3 Chapter 3
In the dimly lit street, Sarutobi Shinnosuke's heart pounded as he beheld the sight before him.
His wife, lay injured on the ground, her form partially obscured by the mask she wore.
Shinnosuke rushed to her side, gathering her fragile frame into his arms.
The other three Anbu, lay scattered across the floor, their vital points viciously slashed.
"It seems that you really want to put me to death, But that's okay. In this way, I won't have to care about your deaths." Naraku said indifferently to the Anbu.
Naraku watched Shinnosuke, now kneeling on the ground, holding his wife, and said, "But it seems I am still too weak. I wasn't able to kill all of you."
In order to guard against their peak Jōnin team, he hadn't put all them under hypnosis, after all, the stronger the shinobi is, the more energy it takes, and Naraku wanted to conserve his strength.
Sarutobi Shinnosuke's voice cut through the tense atmosphere like a blade, "Uchiha Naraku!" he bellowed, his teeth clenched in fury.
Naraku's demeanor remained icy as he regarded Shinnosuke with a chilling stare.
"What? Do you still want to fight?" he retorted, then activated his two tomoe Sharingan.
Fueled by anger Shinnosuke reluctantly placed down his wife and drew out a short sword.
With a sudden burst of speed, Naraku closed the distance between them, his movements fluid and lethal as he rushed towards Shinnosuke with deadly intent.
The clash of steel echoed through the still night air as the two blades collided, sending sparks flying in all directions.
Sarutobi Shinnosuke's eyes blazed with fury as he spat out his words, "You have no chance on winning. Your cursed Uchiha clan will be erased from ninja history tonight!"
In the face of Shinnosuke's declaration, Naraku's expression remained unchanged, his features betraying nothing but indifference.
With a calculated calmness, he met Shinnosuke's onslaught, their swords clashing again and again in a deadly dance of skill.
Each strike was met with equal force and precision, the tension was high as they continued their fierce battle under the moonlit sky.
In those months spent within the walls of Konoha, Naraku honed his skills in Kenjutsu and Shurikenjutsu, two disciplines in which the Uchiha clan excelled.
With the aid of his Sharingan, he meticulously studied and replicated numerous techniques, harnessing the power of his lineage as descendants of Indra, a legacy passed down through generations.
The Uchiha's heritage ganted them powerful spiritual energy and chakra, alongside a physical prowess surpassing that of ordinary shinobi.
Under the guidance of Uchiha Fugaku, Naraku's training was rigorous and thorough.
He stood on equal footing with other elders of the Uchiha clan.
Meanwhile, the members of the Sarutobi clan, were renowned for their exceptional strength, and possessed abilities comparable to their Uchiha counterparts.
With their own hidden Fire Jutsu techniques, the Sarutobi clan's strength and capabilities closely mirrored those of the Uchiha.
Sarutobi Shinnosuke, descended from the legendary Sasuke Sarutobi, one of the most skilled and formidable shinobi of past generations.
Shinnosuke's prowess, cemented his status as one of the village's finest warriors.
"Neither you nor Sarutobi Hiruzen or Shimura Danzō have the power to decide my life and death. If you desire my demise so fervently, you might as well summon the likes of the First Hokage or Uchiha Madara instead of scheming in the shadows with such treachery," he declared, his voice ringing with conviction.
The contempt Naraku harbored towards Sarutobi Hiruzen and his political cohorts was unmistakable.
He held Hiruzen accountable for the prolonged unrest between the Uchiha and Konoha, citing the Hokage's inaction in resolving the escalating conflict.
Hiruzen had the tendency to remain idle in his office chair, doing nothing, while turmoil gripped the village.
In Naraku's eyes, had Hiruzen possessed the wisdom and foresight of the legendary Senju Hashirama, the village might have avoided the need for such drastic measures.
However, he lamented that Hiruzen's legacy was that of a mere politician, lacking the sagely qualities that defined the First Hokage.
As the battle raged on, Naraku knew that prolonging the fight only increased the risk of attracting the attention of lurking Anbu ninjas, who could swiftly intervene and complicate the situation.
With this knowledge weighing heavily on his mind, Naraku understood the need to act decisively.
In a swift move, Naraku twisted his wrist with precision, disarming Sarutobi Shinnosuke of his short sword with alarming ease.
The weapon flew from Shinnosuke's grasp, landing several feet away with a metallic clatter, leaving him momentarily vulnerable and unarmed before Naraku.
Behind his mask, Sarutobi Shinnosuke's expression betrayed his shock.
He recalled that Uchiha Naraku, had the strength merely that of a jonin.
He recalled that Uchiha Naraku's strength is only that of an ordinary Jōnin, and fhere should be a huge gap between himself and Naraku.
Realizing the gravity of the situation, Shinnosuke swiftly retreated.
Before he could gather his thoughts and plan his next move, Naraku seized the initiative once again.
With a swift and fluid motion, he hurled a kunai at Shinnosuke, forcing him to react instinctively and dodge the incoming projectile.
Whoosh! With he use Shunpo, Naraku disappeared in an instant.
