บท 180: Chapter 179: The Trail of the Two-Tails Jinchuriki

Within the Land of Fire, Shisui led his team through the forest at high speed, not to pursue enemies but to flee from their pursuers.

Dodging a fireball that brushed past him, Shisui's expression turned grim.

Half an hour earlier, while carrying out their mission to track the Two-Tails Jinchuriki, Shisui's team had finally found traces of their target. Just as Shisui was about to report the information to the main force, Uchiha Yakumo launched an attack, forcing Shisui and Tekka to join the assault on the Two-Tails.

After a few rounds of battle, the Two-Tails Jinchuriki fell under the influence of Shisui's Sharingan genjutsu and appeared to be in a deep sleep.

However, the Jinchuriki had been faking the effects of the genjutsu. As they approached, she coordinated with the other Kumo ninjas and launched a counterattack.

If Shisui hadn't managed to control one of the Kumo Jonin at a critical moment, the three of them would not have escaped unharmed.

Even so, Shisui's team suffered heavy losses—not only had they lost their ninja cat used for communication, but both Tekka and Yakumo had sustained severe injuries. Without timely aid, they would die from excessive blood loss within hours.

Reflecting on the situation, Shisui sighed inwardly, regretting that he hadn't stopped his teammates from attacking the Two-Tails earlier and blaming himself for his lack of strength.

If he had been stronger, he could have seen through the trap set by the Jinchuriki.

Moreover, the intel from the village had definitely been flawed. The Two-Tails Jinchuriki was far from an ordinary Jinchuriki—most would lose their sanity after entering a Tailed Beast transformation.

Yet Yugito Nii, despite her blank eyes, was clearly maintaining her composure.

In other words, Yugito was a perfect Jinchuriki, just like the Eight-Tails Jinchuriki.

There was no time for further contemplation. As Shisui took a sharp turn, a blonde girl appeared in front of him, wearing a mocking smile like a cat toying with a mouse.

The blonde girl, dressed in a Kumogakure uniform, was enveloped in the blue, cat-like chakra of the Tailed Beast. Two faintly visible tails swayed behind her. This girl was none other than Yugito Nii, the Two-Tails Jinchuriki, who had been chasing Shisui for some time.

Seeing Yugito block his path, Shisui quickly formed hand signs, and over a dozen shadow clones appeared, rushing toward Yugito.

Instead of evading, Yugito charged directly at the clones. The violent Tailed Beast chakra shredded them apart, but Shisui reappeared behind her, swinging his short sword toward her arms.

However, the chakra-infused strike only managed to tear through the bandages on her arms, leaving a shallow cut.

Witnessing this, Shisui's expression grew tense. He quickly widened the distance, keeping a close eye on Yugito.

In terms of pure ninja and taijutsu abilities, he could easily overpower someone like Yugito, who was close in age. But in her Tailed Beast transformation mode, Yugito surpassed him in both speed and strength.

The most troublesome factor was the immense defense and regenerative power granted by the Tailed Beast chakra.

Moreover, the surge of the Tailed Beast chakra prevented him from bypassing the chakra cloak's defense to directly control Yugito's senses.

With all these disadvantages stacked against him, Shisui realized he was no match for Yugito. Even if Tekka and Yakumo joined the fight, the gap between them as Jonin and a Jinchuriki was insurmountable.

Luckily, it seemed that the Tailed Beast chakra was affecting Yugito's behavior, gradually making her act more like a feline.

Clearly possessing the strength to wipe them all out, Yugito had instead chosen to toy with them slowly, giving them a chance to escape or to fight to the bitter end.

With this realization, Shisui quickly formed hand signs, inhaled deeply, and shouted, "Fire Style: Great Fireball Jutsu!"

As soon as he spoke, Shisui spewed a massive fireball from his mouth. The blazing sphere shot across the field, heading straight for Yugito.

Once again, Yugito didn't bother to dodge, taking the full force of the Great Fireball Jutsu head-on.

Taking advantage of this moment, Shisui immediately followed up with Water Style: Water Dragon Jutsu. The combination of the fireball and the water dragon created thick, scorching steam that engulfed the surrounding forest.

Using the cover of the steam, Shisui randomly chose a direction and darted into the woods.

He had bought his teammates enough time. From here on, the only option was for them to scatter and escape separately, increasing their chances of survival.

Yugito emerged from the steam and glanced toward the direction where the Uchiha had disappeared. She licked her hand, relishing the hunt.

She loved playing cat and mouse, especially when it involved hunting down young prodigies. If she could capture these young Uchiha and bring them back to her village, she would certainly be rewarded by the Fourth Raikage.

She'd never have to stay on that lifeless Turtle Island again—a place so dull that she rarely saw another living soul. It was absolutely mind-numbing.

Bringing her thoughts back to the present, Yugito looked behind her and frowned.

The group of Anbu tasked with protecting her still hadn't caught up. She wasn't even moving at full speed, yet they were still lagging far behind.

Were they really supposed to be protecting her? It felt more like she was the one protecting them.

Snorting in contempt, Yugito didn't wait for reinforcements. She picked a random direction and pursued her targets. She didn't care if this was a trap set by Konoha. Either way, she was confident she wouldn't get caught.

While her speed might not match the Raikage's explosive bursts, her endurance was on a different level.

However, what Yugito failed to realize was that the Anbu hadn't fallen behind due to a lack of speed—they had likely encountered another situation.

Once Yugito's figure disappeared into the distance, Byakuya canceled his Mayfly technique and emerged from underground.

A few minutes earlier, he had sensed the flare of chakra in this area and followed the trail of the Tailed Beast's chakra, arriving just in time to witness Shisui and his team's defeat.

He hadn't expected that even with three Uchiha Jonin working together, they couldn't overcome the Cloud Anbu and Yugito, the Two-Tails Jinchuriki. This made him question the actual combat strength of the Uchiha.

But after thinking about it more, it made sense. The Three Tomoe Sharingan wasn't as powerful as people imagined.

To truly unleash the Sharingan's potential, it depended on the user's talent and whether they had mastered secret techniques like Izanagi or Izanami.

Moreover, age played a role—Shisui and the others were still too young, far from reaching their peak.

As for comparing them to a Three Tomoe Sasuke, that wasn't a fair comparison either. Sasuke's power came from the synergy between the Cursed Seal and the Sharingan.

Bringing his drifting thoughts back in line, Byakuya began pursuing Yugito. This encounter should serve as a trigger for Shisui to awaken the Mangekyou Sharingan.

Once Shisui gained the Mangekyou, he would finally see the reality of the ninja world and of Konoha.