Chapter 63

"Tousaki, it is not our place to question Mizukage-sama. If you are so afraid of following orders, you can go back. I can lead the team myself." Kisame, loyal to Kirigakure, didn't allow anyone to criticize Yagura in front of him.

"Fine, fine, don't get all angry. We should be able to reach their supply point soon enough. So, how do you want to proceed?" Tousaki questioned because their current squad consisted of only twelve members in total, including two elite Jonin and the rest being Jonin and Chunin. Kisame made a silent gesture, and the team formed a tight formation, hiding behind some trees about two miles away from the supply point they were supposed to destroy.

"What do you see? How many Shinobi are there, and what are their levels?" Tousaki questioned a special Jonin who specialized in sensor ninjutsu. The sensor quickly formed a series of hand signs, and an almost thin, transparent mist started spreading in the direction of the supply point.

"Leader, there are only a dozen Leaf Shinobi guarding the supply point. There are only two Jonin-level ninjas; the rest are Chunin and Genin." The sensor confidently shared the details with Tousaki, who was leading this current mission.

"Well then, let's observe for some time. Set a tight perimeter. In case it's an ambush, we will need to retreat." Tousaki passed out a series of commands to his team. He was a cautious man by nature, so he didn't jump to claim the prize. Only Kisame and Tousaki were left in the center, while the rest of the Kiri ninjas formed a small but tight perimeter to monitor the supply point.

"Oye, Kisame, why don't you help me blast the entire supply point? That way, we can go back and report the mission as a success," the leader commented in a joking tone, but he knew his friend was capable of doing so because of his monstrous amount of chakra.

"Tch, have you already forgotten we are to intercept the new batch of medical scrolls that are being shipped to the Uchiha on the frontlines? If we can get our hands on quite a decent amount, then we can have our fuinjutsu team research them and save more of our comrades," Kisame responded. He was someone who currently gave weight to orders and followed them to the letter. His current loyalty was high, dedicated to Kirigakure, as he had yet to meet Obito, who was controlling Yagura.

They observed for close to half an hour, and when Tousaki was confident that there were no additional forces lying in ambush, he, along with the Kiri team, made a move. Just when they were about to attack the supply point, Kisame suddenly shouted, "AMBUSH!"

"[Katon: Gōkakyū no Jutsu]" (Fire Release: Great Fireball Technique) More than a dozen fireballs were launched at the Kiri team from various angles. The entire Kiri team, especially the elite Jonin, was surprised because they had stayed vigilant since the start and had no idea where they slipped up.

"[Suiton: Suishōha]" (Water Release: Water Colliding Wave) Kisame and Tousaki raised a barrier around the Kiri team using water waves to protect the entire team.

The entire Kiri team had regrouped, but now, in addition, they were surrounded by two dozen Uchiha, among them Itachi Uchiha. However, what none expected was the Kiri Sensor ninja quickly stabbing in the direction of Tousaki's neck, which was blocked by Kisame, who quickly released the special Jonin from the Genjutsu.

"Heh, it seems like we fell into an ambush just like we expected. Ha, Kisame, my friend, our chances of getting back seem to be bleak. It seems like our sensor ninja somehow fell to the enemy, Genjutsu. Everyone! get to attack formation." Tousaki was still in the mood to joke because he had confidence in his friend's strength.

"[Kirigakure no Jutsu]" (Hiding in the Mist Technique) One of the Jonin among the Kiri quickly released the mist while he commented, "Guys, we are exposed. We will have to retreat and avoid making eye contact with our enemies; they specialize in..."

"Woosh," a blade pierced through the mist, aiming for Tousaki's neck, which he dodged. Inside the mist, various clashes of metal could be heard from various directions.

"Shit! You damn Uchiha!" The sensor ninja's lifeless body had fallen right next to Tousaki, and he understood that the enemy was quickly overwhelming them as they were completely surrounded.

"Kisame, go all out! I will cover you," Tousaki shouted at his friend and specified a direction to launch a large-scale attack after realizing their dire situation.

"[Suiton: Senshokukō]" (Water Release: A Thousand Feeding Sharks) Kisame kneaded a huge amount of chakra and instinctively launched a large-scale water release technique to break through the encirclement. The Uchiha had to break open the formation to escape the large-scale attack. Meanwhile, Tousaki ordered his team to retreat through the opening Kisame created.

But what Tousaki didn't account for was the strength of Uchiha Genjutsu. Except for the Jonins, the other Kiri Shinobi, instead of breaking out of the opening Kisame had created, started running in the direction of the enemy.

"Genjutsu! Shit! Why was I assigned to this suicide mission?" He, who had almost escaped the Uchiha entrapment, gritted his teeth and jumped in again to save his subordinates. Kisame, who saw this, could only increase the intensity of his attacks.

"[Katon: Gōka Messhitsu]" (Fire Release: Great Fire Destruction) Kisame, who was providing support to his teammates, was suddenly engulfed by a large fire release. He quickly used a water clone and substitution to escape the range of the fire release, and he was immediately assaulted by a number of fire shurikens from very tricky angles.

"[Katon: Hōsenka no Jutsu]" (Fire Release: Phoenix Sage Fire Technique) The rate of shurikens targeting him started increasing, and Kisame began dodging the incoming projectiles. Finally, he spotted the party responsible for the incoming attacks: a Uchiha kid less than ten years old. Kisame felt something was odd, and his body instinctively dodged. However, a deep cut was left on his cheek. He then understood the problem but had no idea how he fell into the kid's Genjutsu, as he had made no eye contact.

"Tch." Itachi, who missed his killing strike, understood that Kisame would be a tough nut to crack. With the increasing number of Kiri Shinobi casualties, all he had to do was keep this enemy contained until the other Uchiha finished off their enemies.

