Deep within the forest, a lone Uchiha moved through the trees like a streak of wind.
The forest itself felt strangely silent that night. It was as if the land was watching. Branches creaked softly in the wind, and long shadows twisted across the ground under the pale moonlight. Far behind him, faint but relentless, several chakra signatures moved through the forest in a tight and disciplined formation.
There were ten of them.
Shisui Uchiha ran across the canopy with incredible speed. His sandals barely touched the bark before he pushed off toward the next tree. His movements were smooth and controlled, but the earlier encounter at the shrine had left marks on him. His clothes were torn in places, and faint scratches lined his arms.
His breathing remained steady and controlled.
However, his eyes burned bright in the darkness.
The crimson Sharingan spun slowly as he scanned the forest around him.
They were gaining on him.
Not in speed.
But in positioning.
They were trying to herd him.
It was a clever strategy.
Shisui changed direction instantly, turning sharply toward the east instead of continuing north. The moment he changed course, two masked figures behind him adjusted their movement without hesitation.
Their coordination was efficient.
Root had prepared carefully for this chase.
Suddenly a wire snapped through the air from below.
Shisui twisted his body in mid-leap, and the thin wire sliced through the leaves where his neck had been only a moment earlier. He landed upside down on the trunk of a tree, his feet sticking firmly to the bark through chakra.
Three Root operatives burst from concealment at the same time.
They did not speak.
They did not hesitate.
Their blades flashed in the moonlight.
Shisui allowed himself a faint smile.
"They are persistent," he muttered quietly.
The first attacker lunged toward his upper body. The second moved low, aiming for his legs. The third stood behind them, already forming rapid hand signs for a jutsu.
Shisui moved before the jutsu could be completed.
His sword technique activated instantly.
Combustive Sword Attack.
His tanto flashed out of its sheath in a single smooth motion. The first strike deflected the high attacker's blade aside with a sharp clash of metal. Shisui pivoted immediately, his sword slashing across the second operative's chest plate. Sparks burst where the blade struck the armor.
Then chakra surged along the edge of his weapon.
Flames erupted from the blade as he spun.
The burning arc of his sword crashed down toward the third operative who was still forming hand signs.
Fire exploded outward.
The masked shinobi was engulfed instantly.
The man screamed once before collapsing, smoke rising from his charred armor.
Shisui did not stop moving.
The first attacker recovered quickly and thrust his blade forward again. Shisui stepped inside the thrust, slamming his elbow into the man's jaw. At the same time he drew his sword across the man's abdomen.
The second operative attempted to flank him from the side.
He was too slow.
Shisui struck with a quick backhand slash that cut deep into the man's thigh. Blood sprayed across the bark of the tree.
Two more chakra signatures rushed in from the left.
Shisui used Body Flicker and vanished instantly.
The wounded operative lost his balance and fell from the tree. His body struck several branches on the way down before disappearing into the darkness below.
That made one dead.
One incapacitated.
Eight still remained.
—
The Root operatives adapted immediately.
They no longer rushed him in pairs. Instead, they changed their formation and surrounded him from all directions.
Five of them moved through the trees.
Three remained on the forest floor.
Two stood directly ahead of him, blocking his path.
Their coordination was precise and disciplined.
Without warning, a volley of kunai shot upward in perfect synchronization.
Shisui reacted instantly. He leapt higher into the canopy, avoiding the incoming blades. While still in the air, his hands formed a series of hand signs.
"Fire Style: Fireball Jutsu."
A massive fireball burst from his mouth. The blazing sphere devoured the incoming kunai, melting them into sparks before crashing down toward the two Root operatives below.
The explosion blasted bark, dirt, and burning leaves into the air.
One body was thrown violently from the smoke.
The other remained motionless beneath the flames.
Three enemies were now down.
Scattered patches of the forest began to burn where the fire had spread.
However, Root did not retreat.
Instead, they moved through the smoke like silent ghosts.
