"Naraku-senpai!"
After his hands and feet were untied, Shisui immediately threw himself into Naraku's arms, pressing his face against the latter's warm chest to listen to his heartbeat.
He had to repeatedly confirm that this person was indeed alive and not an illusion he had imagined.
"Alright, it's okay."
Naraku patted Shisui's head to comfort him, his hands moving quickly, untying Inuzuka Hana's and Obito's restraints and seals in a few seconds.
Throughout, Inuzuka Hana stared at Naraku with curious eyes.
This was her first time seeing the "Naraku-senpai" Shisui always talked about; he truly lived up to his reputation, able to single-handedly infiltrate an enemy stronghold to rescue people.
"Naraku, it's great that you're alive! How did you find us? Where are the enemies? Who exactly are they?"
Obito, freed from his bonds, leaped up and rattled off a string of questions.
"We can talk about these later."
Naraku didn't have time to answer so many questions. He led the three out of the secret room, then used the same method on a nearby door, rescuing three other Uchiha children.
At this moment, dozens of Ninja had already entered his sensory range, converging towards the depths of this base.
"Stay with me."
A few arcs of electricity emerged from Naraku's hand, coiling around his ninja sword like small snakes, climbing from the hilt to the tip of the blade, clearing away the sticky, warm blood.
"I'll lead you out."
The moment the last syllable fell, Naraku's Chakra surged, and lightning and flames erupted around him, the explosive sound echoing in the dark corridor.
The children only saw his figure flicker, and in the blink of an eye, he was dozens of meters away, pulling his long blade from an attacking enemy's chest, leaving another corpse at his feet.
"Move quickly."
Without Naraku needing to say more, Obito was the first to react, running to Naraku's side and crouching down, scavenging many weapons from the corpse, then distributing them to the children who followed.
Children of Ninja Clans, from the moment they learned to walk, all began to receive Ninja training to varying degrees. Although cruel, the benefits were truly evident at this moment.
Even though this was their first time seeing dead bodies, no one present was overly panicked. Instead, they clutched the weapons they received tightly, subconsciously gathering Chakra.
"If that's not enough, there are plenty more up ahead."
Following his memory, Naraku rushed through the intricate passages and corridors, having to slow down so everyone could keep up and not fall behind.
Precisely because of this, every strike and every movement he made when encountering enemies was deeply etched into their eyes.
The flashes of blades, fire, and lightning intertwined, planting a spark named "Uchiha Naraku" in the small hearts of these children who had not yet truly entered the Ninja world.
After cutting down another person, Naraku gasped for breath, reached out to steady himself against the wall, then immediately continued forward, the electric arcs around his blade gradually dissipating, waiting for the next burst.
To avoid wasting time and to ensure the safety of those behind him to the greatest extent, he almost always activated his Sharingan with every attack, maintaining an unstoppable momentum, killing with every strike.
Obito had already lost count of how many Naraku had killed, worried he might run out of Chakra to continue fighting.
"Do you need to rest, Naraku? You've already—"
"No, if we're slow, we won't get out."
Naraku had just turned back to confirm everyone was still okay when he saw an enemy circling around from behind.
A thick, square rock pillar burst from the wall with a rumble, crashing towards Uchiha Shisui, who was covering the rear.
"Shisui!"
As Naraku instantly returned to cut down the rock, Shisui also narrowly dodged the attack, scraping past its edge, his blood-red eyes unmistakable in Naraku's Sharingan.
Although he had seen it in the anime, Naraku still feigned surprise.
"You, this is..."
He was about to ask Shisui when, but then saw two enemies appear at the end of a side passage, and immediately formed hand signs to cast a jutsu.
Fire Release: Wire Slice Technique!
The thin, concentrated fire lines were extremely hot, piercing through the bodies of two enemies one after another, and their residual power struck the stone wall, burning a large charred area.
He then turned to look at Shisui's eyes again.
It seemed he read everything from the other party's expression, which was trying hard to hide sadness. Naraku's brows showed a sorrowful and guilty look, his throat moved, and he ultimately swallowed his words back down.
"Let's get out first, then talk."
He left behind a murmur with almost no emotional fluctuation, turning back to the front of the team.
Shisui felt that Naraku-senpai seemed different from before.
That night they met by the river, he seemed like a tranquil and gentle lake, occasionally stirred by a breeze into tiny ripples, shimmering with fragmented light.
But now, more than a lake, he resembled a dark, silent deep pool, meekly devouring everything others brought to him, letting all emotions settle to the bottom of the pool, allowing an increasingly deep deathly aura to spread freely from within.
As Naraku returned to the front of the team, he acutely felt a slight vibration beneath his feet.
Then, a rumbling collapse came from above, like a giant boulder rolling down a mountain, getting closer and closer to them, and in an instant, it was upon them.
"Get down!"
The moment Naraku saw cracks appear in the ceiling, the tomoe in his eyes connected, three crescent moons intertwined into a net... "I refuse!"
Uchiha Fugaku's unyielding attitude surprised most people, causing the Ninja Clan leaders and high-ranking officials who had previously considered him too soft to exchange glances, and even Hiruzen Sarutobi faltered for a moment.
"If you don't hand over the children today, and the real culprit who caused Naraku's death, the Uchiha will never let this go!"
"Enough!"
Hiruzen Sarutobi quickly adjusted his words and shouted indignantly, "Everything requires evidence! Who exactly do you want to accuse, who do you want to investigate? Bring out the evidence! Otherwise, it will all be considered rebellion and suppressed!"
"Of course, we have evidence," Fugaku said, looking around at everyone feigning ignorance, his eyes full of sarcasm, "I'm just afraid you all wouldn't dare to look! You all pretend to be blind! Bury your heads in the dirt and live in cowardly submission!"
He was almost laughing in anger, shouting, "Konoha is already a den of wolves and jackals! If the Uchiha die today, who do you think will be next!!!"
"Silence!!!"
Hiruzen Sarutobi swung his hand down sharply, signaling. Nearly a hundred Anbu, along with many Jonin and Chunin, swarmed forward, intending to strike first and heavily wound the Uchiha to gain an advantage in this battle.
Fugaku's Chakra flared throughout his body, and the tomoe in his eyes spun rapidly.
Just as his Mangekyo was about to manifest, a light-colored figure descended from the sky, punching the ground in the center between the two confronting sides.
Accompanied by a deafening roar.
"I'd like to see who dares!!!"
Boom—!!
Countless massive cracks bloomed from beneath her feet, the earth shattered inch by inch, and for a moment, the ground shook, forcing the attack to stop.
The person who emerged from the dust cast a sidelong glance at the Ninjas whose attacks had been interrupted and who were itching for action, then directly stood with one hand on her hip, blocking the middle of the battlefield.