Yūka and Uzumaki Kaichō were at a significant disadvantage facing five Root ninja.
The intense battle continued. Yōkō discovered that Kō was a Fire Release user.
Shin summoned a large scroll containing ninja tools of various shapes.
Chain whips, sickles, large swords, Fūma Shuriken... it seemed Shin specialized in ninja tools.
He now had a rough guess about the abilities of Ki, Kō, Shin, and Jin.
What Yōkō needed to do was use the system's death to return to the full moon night a few days prior, use Reverse Summoning to reach Yūka's side, and help her deal with the four Root ninja.
He scanned the Root ninja. For this death, who should he "draw a lottery ticket" from?
His eyes slowly turned, looking towards Orochimaru.
Or perhaps, try Orochimaru?
The current Orochimaru hadn't yet mastered the Eight Branches Technique or the Impure World Reincarnation. Maybe he could get some Ryūchi Cave snake-style abilities?
Orochimaru slightly turned his head, his vertical pupils fixed on Yōkō.
"Fox, did you just feel killing intent towards me?"
Yōkō's heart skipped a beat.
He had merely had the thought and glanced at Orochimaru, yet Orochimaru sensed his malicious intent?
Orochimaru raised his hand, and dozens of long snakes instantly shot out from his wide sleeves.
Hidden Shadow Snake Hands!
Yōkō hastily jumped backward.
It wouldn't be good to get entangled by snakes.
While in mid-air, Yōkō quickly formed hand seals.
After five seals, a high-speed water jet shot out, slicing through the dozens of snakes chasing him.
On the hillside below, Yūka looked up anxiously. She had seen Fox long ago and kept thinking about escaping to the distance, to another place, to avoid exposing Fox.
But Fox, to save them, had actually taken the initiative to act first, engaging in combat with Orochimaru, one of the Legendary Sannin.
Yūka could no longer care about hiding anything. Since Fox was exposed, they did not need to hide either.
Biting her finger, Uzumaki Yūka used the Summoning Technique.
Yatagarasu shrieked as it burst out of the white smoke.
The Hell Split Dog roared as it charged towards the Root ninja.
The situation of the battle below the hill instantly reversed.
On the hill, the bodies of the long snakes thudded to the ground.
The cross-sections of the snakes revealed tender red snake meat. Seeing his long snakes severed, Orochimaru showed no distress.
He glanced at the several giant summoning beasts and said:
"So they are Uzumaki remnants. No wonder they assassinate Root ninja; they are here for revenge."
Orochimaru then turned back to Yōkō: "Then, Fox, whose person are you, really? It seems now you aren't just Yellow Dog's man.
Interesting, truly interesting. Yellow Dog's most trusted aide seems to have some other ideas."
Yōkō ignored Orochimaru's verbal probing. He thought to himself that he must force Orochimaru to use his abilities to try and draw something good.
He didn't dare get close to Orochimaru and formed seals again from a distance, using Water Release: Water Cutting Wave.
The next moment, he looked at Orochimaru in surprise.
Orochimaru's hand seal speed was extremely fast, his hands flying. He started forming seals later than Yōkō, but used the same technique simultaneously!
Orochimaru also knew Water Release: Water Cutting Wave?
Two water jets shot out and collided in mid-air.
The splashing water turned into mist, settling on Yōkō's mask.
Orochimaru's Water Cutting Wave was slightly stronger than his own.
Yōkō reconsidered; Orochimaru, knowing Water Release: Water Cutting Wave wasn't really strange.
Yōkō's identity as an Anbu squad leader gave him extremely high clearance; he could learn all the ninjutsu and sealing techniques collected by the Anbu.
With his status as the Third Hokage's disciple and deputy battlefield commander, Orochimaru having access to top-tier Water Release ninjutsu was not surprising at all.
The current Orochimaru was more like a venomous snake toying with its prey, deliberately using the same ninjutsu as Yōkō.
A sense of indignation rose in Yōkō's heart. The Water Release: Water Cutting Wave he treasured so much was actually just one of the dusty ninjutsu Orochimaru rarely used...
Yōkō formed a single hand seal and used the Mastery Level Earth Release: Earth-Style Rising Spears.
