One Dragon Tail Kick will shatter your Susanoo dream!

"Fire Style? Great Dragon Fire Technique!"

A giant fire dragon burst forth from the dense forest, charging toward Yamato and the others with unstoppable force. Kakashi reacted swiftly, his hands rapidly forming hand seals.

"Escape? Earth flow wall!"

Three thick earthen walls quickly rose from the ground, with a distinctive dog head shape in the very center.

Dozens of Root ninjas stood on various branches of the tree. A man wearing a black mask slowly emerged from behind the tree, speaking coldly without saying much.

"Protect Lord Danzo!"

"Slay the rogue ninja and retreat!"

"Fire Release: Great Fireball Technique!"

Several Root ninjas unleashed Fire Release techniques, creating a massive, overwhelming attack that covered Kakashi and the others. Meanwhile, three Root members used Earth Dragon Concealment Technique from below, attempting to launch a sneak attack from below under cover.

At this moment, Shimura Danzo's right arm was exposed, and his remaining Sharingan was slightly moving. Sarutobi Shinnosuke's heart sank when he saw this, but he regained his confidence as his guards arrived and the numbers of the Root members were balanced. He stared at Shimura's right arm and said in a deep voice.

"Elder Danzo, upon returning to the village, I will report the truth to the Hokage..."

Danzo Shimura lowered his head and did not respond, a hint of killing intent flashing in his eyes. The other party had discovered his secret and would certainly not let him leave alive. Ryoma Aburame took out a scroll from the side and used a new specially made ninja tool to seal Danzo Shimura's right arm.

"Second style of the Hatake sword technique? Iaihe chops continuously!"

A flash of white light instantly decapitated the Root ninja who had emerged from the ground!

"Wood Release: Wood Spear Arm!"

A row of wooden pillars shot up from the ground, curving into an archway that firmly protected Yamato and Kakashi. When the sound of the Great Fireball exploding subsided, the two emerged from the pillars to find that Sakumo Hatake was already wielding the White Fang and charging wildly through the encirclement of the Anbu.

The opposing team consisted of only three people, but all of them were strong enough to be Jonin. The leader, Sarutobi Shinnosuke, made a quick decision, nodded slightly to his teammates, and made a concealed gesture.

As a result, the ANBU ninjas who were originally assisting in the operation retreated one after another. This defection of a member meant that the plan had been exposed. Sarutobi Shinnosuke decided to return to the village first to preserve his strength!

"Fire Release: Great Fireball Technique!"

A fireball, far larger than any of the Root ninjas' Fire Release techniques, appeared and blasted towards the Anbu members who were moving toward the edge of the battlefield. Sarutobi Shinnosuke led the way by using Earth Release: Earth Wall, and it took several layers of earth walls to block the attack.

Just as Sarutobi Shinnosuke was relieved and preparing to organize a counterattack, dozens of red-eyed ninjas appeared, most of them women...

"Fire Release: Phoenix Flower Technique!"

"Fire Release: Great Fireball Technique!"

"Fire Style? Great Dragon Fire Technique!"

"Fire Escape..."

A barrage of various fire-style ninjutsu erupted from the mouths of the red-eyed ninjas, instantly shattering the defensive formation set up by the ANBU. In the chaos, only Sarutobi Shinnosuke's Water Dragon Bullet managed to deflect some of the firepower.

"Damn Uchiha!"

Sarutobi Shinnosuke looked at nearly a third of the Anbu members who had been killed by the sudden appearance of Uchiha ninjas using Fire Release techniques. Enraged, he took out a scroll, opened it, and threw out a giant shuriken.

"Shuriken Shadow Clone Jutsu!"

As the giant shuriken were thrown, their numbers increased, accompanied by a whooshing sound, as they hurtled towards the charging Uchiha. A half-body red Susanoo appeared, easily deflecting the shuriken with a simple flick of his arm.

Uchiha Itachi, riding his Susanoo, leaped into the Anbu crowd.

"Let's collect some interest first, and we'll settle the rest later!"

