One Dragon Tail Kick will shatter your Susanoo dream!

Suddenly, Yamanaka Inoichi, who was leading the way, stopped. Nara Shikaku heard his friend's voice in his mind.

"Damn it, there's a huge chakra reaction ahead! I'll hold them off. Shikaku, you take the Hokage and get out of here!"

Nara Shikaku paused, then left in the direction his friend had indicated. Shortly after he left, nearly 30 Root ninjas arrived in front of Yamanaka Inoichi.

The masked man at the head gave orders to the team members behind him.

"Those skilled in perception, continue pursuing Chief Nara; the rest of you, support Lord Danzo!"

"Leave this man to me!"

The Root ninjas didn't exchange many words. After the masked man in the lead gave the order, the group split into three. One group headed towards Shimura Danzo's direction, while the other group, guided by a sensory ninja, pursued Nara Shikaku's location.

Yamanaka Inoichi was immediately filled with anger. As the head of the Yamanaka clan, even if he was doing intelligence work, he was at least a Jonin in strength. The feeling of being looked down upon made him angry.

Taking advantage of the gap in the division of the troops, Yamanaka Inoichi immediately formed hand seals and used a secret technique.

"The Art of Martial Arts Amidst Mental Chaos!"

Several Root ninjas immediately narrowed their eyes and began to fight each other. However, as the masked man in the lead took out his drawing board, his secret technique was instantly broken!

"When it comes to genjutsu, no one in Konoha can defeat me!"

Yamanaka Inoichi covered his forehead, squatted awkwardly on the ground, and asked in some pain.

"This kind of mental power, you are..."

The masked man removed his demon mask, revealing a handsome face—it was none other than Kurama Yakumo!

"I'm sorry, but this is the last time I'll take action to settle my ties with Root!"

Yamanaka Inoichi, unwilling to fall, was completely immersed in the mental world created by Kurama Yakumo. The other party carefully stuffed him into a hidden tree hole and then turned and left.

This time, in addition to completely severing ties with Root, Kurama Yakumo also chose to leave Konoha after taking action to prevent the Kurama family from being implicated!

After setting up an illusionary barrier around the large tree, Yakumo Kurama smiled as he looked towards Kusagakure.

"I'm going to see this paradise that the newspapers talk about for myself!"

At this moment, in the deep pit, the dying Akimichi Choza felt a pill being stuffed into his mouth. Then, a force, like a clear stream, flowed through his body again. Although it was still a drop in the ocean, it could at least slow down the rate at which his life was fading away!

A slightly familiar voice rang out.

"Shishita, your insects are the fastest. Take Choza to Konoha Hospital immediately!"

Then a giant beetle-like insect, with wings spread, a person riding on its neck, and its claws holding a much shriveled Akimichi Choza, flew into the air.

With a "whoosh," several tree spears shot out, only to be blocked by the sudden appearance of a dense swarm of insects. Before they could even get close to the fleeing beetles, they were devoured.

With a gloomy expression, Shimura Danzo walked slowly out of the woods.

"The Aburame clan wants to get involved in Konoha's power struggles too!"

Five men in black robes stood not far from Danzo. The man in the lead slowly stepped forward, and as he moved, a large number of parasitic insects flew out.

"Elder Danzo, the Aburame clan will not participate in any power struggles!"

"This time, I'm only taking action to seek justice for the children of my family!"

"Ryoma, Qugen, and those clansmen you treated as expendable resources, you must repay this debt!"

Danzo Shimura's lips curled up, revealing a disdainful expression.

"What can your invisible clan in Konoha possibly do?"

The swarm of parasitic insects stirred and became restless, probably influenced by their master's emotions. Aburame Shiki raised her hands slightly, and the tribesmen behind her also raised their arms.

"Secret Technique? Insect Tornado!"

A whirlwind, formed by a swarm of parasitic insects, swept towards Danzo Shimura like a tornado, and the battle began once again!

Nara Shikaku, who was trying to escape, was quickly discovered by the Root ninjas who were pursuing him. Because the other party had sensory ninjas, he was firmly locked on and unable to get away. At this time, Hiruzen Sarutobi, who had regained a little consciousness, said in a deep voice after understanding the situation.

"Shikaku, put me down! I'm their target!"

Nara Shikaku's steps froze for a moment, then he resumed as before. He had indeed considered abandoning the other party, after all, due to Hiruzen Sarutobi's indulgence, many of his clan members had been taken away by Danzo Shimura.

Even Nara Shikamaru, the next successor, was publicly demanded by Shimura Danzo. It's impossible for him not to harbor resentment!

Nara Shikaku did not turn around, but silently dodged the Root ninjas chasing behind him, who were using ninjutsu.

Hiruzen Sarutobi sighed softly and began to reflect on his past actions once again. The thought of Danzo Shimura's right arm covered with countless Sharingan eyes and his sudden use of Wood Release filled him with sorrow.

"Ugh……"

"Shikaku, I was wrong in the past. If you manage to escape successfully, please do your best to assist Jiraiya. Although he is unreliable, he truly loves Konoha!"

Nara Shikaku was still pondering Hiruzen Sarutobi's meaning when he suddenly felt a loosening in his back. The other man had broken free of his arm and was now standing weakly on the tree.

Hiruzen Sarutobi looked at the stunned Shikaku Nara and raised his hand with a smile.

"Leave this place. That's an order, Jonin Shikaku!"

At that moment, the Third Hokage's hunched figure seemed to straighten, and the heroic spirit of a ninja reappeared from that moment on!

"Ta Tata..."

Just as Hiruzen Sarutobi was struggling to regain his footing and trying to shake off the numbness in his body, Shikaku Nara walked up behind him with a relieved smile.

"I'm sorry, Lord Hokage!"

"This time, let's fight together!"

Before Hiruzen Sarutobi could refuse, a black line connected to his feet, and Shikaku Nara's expression turned serious.

"I've only ever controlled the Choza in battle before, this is truly a completely new experience!"

The twelve Root ninjas who had been pursuing them lined up without uttering a word and attacked the two in perfect unison.

Seeing this, Nara Shikaku immediately used a secret technique to control Sarutobi Hiruzen to retaliate. Although the opponent was old and most of his chakra was paralyzed and not flowing smoothly, he was still much stronger than him in a head-on battle!

Thus, with his bare hands, Hiruzen Sarutobi, under the skillful manipulation of Shikaku Nara, easily disarmed and beheaded the first Root ninja who attacked him!

Hiruzen Sarutobi felt a sense of lightness in his body and the renewed flow of chakra, and a smile crept onto his face.

"This feeling is like my body has become much younger! Shikaku, let's continue!"

Nara Shikaku felt the dwindling chakra within him and gave a somewhat embarrassed smile.

Hiruzen Sarutobi, who was charging forward with unrestrained ferocity, suddenly froze. The numbness returned, almost causing him to fall to the ground. He turned around and saw Shikaku Nara, pale and weak, half-squatting on the ground.

"I'm sorry, Hokage-sama..."

"Chakra is depleted..."