On the other side, the two Jonin, Uchiha Renka and Rice Fire, were leading several other Chunin, firmly suppressing the three surviving Root Jonin brought by Danzo.
Although Root had one more Jonin in terms of numbers, the Uchiha Jonin possessed the Three-Tomoe Sharingan; their dynamic vision, genjutsu resistance, and copying abilities far surpassed ordinary Jonin, making their combat strength extremely formidable.
Not to mention, there were also several Uchiha Chunin with their Sharingan activated, coordinating seamlessly from the sidelines to provide support and harassment.
Those three Root Jonin were already covered in wounds, their Chakra heavily depleted, forced into a purely defensive position with no power to strike back; their defeat was only a matter of time.
The entire battlefield seemed to have completely tilted in favor of the Uchiha side.
Danzo's single eye swept across the battlefield, seeing the elites he brought dead, wounded, or suppressed. He had exhausted his trump cards and was in a wretched state, while the opponent, though having consumed some energy, Uchiha Shao Yu seemed to still have cards up his sleeve, and his clansmen's fighting spirit was high... A surge of despair and extreme rage welled up in his heart.
No! He couldn't die here!
His ideals, his "contributions" to Konoha, were not yet complete.
He still had to seize those Mangekyo, eradicate the Uchiha, and... become Hokage.
"Uchiha brat, do you really intend to drive us to total extinction?"
Uchiha Shao Yu was stunned for a moment.
You freaking chased me all the way here, and now you're saying this kind of thing?
"Old dog Danzo, when you were oppressing the Uchiha and hunting me down, why didn't you think about showing mercy?"
Danzo's old face flushed red.
"I did it all for Konoha! How could a brat like you possibly understand!"
Since I don't understand, then let's stop wasting words!
Just as Uchiha Shao Yu was preparing to launch the next round of attacks to finish off Danzo once and for all.
Those three suppressed Root Jonin seemed to receive some silent command from Danzo, or perhaps they made their own decision, as a glint of resolute madness flashed in their eyes simultaneously.
They suddenly broke free from their opponents' entanglement and charged recklessly toward the core combat circle where Uchiha Shao Yu and Danzo were located.
As they charged, they tore open their clothes, revealing dense layers of Explosive Tags plastered underneath.
"Dying for Lord Danzo!"
"Long live Konoha!"
Amidst the shrill roars, the three Root Jonin were like three human bombs, splitting into three directions with the determination to perish together, lunging at Uchiha Shao Yu and... the Uchiha clansmen who could intercept them.
"Careful! Fall back!" Uchiha Shao Yu's pupils constricted as he shouted sharply, simultaneously retreating rapidly.
Ninjas are all high-attack but low-defense; if they took the blast of these Explosive Tags head-on, it would be game over. He had Susanoo, but the others didn't.
These Uchiha were his foundation; even if just one died, he would feel heartache for a long time.
Boom, boom, boom—!!!
The earth-shaking series of explosions once again echoed through the hollow, flames and smoke swallowing a large area, and the violent shockwave even overturned and shattered nearby rocks.
This sudden suicide attack was unlikely to kill a prepared Uchiha Shao Yu or the Jonin, but it successfully created massive chaos and a brief blockage of vision and perception, forcing the Uchiha members to temporarily avoid the brunt of it.
And under the cover of this explosion and chaos.
A hunched, wretched, yet exceptionally swift figure, like a wounded lone wolf, fled desperately toward the deeper darkness of the Land of Frost outside the hollow, without looking back.
It was Danzo Shimura! He unhesitatingly abandoned all his subordinates, utilizing the precious opportunity they bought with their lives to choose... escape.
He couldn't die yet; his life still had use, his dreams were not yet fulfilled, and he still had to become Hokage.
Thinking of the hat Hiruzen Sarutobi wore and the Hokage robes on his body, Danzo's eyes were instantly filled with desire and the hope for survival.
He had to survive!
Uchiha Shao Yu stood at the edge of the explosion, watching the direction where Danzo disappeared, his eyes flashing with light, but he did not pursue immediately.
It wasn't that he couldn't catch up, nor was it that he lacked the strength. On the contrary, he had deliberately suppressed Danzo in the previous battle without truly blocking all his paths of retreat.
Even at the last moment, facing the self-destruction of the Root Jonin, his command for his clansmen to retreat seemed somewhat perfectly timed; it both avoided casualties on his side and didn't press Danzo too hard.
"Let him go."
Sho U withdrew his gaze, his voice flat.
Renka and the others looked at him with some confusion.
Sho U looked toward Konoha, a cold arc curling at the corner of his mouth.
"A venomous snake that has lost all its elites and is still obsessed with the Mangekyo Sharingan, returning to Hiruzen Sarutobi's side—who has already reduced his funding and grown wary of him... Do you think he will stay quiet?"
"Let the shadows of Konoha tear at each other's internal shadows. With Danzo alive, desperately trying to restore his power and seize authority, it will only cause the Konoha higher-ups to become more divided and consume themselves in internal strife, leaving them no time for anything else. This is more beneficial for us as we head far away to Kumogakure to gain time for development."
Hearing this, everyone realized the truth, and the respect in their eyes for Sho U grew even deeper.
Not only was his strength extraordinary, but his strategic planning was also so profound.
There was one more thing Uchiha Shao Yu didn't say.
If Danzo returned to Konoha, he would definitely target the Uchiha Clan more fiercely than before. Only then could the Uchiha dove faction in Konoha Village see reality clearly. At that time, he would have a better chance to take the remaining Uchiha Clan under his wing.
"Clean up the battlefield and leave quickly."
Sho U ordered.
"Danzo has escaped, and Konoha's subsequent pursuers might arrive in large numbers soon. This place is not suitable for a long stay."
"Yes!"
The Uchiha members immediately went into action, quickly gathering their clansmen's belongings. In this battle, no one on the Uchiha side died; only Ling and two Chunin suffered some minor injuries. They handled the traces of the scene, took necessary spoils of war, supported the wounded, and assembled again.
However, that old fellow Danzo didn't have many good things on his subordinates, likely because they were traveling light; Sho U only found some Soldier Pills and ten million Ryo.
Soon, twelve figures, just as they had come, quietly left the battle-scarred hollow and completely vanished into the colder and more unknown darkness further north in the Land of Frost.
Behind them, only the embers of the explosion, the remnants of the battle, and the fleeing back of Danzo Shimura remained.
Sho U expressed that he couldn't care less about the undercurrents Konoha was about to face due to this failed pursuit. He hoped Elder Setsuna and Patriarch Tenjima could lead the Uchiha Clan through it safely, but it was unlikely they would emerge unscathed.
The game of hunter and prey came to a temporary close this night.
From now on, the roles of offense and defense have shifted.
Advance chapter available on pãtrêon Got1808