Dozens of sharp stone spears abruptly thrust out from the mountainous ground for dozens of meters ahead.
Orochimaru's half-raised hand dropped. He hadn't expected Fox's Earth Release to be so fast and powerful.
He jumped backward, evading all the earth spears.
Yōkō thought about it. Even if he drew Ryūchi Cave snake-style ninjutsu, he couldn't use it openly. Better to try for Orochimaru's Water Release: Water Cutting Wave.
Thinking this, Yōkō formed seals again and used Water Cutting Wave.
Orochimaru also formed seals, wanting to see the shocked look in Fox's eyes.
Seeing Orochimaru's flying hand seals, Yōkō grew increasingly satisfied inwardly.
Maybe he could draw the Mastery Level Water Cutting Wave. That would be wonderful.
Right after the two water jets collided, Yōkō immediately raised his water jet a few centimeters.
Yōkō's water jet shot towards Orochimaru, and Orochimaru's water jet also shot towards himself.
Orochimaru was stunned, momentarily not expecting Fox would trade injury for injury.
The Water Cutting Wave pierced through Orochimaru's shoulder blade, lifting upward and slicing through his shoulder.
With one arm disabled, Orochimaru wasn't angry but instead looked at Fox with great interest.
"Not bad, not bad. Trading injury for injury, fearless of death, truly worthy of being an Anbu elite."
He wasn't flustered either. He tilted his head back and opened his mouth.
Two hands emerged from Orochimaru's mouth, stretching it to its maximum.
A brand new Orochimaru crawled out from the mouth of the old Orochimaru.
The classic move of "I vomit myself."
After landing, yellowish-white mucus slid down his legs.
He looked towards Fox and found that his own Water Cutting Wave had pierced through Fox's heart?
"Huh? What about your Absolute Defense?"
From the hillside below came Yūka's mournful wail.
"No! Fox!"
--
Yōkō's vision went black, returning to several days prior.
He was staying in the valley with Orochimaru, waiting for Hei to bring back intelligence.
In two more days, Hei would return and find Orochimaru.
In five more days, they would encounter the extremely beleaguered Yūka and the others.
Yōkō didn't have time to check the "lottery" first. He said to Orochimaru:
"Lord Orochimaru, I will also go scout near Kumogakure. This mission is so important; I feel uneasy if I don't take a look in advance."
Orochimaru glanced at Fox, feeling slightly strange, but did not veto it.
"Go, return before the night after tomorrow. Hei will bring Yakushi Nonō's intelligence by the day after tomorrow at the latest."
"I understand, Lord Orochimaru."
Yōkō continuously used the Body Flicker Technique, using all his strength to distance himself from Orochimaru.
He would have time on the road to choose this resurrection reward.
[Mochizuki's Arc activated!
The host has only one resurrection opportunity per month, reviving on the previous full moon night after death.
Reward one lottery draw opportunity:
1- Ryūchi Cave Sage Summoning Contract;
2- Elite Jōnin-level Chakra Reserve (Stackable);
3- Water Release: Water Cutting Wave (Mastery).]
The first option was the Ryūchi Cave Sage Summoning Contract.
With this contract, he could also summon Ryūchi Cave's giant snakes, even meet the Great White Snake Sage, and access Ryūchi Cave Sage Mode.
But if he summoned Ryūchi Cave snakes, Orochimaru would know immediately.
Ryūchi Cave would probably also wonder why a contract ninja had suddenly appeared.
Better forget it. The Sage Mode issue needed long-term planning; the other two Sage lands seemed much gentler than Ryūchi Cave.
The second option was Chakra Reserve, temporarily not very useful either.
The third option made Yōkō's eyes light up.
His luck was really good; he actually managed to get the Mastery Level Water Release: Water Cutting Wave from Orochimaru.
He immediately chose the third option. Insights about the Water Cutting Wave suddenly filled Yōkō's mind.
Certain chakra pathways were cleared, making the chakra flow for the Water Cutting Wave smoother. He could now use Water Release: Water Cutting Wave with a single hand seal.
As his current strongest attack method, the faster casting speed of Water Cutting Wave greatly increased its practical combat power.
