Given the Uchiha's inherently proud nature, they disdained politics—they were neither skilled at it nor fond of it. In the end, they could only suffer in silence as the Root, emboldened under the Third's indulgence, grew increasingly overbearing.
No one was a fool. Even without evidence, being repeatedly targeted and excluded—clan members vanishing or dying inexplicably during missions one after another—only fanned the flames of fury burning within the Uchiha.
Every mission report filled with suspicious details, every investigation request forcibly suppressed, all of it accumulated into a blazing rage that sought to burn everything to ashes.
Yet, the Uchiha happened to have a weak and incompetent clan leader who was utterly powerless when faced with the Third's slow-bleeding oppression.
Unable to vent their resentment, their hatred naturally built higher and higher, leading to the rise of more and more radicals within the clan. Calls for armed revolt spread ever wider, and in the end, that turncoat Itachi, despairing of peace, was used to trigger the Night of the Massacre.
Now, seeing these people from Konohagakure with their smug expressions—as if they had Itachi entirely in their grasp—Uchiha Yasuo only felt increasing disdain for Itachi's foolishness.
Putting on that false magnanimity, for what?
The entire Uchiha clan had already been annihilated—was that still not enough to prove Uchiha Itachi's loyalty to the village?
And now they spoke to Uchiha Itachi about Konohamaru and the jinchūriki, clearly trying to manipulate him, to keep using him as a tool?
As expected, it was the same disgusting political scheming!
Having seen through the intent of the Konohagakure envoys, Uchiha Yasuo's anger flared even hotter; the chakra within his body began to boil uncontrollably, and his Sharingan involuntarily transformed into the Mangekyō pattern.
Raindrops evaporated into white steam as they neared him, thick mist rising all around, a sight both ominous and terrifying.
He couldn't help but raise one hand to his forehead and throw his head back in wild laughter.
"Heh… haha…"
"What a fine 'forgive and forget'!"
"What a fine 'pretend it never happened'!"
"The Third Hokage really does trust me, doesn't he!"
"But what a pity…"
"You political creatures will never understand—what the true Uchiha trust has always been power!"
"Put away those filthy politician faces of yours!"
"You want to take back the Nine-Tails jinchūriki?"
"Easy!"
"As long as you can defeat me, then everything will be yours to decide!"
"Whether it's reclaiming the Nine-Tails jinchūriki, or bringing my eyes back to hand over to Danzō for his report—it's all up to you!"
Seeing "Uchiha Itachi" in full madness, everyone knew peaceful negotiation was now impossible. Yamanaka Inoichi and Akimichi Chōza turned their heads toward Nara Shikaku, waiting for his decision.
"Ah… what a pity, Itachi. You've made the wrong choice."
Nara Shikaku sighed, then raised his hand and gave the order: "S-rank traitor Uchiha Itachi—betrayed the village, murdered his comrades, kidnapped the Nine-Tails jinchūriki—his crimes are unforgivable. By order of the Hokage, execute him on the spot!"
As soon as Nara Shikaku's words fell, Akimichi Chōza took the lead and launched his attack.
His body suddenly puffed outward, swelling rapidly in the rain; his muscles ballooned as though inflated, and even his ninja uniform expanded along with him.
In the blink of an eye, his body had grown several times larger, while his limbs and head retracted inward like a turtle pulling into its shell, transforming into a ball of flesh. Then, right where he stood, he began to spin at high speed, stirring up a violent airflow that whipped the surrounding rain into a spiraling curtain of water.
Once his speed reached a certain point, that massive ball of flesh came barreling straight toward Uchiha Yasuo, the ground plowed into deep grooves wherever it passed, rocks and splintered wood flying in all directions, its power comparable to a battering ram.
In Uchiha Yasuo's eyes, the pattern of the Mangekyō immediately appeared. A giant of energy rose from the earth—the skeletal frame of Susanoo rapidly forming within the rain curtain, as dark red chakra soared skyward and firmly enclosed Yasuo within its body.
Unlike when facing Yamanaka Fū earlier, this time Uchiha Yasuo directly activated the second stage of Susanoo—the flesh-and-blood armor form.
At this stage, Susanoo could already manifest weapons—the energy giant now wielded a massive staff in both hands, with an herbal gourd strapped to its back.
In this form, Susanoo's offense and defense were both greatly enhanced, though its chakra consumption also increased significantly.
The Mangekyō Sharingan spun madly, and an unending stream of chakra surged from within him. Inaba no Hakuto granted him an astounding chakra recovery speed, making the form of Susanoo even more solid.
With Inaba no Hakuto supporting him, Uchiha Yasuo's endurance was greatly improved—lasting through an entire battle posed no problem at all.
Both sides knew the other was a formidable enemy and were fully aware of each other's information. There was no probing, no buildup—the battle entered its climax in an instant.
"Get lost!"
