A chilling, murderous aura filled the air.
Uchiha Hikari frowned slightly, her expression turning grave. "Anbu? Or Root?"
She had already noticed that after shaking off the first group of pursuers, another faction had tailed her. And this group's tracking skills were a level above Mitarashi Anko and the others. Despite setting up multiple decoys along the way, she hadn't been able to lose them. Instead, her own movement speed had slowed, allowing them to keep up effortlessly...
So...
Had Konoha finally decided to take action against her?
Judging by their formation, it was more likely Root—Sarutobi Hiruzen had personally experienced her Tsukuyomi. If it were Anbu, the Third Hokage would've come himself.
A few tense seconds of standoff passed.
Then, the leading Root ninja drew his blade, his voice hoarse as he commanded, "By Lord Danzo's orders... kill her! Retrieve the Sharingan!"
Those words were the signal.
In the next instant, all the Root operatives attacked simultaneously. A dense barrage of shuriken and kunai rained down from all directions like a storm, aiming straight for Uchiha Hikari!
"Earth Style: Headhunter Jutsu!"
At the same time the "storm" descended, the ground beneath Uchiha Hikari's feet shattered. A black-gloved hand shot out from below, grabbing at her ankle in an attempt to drag her underground!
At the critical moment, Uchiha Hikari leaped into the air, flicking several kunai downward to force the underground ninja to block. Then, her pupils shimmered crimson as the three tomoe of the Sharingan spun rapidly, morphing into the shape of a three-bladed windmill:
"Susanoo!!"
In an instant—
Dark red flames materialized in the air around her, swiftly forming into skeletal structures!
From Root's attack to Uchiha Hikari's leap and activation of Susanoo—everything happened in the blink of an eye. The next second, the storm of shuriken reached her, colliding head-on with the newly formed Susanoo. Sparks erupted in the air, followed by deafening explosions that shook the entire forest!
BOOM! BOOM! BOOM—!!!
The thunderous blasts were unrelenting!
A significant portion of the shuriken and kunai had explosive tags attached, detonating simultaneously. The resulting inferno instantly swallowed Uchiha Hikari and her Susanoo, while the massive dust cloud from the explosions billowed upward like a mushroom, temporarily obscuring vision for both sides.
"...Did we get her?"
"No... she's still alive!"
Amid the dispersing smoke—
A dark red Susanoo arm suddenly shot out, its massive palm—several meters wide—reaching for the nearest Root operative. As it moved, the smoke cleared slightly, revealing Uchiha Hikari, unharmed within the protection of her Susanoo.
Compared to before, her appearance remained unchanged, save for her eyes—now blazing crimson like fire, with sharp killing intent swirling within those three-bladed windmill patterns, ready to erupt at any moment.
"Hah..."
Uchiha Hikari exhaled deeply, channeling her ocular power. As her gaze swept the surroundings, the Sharingan's dynamic visual perception reached its peak, capturing every minute movement in the area.
"Earth Style: Earth-Style Wall!"
"Earth Style: Descending Mud!"
"Fire Style: Dragon Flame Jutsu!"
Several Root ninjas completed their hand seals simultaneously. Within a radius of dozens of meters, the solid ground cracked and churned like liquid, while a massive fissure tore open in the sky above, unleashing a torrent of thick mud that plummeted toward Uchiha Hikari!
Faced with this overwhelming assault, Uchiha Hikari darted between the rising earthen spikes, effortlessly evading every incoming shuriken and senbon. Her hands moved in a blur as she formed seals at blinding speed:
"Fire Style: Blazing Wall Jutsu!"
BOOM—!!
A towering wall of scorching flames erupted, soaring over ten meters into the sky and colliding violently with the descending mud. The resulting heatwave exceeded a thousand degrees.
The mud from above hardened and warped under the intense heat before being swept away by the scorching winds, scattering like a storm of molten rock.
Trees and bushes ignited, flames spreading rapidly as dust and debris filled the air, shrouding the battlefield in a thick haze!
The obscured vision briefly disrupted the Root operatives' assault.
Seizing the moment, Uchiha Hikari charged forward in her Susanoo, streaking toward the Root ninja directly ahead like an arrow loosed from a bow!
BOOM!!
Another explosion rang out as a Root operative's Dragon Flame Jutsu crashed into the Susanoo, splitting apart and spreading to either side. The crimson flames blazed fiercely, quickly turning the surrounding trees into a sea of fire.
Against these elemental attacks, Uchiha Hikari didn't even bother dodging—she simply dispersed them with brute force while forming another set of hand seals:
"Hell Viewing Technique!"
"Fire Style... Great Fire Annihilation!"
With a single exhale, a thin line of fire shot from her lips, expanding into a raging inferno that engulfed the space dozens of meters ahead!
The Root operatives stationed there were first startled by the horrific illusions conjured by the Sharingan's genjutsu. Before they could react, they were swallowed by the incoming flames.
Meanwhile, another Root ninja wielding a longsword lunged at her, engaging in close-quarters combat with ferocious slashes. At the same time, another operative raised his arms, unleashing a dense swarm of insects that rapidly spread through the air like a black storm, surging toward her!
"...An Aburame?!"
Uchiha Hikari kicked the swordsman away mid-air, then spat another burst of flames to incinerate the insect swarm. Her eyes darted around, searching for other threats—
With the protection of Susanoo, most ninjutsu were practically useless against her. Even a concentrated barrage of explosive tags would, at worst, cause minor injuries. But if a ninja from a clan specializing in Yin-Yang Release techniques were present, things would be different. Even a fraction of a second of control could lead to disastrous consequences. Though confident in her mental resilience, Uchiha Hikari wasn't willing to take risks.
If an Aburame was here, then...
What about a Yamanaka?
Suddenly!
Uchiha Hikari sensed something and whipped her head around, her gaze locking onto a spot diagonally behind her. There, several dozen meters away, a Root operative with bright orange hair had formed a heart-shaped hand seal with his thumbs and index fingers, aiming directly at her back:
"Secret Technique: Mind Body Switch Jutsu!"