I, Uchiha: Split Konoha

Chapter 195 Two Tigers Fighting for Food

"Oh no! It's fake!"

When the Cloud Ninja discovered that the Sarutobi Shinnosuke who remained was an imposter, they were immediately shocked and enraged. Instantly, countless Cloud Ninja began to chase after the fleeing figure.

Elsewhere, a gentle breeze swept by, and on a connecting bridge spanning the cliff, the figures of ninjas appeared at both ends.

The masked Uchiha Yoru, wearing sunglasses, carefully counted the ransom. On the other side of the vermilion bridge, five Sarutobi clan ninjas were filled with anger and fear. If Shinnosuke weren't so important, they would definitely risk their lives to rescue him.

A crimson glint flashed in the Mangekyou Sharingan behind the sunglasses, and the pupils of the ninja Shinnosuke, who was examining the unconscious man, trembled. The Sarutobi clan ninja was instantly under the influence of a genjutsu. After carefully examining the man and confirming that there was nothing wrong with him, Shinnosuke nodded solemnly.

"It's Shinnosuke-sama, I'm sure of it."

The Jonin of the Sarutobi clan spoke directly to his companions in the distance. At that moment, everyone in the distance secretly breathed a sigh of relief, because the return of Shinnosuke-sama was more important than anything else.

"Can we exchange them now?"

The masked Uchiha Yoru spoke in a hoarse voice, while the Sarutobi clan ninja who came to inspect him nodded warily. Under the other party's gaze, he slowly put all the valuables into the sealing scroll.

Just as he was collecting the valuables, the other party grabbed Sarutobi Shinnosuke and hurriedly dodged behind him. At the same time, the other Sarutobi clan ninjas who had been waiting for a long time rushed to cover him.

"Cover Shinnosuke-sama!"

In a flash, one side took the valuables, while the other side immediately protected the hostages and retreated. At the same time, the remaining elite members of the Sarutobi clan instantly flashed forward to be on guard against the other side.

Having obtained the valuables, Uchiha Yoru made a hasty retreat, and as he left, a single word slowly curled at the corner of his mouth.

"burst!"

A rustling sound came from the body of Shinnosuke, the hostage protected by the Sarutobi clan. At that moment, the ninja protecting him narrowed his eyes and looked down to see the explosive tags stuck inside his clothes.

"Get out of the way! This Shinnosuke-sama is fake."

One of the members of the Sarutobi clan sensed something instantly, but amidst the deafening roar and flashes of fire, the Konoha ninja who had come was filled with rage.

"Chase them! We must not let them get away."

As the signal flare resounded across the sky, the elite members of the Sarutobi clan, along with the elites of the Anbu and Root, who had been hiding for a long time, quickly headed towards the direction of the signal flare, even though they were now more than ten kilometers away from the safe zone of the ninjas.

Rumble~

At the same time, the explosive tags hidden in the sturdy bridge on the cliff also exploded in the flames, and the bridge collapsed in an instant.

This only delays the ninja's advance; it cannot stop a powerful ninja.

In the dense forest, a dark figure darted swiftly, followed far behind by a group of Konoha's elite squad chasing in a fan shape.

What's rather strange is that on the other side in the distance, ninjas from the same Cloud Village are chasing a figure.

Within the dense jungle, only the sounds of ninjas moving at high speed could be heard. With each rapid leap, gusts of wind were stirred up, and afterimages flashed by, with leaves falling to prove their passage.

In the rapid chase, Uchiha Yoru's figure was extremely fast; if neither side hadn't given it their all, they probably would have lost him long ago.

The Konoha ninjas were filled with rage. "Damn it, chase after them! Shinnosuke-sama must still be in their hands."

"We cannot let them get away with this."

Just as a group of elite Konoha ninjas were frantically chasing after them, one of the ANBU sensory ninjas suddenly changed his expression and issued a warning: "Not good, there is a large amount of chakra reaction in the distance, there are fifteen people, and the amount of chakra is huge, especially the chakra of one of them is monstrous, far exceeding that of an ordinary Jonin."

"Be on guard! The enemy has laid an ambush."

Faced with the report from the sensory ninja, Konoha's elite did not lose their composure. Instead, they calmly began to choose a tactical strategy. Although the enemy had laid an ambush, they also had reasons to give up. Moreover, their goal was not to kill but to rescue their target.

Similarly, the Cloud Village chasing team also had sensory ninjas, who immediately became serious upon sensing the presence of the other side and reported to their captain, Killer Bee.

Using the same method, he deceived the Hidden Cloud Village. After all, neither side had considered the terrifying genjutsu abilities of the Mangekyou Sharingan. When they discovered that Shinnosuke was an imposter, they immediately began the chase.

