped out multiple squads turned out to be three kids. Quite impressive! I thought it was that Yellow Flash."

"If it were the Yellow Flash, you'd have to run for your life immediately." Yamashiro A's face stiffened. Even the next generation, Ai and Bee, had to join forces to barely hold off the Yellow Flash. He didn't think he and Yugito could escape alive from the Yellow Flash.

"Finish you off quickly, I still have another battlefield to attend to!" Yugito's personality was obviously somewhat self-centered. She looked at the three of them as if they were her prey.

"Trouble, three Jonin!" Shisui's heart sank slightly. The kunoichi being protected in the center, although looking young, gave him a feeling of facing a monster.

Despair also surfaced on Anko's face. The previous battles had made her understand the true strength of a Jonin. A team led by a Jonin already required them to be cautious. This time, they were facing three Kumogakure Jonin!

Shisui took the initiative to attack Yugito, who he felt was the most dangerous.

Clang!

The sound of a sword clashing with kunai echoed on the field. In an instant, a pair of blood-red eyes appeared in Yugito's vision.

However, Yugito only experienced a slight mental trance before the genjutsu Shisui cast on her was instantly broken.

A look of shock flashed across Shisui's face, but he had no time to think. The moment the genjutsu failed, he retreated, narrowly dodging a kunai aimed at his neck.

"Jinchuriki!" Shisui looked at Yugito in surprise. The chakra that surged from her body to dispel the genjutsu reminded him of a tailed beast.

"Uchiha? Raikage-sama would probably love this bloodline limit!" Yamashiro A's eyes lit up instantly.

Although it wasn't the Byakugan that Kumogakure desperately desired, the Sharingan was also a powerful bloodline.

"Kid, surrender. You're a valuable captive." Yamashiro A gripped the kunai in his hand, forming hand seals while speaking.

In response, Anko summoned a giant snake. The snake's body was over forty meters long, and its massive movements alone were enough to cause destruction on par with ninjutsu.

"Orochimaru!"

The moment they saw the snake, the Kumogakure ninjas thought of the pale-faced man known as the Cold Lord.

"It seems we've caught more than just one valuable one." Seeing the massive snake, Yamashiro A unleashed his ninjutsu.

Lightning Release: Spider Web!

Yamashiro A crouched down and slammed his hands on the ground. With his palms as the center, a spider web made of lightning rapidly spread forward, forming a pocket-like shape to bind the giant snake.

The flashing lightning web carried strong paralysis and restraint. The giant snake's massive body stiffened for a moment before it started struggling and rolling, its huge tail sweeping towards Yamashiro A and the others.

The six agile figures quickly dodged, avoiding the sweeping tail.

Under Anko's command, the giant snake launched a fierce attack on the Kumogakure ninjas. Its massive body moved like a natural disaster, wreaking havoc on the surrounding environment.

"A mere summoning beast!" Suddenly, large patches of blue flames, like scales, erupted from Yugito's body, and the surrounding temperature rapidly rose.

Yugito charged towards the giant snake without dodging or evading. Her fingers swiftly formed hand seals in mid-air, and she spat out a massive fireball with a diameter of about three meters at the snake.

The fireball struck the giant snake's body, clinging to it like a persistent flame, continuously burning its flesh and body. The smell of roasted meat filled the air.

The giant snake writhed in pain on the ground, trying to extinguish the flames on its body, but the flames continued to burn vigorously.

Soon, the high temperature, far exceeding that of other Fire Release ninjutsu, left the giant snake on the verge of death.

While Shisui and Anko were engaged in combat, Shikane wasn't idle either. He unsealed a scroll and spread it out on the ground.

He pressed his five fingers on the seal character in the center of the scroll and released the seal.

A person's body emerged from the scroll.

"This is?" Anko subconsciously glanced at the face of the person who appeared from the scroll and was momentarily stunned.

"The First Hokage?" Shisui, who had used his clone combined with genjutsu to distract and attack the enemy, buying time for Shikane, also found the face incredibly familiar. Connecting it to the face carved on the Hokage Rock, his heart pounded at this moment.

"Protect my body, retreat first!" Shikane said to Shisui and Anko while forming hand seals.

In the next moment, his mind, along with his shadow, infused into the body of the First Hokage before him. Black markings quickly spread across the First's entire body as Shikane's will entered. With two tear-like black shadow lines connecting his eyes, the First's closed eyes suddenly opened.

The previously lifeless body of the First Hokage climbed up from the scroll. Initially, his movements were somewhat stiff, but as he stood up and steadied himself, his actions became much smoother.

Shikane's main body seemed to faint and lose consciousness. The moment he fell to the ground, Shisui and Anko, who were beside him, supported him from both sides.

"Shikane?"

Looking at the First Hokage standing in front of them, Anko and Shisui asked, somewhat incredulous, as if wanting to confirm something.

"Get out of here! I'll buy you some time!" Shikane, who had entered the First Hokage's body and was controlling it with the Shadow Puppet technique, experienced the enhancements this body brought him while calculating his current combat power and sustainable fighting time.

Shisui and Anko immediately carried Shikane's body and retreated rapidly towards the rear.

"Don't even think about escaping!"

Noticing Shisui and Anko's retreat, Yugito decisively chased after them. She ignored the shadow clones Shisui had summoned to obstruct her, and the blue flames on her body burned fiercely, forming a high-temperature armor around her.

Wood Release: Wood Style: Forest Emergence!

With a low shout, countless trees sprouted from the ground beneath the First Hokage's feet, forming a barrier that blocked Yugito and the others' pursuit.

(End of Chapter)