Three black shadows leapt down from the trees, landing around Gin and forming a triangular formation to surround him.
This kind of formation was usually used to either protect someone...
Or to launch an attack on someone.
Gin quickly scanned the three figures. They wore dark grey and black ninja uniforms and white masks with strange patterns—almost identical to the outfits worn by the Anbu.
The only way to tell them apart was by their hair color.
A tall man with bright orange hair, a slim woman with long, straight black hair, and a man with short, cropped black hair.
The moment he saw them, Gin already had a kunai in each hand, his stance alert and ready.
Blocking him inside the Forest of Death? There was no way they had good intentions.
"Uchiha Gin, by the Hokage's direct order, come with us," the orange-haired man barked, voice commanding.
"I doubt the Hokage would send someone to sneak around like this just to summon me," Gin replied coldly.
He didn't believe a word they said. Even if Sarutobi Hiruzen wanted to meet him, he would have sent Jiraiya with the message.
Despite their ideological differences, Sarutobi and Jiraiya still trusted each other.
So these people were almost certainly not acting under Sarutobi's orders.
The only one who could deploy people dressed exactly like the Anbu...
Was the shadowy figure known for hiding deep within Konoha: Danzo Shimura.
Seeing Gin take up a fighting stance, the orange-haired man barked again:
"Are you trying to defy the Hokage's orders?"
Gin was just about to answer when he caught a black blur out of the corner of his eye. Without hesitation, he used Shave (Soru) to vanish from his spot and reappear atop another tree.
His eyes narrowed as he scanned the surroundings.
The three figures had once again surrounded him, standing on nearby branches.
The woman with long black hair commented, admiration in her voice:
"That's some impressive taijutsu."
This kind of rapid movement was even faster than a standard body flicker technique.
If the three of them hadn't been highly skilled themselves, they wouldn't have been able to keep up.
"Attacking during a conversation? That's not very Anbu-like," Gin said lightly, eyes constantly searching for a gap to escape.
The orange-haired man shouted once more:
"Do you intend to betray the village, Uchiha Gin!?"
What a heavy accusation.
Gin smirked.
If the world outside wasn't even more chaotic than Konoha,
he would have left already. Did they think he had been brainwashed by the Will of Fire?
Of course, he couldn't say that out loud—especially not in front of Danzo's people.
Instead, he gave a low chuckle and stared straight at the orange-haired man.
"You're attacking a fellow villager without cause. Seems to me you are the ones betraying the village."
"If you have the guts, tell me your names. I'll go see the Hokage myself tomorrow."
The orange-haired man didn't reply. He realized now:
Taking Uchiha Gin away quietly wasn't going to work.
Only force would do.
He subtly gestured with his hands: Forget stealth—knock him out and drag him away.
The short-haired man spread his arms, and from his sleeves poured countless black dots—
a writhing mass of bugs.
He was a member of the Aburame Clan, masters of insect techniques.
The bugs rapidly gathered into a black tidal wave, surging toward Gin.
In a flash, Gin used Shave again to leap higher into the towering trees—
but he had barely passed mid-trunk height when the ground below turned completely black with insects.
Just then, the woman ninja suddenly appeared in front of Gin, hands forming seals at lightning speed.
"Water Style! Water Blade Jutsu!"
Water spun rapidly around the kunai in her hand.
Gin, midair with nothing to push off from, couldn't use Shave again to dodge.
He had no choice but to meet the attack head-on.
His right-hand kunai clashed against her water-wrapped kunai, while his left-hand kunai stabbed directly toward her temple.
If she didn't retreat, Gin's strike would pierce right through her skull.
Yet the woman didn't back down—instead, she aggressively accelerated her kunai strike, clashing directly with his.
No sound.
Gin's right-hand kunai was immediately sliced apart by the spinning water blade.
But at the same time, his left-hand kunai was already pressing against her temple.
If this continued, even if Gin took some minor injuries, the woman would die.
The sea of insects below was still spiraling upward—but they were too late to save her.
In the next instant—
Gin's kunai stabbed right through the woman's temple.
However, instead of blood, a gush of water erupted.
Her body dissolved into a puddle of water.
"A Water Clone!?"
That brief clash had only been to buy time.
And now the insect sea was surging upwards, closing in.
Gin was still midair.
"Got him!"
The short-haired man declared flatly, seeing Gin falling toward the mass of bugs.
In their minds, it was over.
But Gin had other ideas.
His hands rapidly formed seals as he took a deep breath—and then exhaled with full force.
"Fire Style! Great Fireball Jutsu!"
A massive fireball blasted out of his mouth, exploding midair with a shockwave that propelled him higher, letting him land safely on a higher tree branch.