Yōkō found a cave and set up an Earth Vibration Barrier inside.
Then, he used the Byakugan to observe the surroundings. After confirming Orochimaru hadn't followed, he summoned the Stone Pandas Hakuji and Hakuyū.
Hakuyū was already familiar with this process. He used the contract chakra to notify Uzumaki Yūka.
Uzumaki Yūka, who was fleeing in a sorry state through the forests of the Land of Iron, suddenly felt the contract chakra and was startled.
If it wasn't for urgent matters, Fox rarely contacted her.
She quickly summoned Hakuyū.
Hakuyū, beside Uzumaki Yūka, performed a Reverse Summoning for Yōkō.
Seeing Fox wearing the White Ghost mask, Uzumaki Yūka suddenly felt a long-lost sense of security.
Yōkō looked at the people beside Yūka; both Uzumaki Kaichō and Uzumaki Genchō were alive.
Alive was good; he had made it in time. Every Uzumaki Jōnin was precious.
Yōkō said: "You've been discovered and are being pursued by Root ninja. Turn around first; I suspect you have Root tracking methods on you."
Among the four pursuers, Ki was from the Aburame clan, Kō excelled at Fire Release, Shin excelled with ninja tools, and Jin mastered the Super Beast Imitation Drawing secret technique.
This was the intelligence he gained in his previous "life."
Uzumaki Yūka and the other two quickly turned around.
After forming a hand seal, Yōkō used Byakugan!
In terms of observing chakra, the Sharingan was inferior to the Byakugan.
Under the Byakugan's vision, the chakra flow on the three Uzumaki members was laid bare.
Yūka's graceful curves beneath her clothes were displayed in a see-through transparent style, possessing a somewhat peculiar... appeal.
Yōkō quickly shook his head. Now was not the time to appreciate... appeal.
But... damn those Hyūga ninja, having the Byakugan all along, hadn't they been enjoying this early on?
Yōkō found Parasitic Destruction Insects on three of them.
Ki had marked the three with Parasitic Destruction Insects, which was why they could be pursued relentlessly.
"You have Parasitic Destruction Insects on you!"
Uzumaki Kaichō said: "We were infested with Parasitic Destruction Insects? When did it happen? We had no idea."
Yōkō concentrated chakra on his fingers, quickly tapping the three of them and crushing all the Parasitic Destruction Insects. Then he said:
"Let's go. Transmitting intelligence via Parasitic Destruction Insects has a delay; the insects need to fly back to the Aburame ninja.
We'll use this brief time window to go back and deal with those Root ninja.
My time is tight; I can't stay here long."
Uzumaki Yūka and the other two stopped fleeing and turned to rush towards the pursuing Root ninja.
A few minutes later, they saw the pursuers behind them.
One Root ninja sat on a Super Beast Imitation Drawing: Bird in the Clouds, while three Root ninja were on the ground.
After a simple tactical distribution, Yōkō would lead Uzumaki Kaichō and Uzumaki Genchō in a frontal assault, while Uzumaki Yūka would sneak around to find an opportunity for a surprise attack.
Jin, on the Bird in the Clouds, saw an additional person wearing a White Ghost mask and one fewer person wearing a Kappa Demon Mask. He quickly lowered his altitude, preparing to warn the three below.
Uzumaki Kaichō was the first to act. He took out a scroll and flung it into the air.
The scroll erupted with white smoke. After the smoke cleared, hundreds of kunai, shuriken, and Fūma Shuriken flew towards the secret ink Bird in the Clouds in the sky.
The ninja tool scroll used by Tenten in the original story required advanced sealing techniques, which originated from the Uzumaki clan.
Jin thought to himself that by the time these flashy ninja tools reached high altitude, their force would be exhausted.
At that moment, Yōkō formed a single hand seal, supplementing it with Wind Release: Great Breakthrough.
A massive hurricane abruptly shot out diagonally upward, carrying hundreds of variously shaped ninja tools towards the Bird in the Clouds.
Uzumaki Kaichō almost lost his footing.
Fox's ninjutsu was too powerful; he could actually use a Wind Release ninjutsu of such strength with just one seal.