Sarutobi Shinnosuke's expression hardened as he swiftly activated his chakra perception, honing in on Naraku's precise location.
With great focus, Shinnosuke's left hand formed the necessary hand seals with practiced efficiency, channeling his chakra into a powerful Fire Style jutsu.
"Fire Style·Fire..." he began to incant, but before he could complete the technique, Naraku preempted his attack with a swift and decisive counter.
"Wind Style: Vacuum Bullet!" Naraku's voice rang out as he seamlessly weaved the necessary hand seals, unleashing a barrage of wind bullets from his mouth with lethal precision.
The wind bullets sliced through the air with deadly speed and accuracy, one of them finding its mark as it pierced through Sarutobi Shinnosuke's shoulder with a sharp, searing pain.
The force of the impact staggered him momentarily, threatening to disrupt his concentration.
Simultaneously, the remaining wind bullets tore through the wall of a nearby residential house, leaving behind a trail of destruction.
Naraku's frown deepened as he registered the noise from the collateral damage caused by their intense battle, but he quickly brushed aside any concerns.
Engaging in combat against pinnacle-level jonin masters was bound to attract attention, and he knew it was a risk he had to accept.
Despite the searing pain radiating from his wounded shoulder, Sarutobi Shinnosuke refused to yield, channeling his chakra once more as he prepared to unleash another devastating jutsu.
With fierceness burning in his eyes, he concentrated his chakra in his throat and exhaled forcefully.
"Fire Style: Fire Dragon Technique!"
"Wind Style: Wind Slash!" Naraku's voice rang out as he swiftly twisted Kyōka Suigetsu's wrist and swung his sword with expert precision.
The blade sliced through the air with deadly accuracy, cleaving the incoming fire dragon into two separate streams of flame.
Sarutobi Shinnosuke reacted with lightning-fast reflexes, sidestepping the devastating slash just in time to avoid its lethal trajectory.
Naraku seized the opportunity to create distance between them, and Shinnosuke wasted no time in pursuing his opponent, closing the gap.
Sarutobi Shinnosuke's wind blade pierced through Naraku's body, as he braced himself for the anticipated victory.
However, to his dismay, there was an eerie smoothness to the attack.
Naraku's ghostly voice resonated through the clearing once more, sending a shiver down Shinnosuke's spine. "Shatter, Kyōka Suigetsu!"
In an instant, the surrounding space shattered like a fragile mirror, leaving Shinnosuke wide-eyed with shock.
The truth unfolded before him, a wave of horror washed over him.
The wind blade he had unleashed had not struck Naraku at all.
Instead, it had pierced through the illusion created by Naraku's genjutsu, revealing the devastating reality.
The wind blade had actually pierced his dying wife's heart, a trick orchestrated by Naraku's manipulation of perception and reality.
The weight of his actions and the tragic consequences of his attack settled upon him, Shinnosuke was consumed by a profound sense of guilt and despair.
"Shinnosuke... why?" his wife's shocked voice pierced through the air, her final words hanging heavily in the stillness before she tilted her head and succumbed to her injuries, her life extinguished in an instant.
"No!" Sarutobi Shinnosuke's anguished cry echoed through the clearing, reverberating with raw emotion that sent a chill down the spines of the Anbu ninjas lurking nearby.
But before Shinnosuke could comprehend the full extent of the tragedy that had befallen him, Naraku's chilling voice cut through the chaos once more.
"Don't worry, you will join her soon enough," Naraku's words dripped with malice as he emerged from the shadows behind Shinnosuke.
In a swift and merciless motion, Naraku launched a wind blade towards Shinnosuke, the razor-sharp edge slicing through the air with deadly accuracy.
With a splatter of blood, Shinnosuke's head was severed from his body.
As the lifeless body of Sarutobi Shinnosuke slumped to the ground, Naraku's attention shifted to the approaching Anbu reinforcements.
With a calculated pause, he seized the opportunity to grab Shinnosuke's severed head, and stored it inside a scroll.
"After all, this can cover the food expenses for a while..." Naraku muttered to himself, as he sheathed his sword and disappeared into the shadows.
....
In the aftermath of the intense clash, Naraku he paused, a sense of calmness washing over him.
With a deep inhale, he straightened his posture, the weight of the skirmish lifting from his shoulders.
Then he brushed away the lingering specks of dust clinging to his attire.
With measured steps, he charted a path towards the outskirts of the compound.
A few moments later, he arrived at the area where the Elders lived. Naraku's steps faltered momentarily, then he entered one of the larger houses.
Inside, he retrieved the lifeless bodies of the elders, some had their eyes plucked out, others did not.
They were all killed by Itachi and Obito.
Moving swiftly, Naraku ventured into hidden compartments, his hands deftly securing valuable assets left behind.
Bank notes and jutsu scrolls were stowed away, their significance not lost on him, he resolved to keep them away from falling into the wrong hands.
Swiftly, he moved from house to house, after that he proceeded with his path.
A moment time later, he found himself at the end of the compound, in front of the village gate.
Naraku stepped outside the gate, vanishing into the cloak of night.
