Uchiha Shinsuke accepted the mission.
Upon learning the mission details, all three of Uchiha Min, Uchiha Tetsu, and Uchiha Kai wore grave expressions.
An A-rank mission was a first for all of them.
"Captain, this Noha Saburou, being a high-level Root spy, is certainly not to be underestimated in terms of strength," Uchiha Min analyzed, "and on top of that, he's a medical ninja, so he might use poison."
Uchiha Shinsuke gave a nod.
"That's right, so this operation must be carried out with the utmost caution, and everything is to be done under my command."
"Yes, Captain!" the three responded in unison.
Following the leads provided by the Intelligence Division, Uchiha Shinsuke's squad quickly departed Konoha and set off in pursuit of the direction Noha Saburou was likely fleeing toward.
Noha Saburou's counter-reconnaissance capabilities were exceptional.
The traces he left behind were extremely faint, and he frequently changed direction, even setting up a number of deceptive traps.
Had this been an ordinary pursuit squad, they would likely have lost him long ago.
But unfortunately for him, the one he was up against was Uchiha Shinsuke, who possessed the system.
"He's fleeing toward the border of the Land of Fire, heading in the direction of the Land of Grass," Uchiha Shinsuke quickly deduced the target's intention.
The squad moved swiftly, tracking for roughly half a day.
Suddenly, Uchiha Shinsuke, who had been at the very front, sharply raised his hand to signal the squad to halt.
"Something's wrong," his gaze locked onto a dense thicket of jungle ahead.
"Captain, what is it?" Uchiha Kai asked, on high alert.
"The air... is poisoned," Uchiha Shinsuke activated his Sharingan and clearly saw that the air within the jungle ahead was permeated with faintly purple chakra particles that were nearly invisible to the naked eye.
"Everyone, hold your breath, take your antidote pills now, and wrap your entire bodies in chakra to block out the poison!"
Shinsuke immediately issued the order.
Min, Tetsu, and Kai dared not be careless, and complied at once.
"It seems we've been spotted," Uchiha Tetsu said in a low, grave voice.
"No, he deliberately lured us here," Shinsuke's eyes grew sharp, "this is the battlefield he chose."
The moment those words fell, several senbon gleaming with cold light suddenly shot out from within the jungle, aimed directly at the vital points of the squad members, and every senbon tip was coated in a dark blue poison!
"Watch out!"
Uchiha Kai let out a fierce shout, instantly throwing himself to the front and crossing his arms over his chest in defense.
Clang! Clang! Clang!
Several poisoned senbon were deflected by the armor on his forearms, but a few still grazed his skin as they flew past, leaving several thin cuts.
"Kai!" Min cried out in alarm.
"I'm fine!" Kai grinned, though his complexion had gone slightly pale.
"Hmph, not bad reflexes," a voice came from deep within the jungle.
Immediately after, a figure emerged from the shadows of the trees.
The newcomer was draped in a grey cloak, wearing a pair of glasses that covered half his face, and it was none other than Noha Saburou!
"Konoha's attack dogs, you really did give chase quite persistently," Noha Saburou said coldly, fixing his gaze on Uchiha Shinsuke and his group.
"Noha Saburou, surrender yourself."
"Come back to Konoha with us, and you may still be able to seek lenient treatment."
"Go back to Konoha, just to be disposed of like garbage?" Noha Saburou let out a scornful laugh, "I'm not that naive."
Noha Saburou rapidly formed hand seals!
"Genjutsu: Toxic Mist Derangement!"
Whoosh!
A far denser cloud of purple poisonous mist spread outward from Noha Saburou's body, rapidly enveloping an area of several dozen meters!
At the same time, a strange mental shockwave radiated outward with it!
This was not a simple poison-gas attack but a compound jutsu that fused poison with genjutsu, and anyone who inhaled the toxic mist would not only suffer physical poisoning but also have their mind thrown into chaos!
"A trivial trick!" Uchiha Shinsuke let out a cold snort.
"Fire Release: Great Fireball Jutsu!"
Uchiha Shinsuke opened his mouth and expelled a massive fireball, and its scorching flames instantly dispersed the majority of the toxic mist ahead.
But at that very moment, Noha Saburou's figure appeared directly behind Uchiha Kai!
A specially crafted scalpel glowing with a faint eerie light thrust straight toward the back of Kai's heart!
"Kai, watch behind you!" Uchiha Min called out in urgent warning.
Because Kai had already absorbed a small amount of poison earlier, his reactions had slowed!
The scalpel was on the verge of piercing Kai's body!
"Lightning Release: Chidori Sharp Spear!"
A dazzling streak of blue lightning, like an arrow loosed from a bow, burst forth from Uchiha Shinsuke's hand at a speed far beyond what Noha Saburou had anticipated!
Shhk!
The Chidori Sharp Spear pierced cleanly through Noha Saburou's right shoulder, the hand that held the scalpel!
"Gah!" Noha Saburou let out a pained grunt, his body lurching, and the scalpel in his hand dropped to the ground.
"Such fast Lightning Release..." Noha Saburou clutched his wounded shoulder, his eyes filled with shock and alarm.
He had not expected this seemingly young Uchiha brat to possess such formidable strength!
"Tetsu, restrain him!" Uchiha Shinsuke barked in a low voice.
"Understood!" Uchiha Tetsu formed hand seals rapidly.
"Genjutsu: Shackle Stake Technique!"
"Damn you... the genjutsu of some little brat..." Noha Saburou gritted his teeth.
Just as Uchiha Min was moving in to completely subdue Noha Saburou, an abrupt change occurred!
"Since I can't escape... then let's all go to hell together!" A mad smile suddenly spread across Noha Saburou's face!
The chakra within his body began flowing in reverse in a disturbing manner!
Dark purple toxic gas, dense as a physical substance, erupted from his every pore and instantly swallowed him whole!
The surrounding vegetation withered and decayed at a visible speed under this poisonous gas!
"This is bad, he's going to detonate his poison body!" Uchiha Shinsuke's expression shifted sharply!
A poison burst of this magnitude, once it spread, would likely leave none of their four-member squad unscathed!
"Fall back!" Uchiha Shinsuke made an instant decision, shoving Min, who was closest, out of the way with one hand!
At the same time, his hands flew through hand seals at high speed!
"Fire Release: Flame Dragon's Roaring Song Technique!"
ROAR!
A massive flame dragon composed of densely concentrated fire erupted roaring from Uchiha Shinsuke's mouth!
Sizzle, sizzle, sizzle!
Lethal poison and raging flames crashed and annihilated each other in a frenzy!
The air filled with the sharp stench of burning char and a nauseating foul odor!
"Lightning Release: Earth Crawl!"
Uchiha Shinsuke pressed one hand to the ground, and violent lightning force spread across the ground's surface, forming a net of lightning that completely trapped Noha Saburou within the flames!
In the end, Noha Saburou collapsed to the ground, his entire body charred black and his breath barely hanging on, utterly stripped of any ability to resist.
"Captain... are you alright?" Min, Tetsu, and Kai gathered around him, still shaken.
"I'm fine," Uchiha Shinsuke shook his head, his complexion somewhat pale.
Unleashing large-scale jutsu in rapid succession had taken a significant toll on Uchiha Shinsuke's chakra reserves.
"Bring him along, we're returning to the village."
The mission was successfully completed.
An A-rank mission, the capture of a high-level Root defector ninja, zero casualties, flawlessly accomplished!
The assessment of Uchiha Shinsuke held by Konoha's upper echelons was once again revised upward!
After Shisui and Itachi, this was yet another rising star emerging from the Uchiha!