Without hesitation, Gin sprinted further upward.
At that moment, the woman ninja appeared ahead once more, standing sideways on a branch, waiting for him.
Gin pulled out another kunai from his leg pouch.
Without exchanging a single word, they clashed instantly.
Their taijutsu skills were evenly matched.
"A true genius of the Uchiha Clan—
even without activating his Sharingan, he's already this strong,"
the woman praised while fighting.
Her casual ease stood in stark contrast to Gin's total focus.
No matter how cautious Gin was, his kunai kept getting sliced apart by her water-wrapped kunai.
And now, the insect tide surged up again from below.
Gin realized he didn't have the luxury to continue fighting.
He used Shave again, leaping toward another tree.
But the woman pursued relentlessly, sticking to him like a shadow.
What shocked Gin even more was that he couldn't sense any chakra leakage from her body—it was completely sealed off.
Meaning his "Chakra Slash" technique was useless against her.
He figured she must have been affected by some kind of chakra-sealing jutsu.
Maybe the "Tongue Curse Seal."
He wasn't sure.
"You can't escape,"
the woman said playfully, keeping pace easily.
It was like she had him completely cornered.
Gin glanced sideways and saw the orange-haired man rushing toward them.
However, he didn't join the fight—instead, he kept a "Ram" hand seal aimed at Gin, waiting for the right moment to strike.
"Yamanaka Clan! What a pain!"
Instead of continuing upward, Gin suddenly let himself fall.
The sea of insects below rushed up to meet him, eager to consume him.
But Gin shot a metal wire from his sleeve, snagging a distant branch and swinging away in an arc.
He had no intention of staying to fight.
Judging from what he had seen so far—
The Yamanaka guy's strength was uncertain.
But the other two were definitely above his level.
Suddenly, two figures identical to the black-haired man emerged from the insect sea.
Insect Clone Technique!
The two clones used the mass of bugs as stepping stones, dashing after Gin.
Gin retaliated by flinging a flurry of shuriken.
The blades clanged midair, changing directions to strike at the clones.
But shields made of writhing insects rose up, blocking all the shuriken.
Some even visibly gnawed the metal away until it vanished.
Still, the move bought Gin a precious second.
He tapped his fingers together behind his back.
"Spirit Bullet: Double Strike!"
Two spiritual projectiles condensed into thin beams and instantly pierced through the clones' foreheads, causing them to explode into swarms of bugs.
Seizing the opportunity, Gin landed on another branch and used Shave to disappear from their sight.
The black-haired man immediately turned to look to one side—
Gin was hiding behind a bare tree.
With all the leaves shed, there was almost no cover at all.
He had underestimated them.
Gin caught their coordinated movement reflected on the blade of his kunai.
Without hesitation, he used Shave again to speed away.
As he ran, the wound on his face rapidly healed, and shriveled remains of crushed bugs fell from his body.
"Where do you think you're going?"
The woman ninja once again intercepted him.
Gin stopped on a tree branch, panting heavily, leaning against the trunk.
Using Shave repeatedly and launching spirit bullets wasn't free—it had burned through most of his stamina.
He stared at the woman before him, disbelief in his eyes.
Was she using Flying Thunder God?
How was she always perfectly positioned to block him?
The orange-haired man and the black-haired man were closing in fast behind him.
Below, the ground was already a writhing mass of insects.
Above, countless bug shadows danced in the air.
"No escape."
Gin clenched his teeth, glaring at the woman.
"Where the hell is Orochimaru?!"
If he kept waiting, he was going to be dragged back to Root.
And that would not end well.
Danzo—the pioneer of Uchiha annihilation—would never show mercy.
Even without Sharingan, Gin's surname alone made him a target.
He couldn't understand—he hadn't even awakened his Sharingan yet.
Why was Danzo so obsessed with him?
Why not go after the ones who had their Sharingan activated?
Was Danzo seeing a future threat?
"You're not getting away, little boy,"
the woman said teasingly.
Gin steadied his breathing, glaring viciously at her.
"I hope next time you say that—it's in bed."
After all, he did prefer black-haired beauties.
"If you survive in one piece, I'd love to,"
the woman teased back with a sweet laugh.
She didn't believe for a second he could survive Root intact.
"Forget it," Gin snorted.
"You're wearing a mask—you're probably ugly. I might puke."
This time, the woman's playful smile vanished—no woman could tolerate being called ugly.
"Seems like I'll have to teach you some manners first,"
she said coldly.
Gin smirked disdainfully without responding, further enraging her.
She opened her mouth to say something—
But Gin suddenly leapt straight into the sea of insects!!