"Eh? It's Sasuke?"
Menma raised an eyebrow, a faint look of surprise crossing his face.
A moment later, however, understanding dawned on him, and he gave a slight nod.
It wasn't unusual. Orochimaru frequently entrusted Sasuke with missions. On one hand, it allowed him to make full use of Sasuke's exceptional abilities; on the other, every assignment served as another trial to temper the young Uchiha. In Orochimaru's eyes, each mission was practical training, sharpening Sasuke into the perfect vessel.
Orochimaru had never intended to seize Sasuke's body prematurely. A vessel that had yet to reach its full potential was of little value. Like cultivating a rare fruit, harvesting it before it had fully ripened would only diminish its worth. Only after Sasuke had matured to the limit of his talent would Orochimaru move to claim him as his next vessel.
"Let's go."
Menma smiled faintly.
"I'm rather curious to see which of Danzō's trusted subordinates has been sent this time."
Whoosh!
Chakra burst beneath his feet, propelling him forward at blinding speed as he shot southwest like a crimson streak.
Whoosh!
Whoosh!
Yūgao and Yakushi Kabuto immediately followed, flanking Menma from either side as the three of them sped toward the designated location without wasting a single second.
At the same time…
In the northeastern region of the Land of Spring.
Jiraiya was leading Naruto toward the same destination.
Unlike Menma, Jiraiya had received intelligence much earlier through the ANBU dispatched by Tsunade. Not only had he learned that Danzō had secretly deployed Root operatives into the Land of Spring ahead of everyone else, but he had also received reports describing a fierce battle involving the Six-Tails Jinchūriki, Yūgao, and an unidentified elite force.
With the limited intelligence available, Jiraiya naturally concluded that the group pursuing Yūgao belonged to Root.
The possibility immediately put him on edge.
Although Yūgao was a missing-nin from Kirigakure, he still belonged to the Hidden Mist Village. Jiraiya had no intention of allowing another incident that could destabilize the already fragile balance among the Five Great Shinobi Nations.
From his perspective, the worst possible outcomes were Yūgao falling into the hands of either Orochimaru or Danzō.
The ideal scenario was simple.
Either Yūgao continued wandering the ninja world as he had before…
Or Kirigakure eventually reclaimed its own jinchūriki.
Any other outcome was something Jiraiya intended to prevent, regardless of the cost.
Unfortunately, the ANBU squad dispatched by Tsunade had failed to continue tracking Yūgao, Darui, and the others after the battlefield had been abandoned.
Had they managed to pinpoint Yūgao's escape route, Jiraiya might have encountered him before Menma did.
Instead, fate played another trick.
After losing Yūgao's trail, the ANBU investigating the area mistakenly pursued another route. By pure coincidence, they stumbled upon the movement of Danzō's Root operatives instead.
Mistaking them for the same group that had previously clashed with Yūgao, the ANBU maintained surveillance while immediately sending another messenger to report everything back to Jiraiya.
Thus, two separate groups advanced toward the same destination from completely different directions.
Like two arrows released from opposite ends of the battlefield…
Their trajectories converged upon a vast plain northeast of the Land of Spring's capital.
As Menma's group and Jiraiya's group rapidly closed in from opposite sides, the most intense battle of the operation had already erupted there.
Bang!
"Fire Release: Great Fireball Technique!"
A lithe figure burst into the air.
Within his scar
As one of the Academy's former top students and the heir of the Uchiha Clan, Sasuke possessed extensive knowledge of the major clans of Konohagakure.
The instant his opponent revealed his abilities, Sasuke had already identified his identity.
Within Konoha, there was only one clan renowned for manipulating insects on such a scale
The Aburame Clan.
Moreover, judging from the sheer number of insects under his control and the precision with which he commanded them, this Root operative was undoubtedly one of the clan's elite.
It wasn't arrogance on Sasuke's part.
After spending so much time training under Orochimaru, his strength had undergone a tremendous transformation. Even without drawing upon the power of the Cursed Seal, Sasuke's combat ability had already reached the level of an elite jōnin. Coupled with the perception and predictive abilities granted by his fully matured three-tomoe Sharingan, very few ordinary jōnin could contend with him in direct combat.
Yet the Root operative before him had repeatedly neutralized his attacks.
Not only had he defended against Sasuke's offensive techniques with remarkable composure, but during several previous exchanges he had even forced Sasuke onto the defensive.
That alone spoke volumes about his opponent's strength.
The man standing before him was none other than Aburame Ryōma, the Root operative dispatched to the Land of Spring under Danzō's direct orders.
As one of Danzō's oldest and most trusted subordinates, Ryōma ranked among Root's strongest combatants. Throughout countless covert missions, he had frequently accompanied Danzō as both escort and executioner.
Such responsibility alone was enough to demonstrate the absolute trust Danzō placed in him.
"Uchiha Sasuke."
Ryōma's emotionless voice emerged from beneath his mask as he stared coldly at the young Uchiha.
"Surrender immediately. Continuing to resist will only bring you unnecessary suffering. If you insist on fighting… you alone will bear the consequences."
As he spoke, he casually raised one hand.
The dense cloud of kikaichū insects that had blocked Sasuke's Fire Release: Great Fireball Technique dispersed once more, swirling around him like a living black mist awaiting its master's next command.
Originally, Ryōma's mission had focused solely on locating the Six-Tails Jinchūriki.
However, during the operation, Root had uncovered the location of one of Orochimaru's hidden bases.
Following Danzō's orders, Ryōma had destroyed the facility after extracting every piece of useful intelligence he could obtain.
The objective had been twofold.
First, to disrupt Orochimaru's efforts to locate the Six-Tails Jinchūriki.
Second…
To deliver a clear warning to the former Sannin that Root remained fully aware of his movements.
Everything had proceeded according to plan.
Then Orochimaru's reinforcements had arrived far sooner than expected.
And leading them…
Was none other than Uchiha Sasuke, one of the highest-priority targets on Danzō's elimination list.
Naturally, Ryōma had no intention of allowing him to leave alive.
Although an Uchiha prodigy wielding the Sharingan represented a dangerous opponent, Ryōma retained complete confidence in his own abilities.
After all, he had not come to the Land of Spring alone.
Every operative accompanying him belonged to Root's elite.
"Hmph… surrender?"
A mocking smile slowly spread across Sasuke's face.
"What a ridiculous suggestion."
Boom!
Without another word, Sasuke released the power that had remained dormant within his body.
The Cursed Seal activated instantly.
Jet-black markings spread rapidly across his skin like writhing flames, racing across his neck before engulfing his entire body in an intricate web of sinister patterns.
A violent, malevolent chakra erupted outward.
The surrounding air seemed to tremble beneath its pressure.
Sasuke's entire demeanor transformed.
His expression became colder.
More ruthless.
The oppressive chakra radiating from his body increased severalfold, causing even the ground beneath his feet to crack under the sudden surge of power.
"!"
For the first time since the battle began, the expression beneath Ryōma's mask shifted ever so slightly.
As he sensed the overwhelming chakra pouring from Sasuke's body, the Root commander's eyes narrowed.
His gaze became incomparably solemn.
The intelligence Danzō had provided had not been exaggerated in the slightest.
Orochimaru's training, combined with the amplification granted by the Cursed Seal, had elevated Sasuke's strength far beyond that of an ordinary elite jōnin.
This battle…
Was about to become considerably more troublesome.
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