"Captain, we've spotted two ninja squads ahead. They're forming a fan shape and closing in. There are thirty-eight of them, and their chakra levels all exceed those of ordinary Chunin..."

As the report was delivered, Killer Bee's usually unreliable face turned serious, and he frowned.

Ninja squads typically consist of four members: a captain and three members. However, there are also so-called "battalions" that carry out missions, with each battalion consisting of seventeen members. These battalions are staffed by Konoha's Anbu and members of other major ninja villages.

Therefore, the opposing force of thirty-eight men can be considered two large battalions, all of them elite troops.

In the original story, when Orochimaru defected, one of the orders issued by Konoha was that two ANBU battalions were needed to capture the S-rank rogue ninja Orochimaru.

This lineup is quite impressive, but Killer Bee's side is also of high quality, only slightly less numerous.

"The sensory ninjas continue to investigate and send signals to the surrounding personnel to prepare for the rescue."

"Yes."

Ultimately, Killer Bee decided to confront them head-on first, since they had not only lost such a large sum of money, but their target had also been taken away, which was a huge loss.

"Prepare for battle!"

After a loud shout, Killer Bee instantly transformed into a red tailed beast cloak, increasing his speed dramatically. Under the determined gazes of the crowd, Killer Bee decided to try and catch up at the last moment.

Both sides believe this is a tactic employed by the other.

Uchiha Yoru, who was moving rapidly ahead, suddenly felt a sense of crisis and instinctively glanced to the side, his pupils shrinking instantly.

Behind them, in the distance, Killer Bee had already entered Tailed Beast form, or rather, half-Tailed Beast form.

Enveloped in dark red chakra, several blood-red tails twitched, and a chakra sphere filled with the aura of death was gathering in its mouth.

Tailed Beast Ball!

When I first faced the Tailed Beast Ball, my body instinctively felt the fear of death, and every hair on my body stood on end. I'm going to die! I can't stop it, I'm going to die!

In an instant, Uchiha Yoru stopped abruptly, and the Mangekyou Sharingan under his sunglasses began to spin rapidly. He was ready to unleash his Mangekyou Sharingan abilities if necessary.

Boom!

In an instant, a bright light flashed, so dazzling that everything in sight turned white, followed by a huge roar from behind.

A massive shockwave from the explosion swept in, like a vast tornado.

Wearing sunglasses, Uchiha Yoru glanced discreetly behind him with a wary and calm demeanor. The Tailed Beast Ball had just grazed past him; its target wasn't him, but rather to obstruct him.

At the same time, the terrifying attack of the Tailed Beast Ball brought immense pressure to the Konoha ninjas in the distance. Instantly, the expressions of the Konoha elite ninjas changed drastically, but remembering their mission, they still gritted their teeth and followed.

The shockwave from the explosion swept over him, making his clothes flutter wildly. Taking advantage of the Tailed Beast Ball's burst of power, Killer Bee, the Eight-Tails Jinchuriki, had already arrived in front of him.

Enveloped in dark red tailed beast chakra, it didn't resemble a human at all, but rather a small tailed beast. Especially with the ominous aura emanating from it and the immense pressure of its chakra, Uchiha Yoru broke out in a cold sweat.

At this moment, he seemed to finally understand the pressure Orochimaru faced when confronting the Nine-Tails at the Tenchi Bridge in the original work. It was a terrifying existence that could threaten his life.

The terrifying pressure from the tailed beast's chakra was especially vividly displayed.

"You're the next target!"

Killer Bee in his Tailed Beast Mode demonstrated the power of a perfect Jinchūriki, managing to maintain his sanity even under such intense pressure.

Killer Bee stared at his opponent with apprehension, while the Eight-Tailed Gyūki within him also looked wary. "Killer Bee, be careful, this opponent is no ordinary opponent."

At this moment, the masked Uchiha Yoru swiftly tossed aside a figure, and under the suspicious gaze of the person, he kicked him directly.

"I'm giving this to you, Sarutobi Shinnosuke."

At that moment, Killer Bee lowered his head to check, but did not let his guard down. However, just as he confirmed that there was nothing wrong, the black-clad man, Uchiha Yoru, slowly curled up the corner of his mouth, revealing a mocking look in his eyes.

"Little octopuses, my mission is complete. Now it's your turn."

Within Killer Bee's sight, the man in black vanished with a bang; it was a shadow clone.

"Ah Ba, is what you just said true?"

After the enemy disappeared, Killer Bee did not lower his guard. Instead, he began to talk to the Eight-Tails inside him. At this moment, the Eight-Tails Gyūki sealed inside him was filled with fear and solemnity.

"My intuition is not wrong. Although the feeling I had just experienced was only for a moment, there was indeed a power about the other person that I was afraid of."