Tousaki was trying his best to save his subordinates, but the odds were stacked against him. The Uchiha that had laid the ambush were elites, and they had almost wiped out the majority of the infiltration team. Currently, only four Kiri Ninjas are still alive out of the original dozen or so Kiri Ninjas.

Just when Tousaki thought everything was lost, suddenly hundreds of wooden spears pierced through the ground, trying to impale more than a dozen Uchiha as they had formed a tight formation. With their keen senses, most of the Uchiha were able to dodge the incoming danger, but a couple of Uchiha were late to react and were impaled by these wooden spears.

"This batch of Sharingan should be good; quite a few were able to dodge my attack." Obito materialized using his signature, Kamui, right behind Uchiha Jonin. The Jonin instinctively used his blade and swung behind him to behead the new enemy. Contrary to his expectations, the blade simply passed through the enemy. The Uchiha widened his eyes in shock, but before he could realize it, the masked man created a wooden stake and pierced it right through the Uchiha's neck, killing him on the spot.

"Heh, the mighty Uchiha clan, how weak! I will make sure to put all your eyes to good use." Obito, behind his iconic swirl mask, couldn't help but mock the Uchiha and made a gesture to pluck the Sharingan from the now-fallen Uchiha.

Suddenly, more than a dozen attacks targeted Obito, who was now the center of attention. The Uchiha were on high alert, and Kisame, using this momentary distraction, had already extracted the remaining Kiri Shinobi safely and was now retreating hastily.

However, as he was retreating, Kisame was in deep confusion. The chakra signature of the newcomer was very familiar; he had felt a similar chakra signature from their Mizukage's office before.

However, for the time being, he chose not to share his concerns and retreated with his remaining comrades.

After the onslaught of the dozen or so fire releases ended, as the smoke cleared, the masked man stood at the center unscathed with a container containing a pair of Sharingan in his hands.

"That's one pair. I hope you guys can cooperate and provide me with your Sharingans. I promise to take good care of it." Obito rushed forward to engage the Uchiha elites because he had absolute confidence in his strength and knew that none of these Uchiha could match his eyes.

"Everyone, be careful! He can phase through our attacks!" Itachi's childish shout alerted every Uchiha who was ready to combat Obito head-on. Although Itachi was young, within the Uchiha clan, he was known for his intellect and combat prowess, and being the heir of the clan head gave him special status. The Uchiha elites stopped their charge, wanting to gather more information before engaging the enemy in close range. Obito, who was waiting to take advantage of the Uchiha, was frustrated by the Uchiha kid who warned the others.

Dozens of Kunai tied with explosion tags flew towards the charging Obito, who simply phased through the incoming projectiles. His Sharingan started spinning as Itachi tried to use a Genjutsu on Obito. Itachi received a backlash and spat some blood as Obito quickly broke through the Genjutsu within moments of being cast.

"Itachi Uchiha, the prodigy of the Uchiha clan. Not bad; your presence of mind is better than most elites." Obito couldn't help but mock the Uchiha prodigy's attempt to put him under Genjutsu.

Obito quickly flickered next to Itachi to attack him, but a Uchiha Jonin quickly intervened, trying to pierce him through the back. Obito smirked as Jonin's attack phased through him. Right when he was about to finish off the Jonin, a Kunai aimed for his head, and he had to hold his Kamui state. The Uchiha Jonin retreated using this chance. Obito was now irritated because the Uchiha kid had interrupted him again.

"It seems like you guys are too stubborn. Maybe this should help open your eyes and surrender peacefully." With a series of handsigns, Obito planted his palms on the ground.

"[Mokuton: Daisōju]" (Wood Release: Great Spear Tree) Several thick tree roots emerged from the ground, targeting the Uchiha elites, trying to pin them and crush them to the ground.

"This... how is this possible? Who are you?" One of the Uchiha couldn't hold back his shock and blurted it out. Even the earlier wood spears had not caught most of their attention because they resembled the earthen spear technique, but this was genuine wood release. The last known user of Mokuton, except for Tenzo, was Shodaime Hokage, hailed as the God of Shinobi, Senju Hashirama himself. When the new adversary used Mokuton, it took all the Uchiha elites by surprise.

"Well, I should not be telling you this, but never mind, as all of you are going to perish here, I think it won't make a difference." Obito laughed in a weird way after seeing Uchiha's reaction.

"I am Uchiha Ma..." A tanto pierced through the left side of the chest, right where his heart was, before he could complete his statement. Obito instinctively used Izanagi before the blade pierced his heart completely, and he reappeared a dozen or so meters from his original position to face his new attacker, who had hidden himself amongst the Uchiha elites.

"Hahahaha, no wonder you let those Kiri Shinobi run away without trying to stop them. So, I was your target. But nobody should know about my existence. How?" Obito's eyes were filled with a crazy look as his recent wound before activating his Izanagi healed at an alarming rate. Right when he thought about continuing his assault, he was jolted awake by Zetsu, as Obito had unknowingly fallen into a Genjutsu. The sudden Genjutsu attack even caught Zetsu off guard because he was not aware of another Uchiha other than Fugaku and Obito, who had activated their Mangekyou.

"Obito, retreat now! That's Uchiha Shisui; he seems to have also awakened his Mangekyou. You need to get out now. For him to put you under Genjutsu and make you resort to Izanagi means his eye techniques are mind-related. You will be at a disadvantage if you continue. You cannot expose your identity." Zetsu panicked because he knew that although Obito had willingly sided with Madara, he also knew that they had subtly influenced him into following Madara's plans blindly. If he were to be affected by mind art from a Mangekyou, that would prove fatal to their plans. So he used the tree roots to communicate with Obito urgently while keeping himself concealed from the Uchiha.