Time rewinds to the moment of the father-son battle.
Outside the barrier, the Root and Anbu Ninja hidden in the shadows couldn't help but feel their hearts racing as they watched the fierce battle unfolding within.
This was no longer a fight between humans… it was a clash between monsters.
Fugaku was enveloped in a blue aura of Chakra, his Susanoo looming over him like a demon. Meanwhile, Itachi was clad in a red Susanoo, gripping the Totsuka Blade, his eyes filled with killing intent.
The two charged at each other, and the moment they collided, a powerful shockwave erupted. The space within the barrier seemed on the verge of being torn apart.
Those outside the barrier felt a chill run down their spines. After all, if Fugaku were to win, there was no way they could stop such a monster.
"Watching the show from this spot seems quite interesting."
A strange, mocking voice suddenly rang out near a group of Root Ninja, shocking them who were still engrossed in the father-son battle.
"There are enemies!"
One of the Root Ninja shouted, and the others turned to look at the source of the voice. A man with a three-eyed cat mask stood there.
"Shadow Possession Technique!"
A Root Ninja from the Nara Clan immediately formed hand seals. It was nighttime, the perfect time for his technique. His shadow quickly connected with Naruto's shadow.
"Success!"
Feeling the restraint on his body, Naruto suddenly thought the technique wasn't all that impressive. 'If the target's Chakra or physical strength were strong enough, the user wouldn't be able to control them.'
"Mind Body Switch Technique!"
Just as Naruto was still feeling the effects of the Shadow Possession Technique carefully, another Root Ninja took action… This one is from the Yamanaka Clan.
Soon Naruto felt a consciousness trying to invade his mind. It was extremely uncomfortable, so he simply kicked it out, sending it to meet Kurama.
"Did it work?"
To the others, it looked like Naruto had been successfully controlled.
"Hurry up and attack!"
The Root Ninja who had used the Shadow Possession Technique shouted at the others. Sometimes he really thought these Root Ninja were idiots, their brains so slow.
"Okay."
The other Root Ninja finally reacted and quickly formed hand seals.
"Fire Release: Great Fireball Technique!"
"Wind Release: Great Breakthrough!"
The four Root Ninja were clearly a well-coordinated team. Two focused on control, while the other two focused on offense. Moreover, the offensive techniques of the two attackers complemented each other.
However, it was still not enough to deal with Naruto.
'Seems like this is all they've got. Though there's a big shot nearby.'
Naruto shook his head in disappointment, easily breaking free from the Shadow Possession Jutsu. A massive vortex appeared, and the two seemingly powerful Ninjutsu were absorbed by Naruto.
Without a special Kekkei Genkai or unique physique, there was nothing of value for Naruto to absorb. The amount of Chakra wasn't even enough for him to form a Rasengan.
"Just consider this a gift for our first meeting."
A tiny black sphere, the size of a fingertip, formed on Naruto's index finger.
'Miniature Spiralling Ring!'
Naruto then used the Flying Thunder God Technique to leave.
The three still-conscious Root Ninja stared dumbfounded at the expanding black sphere. In the next moment, the world fell into silence, leaving behind a crater dozens of meters wide.
"Captain, what just happened over at the Root side?"
Although the power of the Miniature Spiralling Ring was significantly reduced, the explosion was still massive, immediately drawing the attention of the Anbu team.
Sarutobi Shinnosuke also looked in the direction of the explosion, and quickly made a decision.
"You two, go check it out. Report back to me immediately if you find anything."
"Yes!"
The two responded in unison and headed toward the site of the explosion.
However, after a long while, there was no news from the two.
"Shinnosuke?"
Shinnosuke's wife spoke up, a bad feeling rising in her heart.
"Yeah, they must have encountered an enemy."
Shinnosuke's expression grew even more serious. As the eldest son of Hiruzen, the Anbu under his command were no ordinary Ninja and they were at least Jonin-level. For someone to silently take out two of them, even he couldn't do that unless the opponent's strength was on par with his father's.
"Riri, you go to the Hokage Tower and inform Father about this. I suspect the explosion just now was caused by that masked man from a year."
Shinnosuke wanted his wife to leave first. He believed that with his Elite Jonin-level strength, he should be able to retreat safely.
Riri hesitated for a moment but, trusting in her husband's abilities, nodded in agreement.
"In that case, be careful. Your identity is different from other Ninja."
After saying this, Riri leaped onto the tree branches.
However, just as she jumped, an air bullet pierced through her chest, causing her to fall from the tree.
"Riri!"
Shinnosuke, who had been watching his wife leave, let out a roar upon seeing this and frantically ran toward where she had fallen.
By the time he reached her, she was already lifeless.
Shinnosuke felt as if his heart was about to burst, and his desire to kill surged uncontrollably.
"Who?"
"Who is it?"
"Show yourself, you bastard!"
Thud!
A heavy object suddenly fell in front of him. It was one of the Anbu who had gone to investigate earlier.
Shinnosuke stepped forward and immediately grabbed the man by the collar, questioning him.
"Bear, what the hell is going on here?"
"Cough cough cough——"
The man called Bar only coughed violently. Shinnosuke then noticed that one of his arms had been severed.
"Sarutobi Shinnosuke, the deputy commander of the Konoha's Anbu, son of the Hokage. Quite the important figure."
The voice came from above. When Shinnosuke looked up, he saw a figure clad in a white robe, wearing a three-eyed cat mask.
"It's you!"
Shinnosuke's eyes widened in fury, and he immediately threw the Anbu member aside. "Why did you kill Riri?"
"Huh?"
Naruto seemed caught off guard by the question, or perhaps he found it amusing.
"Without the resolve to kill, do you think you have the right to pull the trigger?"
"Sarutobi Shinnosuke, you can't be that naive, can you?"
"Bastard!" Shinnosuke cursed angrily and used a Ninjutsu that Naruto was all too familiar with.
"Shadow Clone Jutsu!"
Three clones appeared beside him.
"Interesting." Naruto thought of Hiruzen's famous technique, though this version was missing one clone.
Shinnosuke and his three clones each formed different hand seals.
"Earth Release: Earth Dragon Bullet!"
"Water Release: Water Dragon Bullet!"
"Fire Release: Fire Dragon Flame Bullet!"
"Wind Release: Vacuum Sphere!"
Since Shinnosuke didn't possess Lightning Nature Chakra, he couldn't incorporate Lightning Release into this combination Jutsu. Even so, the sheer scale of the technique was terrifying.
A massive amount of Chakra gathered around Shinnosuke. Regardless of its actual power, the scene was undeniably spectacular. The four Jutsu merged together, resembling a charged energy blast.
"Well then, I'll use this. "
A small, planet-like black sphere appeared in Naruto's palm. Mimicking Kurama's method of using the Tailed Beast Ball, he held it in his hand, concentrated his Chakra, and fired it as a beam of light.
'Let's call it... Cero.'
Both sides were ready. Naruto stood on the left, Shinnosuke on the right. But the moment their attacks collided, Shinnosuke was instantly knocked out.
The remaining energy from the Cero split the entire forest in half.
"This..."
The Anbu codenamed Bear stared at the endless trench left behind, swallowing with difficulty. 'This guy is practically a humanoid Tailed Beast.'
"Your codename is Bear?"
Kuma nodded instinctively.
"Go tell Sarutobi Hiruzen that if he wants his son back, he'll have to come to the Uchiha Clan's compound himself."