Chapter 67: Dance of the Mirage Flame
In the battlefield where the Root organization clashed with the Uchiha clan, the tide had completely turned—the Uchiha held absolute advantage, while the remaining Root shinobi had been nearly wiped out.
With Yusuke's overwhelming presence leading the charge, the Uchiha's morale soared. They followed him closely, cutting down Root operatives like wheat before a scythe.
Each time a streak of crimson light flashed through the air, another Root ninja fell—charred and lifeless.
Not a single one could survive more than three moves against Yusuke.
The first to fall by Yusuke's blade had been Ryōma Aburame, acting leader of Root in Danzō's absence.
Even as the battle turned hopeless, the Root shinobi fought on without fear of death.
Yusuke couldn't help but acknowledge Danzō's ruthlessness—when it came to training soldiers willing to die, the man certainly had a method.
In ancient warfare, when casualties reached 30%, even elite forces would typically collapse.
But now, even with barely 30% of their forces left, Root was still resisting.
That level of determination… even Yusuke had to admire it.
But admiration or not—Yusuke had already decided:
Root must be annihilated.
No one leaves alive.
At last, under Yusuke and the Uchiha's relentless slaughter, the remaining Root forces broke completely.
Their will to fight shattered, the survivors scattered in all directions, desperately trying to escape.
Yusuke sneered. He quickly formed a string of hand seals.
"Fire Illusion: Crow Technique!"
His body instantly dissolved into dozens of flame-wreathed crows, each one bearing Sharingan eyes identical to his own.
They took to the skies, each one locking onto a fleeing Root ninja.
"Blaze Release: Dance of the Mirage Flame!"
In that moment, the fleeing Root operatives erupted into crimson flames—without warning, without mercy.
Agonized screams filled the battlefield.
Even the Uchiha shinobi in pursuit couldn't help but shiver—the sheer brutality of the scene left their blood cold.
Under the searing might of Mirage Flame, the Root shinobi didn't last long.
One by one, they collapsed into charred husks.
And so, every last Root operative involved in the assault on the Uchiha was wiped out.
---
Yusuke's "Dance of the Mirage Flame" had consumed a massive amount of ocular power and Yin-nature chakra.
At this point, both were nearly depleted.
But thanks to the Nine-Tails' Yin chakra sealed within his curse mark, Yusuke remained calm—he still had reserves left.
As the final cries faded, the fiery crows coalesced into Yusuke's form once more.
The gathered Uchiha looked upon him—not just with gratitude, but awe.
Tonight, Root had launched a sudden and overwhelming assault.
Though the Uchiha had mounted an impromptu defense, they'd been on the brink of collapse.
Had they fallen, the elders, women, and children in hiding would've been found and slaughtered.
The Uchiha Clan would've been extinguished.
At this crucial moment, Fugaku, the clan head, had failed to appear and lead.
But Yusuke descended like a god of war, obliterating Root's forces with unmatched power.
His heroism tonight had catapulted his standing within the clan to legendary heights.
"Lord Yusuke! Thank heavens you returned when you did—we wouldn't have survived otherwise!"
"Lord Yusuke! It's a blessing to have you!"
"Lord Yusuke! You're the clan's greatest pillar!"
The Uchiha shinobi rushed forward with joyful faces, surrounding Yusuke with words of praise and reverence.
However, the situation quickly began to shift.
Some Uchiha shinobi—specifically those from the clan's radical faction—began voicing increasingly aggressive ideas.
"Lord Yusuke, let's strike Root's headquarters while we still have the momentum!"
"Yes, Lord Yusuke! This has to be a conspiracy by the Konoha leadership! We should march straight to the Hokage's office and kill him! We'll make you the new Hokage!"
"Let's go now! Kill the Hokage—avenge the clan!"
Hearing these outbursts, Souichiro was horrified. He tried urgently to calm the crowd, warning them not to act rashly.
But no one listened.
"Silence."
Yusuke's voice was quiet—but it cut through the air like a blade.
At the same moment, he unleashed a wave of spiritual pressure, an oppressive force that rolled across the battlefield like a tidal wave.
The emotional uproar stopped instantly.
Every Uchiha present suddenly felt a suffocating pressure that seemed to weigh down on their very souls. The area fell into complete silence.
All eyes turned to Yusuke—calm, composed, and awe-inspiring.
Once the crowd had been subdued, Yusuke withdrew his spiritual pressure and spoke evenly:
"Root must be eliminated. That much is certain."
"But right now, the most important thing is tending to the wounded and regrouping."
"Today's attack came from Root alone. The higher-ups of Konoha were not involved—if they had been, you would've all been dead before I arrived."
"That said... Konoha's leadership still owes the Uchiha a full explanation."
Yusuke knew perfectly well that Danzō and Root couldn't have acted without the Third Hokage's tacit approval.
However, the Uchiha were still too weak to stand against the entirety of Konoha, and not everyone in the village was their enemy.
A full-blown coup would be suicidal.
Still—even if he wouldn't launch a rebellion, Yusuke vowed:
The Third Hokage would pay a price.
With the radicals subdued, Yusuke turned to Souichiro and entrusted him with organizing the clan and tending to the aftermath.
Meanwhile, Yusuke rushed off toward where Fugaku, Danzō, and the others had last been seen.
Earlier, when Fugaku and Shisui had unleashed their Susanoo, Yusuke had felt their chakra clash from afar.
"Now their chakra signatures are both gone... the battle must be over. I hope Fugaku was able to defeat Shisui."
That thought lingered as Yusuke raced toward the site.
But unbeknownst to him, both Fugaku and Shisui had already fallen—one dead, the other incapacitated.
The only two figures still standing were Danzō and Itachi.
---
On the battlefield, Itachi gently laid his father's body down, then slowly stepped forward to face the tense and wary Danzō.
Danzō's eyes narrowed.
He was deeply wary of the Mangekyō Sharingan.
Years of fighting the Uchiha had made him intimately familiar with the terror it represented—one of the core reasons behind his obsession with exterminating the Uchiha bloodline entirely.
"Uchiha Itachi," Danzō sneered, "do you really think your clan still has a future?"
"By now, my men have wiped them out. You're the last one left."
"If you run now, you might survive a little longer."
Danzō was stalling. He knew he couldn't guarantee a win against Itachi and was hoping to drive him off with words—he would find another opportunity to kill him later.
But Itachi gave no response.
He kept advancing—silent, focused, unshaken.
"Danzō," he said coldly,
"Only the Uchiha can defeat the Uchiha."
"If not for Shisui's betrayal, you wouldn't have stood a chance against us."
"Now... it's time to deal with you."