Countless kunai, shuriken, and Fūma Shuriken rushed towards the sky at an exaggerated speed.
Jin's Bird in the Clouds was shattered, and he fell from the sky.
While still in mid-air, he took out a brush, preparing to draw another Bird in the Clouds.
However, the second combined attack from Uzumaki Kaichō and Yōkō arrived.
After a scream, Jin, still in the air, was subjected to the rain of ninja tools.
His chest was pierced by four kunai, his arm was severed by a one-meter diameter Fūma Shuriken, and he died miserably in mid-air.
Having dealt with one person, Yōkō charged towards the three Root members on the ground.
Ki saw Jin's body fall and the three demon-masked ninja charging fiercely. He immediately made a judgment.
"Kō, Shin, you cover the rear! I will bring the intelligence back for Lord Danzo!"
Without hesitation, Ki turned and fled towards the rear.
Seeing this, Yōkō formed the hand seals for Shadow Clone.
He himself used Wind Release, and the shadow clone used Fire Release, each forming a single hand seal.
Fire Release: Dragon Fire Technique and Great Breakthrough – the strongest attack of Yōkō's White Ghost alias appeared.
The fire dragon, constrained by a whirlwind dozens of meters in diameter, rushed towards the three Root ninja at extreme speed.
Facing the terrifying combined Wind-Fire ninjutsu, Kō and Shin hurriedly used ninjutsu to block.
Shin used Water Release: Water Formation Wall. However, the water wall seemed fragile and helpless against the combined Wind-Fire ninjutsu.
The original plan of the four Root members was to find the killers, drive them into the Land of Lightning, and wait for support from Kō (Orochimaru) and Hei.
However, the enemy, using some unknown method, had discovered the Parasitic Destruction Insects first and had even returned to ambush them.
The Water Formation Wall quickly collapsed. Kō and Shin, unable to dodge in time, were severely injured by the combined Wind-Fire ninjutsu.
Ki glanced back and saw Kō and Shin defeated miserably by the combined Wind-Fire ninjutsu. He quickly continued his escape.
Damn it, were four Root ninja still no match for the enemy?
Just as Ki looked back, he suddenly noticed a female ninja wearing a Kappa Demon Mask had appeared to his side.
The female ninja threw a kunai.
Ki hastily dodged; the kunai grazed past his throat.
A swarm of insects appeared in his hand, and Ki manipulated the insect cloud to fly towards the Kappa Mask ninja.
The Kappa Mask ninja was unexpectedly strong; his insect swarm couldn't catch up.
Moreover, he was locked down by a sealing technique!
Ki was greatly alarmed. With this level of sealing technique, could the Kappa Mask be an Uzumaki remnant?
Yōkō had Uzumaki Kaichō and the other deal with the severely injured Kō and Shin, while he quickly Body Flickered to Ki's side.
The means filling the sky insect cloud was instantly engulfed by flames.
Ki saw another powerful enemy arriving.
The White Ghost ninja's Fire Release was too strong. Who was he really?
A few seconds later, Yōkō ended the battle, killing Ki.
Watching the flames consume Ki, Yōkō thought to himself, if the combined Wind-Fire ninjutsu was this strong, he wondered what effect Sarutobi Hiruzen's Five Elements Unrivalled Attack actually had.
In the distant fight, Uzumaki Kaichō and Uzumaki Genchō also finished their battle.
Yōkō said to Yūka:
"Danzo's Root originally had ten members. We've already killed six. In the short term, Root's capabilities are greatly reduced.
After disposing of the bodies, return to the Land of Rain first. If there are any new developments, I will contact you again."
Yūka was reluctant to part with Fox's presence. Unfortunately, Fox was surrounded by white smoke and disappeared via Reverse Summoning.
In the cave in the Land of Lightning, Yōkō appeared from the white smoke. The Stone Panda Hakuji canceled the Summoning Technique.
As the white smoke dissipated, for an instant, Yōkō's hair stood on end!
Orochimaru's voice sounded behind Yōkō:
"Fox, your summoning beast is quite interesting.
It actually has such high intelligence and can use the Reverse Summoning Technique."
***
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(End of Chapter)