The more he thought about it, the more animated he felt. His excitement was not about possessing the Sharingan himself. It was about what it represented as a combat resource.
The Sharingan could, to a meaningful degree, address the Sand Village's most glaring weakness: insufficient special combat power. Especially in this war against Konoha, compared to Konoha's abundant military strength and the numerous tactical advantages created by its clan members, the Sand Village appeared noticeably thin in this particular area.
Transplanting the Sharingan would be extremely difficult for most people. For him, it was not.
He only needed to ensure two things. First, that the Sharingan's power would not weaken or be compromised during the transplant procedure.
Second, that the recipient would not experience a rejection reaction. These were the two biggest technical challenges involved.
Given his medical expertise, tissue rejection was essentially a solved problem. The only remaining consideration was whether the Sharingan's power would be affected by the Uchiha clan member's own will, specifically the difference between a willing transfer and one obtained by force.
On the other hand, what genuinely excited him was that he had not expected the Sharingan to be acquired this easily. He personally had no particular desire for it.
It was not a Mangekyou, after all. And he already possessed the Blood Dragon Eye and Red Eye, his own ocular power already far surpassing ordinary three-tomoe Sharingan in terms of direct capability. Therefore the Sharingan was perfectly suited for distribution to enhance the village's overall fighting strength rather than his own.
He had originally anticipated that acquiring the Sharingan would require extreme effort, even preparing himself to withstand the pressure of a full Leaf Village army response and risking serious danger to forcibly capture one or two Uchiha or Hyuga clan members.
The actual outcome had not resembled any of those preparations. The Uchiha had simply come to him.
It was genuinely no different from finding money lying on the road.
"Move out."
He steadied his emotions and led the Sand Village soldiers back toward their base. They had only just begun their retreat when he noticed something unusual and turned to look behind them.
His gaze pierced through the sky and found a familiar chakra signature.
Namikaze Minato.
The plan was clearly to follow them covertly from a nearby position, observing the situation, and then at the right moment decisively follow them back to headquarters to look for an opportunity to quietly rescue the Uchiha clan members.
After all, Minato had previously stolen the Sand Village's medicinal resources using exactly this kind of approach. They were fully capable of doing this.
Although for Minato, attempting it under the current circumstances would be extremely dangerous.
Given the Sand Village's awareness and precautions, the risk was enormous. But given what was at stake with the Uchiha prisoners, he had no choice but to try regardless.
Yuji could not allow that.
"You go ahead," he said to his second in command, then turned back toward Minato's direction.
"Yes."
The subordinate immediately urged the Sand Village soldiers to accelerate their departure.
Yuji moved.
In an instant his speed surged and he dropped toward the ground. His hands came together in a respectful bow formation, his eyes going cold.
"Blood Release: Blood Dragon Burrow!"
As he landed, he raised one hand slightly. A blood-red river surged from his palm like a tidal wave, transforming into a colossal red dragon several meters in length. It let out a thunderous roar.
The enormous figure charged forward at full speed. In the blink of an eye, Minato appeared a hundred meters away. The dragon opened its blood-filled maw and swooped down from above.
This technique was one of the Blood Dragon Eye's ocular power transformations, combining a Blood Release form with precise and skilled manipulation. It was not a standard technique from the original Blood Manipulation system.
Boom.
The dragon's head slammed into the ground with tremendous force, sending blood-colored foam surging outward in every direction. The rising waves of blood did not simply splash across the ground.
They transformed in midair into sharp high-speed rotating drill formations, like enormous cannonballs, launching themselves toward Minato's flickering position from multiple directions simultaneously.
Minato's expression tightened. He did not stop using the Flying Thunder God, only doing his absolute best to dodge each incoming projectile.
Finally, when the blood had completely dissipated across the terrain, Yuji landed and fixed his gaze on the ground ahead of him.
It was a gentle stretch of open grassland. For both the Sand Village and the Leaf Village, this area functioned as a natural buffer zone separating the two sides.
With no mountains or forests to provide cover anywhere in sight, any troop deployment or attack from either direction would be detected immediately by the defending personnel of the respective war zones, allowing a rapid response.
The Leaf Village had extended its defense line from within the Land of Fire out to this location specifically because of this property.
After a significant period apart, meeting Minato again here, Yuji found a smile forming on his face. His mood was genuinely good.
He understood Minato's purpose completely. But having already obtained what he wanted, there was not the slightest chance he would give it up now.
Watching Minato dodge the Blood Release jutsu with this level of skill, even comparing him to the standards of a future Fourth Hokage, it was impossible not to feel a degree of genuine admiration.
The seemingly ordinary Body Flicker Technique, when used by Minato, carried a different and distinctly enhanced quality that set it apart from what anyone else could produce with the same foundation.
This allowed him to execute even basic techniques with absolute perfection, without a single flaw visible anywhere. Whether in offense or defense, everything Minato displayed carried a kind of simple and elegant quality that was genuinely rare.
There was nothing exaggerated or flashy about any of it, only a pure and relentless pursuit of efficiency. Taking the most fundamental abilities and elevating them to an entirely different level.
To be honest, this was what could be considered the true standard of a ninja at the highest level, and even Yuji would willingly acknowledge his excellence without reservation.
"This road is blocked."
Yuji stared at Minato and said four words.
Minato looked at the Sand Village soldiers gradually disappearing into the distance behind Yuji and said nothing.
Crossing this battlefield's separation belt, not far ahead lay the adjacent Sand Village war zone. Even if Minato used the Flying Thunder God Technique to bypass the enemy's main force and infiltrate their ranks, he would still be constantly tracked by the enemy's doujutsu.
Any attempt to secretly rescue the Uchiha clan members was simply not a realistic possibility. Furthermore, judging from how the situation had developed, the Sand Village soldiers who had been advancing with such ferocity had immediately pulled back the moment Yuji turned to intercept him.
This clearly indicated they had anticipated his arrival and had likely made corresponding tactical arrangements in case he dared to attempt an infiltration of the Sand Village's main force.
It was also a matter of life and death.
"One on one, you are no match for me. Although right now I cannot do anything definitive to you either," Yuji said quietly. "But if we were to fight, you would not be dangerous to me. I, on the other hand, have a genuine path to killing you."
He continued.
"The Uchiha clan. We, the Hidden Sand Village, are grateful for the gift. Though of course there is no need to thank them personally for it. It was their own foolishness that delivered it."
"Does the Hidden Sand Village truly want to fight us to the death?" Minato said in a low voice.
"What are you talking about?" Yuji spread his hands with a relaxed expression. "This is war. Do you think it operates like a negotiation? Given the pressure the Hidden Leaf Village is currently facing across multiple fronts, how much actual capital do you have left to spend?"
"Furthermore, with the Third Hokage gone, do you genuinely believe your current military strength can threaten us?"
"From the moment the Third Hokage left this battlefield, the situation reversed. That is simply the reality."
"Come then. We are waiting."
It was better not to attack again. The warning had been issued clearly enough.
Minato said a few words in return.
Then he slowly turned and prepared to leave.
"One more thing."
Before departing, Yuji suddenly extended one finger and turned his head back to look at Minato with a thoughtful expression.
"If you are still considering using the Flying Thunder God Technique to sneak into our war zone, thinking of making some small moves or attempting to rescue these Uchiha clan members, please go ahead and try. I am genuinely looking forward to your arrival."
Having said that, Yuji transformed into a blood-red streak and accelerated away directly in front of Minato, disappearing from sight and leaving Minato standing there alone in the open grassland, his heart heavy.