After a while, Black Zetsu slowly emerged from the ground.
Seeing Black Zetsu, Uchiha Fugaku couldn't help but ask, "How did it go?"
"It looks like the Fifth Hokage is still at Konoha Hospital, but the clones don't dare to get too close and can only gather information from others... As for your son, he's already brought the Two-tailed Jinchuriki over, so you'll need to act swiftly."
"Don't worry, even if she uses her Tailed Beast Power, I won't underestimate her."
Uchiha Fugaku said confidently. With White Zetsu's help, he could activate an armored Susanoo of twenty to thirty meters. Dealing with a Two-tailed should not be a problem, though Konoha's reaction could be a concern.
Soon, Uchiha Fugaku heard footsteps and voices coming from the distance.
"Mr. Itachi, how much further do we need to go? Can't we spar here?"
"We're still too close to Ninja Paradise. It might alert others, so let's move a bit further."
Upon hearing their conversation, Uchiha Fugaku felt a surge of satisfaction for Itachi, his son.
Swish!
Uchiha Fugaku suddenly used Instant Body Jutsu to appear in front of Itachi and Yugito, making both of them halt. Itachi appeared unfazed and showed no trace of surprise, but Yugito's face displayed a startled expression.
Yugito immediately demanded, "Who are you? This is Konoha Village!"
Uchiha Fugaku smirked coldly, "So what if it is Konoha Village? I'm Itachi's father, and I've come here for..."
Swish!
Before Uchiha Fugaku could finish speaking, he suddenly saw Uchiha Itachi take out a signal flare and swiftly launch it into the sky.
Boom!
A dazzling signal flare appeared, and soon the perimeter was surrounded by a Four Purple Flame Array, which sealed off the top as well.
"Four Purple Flame Array!?"
Uchiha Fugaku immediately recognized the purple barrier, but then several golden chains emerged from the ground within the purple barrier, forming a second barrier.
Vajra Seal Barrier!
"Itachi!!"
Only now did Uchiha Fugaku let out an unwilling cry of anger. By now he understood that Itachi had betrayed him. If this had only just happened, there was no way Konoha could have responded by mobilizing the Barrier Team so quickly.
Only with prior arrangements could such a scenario unfold.
"Why?! I am your father, why, Itachi?!"
Uchiha Fugaku's heart was filled with unwillingness and rage. Memories of being betrayed by Uchiha Mikota years ago resurfaced, and now he was betrayed by his own son, whom he regarded as his hope and future.
"You shouldn't have returned, father. I've hinted at it several times before; why did you refuse to leave Konoha?"
Uchiha Itachi took a deep breath, then looked directly into Uchiha Fugaku's bloodshot and furious eyes, continuing, "The village has finally achieved peace, and both the clansmen and villagers cherish this peace. Father, you should not destroy the hope of so many people..."
"Fool, it's all false! You haven't seen the Ninja World; elsewhere, it's still filled with war. Fool! Fool!!"
"Silence, Uchiha Fugaku!"
A soft shout came from afar, and hearing the fairly familiar voice, Uchiha Fugaku turned sharply to see Uchiha Mikota and Kushina.
But his attention was entirely on Uchiha Mikota, the woman who betrayed him. Now, Itachi's betrayal must also be because of her!
Uchiha Mikota angrily said, "Uchiha Fugaku, you should not have returned after you left. Now you come back to entice Itachi. You are unworthy of being his father!"
"Curse you, it's all because of you!"
Seeing the two layers of barriers, Uchiha Fugaku knew that his actions had been discovered by Konoha, making escape unlikely. But even if he couldn't escape, he was determined to kill the traitor who fueled Itachi's betrayal.
"Fire Release: Mighty Dragon Fire Jutsu!"
"Fire Release: Mighty Dragon Fire Jutsu!"
As Uchiha Fugaku began his Ninjutsu, Uchiha Mikota quickly responded, activating her Three-Tomoe and using the same Fire Release Ninjutsu.