Sarutobi Shinnosuke drew his exquisite ninja sword and, with several Jonin from the Anbu, surrounded his opponent. A hint of fear lingered in his eyes; he knew all too well what Susanoo meant.

"Damn it, the Uchiha clan, just as the intelligence our spies relayed, the remnants have joined Kusagakure!"

"We must bring this definite news back to the village!"

Sarutobi Shinnosuke made a quick decision and gave the order to the guards beside him.

"Cover my operation! We must bring back everything that happened here to Konoha!"

The remaining Anbu members nodded silently, then charged toward the enemy. The remaining Jonin charged toward Uchiha Itachi with a death-defying spirit, while Sarutobi Shinnosuke, under the cover of the others, left a shadow clone in place and escaped underground with his real body.

Sarutobi Shinnosuke, who had suddenly used the Earth Dragon Concealment Technique to quietly leave, was startled to see several strange white-skinned men appear before him and instantly leaped out from underground.

"These are the strange individuals who participated in the attack on Konoha and call themselves White Zetsu. Damn it, Kusagakure has a major problem—the Kara organization..."

The White Zetsu emerged from the ground with their heads peeking out, each one grinning widely.

"This guy must be scared out of his wits!"

"Lord Black Zetsu only told us to keep an eye on him!"

"Do you want to do it?"

"We weren't the ones who killed him, and besides, it seems like we couldn't beat him anyway..."

Sarutobi Shinnosuke swallowed a special soldier's ration pill, feeling his chakra and stamina rapidly recover. Looking back at the battlefield, which was quite a distance away, he finally felt a little relieved.

"White Zetsu's strength is at most that of a Chunin. These dozen or so guys can't stop me!"

Footsteps echoed from the dense forest nearby, and the group of White Zetsu sank back into the ground. A young man wearing a high-necked short-sleeved shirt and carrying a katana emerged from the forest.

The Sharingan, subtly shifting within its pupils, revealed the identity of the newcomer.

"Shunshen Shisui!!!"

"The genius of Konoha..."

Uchiha Shisui drew his katana from his back, gripped it tightly with both hands, and greeted him coldly.

"Long time no see, Captain."

"Shisui, you also care about Konoha Village. Come back to the village with me. I can help you explain to your father... the Hokage, and get the Uchiha clan accepted again!"

Uchiha Shisui held his katana horizontally in front of his chest and spoke calmly.

"I'm sorry, I'm a ninja from the Grass Village. Everyone here is doing well in the Grass Village, and you'll never have the chance to return to Konoha!"

Upon seeing this, Sarutobi Shinnosuke paused, quietly put his hands behind his back, and took out a kunai from his ninja bag.

"The Uchiha clan of the Grass Ninja has fallen into depravity."

"Whoosh!"

As he spoke, Sarutobi Shinnosuke threw several kunai at Uchiha Shisui, then formed hand seals and leaped into the air.

"Fire Release: Fire Dragon Bullet!"

Sarutobi Shinnosuke spat out a powerful fireball towards Uchiha Shisui below. Shisui easily dodged to the side, having predicted Shisui's landing spot. Sarutobi Shinnosuke then quickly formed hand seals again.

"Earth Release: Earth Flow River!"

The spot where Uchiha Shisui was hiding suddenly turned into muddy soil, causing him to lose his footing. Sarutobi Shinnosuke threw a kunai with an explosive tag at him.

With a loud "boom," a muffled explosion rang out. Sarutobi Shinnosuke didn't hesitate at all, immediately turning around and leaving, using the smoke from the explosion to escape. He didn't expect such an attack to kill his opponent.

Turning around, they saw Uchiha Shisui leaning calmly against a tree, a disdainful smirk on his face.

"They launched their attack during a lull in the conversation, instead of continuing their reminiscing."

"Captain?"

Sarutobi Shinnosuke held his ninja sword to his chest and sighed helplessly.

"It seems we have to resolve this first, then figure out a way to return to Konoha!"