Killer Bee was also filled with solemnity upon hearing for the first time about a power that could make even tailed beasts feel apprehensive, and this time things were very unusual.

"retreat!"

He tucked Sarutobi Shinnosuke under his arm, immediately reverted to his tailed beast form, and began a rapid retreat.

Rumble~

On a distant treetop, a masked figure calmly watched the roaring forest rumble in the distance. Trees were falling from time to time, and flocks of birds were flying away in panic. Clearly, the ninjas of Konoha and Killer Bee of Kumogakure had encountered each other, and a great battle had broken out.

"He seems to be quite restrained."

Watching the aftershocks of the battle, Uchiha Yoru's lips curled into a smile. The Cloud Village may seem domineering, but they are actually quite cunning.

Upon seeing a group of Konoha ninjas, knowing he couldn't silence them, he restrained the power of the tailed beasts, since this was already a clash between two nations.

One is the son of the Hokage, and the other is the Jinchuriki of the Hidden Cloud Village. If they recklessly use the power of the Tailed Beasts, then the Hidden Leaf Village will definitely not be lenient with them.

After all, Konoha possesses the strongest Nine-Tails in terms of external influence.

……

Konoha base.

"Master Ye."

"Lord Yoru."

When Uchiha Yoru returned to his long-lost base, some ninjas he knew greeted him with excited and admiring smiles.

Uchiha Yoru smiled and nodded in response, and news of his return spread throughout the camp.

"night."

When Kakashi Hatake came out to greet Yoru Uchiha, their eyes met. Yoru Uchiha, without regard for the presence of countless people, smiled and nodded, and began to speak.

"The mission is complete. The weapon of the First Hokage, which has been passed down in the Land of Whirlpools, has been retrieved by Lady Tsunade."

This was originally an honor mission, so there was no intention of hiding it after it was completed. With Uchiha Yoru's voice, the Konoha ninjas around him cheered excitedly.

For them, the First Hokage's weapon was merely a symbolic representation; they had heard news of the legendary Sannin, Tsunade.

"Congratulations, Night!"

Kakashi Hatake, trying to suppress his nervousness, said that when Yoru Uchiha appeared in the light, he knew that Shinnosuke Sarutobi's matter had probably been resolved properly, but for him, it seemed to bring a strange sense of guilt.

"Konoha Jonin Uchiha Yoru has completed his mission and has come to report to Commander Sarutobi Shinnosuke."

At this moment, Uchiha Yoru pretended to be righteous and spoke loudly in front of everyone, as if he were explaining the situation of his mission.

It gives the impression that although the mission was completed, it was done by Tsunade, one of the three legendary Sannin, and that Uchiha Yoru was not lacking in strength.

The clever person thought that Uchiha Yoru wanted to use the greater good to pressure Sarutobi Shinnosuke, and by bringing up Tsunade's existence, the other party would be unable to pursue the matter.

However, no one thought of the deeper meaning, except for Kakashi, who was secretly nervous, as he knew everything.

"Shinnosuke Sarutobi is on a secret mission for the village, and I'm now in charge of the front lines."

Kakashi feigned composure, but at that moment, some people among the crowd showed expressions of watching a show, while others showed concern.

After all, Uchiha Yoru was the commander and Kakashi was his second-in-command before, but now their positions are reversed.

The Uchiha clan's proud nature might lead to trouble.

Sure enough, the smile on Uchiha Yoru's face stiffened when he heard the news, but when he saw the expressions of the ninjas on Sarutobi Shinnosuke's side, he put on a strong and composed forced smile.

"Oh, I see. My mission is complete. It seems I need to wait for the order from the village before I can go back to rest. Kakashi, you'd better keep up the good work."

In everyone's eyes, this was Uchiha Yoru's counterattack. It seemed that it was enough to say that he had made a great contribution by turning the tide and stabilizing the front line. Now he could return to the village, but he was delayed by the mission.

Kakashi became a commander simply because he was transferred back to the village, not because you, Kakashi, are stronger than him.

Some people secretly breathed a sigh of relief, at least they hadn't completely broken off relations. Uchiha Yoru also put on a fake smile, reported the mission process to Kakashi, and then walked towards the Uchiha camp.

When the two looked at each other, it seemed to outsiders that there was a rift between them, but the two of them nodded to each other in unison.

When Kakashi saw Uchiha Yoru nod, he knew, though he didn't know what had happened, that Sarutobi Shinnosuke probably wouldn't be coming back.

Sorry, I only finished my homework at 4 pm today. I stayed up until 3 am last night, and I was so sleepy this afternoon that I wanted to take a nap. But when I woke up it was already evening, and I just finished typing this.

[We plan to resume normal updates on May 5.4th, with two updates per day]

(End of this chapter)