One masked operative appeared directly behind Shisui while he was still mid-leap, his blade angled toward the base of Shisui's neck.
Shisui vanished.
He reappeared above the attacker and drove his heel downward with brutal force. The kick smashed the operative into a tree trunk hard enough to crack the wood.
Before the body could slide down, Shisui attacked again.
"Gale Sword Attack."
His movements flowed in a smooth sequence. He struck, slashed, and pivoted with controlled speed. With a powerful kick, he launched the falling operative upward into the air.
Shisui chased him instantly, moving like a streak of fire. His sword carved a blazing arc upward that cut cleanly through the operative's mask and armor.
The body fell in two separate directions.
That made four.
The forest now smelled strongly of burning sap and fresh blood.
The remaining Root operatives did not hesitate or panic. Instead, they tightened their formation and closed in more carefully.
Shisui narrowed his eyes slightly.
Three attackers moved at the same time, striking from different blind spots.
Even with the Sharingan, their coordination created serious pressure.
One blade nicked his sleeve.
Another grazed his shoulder.
Pain flared, but the wounds were shallow.
Shisui stepped backward and spun into a defensive movement.
"Uchiha Style: Halo Dance."
Flames burst from his sword and spread outward in a blazing ring as he moved across the branches. The spinning fire forced the attackers to retreat, their cloaks catching fire.
One operative reacted too slowly.
The flames consumed his mask and clothing.
He fell screaming into the burning underbrush below.
That made five.
The remaining operatives regrouped quickly.
One of them raised his hand, and the ground beneath Shisui's landing branch suddenly exploded upward.
Earth Style.
The tree shattered apart as the ground erupted.
Shisui leapt away just in time.
While he was still in mid-air, two Root operatives launched wire-bound blades toward him in an attempt to trap his movement.
Shisui's hands blurred through hand signs.
"Flash Double."
Two shadow clones appeared beside him in mid-fall.
The clones grabbed the wires and yanked them violently. The sudden force pulled the two Root operatives forward off balance while Shisui dropped between them.
The clones struck at the same time, delivering crushing blows to the ribs and throat of the attackers.
Shisui followed through with his sword. His blade moved in a smooth horizontal arc, cutting across both operatives' necks in a single motion.
Blood sprayed across the leaves.
The clones vanished in smoke.
Seven enemies were now down.
Only three remained.
For the first time, hesitation appeared among the surviving Root operatives.
They had expected resistance.
They had not expected destruction.
Even so, Root did not flee.
Instead, they switched tactics and moved into long-range suppression.
Several explosive tags shot upward toward Shisui.
He flipped backward through the canopy, explosions tearing apart branches where he had been only a moment earlier.
One shockwave partially caught him and threw him into another tree.
Shisui absorbed the impact and rolled with it. His boots dug deep into the bark as he forced himself to stop.
One of the remaining Root operatives closed the distance immediately.
He was fast.
Very fast.
Their swords clashed on a narrow branch.
Steel rang sharply through the forest.
The masked operative pressed forward with relentless aggression. His movements were efficient and completely emotionless.
Shisui matched every strike.
Their blades sparked again and again as they exchanged blows.
Then Shisui acted.
"Fire Style: Flame Bombs."
At extremely close range, Shisui exhaled a concentrated burst of fire along the edge of his blade.
The explosion blasted the operative backward. His armor cracked under the impact as he slammed into a tree trunk and slid down the bark.
He did not move again.
That made eight.
Only two enemies remained.
However, the final two Root operatives were different from the others.
They were elite.
They did not rush forward like the rest had done. Instead, they stayed still and studied him carefully.
One of them blurred to the right.
The other disappeared completely.
Shisui immediately sensed a faint disturbance in the air behind him. He turned sharply, but he was a fraction too slow.
A blade pierced through his side.
It was not deep enough to kill him, but it was enough to cause serious pain. The masked ANBU twisted the blade, trying to disable him.