Uchiha Yasuo shouted loudly, and Susanoo gripped its staff with both hands, swinging it like a golf club in a heavy strike toward the charging Akimichi Chōza.
As the staff swung, it produced a piercing sonic boom, drawing a deadly arc through the air as if to tear the very space apart.
[Boom!]
The staff and the flesh ball collided, erupting with a deafening explosion out of thin air.
The shockwave from the impact instantly evaporated the surrounding rain, white mist spreading across the entire battlefield.
Chakra energy and the rapidly spinning body rubbed violently against each other, and the fierce clash burst into dazzling sparks that bloomed like fireworks in the rainy night.
The two sides remained locked for only a moment before, in the end, flesh was no match for energy.
Akimichi Chōza was sent flying, spinning like a cannonball as he crashed into the dense forest beside them, plowing a broad, deep trench through the trees and smashing through dozens of trunks before finally coming to a stop.
Splintered wood and fragments of stone filled the air, smoke and dust surging skyward and blotting out the light.
Uchiha Yasuo, however, had no time to pursue. A shadow had already extended from beneath Nara Shikaku's feet, following close behind Akimichi Chōza, and in utter silence approached Yasuo's position.
After Chōza was struck flying, that shadow immediately lifted from the ground, transforming into dozens of arrow-shaped black tendrils that twisted and writhed in the rain like the limbs of a monster, sweeping toward him, sealing off all angles of escape with a speed that caught one completely off guard.
But the name of the Ino–Shika–Chō trio was something Uchiha Yasuo had long heard of—he was very familiar with their tactics.
So when Akimichi Chōza charged at him, Yasuo already knew that shadows must be lurking behind him.
He understood these three's information thoroughly and knew well the weaknesses of their shadow secret technique.
That was—this kind of secret art had requirements on the shadow's area.
The larger the shadow's area, the wider its attack range naturally became; conversely, the narrower it was, the smaller the range.
That was the flaw!
After knocking away Akimichi Chōza, who had drawn attention at the front, Uchiha Yasuo didn't even lift his head. He instantly formed a one-handed seal, the Susanoo outside his body synchronizing with him, its massive hands flashing through afterimages.
"Fire Release: Great Fireball Technique!"
In Uchiha Yasuo's view, treating Susanoo like a Gundam for melee combat was merely a conventional tactic—it was far too inefficient.
Susanoo could also use ninjutsu!
Susanoo was more or less similar to Sage Mode—like a ninjutsu amplifier. Any ninjutsu released through Susanoo would have its power amplified to an absurd degree, almost comparable to that of a Tailed Beast's attack.
Sure enough, Susanoo's giant mouth opened wide, and dark red chakra gathered within it frantically. A fireball roughly the size of a Tailed Beast Bomb rapidly formed and fell straight toward the enemy formation.
The intense light instantly illuminated the entire battlefield, leaving the shadows nowhere to hide.
Under the glare of that blazing flame, those shadow secret techniques vanished in an instant like spring snow exposed to sunlight, disappearing completely without having any effect at all.
Wherever the fireball passed, the surrounding rain was instantly vaporized by the extreme heat, forming thick white mist that distorted the very air.
Uchiha Yasuo knew full well that the three members of the Ino–Shika–Chō trio were each only elite jōnin. Though their combat power was not weak, their weaknesses were obvious—easy to target and kill.
Just like Yamanaka Fū before, even though Yasuo hadn't gone out of his way to counter him, he still ended up dying from multiple backlashes, never even getting the chance to use his signature Mind–Body Puppet Curse Seal Technique.
However, once the three of them formed a team, those flaws were all covered, and their strengths were doubled, producing an effect that surpassed even Kage level.
But the Ino–Shika–Chō formation was not without weaknesses either.
It was not a fixed tactical pattern, but rather a slow-building strategy that required Nara Shikaku, acting as the battlefield strategist, to make adjustments based on the enemy, the terrain, and the situation. This allowed him to employ tactics with endless variations and flexibility.
In other words, the more they came to understand their enemy and the better they grasped the flow of battle, the more precise Nara Shikaku's tactics became—and the more powerful their effects.
Conversely, the longer the battle dragged on, the greater the Ino–Shika–Chō trio's chances of victory would become.
And that was precisely where their weakness lay.
The core of this strategy was the tactician among the three—Nara Shikaku.
Once Nara Shikaku was pressed hard, forced to fight on the defensive, unable to spare the time to formulate tactics, the other two would naturally be thrown off rhythm as well—forced to move reactively, busy rescuing one another, and their overall combat effectiveness would plummet.
If one could take down Nara Shikaku as quickly as possible, the remaining two, whose weaknesses were equally obvious, would be no stronger than ordinary jōnin to deal with.
It was precisely because he understood this that all of Uchiha Yasuo's attacks were directed at Nara Shikaku.
Catch the ringleader first to catch the bandits!
He would eliminate Nara Shikaku with the fastest speed possible.
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