Chapter 63: The Night Root Was Annihilated
Seeing Yusuke, sword in hand and brimming with murderous intent, charging toward him, Sasori experienced for the first time a feeling he was unfamiliar with—
he didn't know how to respond.
"Run!"
It was Kakuzu who shouted the order, immediately setting the tone for their next move.
In Kakuzu's view, Yusuke's flames weren't just overwhelmingly destructive; they also offered him impenetrable offense and defense.
What unsettled Kakuzu even more was the strange dojutsu and Yusuke's elusive movements—one wrong step, and he could lose his life here.
Even as Kakuzu barked the warning, the grotesque masked creatures—the elemental hearts—swiftly retracted into his body.
Without hesitation, Kakuzu bolted toward the opposite exit of the valley, away from Yusuke.
"Red Secret Technique: Performance of a Hundred Puppets!"
At the same time, Sasori unleashed his ultimate trump card.
A hundred puppets, all clad in crimson cloaks, materialized in the air above the valley, instantly making the already narrow space feel claustrophobic.
Sasori knew very well: while his "Performance of a Hundred Puppets" appeared overwhelmingly impressive, it was a case of quantity over quality.
It excelled at mowing down large numbers of enemies in a battlefield setting, but against a true powerhouse, its threat was limited.
Right now, Sasori wasn't deploying them to continue fighting.
He intended to use the puppets to confuse Yusuke's line of sight and create a window to escape.
Of course, Yusuke had heard Kakuzu's shout.
He sneered coldly, "None of you are getting away."
Summoning the power of the Two Principles Cursed Seal, black-inked script began to spread across his skin.
A surge of powerful Yin Release chakra flooded through his body.
"Flame Release: Scorching Flame Gale!"
Forming a rapid series of hand seals, Yusuke drew deeply from the Cursed Seal's Yin chakra to supercharge Ryūjin Jakka's flames, weaving them into a massive area-of-effect Flame Release technique!
A fierce crimson windstorm howled into existence behind him, spreading out to engulf the entire valley—
there was nowhere to run.
The rain that had been falling instantly evaporated into thick mist under the searing heat, and the surrounding forest ignited into roaring walls of fire.
Sasori's Hundred Puppet Army, caught in the raging, indiscriminate gale, was incinerated almost instantly—
It looked as if a hundred blazing fireballs floated in midair, a breathtaking, terrifying spectacle.
Though "Scorching Flame Gale" sacrificed some temperature for the sake of range, it still exceeded the heat of ordinary flames.
While it couldn't melt metal or iron, it was more than hot enough to ignite and incinerate most non-metallic materials.
As the inferno rapidly closed in, Kakuzu and Sasori both realized—
they were in serious trouble.
Sasori, no longer caring about the destruction of his precious puppet army, hastily commanded the remaining puppets to cluster together, using their bodies to form a shield against the oncoming firestorm.
Meanwhile, Kakuzu extended the Water-attribute mask from his back.
Working in tandem with himself, he rapidly unleashed a dual-element combination jutsu of Water and Earth Release.
A towering, moist wall of earth sprang up from the ground—
an attempt to block the burning gale.
But under the onslaught of the scorching wind, the wall quickly began to dry out.
Steam billowed as moisture was rapidly sucked away, and soon the wall itself started crumbling, weakened by dehydration and se
aring heat.
Though they had managed to block the Scorching Flame Gale, Kakuzu and Sasori felt no joy at all.
Standing atop the crumbling earth wall, Yusuke gazed down coldly at the two of them—
like a butcher surveying lambs awaiting slaughter.
He slowly sheathed his blazing sword, pressing his right hand lightly against the hilt.
As the blade slid into its scabbard, the crimson-gold flames that had wreathed Yusuke's body also disappeared, and the suffocating heat of the valley seemed to cool slightly.
However, far from feeling relief, Kakuzu and Sasori felt the pressure intensify.
They could sense it clearly—Yusuke wasn't retreating.
He was gathering his strength for a devastating strike.
Under the crushing weight of Yusuke's killing intent, both Kakuzu and Sasori wore grim expressions, frantically thinking of how they could survive the attack that was about to descend.
Just then, a flicker of flame ignited within Yusuke's Sharingan.
Kakuzu and Sasori tensed, believing Yusuke was about to strike—
—but instead, Yusuke formed a quick seal with his left hand before his chest, and his body dissolved into flames, vanishing into thin air.
In truth, Yusuke had sensed the activation of the "Kagerō." technique he had implanted in Izumi's eye.
Without hesitation, he used Blazing Step to teleport to her side.
His voice echoed across the burning valley:
"I'll let you live today. Next time, you won't be so lucky."
Kakuzu and Sasori exchanged bewildered looks.
They had no idea why their enemy had suddenly withdrawn, but when they looked into each other's eyes, they both saw the same thing—
the overwhelming relief of having survived.
"This guy is beyond anything we can handle," Kakuzu muttered, sighing heavily.
"A real shame about that 150 million bounty."
Sasori snorted coldly.
"You're just a money-grubber.
If he hadn't been forced to leave because something happened, there's no way we would've gotten out of this alive."
Kakuzu scoured the scorched valley until he found Hidan's headless, charred body.
He slung it over his shoulder with a grunt.
"Let's go.
Jūzō Biwa is long dead, but maybe there's still some use left in Hidan's body."
The two, faces ashen and spirits crushed, staggered away from the ruined valley—
the worst defeat they had ever suffered while carrying out a mission for the Akatsuki.
As they trudged along, Sasori grumbled,
"Hey, Kakuzu. All my puppets are ruined. Can I put in a reimbursement claim?"
"No."
---
Back at the Uchiha compound, Yusuke briefly explained what had happened.
Everyone finally understood:
Yusuke had been ambushed outside, and had used space-time techniques to return directly from the Land of Rain.
While they were overjoyed to see him safe, a cold fear still gripped their hearts.
If Yusuke had been delayed, or worse—
if he hadn't returned at all—
the Uchiha clan would have been completely annihilated tonight.
After calming everyone down, Yusuke brought them all back into his private laboratory.
Inside, he set up a barrier that blocked space-time ninjutsu, ensuring that even if Obito attempted a counterattack later, he wouldn't be able to threaten them for some time.
He also re-implanted his protective dojutsu (Kagerō) into Izumi's eye.
Then, he created a phantom crow clone, one that could last for several hours.
This clone bore the exact pattern of Yusuke's Sharingan, and inherited his "Enbō no Jutsu (Blazing Step Technique)." technique.
Looking at Izumi, whose face was still streaked with tears, Yusuke gently patted her head and smiled warmly:
"Izumi, with Kabuto injured, I'll need you to help take care of everyone.
This crow shares my vision and dojutsu. If anything happens, I'll be back immediately."
Izumi nodded seriously, then hesitated before asking:
"Onii-san... Are you going after Root?"
At her words, the smile vanished from Yusuke's face—
replaced by a terrifying bloodlust.
"After tonight, Root will cease to exist."