Pursuit Mission

"Minato Namikaze was indeed an extraordinary genius, but our Uchiha Clan must never lose to him!"

Uchiha Fugaku led Xu Yue and another Uchiha jonin, Uchiha Kagami, swiftly through the forest, continuously instilling conviction in Xu Yue.

As Uchiha pride, Uchiha Fugaku refused to let the entire Uchiha Clan be overshadowed by Minato Namikaze alone. Even though he had accepted reality and understood that he could not compete with the other man for the position of Fourth Hokage, it changed nothing.

No matter what, the most dazzling force on this battlefield had to be the Uchiha Clan!

Only then could they continue securing their current status in the years to come.

Xu Yue quietly followed behind Uchiha Fugaku without saying much.

He had already carried out several missions with Uchiha Fugaku. This time, because Minato Namikaze had shone so brilliantly on the battlefield, the Uchiha Clan had also been stirred into becoming exceptionally proactive.

This was a pursuit mission targeting a Land of Lightning spy who had hidden within Konoha, stolen vital intelligence, and fled.

Because the man had concealed himself too well and possessed highly sophisticated methods, they had already been late by the time they noticed something was wrong. That was why the Uchiha Clan had been assigned this high-difficulty mission.

Along the way, the three of them had already killed three waves of reinforcements sent to receive the target. From elite chunin at first to jonin later on, none of them posed any pressure with Uchiha Fugaku personally leading the team.

However, while the traitor who had stolen the intelligence was not particularly powerful, his ability to stay alive was first-rate. He had escaped several times, drawing in fresh reinforcements each time.

It seemed that he had his own means to back up his audacity in stealing intelligence so important that even Xu Yue did not know what it was.

Xu Yue and the others had now pursued him all the way into the Land of Lightning. Under normal mission procedures, even if they withdrew and returned now, it would not have much of an impact.

After all, they had already done their best. The main blame for this incident lay with the intelligence department. They had discovered it too late, preventing an immediate pursuit.

But just as they were preparing to head back, Xu Yue merely muttered that Minato Namikaze was fast enough that they should have sent him on this mission, and Uchiha Fugaku was immediately fired up.

No matter how Xu Yue tried afterward to persuade him that they could return and report the completion of the mission, it was useless.

Even Uchiha Fugaku could not escape the Uchiha Clan’s arrogant temperament.

Even Itachi, in truth, had more or less a bit of that personality!

How could the still hot-blooded Uchiha Fugaku endure such provocation?

He completely ignored Xu Yue’s attempts to persuade him to turn back.

And so, this pursuit continued to drag on.

A master was bold. Uchiha Fugaku, who had originally awakened the Mangekyo during the Third Shinobi World War, was now at the peak of his life—and at his most inflated.

Swoosh~ Swoosh~ Swoosh~

Three figures blocked the path of Xu Yue’s group. The killing intent radiating from them and the speed at which they had appeared both demonstrated the strength of elite jonin.

They were Kumogakure’s absolute backbone!

A squad composed entirely of elite jonin was enough to rival half of the Seven Ninja Swordsmen!

They could all be ninja with titles of their own!

Yet faced with these three formidable enemies blocking their way, Uchiha Fugaku merely snorted.

"Hmph, three more here to die. You Hidden Cloud people really are as annoying as flies."

Not only him—Uchiha Kagami, infected by his clan head’s attitude, also activated his Three Tomoe Sharingan, his face full of disdain.

Though he had yet to cross the threshold into elite jonin, with those eyes, he did not fear so-called elite jonin in a one-on-one fight!

The three Hidden Cloud ninja who had come to intercept them were also composed, seemingly not angered in the slightest. One of them, a man carrying a sickle-like weapon on his back, spoke in an icy tone.

"It is said that when facing the Sharingan, one must flee in a one-on-one battle. Now that it is three against three, we can see for ourselves."

"Fierce-Eyed Fugaku. This time, we’ve hooked quite an incredible catch." Another, somewhat younger man wearing an eyepatch over one eye also spoke.

"And according to the latest intelligence, that other one should be the so-called Black Little Flash. I wonder how much of the Yellow Flash’s true teachings he has inherited."

The last woman looked at Xu Yue’s youthful face and licked her lips.

The terrifying killing intent of all six people spread wildly, making the surrounding leaves tremble as though they feared that murderous aura.

Although Fugaku and Kagami both appeared dismissive, their ninja discipline still ensured that they took their opponents seriously on a tactical level.

Even Uchiha Fugaku, currently at the most inflated point of his life, understood how troublesome elite jonin were. He was even hesitating over whether to use that.

Yet this brief standoff was broken by the person who had been the most low-key and least expected.

"Auntie, has no one ever told you how stupid you look when you lick your lips?"

Slowly drawing his kunai, Xu Yue’s lips curled into a smile.

Talk no Jutsu: Great Taunt Technique…

Panting as he looked at the three corpses ahead, Uchiha Fugaku felt a wave of soreness in his right eye.

They had been elite jonin after all. They had still forced him to use it.

Uchiha Yue was ultimately still too young. He had the strength, but in a battle of this level, he was still somewhat of a burden.

Uchiha Kagami, who was already sitting on the ground, panted heavily as well. Dissatisfaction appeared in his eyes as he looked at Uchiha Yue beside him.

They had boasted about him as some peerless genius within the clan, a future powerhouse comparable to Shisui, even claiming he had earned the title of Black Little Flash.

But apart from moving a little faster in this kind of team battle, all he did was hold them back and cry for help everywhere.

If not for the clan head’s immense strength, then…

Splurt~

Blood poured endlessly from Uchiha Kagami’s mouth as he stared in disbelief at the black, blood-vessel-like tentacles that had pierced through his chest. He struggled to turn around.

But before he could complete the motion, the tentacles writhed, twisting his facial expression grotesquely as most of his internal organs were churned into pulp!

Then his entire heart was pulled out, connected by a single blood vessel before being dragged into a figure’s body.

The sudden change horrified even Uchiha Fugaku.

Someone had actually attacked his teammate right under his nose?!

Even with the exhaustion after battle, it should not have come to this!

The newcomer’s strength was likely beyond imagination!

"At last, I’ve made up for a new heart. I’ve been chasing you for a long time. I never expected you to bring me such an excellent gift as well. Fierce-Eyed Fugaku, this is dozens of times more valuable than your head."

Kakuzu slowly emerged from the shadows, his hoarse voice unhurried.

"Brother Fugaku, I’ve dragged you down. This man is the bounty hunter who blocked us on the road. I never thought he would chase us all the way here! Brother Kagami, Brother Kagami, he…"

Xu Yue immediately stood up from his recovery in shock.

Uchiha Fugaku directly stretched out an arm to block him.

"Use your Flying Thunder God and run immediately. This enemy truly isn’t someone you can fight head-on."

Uchiha Fugaku narrowed his aching right eye. Damn it, the burden of the side effects was so heavy. He had not recovered yet.

Why did it have to happen at a time like this?!

Just as Kakuzu was about to habitually open his mouth and reminisce about the old days, Xu Yue spoke again.

"I’m not leaving. This disaster came because of me. I’ve already gotten Brother Kagami killed. I absolutely can’t drag you down too. According to him, he fought the First Hokage. Who knows what era this old monster is from…"

Kakuzu: …

Two updates complete~ That’s all for today…

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