[Shadow Clone Jutsu!]
Shimoku had barely burst free from the encirclement when he instantly cast the Shadow Clone Jutsu, creating five copies of himself that scattered in different directions.
Never underestimate the power of this B-ranked technique.
Invented by Tobirama, the Second Hokage of Konoha, specifically to counter the Uchiha Clan, it differs from other clone techniques.
It uses chakra to produce physical clones.
Their realism is so convincing even a Sharingan cannot distinguish them!
Even when used purely for escaping like this, it still packs quite the punch.
Most of his pursuers quickly fell for the trick and went chasing after the wrong direction.
...
"Kā—"
"Kā—" twice.
With the unique ability of his left Mangekyo Sharingan eye,
Shimoku easily eliminated two Anbu pursuers.
In battles between ninja, the key lies in surprise attacks and information superiority.
This special ability of his Mangekyo Sharingan eyes was one of Shimoku's most important secret weapons.
Once he strikes, it's always a one-hit kill!
He never let anyone who saw his eyes' power live to tell the tale.
Not like some idiot who shows off his eye powers but can't even take down one opponent...
That's also why, during the previous major battle,
he only activated his Susanoo without using the abilities of his eyes.
At that time, there were too many witnesses around—there was no way Shimoku could kill everyone.
And visually speaking, Susanoo looked far more shocking.
...
After eliminating two pursuers, Shimoku continued sprinting.
Since the Uchiha Clan's district had always been near the village's edge,
in just a moment,
Shimoku broke through the encirclement, dashed out of the village, and darted into a dense forest.
At the same time,
the burning pain rising within both his eyes forced him to release his Susanoo.
Combined with nearly depleted chakra reserves and an exhausted body,
without doubt, at this moment, Shimoku had clearly reached his limit.
However, having dared to openly defect, how could he be unprepared?
Soon,
Shimoku leapt into a pre-selected large tree, hiding his form among the thick foliage.
He settled into a cross-legged position and began restoring his chakra.
With a quick movement of his hand, three 'pills' glowing with a faint radiance appeared in his palm.
These were "gifts" obtained through gacha rewards earned via system spending.
Consuming them rapidly restores chakra and heals bodily injuries.
They're quite similar to the Otsutsuki Clan's pills.
They also represent Shimoku's confidence to fully erupt and confront Fugaku head-on.
Soon, these three pills went down his throat.
Within about ten seconds,
more than half of Shimoku's chakra reserves were restored—an incredibly rapid recovery.
And completely without side effects, far surpassing those ineffective and terrible-tasting Military Rations Pill.
After significantly restoring his stamina and mental energy, Shimoku didn't immediately leave.
Instead, he released another shadow clone to continue fleeing along this road.
As for his real body, it remained hidden deep within this thick forest.
Shimoku bided his time.
In his mind, that old bastard Danzo would inevitably covet his Mangekyo Sharingan.
Thus he would stop at nothing to hunt him down.
That moment would be the perfect chance to eliminate this "root of all evil"!
All thanks to him, Shimoku and the entire Uchiha Clan had lived through the past ten years in Konoha...
It had truly been a living hell, endured for ten long years.
Therefore, if given the chance,
he would definitely give it a shot, aiming to take this bastard down in one fell swoop!
...
Time passed, second by second.
Within just a minute,
Shimoku personally witnessed three groups of Anbu rushing past here, chasing after his Shadow Clones.
Finally,
more than ten seconds later, two ninja dressed in Root attire came chasing from afar.
One of them was even leading a highly sensitive Ninja Hound.
They seemed to be relying on the hound's abilities for precise tracking.
Very soon, the two stopped beneath a large tree, as though detecting something.
The next moment,
"Xiu Xiu Xiu --"
several sharp whistling sounds pierced the air,
as three kunais flew into the dense canopy where Shimoku hid, forcing him to jump out and expose himself.
Shimoku "clumsily" landed on the ground,
his breathing slightly labored, face pale, appearing utterly drained and weakened.
He quickly drew a kunai and fixed the two Root ninjas with an intense glare, his face grim,
perfectly faking the look of someone running on empty.
Just then,
from the dark rear side of the woods, a figure leaning on a cane, eyes half-closed, slowly stepped forward.
Danzo!
Shimoku roared furiously, hatred burning clearly in his eyes.
"What a clever little brat you are! Using Shadow Clones to lead most of our pursuing forces away while hiding your real body here."
Too bad—I still saw through your little trick!
Danzo sneered mockingly, a clear note of satisfaction in his tone.
In his mind,
this clever kid had still been far too inexperienced.
Moreover, drawing away other Anbu like this certainly benefited his operation even further.
Once captured, he could simply take the boy's eyes and erase any evidence.
"How did you find me?"
Shimoku gasped for breath, frowning while pretending to be shocked and asking deliberately.
"That is none of your business to know."
"Though your talent exceeds even my expectations—even surpassing Itachi. At such a young age, having awakened both [Mangekyo Sharingan] and [Divine Force]!"
"Yet unfortunately, you're still too naive. Challenging Fugaku head-on like this."
"Now then, haven't you exhausted both your chakra and ocular powers?"
"In that case, I shall claim those pair of Sharingan for myself!"
With a sinister grin, Danzo wore the look of certain victory.
At the same time, he swiftly issued cold orders without hesitation.
"Move in!"
"Don't damage those eyes!"
The next instant,
the two Root ninja dashed forth rapidly, attacking Shimoku aggressively.
Both men belonged to Root's elite division, their strengths ranking among the top Jonin in skill.
Certainly, their power remained incomparable to that of a clan leader like Fugaku.
Nowhere near a match for the Divine Force known as [Susanoo].
Yet capturing or killing a ten-year-old boy who had exhausted his chakra? That would be more than manageable.
Too bad.
This time, both of them had chosen their opponent poorly.
Just as the two were about to close in on Shimoku,
[Genjutsu: Bringer-of-Darkness Technique]!
In an instant, this high-level illusion technique was unleashed.
Centered on Shimoku, it instantly engulfed an area within a ten-meter radius,
and forcibly deprived these two Root ninjas of their vision.
Then,
[Mangekyo Sharingan – Left Eye – Setsuna]!
[Stage Two: Quadruple Speed Boost—Activate]!
In the darkness,
Shimoku, activating the special ability of his Mangekyo Sharingan's left eye, suddenly surged in speed fourfold,
nearly rivaled a high-tier Shifting Body Technique.
Clutching a kunai, he dashed forward with a gleam in his grip.
Crossing over ten meters in a blink.
Meanwhile, the two Root jonins, currently robbed of sight by the Bringer-of-Darkness Technique and thrown into panic,
felt merely a cold sensation against their necks.
Then they crashed heavily to the ground, life gone.
A flash, a cold cut, one strike—one kill!
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