I, Uchiha Hikaru, have joined the chat group.

Chapter 99 Danzo's Defection and Tsunade's Mark

That night.

All sounds are silent.

The entire village of Konoha was asleep, except for the lights in the guard unit building, which shone brightly in the distance, echoing the few scattered lights in the vicinity.

Clusters—

With a gust of wind, several figures stealthily made their way into the woods near Konoha Prison, dispersing along a pre-arranged route. Once the patrols on the street had passed, they simultaneously activated their chakra, forming hand seals: "Genjutsu: Nirvana Abode Technique!"

Feathers fell silently, like phantoms.

Several guards at the prison gate simultaneously lowered their eyelids, feeling drowsy.

"...No, it sounds like someone is casting an illusion!"

The first guard who realized something was wrong was about to speak when a kunai slit his throat.

The body fell silently, its bright red blood flowing out.

Another somber-looking man emerged from the shadows on the inner side of the prison and waved towards a spot not far away: "Hurry up, we only have about ten minutes to carry out the rescue!"

……

At this moment.

Above the security building.

Wearing a miniature bracelet and only the size of a thumb, Uchiha Hikaru stood in the void with his arms crossed, looking at the scene below with a somewhat bewildered expression.

"What's going on?"

She came here now, of course, to witness Danzo's escape firsthand and to confirm whether her "Eight Thousand Spears" had worked.

Can……

What's the deal with these ninjas who broke into the prison?

Not wanting to reveal his presence and still unsure of the situation, Uchiha Hikaru continued to observe from the sidelines, witnessing firsthand the brief battle between the group of prison breakers and the guards inside the prison, before they helped an elderly man in a dark kimono escape and fled towards the gates of Konoha Village.

By this time, the surrounding patrol forces had already discovered their presence.

The prison breakers decisively left two men behind to cover their retreat, while the remaining two carried Danzo and continued their escape. Along the way, several more reinforcements jumped out and escorted them in a relay.

Although people kept staying behind, Danzo himself was brought to the village entrance almost without any pause. Yakushi Kabuto, wearing glasses and with white hair, was already in place there.

"……I see."

The moment Hikaru Uchiha saw Kabuto, he finally realized—

So they were remnants of the root!

She had indeed wondered before that, according to the original plot, Kabuto Yakushi, Nono Yakushi, and Sai's brother Shin should all be members of Root at this time, but she did not see them when she first wiped out the Root elites or when she destroyed the Root base for the second time.

I had initially thought that these guys had been recruited by Hiruzen Sarutobi during the post-incident inventory.

did not expect……

They were actually hiding here?

"If that's the case..."

Uchiha Hikaru glanced down at the village from high above, assessing the distance between the arriving Anbu and security forces and Kabuto's group, and abandoned his original plan to "arrest Danzo." Instead, he flew towards Kabuto and his group, who had just left the village, in a smaller form, and activated his Mangekyou Sharingan under the cover of night.

"Seal Tsukuyomi!"

opposite.

Kabuto, who was carrying Danzo and rushing forward at high speed, was momentarily dazed. Then, he came to his senses, somewhat surprised, and used one hand to adjust his glasses, looking around.

"What's wrong, Dou?"

"It's nothing... I think I just saw things for a moment."

"...Watch your step. If anything happens to Lord Danzo, you'll never know where Nonou is again!"

After a brief exchange, the two remaining members of the Root organization, along with Danzo, quickly disappeared into the distance.

……

The "Tsukuyomi" just now didn't contain any content from Uchiha Hikaru; it simply made Yakushi Kabuto momentarily lose consciousness and left a mark on him.

Although the rescue operation of this group of Root remnants was unexpected, it wasn't a major problem. Those who were still thinking about rescuing Danzo at this time were probably his die-hard loyalists. If even these people couldn't see that Danzo's memories had been altered, then the effectiveness of the "Eight Thousand Spears" could be verified.

As for the engraving on the medicine doctor's cap, it was only kept for future use.

At that moment, an explosion was heard near the gates of Konoha.

Danzo's escape was quickly exposed, attracting more and more members of the Anbu and security forces. To stop them from tracking him down, the Root remnants who were covering the rear put in a lot of effort, using all kinds of explosive tags, summoning beasts, and ninjutsu. One of them even rushed into the crowd with a hand seal of "mutually multiplying explosive tags" and went on a rampage of self-destruction.

This reckless attitude made Konoha a little apprehensive for a moment.

Hikaru Uchiha spotted several familiar figures among the pursuers—Hachimo Uchiha, Nanami, Hana Inuzuka…

However, she had no intention of going to meet them. Instead, she took the opportunity to fly to the Senju clan's encampment using her flying technique, found the largest courtyard in the center, and then sneaked inside.

"This should be it..."

After entering the mansion through the window and walking around inside and out, Uchiha Hikaru saw Tsunade sitting drunkenly by the window.

The woman appeared to have been drinking late into the night, still looking somewhat dazed. She was wearing only a loose, sleeveless top, and from the side, one could vaguely see a pair of large, white breasts. Her eyes were almost unfocused.

That saves trouble.

Uchiha Hikaru transformed into a moth using the Transformation Jutsu, and before Tsunade could notice, he flashed past her, instantly unleashing a Tsukuyomi seal, and then silently flew away.

—Giving Tsunade a seal was also part of her plan.

However, she did not intend to manipulate Tsunade's will as she had manipulated Danzo. Instead, she wanted to try using the "Eight Thousand Spears" to help Tsunade get rid of her hemophobia so that she could ask Tsunade for help in treating Erii in the future.

Perhaps they can also help look at Nezuko from the Demon Slayer world.

However, this plan will not be implemented now.

Firstly, Uchiha Hikaru was not entirely certain that he could cure hemophobia with the Eight Thousand Spears.

Danzo was used for experiments because his life or death was irrelevant; even if the experiment failed, he could be controlled to commit suicide using the "Reverse Four Symbols Seal" to seal the secret. But Tsunade is different; once you make a move against her, it's best to succeed on the first try.

Secondly, Tsunade is still in Konoha. If Danzo's defection and Tsunade's overcoming of hemophobia happen in quick succession, it could easily arouse suspicion from the Third Hokage's side. Although it's unlikely that the investigation will trace back to Uchiha Hikaru, she doesn't want to leave herself with any potential problems.

Since the seal has already been placed, finding Tsunade's whereabouts will be much easier in the future, so there's no need to rush.

present.

Uchiha Hikaru flew all the way back to the base, and only after entering his room did he remove the mini bracelet and return to his original form.

"call……"

The clock on the wall already pointed to three in the morning.

Uchiha Hikaru prepared to go out and wash his face before going to bed.

Can……

As she passed Erii's room, she suddenly heard a rustling sound.

Happy Lunar New Year's Eve!

(End of this chapter)