Two massive fire dragons erupted from their mouths, crashing into each other with a loud boom.
The enormous fire wave swiftly spread in all directions. Black and White Zetsu had long retreated underground when the barrier lifted, while Uchiha Itachi and Yugito leaped back upon seeing the approaching fire wave.
A few seconds later, the dragon clash dissipated, and the surging sea of flames also subsided. However, the nearby area turned into a clearing, and any tree touched by the firewave was reduced to charcoal.
"Impossible, how did you counter my Ninjutsu?"
Shock and disbelief flickered in Uchiha Fugaku's eyes. Though Uchiha Mikota was also a Jonin, she had withdrawn from the ninja ranks after marriage and hadn't fought since.
And Uchiha Fugaku bore the enhancement of Tobi, making his Chakra significantly stronger than before; how could he be evenly matched in Fire Release Ninjutsu with Uchiha Mikota?
"Mouse-tail Ball Jade!"
Blue flames began bombarding Uchiha Fugaku, raining down like a storm and shocking him into promptly forming a double-handed seal.
"Wood Release: Wood Block Wall!"
Rumbling ensued continuously as explosions shattered the Wood Block Wall, but the sturdy structure bought Uchiha Fugaku time to flee; once the Mouse-tail Ball Jade destroyed the Wood Block Wall, Uchiha Fugaku was no longer there.
"Over there, underground!"
Kushina instantly entered Nine-tails Chakra Mode. After sensing Uchiha Fugaku's position, she extended Vajra Chains matching the surrounding barrier, slamming them into the ground.
Boom! Boom! Boom!
The power of the Vajra Chains was enough to cleave mountains and shatter stones. Under Kushina's control, each strike cratered the ground.
Uchiha Fugaku had no choice but to use Earth Release to surface, as the severely damaged ground posed mobility issues and injury risk from compression.
Yugito warned, "Be careful, he can use Wood Release Ninjutsu, so he likely knows Earth Release Ninjutsu as well. Don't let him escape."
Kushina responded, "Don't worry, my perception has locked onto him. He can't escape."
Uchiha Itachi had already retreated from the battlefield, standing by Uchiha Shisui. Despite everything, Uchiha Fugaku was still his father, and he couldn't interfere in such a battle.
Uchiha Shisui patted Itachi's shoulder, saying, "Don't worry, Itachi, he won't escape.... The strength of those three isn't weak, no, they're actually very strong.... I'll keep a lookout; you've done well this time. Neither the village nor the Uchiha Race will speak against you."
Itachi nodded, "Okay, thank you, Shisui."
On the battlefield, danger quickly loomed over Uchiha Fugaku as he realized how badly he had miscalculated.
The Two-tailed Yugito was no novice to controlling Tailed Beast Power; she wielded it expertly, and Kushina also mastered the Nine-tails Power with strong Perception Ability. With her around, escape was impossible.
And then there was Uchiha Mikota....
Seeing her filled Uchiha Fugaku with vengeful rage, and she was the one he wished to kill the most, but he hadn't expected her strength to be so formidable.
Though her combat awareness was rusty, clearly unused for years, her Chakra was immense, and her physical prowess was substantial, covering up for her lack of battle awareness.
Boom! Boom! Boom!
Kushina forced Uchiha Fugaku back with her Vajra Chains, after which Yugito launched blue fireballs, taunting loudly, "What's wrong? Weren't you going to capture me? Why do you keep running?"
"Mikota!"
Kushina reminded, and upon hearing, Mikota immediately understood, swiftly forming a Seal with both hands.
"Fire Release: Dragon Flame Song Jutsu!"
Mikota quickly concentrated powerful Chakra in her chest, then unleashed four enormous fire dragons from her mouth to attack Uchiha Fugaku swiftly.
Damn it! This is too much!
Uchiha Fugaku's pupils contracted, as a vast amount of Chakra surged from his body, quickly forming into an Armored Warrior Susanoo.