Shisui's eyes flared with anger.
Ignoring the pain, he trapped the attacker's arm against his own body so the blade could not move further.
"Fire Style: Phoenix Flower Jutsu."
Several small fireballs shot from his mouth in rapid succession. They scattered through the forest toward the second hidden ANBU who was approaching from the shadows.
The forest suddenly lit up like daylight.
The hidden operative was forced to reveal himself as he dodged through the incoming flames.
At the same moment, Shisui ripped the blade out of his side and spun around. His sword slashed downward across the first attacker's chest before he kicked the operative off the branch.
Then Shisui threw a flaming kunai toward the second operative.
The ANBU raised his blade and deflected it.
However, the kunai exploded the moment it made contact.
The explosion swallowed the masked shinobi.
When the smoke cleared, only one Root operative remained.
Nine enemies were now down.
The final operative stood on a distant branch.
He did not move.
He simply watched.
His posture was calm and controlled.
Slowly, he raised his blade.
Shisui wiped the blood from the corner of his mouth and studied him carefully.
"You are the leader," Shisui said quietly.
The masked shinobi did not respond.
Instead, he suddenly charged forward.
Their clash was immediate and violent.
Neither of them wasted movement.
Neither used flashy techniques.
There was only killing intent.
The ANBU's blade struck deeper than any of the previous attackers had managed. It cut across Shisui's shoulder, drawing fresh blood.
Shisui countered immediately with a sharp thrust aimed at the man's throat.
The strike was blocked.
The ANBU twisted his blade in an attempt to disarm him.
But Shisui had expected it.
He released his sword intentionally.
The masked operative blinked in surprise.
Shisui's fist smashed directly into the mask.
The sound of cracking bone echoed through the forest.
As his sword fell, Shisui caught the handle again and drove the blade forward.
The ANBU twisted at the last moment.
The sword pierced only his shoulder instead of his chest.
They separated quickly, both landing on nearby branches.
Both were breathing harder now.
Blood continued to drip from Shisui's side.
The ANBU's mask had fractured from the punch, revealing a single eye beneath it.
That eye showed no emotion.
No fear.
No doubt.
That was the way of Root.
They charged each other again.
Steel clashed in a blur of motion.
Shisui ducked beneath a horizontal slash and drove his knee into the man's ribs.
The ANBU retaliated instantly with a backhand strike that split Shisui's lip.
They moved across the treetops like deadly dancers, circling and striking with lethal precision.
Then Shisui made a decision.
He stepped backward on purpose.
He wanted the enemy to chase him.
The ANBU lunged forward immediately.
Shisui used Body Flicker.
The attacker's blade sliced through nothing but an afterimage.
Shisui appeared behind him in mid-air.
"Combustive Sword Attack."
His sword struck first, forcing the ANBU off balance.
Then came the slash.
Finally, the burning overhead arc descended like a falling star.
The blade cut through armor and flesh.
Fire exploded across the impact point.
The ANBU's body fell from the tree in flames and crashed into the forest floor below.
Ten Root operatives had fallen.
Silence slowly returned to the forest.
Only the sound of crackling embers and drifting smoke remained.
Shisui stood alone on a broken branch high in the canopy.
Blood stained his side.
His shoulder burned with pain.
His lip was still bleeding.
But he remained standing.
Injured, but not defeated.
He exhaled slowly and allowed his Sharingan to fade.
The wind began moving through the forest again.
Shisui knew Danzo would not give up so easily. This was only the first attempt. More Root operatives would come.
Even so, he felt a small sense of pride.
He had defeated ten of Danzo's best soldiers.
"I will have to tell Itachi about this," he murmured.
Shisui changed direction and moved deeper into the forest. There was a cliff not far away where he and Itachi sometimes met. It was not a place they visited often, but it was hidden and safe enough.
He could rest there for a short while.
Then he could send one of his crows to find Itachi.