At the setsuna when Tanzō was immobilized, an orange - yellow figure rushed towards Shisui Uchiha, who was falling rapidly in the air.
Naruto released chakra from the soles of his feet, rushed into the air, caught Shisui firmly, and then rolled on the spot several times under the adult's weight before barely stopping.
After landing, Naruto didn't even give Tanzō a glance. He quickly picked up Shisui on his back and used the Body Flicker Technique to run into the distance.
Tanzō looked at the orange - yellow figure with a murderous look in his eyes. That Naruto kid really shouldn't have been left alone from the start.
"Your companion has run away. What about you? Do you think you can escape my net?"
As soon as Tanzō finished speaking, more than a dozen masked Root Anbu members surrounded Sasuke, who was hiding in the grass.
Sasuke made Hand Seals. The three - tomoe Sharingan in his eyes glowed red. He didn't lift the Genjutsu until he saw Naruto and was sure that he had run far away.
After all, Tanzō was at the Kage level, and Sasuke was no match for him. So Sasuke could only use Genjutsu to immobilize him for a second or two, and these few seconds were the Uchiha clan's chance of survival.
Tanzō glanced at Sasuke, who was gasping for breath, with the corner of his eye. His tone was cold and emotionless.
"Kill him!"
The Anbu members who got the order didn't hesitate a bit. Hundreds of Kunai rained down from the sky, enough to turn Sasuke into a sieve.
"Clang! Clang!"
The Kunai struck Sasuke's body, but there was no scream of pain from the young man. Instead, there was a crisp sound as if it had struck a wooden log.
One of the Anbu members immediately went to check.
"Lord Tanzō, it's a substitution!"
"Wait! Get out of here quickly! Protect Lord Tanzō!"
It turned out that there were hundreds of Explosive Tags hidden under the wooden log. They exploded simultaneously the moment the Anbu members stepped forward to check. The intense firelight illuminated the sky as bright as day, and the flying mud and trees shot out in all directions rapidly.
"Ah!"
The explosion point was only a few dozen meters away from Tanzō. At the moment of the explosion, the Anbu members shielded Tanzō under their bodies regardless of their own lives.
The people on top were burned to a blackened mess. Tanzō threw them aside without any mercy, like throwing away garbage. He was helped up from the ground and looked in the direction where Naruto and Sasuke had escaped with a sinister look in his eyes.
"The Nine - Tailed Demon Fox and the Uchiha clan? This is really interesting!"
"Lord Tanzō!"
"Go after them quickly! We must get Shisui's eyes today no matter what."
He knew very well that his plan to get Shisui's Sharingan had been exposed. If he missed today, he would really have no more chances.
"Yes!"
The Root members scattered like rats and chased after the two young figures.
....................
"Naruto, I have an important thing to do tonight!"
Naruto looked at Sasuke's wrinkled little face. He rarely looked so serious.
"What's up? Your face looks so serious. You look just like your dad!"
"Naruto!"
Although I really want to do this alone, I'm not capable enough right now. I hope you can help me."
"Sure, no problem!"
There was not a trace of hesitation in Naruto's smiling sky - blue eyes.
"Don't rush to agree. Listen to me first. This is very dangerous, and I can't guarantee we'll succeed. There might even be a risk of getting killed. Think it over carefully."
Sasuke lowered his head. Deep in his heart, he didn't want to drag Naruto into the complex affairs of the Uchiha clan, but he had no other choice.
To save Shisui, he needed to use his Sharingan to trap Tanzō. It was impossible to hold Tanzō still and rescue Shisui simultaneously. He needed a helper, and that helper could only be Naruto.
"Come on, you're being so formal. You said we're friends and brothers, right? Brothers stick together!"
He smiled and held out his right fist.
"For real, we could die if things go wrong!"
"Shut up! I've already promised to help you. Just thank me quickly."
Sasuke looked at Naruto and smiled helplessly. He also held out his fist and touched Naruto's.
"Okay, let me tell you the plan..."
Just like this, Tanzō's scheme to seize the Sharingan was thoroughly thwarted by two kids. If he fails to eliminate these three today, it will be difficult for him and his Root organization to establish a footing in Konoha.
...
The two kids were having a hard time carrying Shisui, who was significantly heavier than them, and it was even more difficult to dodge the pursuit of the assassins carefully trained by Tanzō.
Kunai and Shuriken came whizzing from behind, barely missing their heads. A few strands of Naruto's hair were even sliced off.
Shisui regained consciousness at this moment. His vision was blurry as he watched the kids struggling to carry him and dodging in a mess.
"Big brother, you're awake. Can you walk by yourself? It's really hard for us to run fast with you on our backs."
Although Naruto had gone through Sasuke's Spartan training for several months, he was still just a 6 - year - old kid. His Chakra hadn't grown much.
While he was talking, a Shuriken skimmed his arm, cutting a gash in his iconic Uzumaki pattern.
"You... you should let go of me and run for your lives. If this goes on, none of us will make it."
"Big brother, you're so annoying. Can't you see we're trying our best to escape? Don't say such discouraging things at this time!"
"Shisui, do you think Tanzō will let us go even if we abandon you in this situation?"
Shisui forced his heavy - lidded eyes open and looked at Sasuke's young face.
"You're Itachi's brother. Where is Itachi? Isn't he around here?"
"He went to the clan gathering. Naruto and I happened to be in the area and saw Tanzō attacking you. The situation was urgent, so we saved you."
Naruto looked at Sasuke with a puzzled look in his eyes. They had deliberately waited there to rescue Shisui. Why did Sasuke say they just happened to be around?
"I see. I'm really sorry for getting you involved."
"Now, stop talking about this nonsense. Let's figure out how to escape."
He could sense that the Root members were just a stone's throw away from them.
"These two little rascals are as slippery as fish!"
Root had been chasing them for quite a while. Every time they were on the verge of catching up with the two kids, they somehow managed to slip away. The pursuers were starting to lose their tempers.
If Lord Tanzō found out they couldn't even take care of two punks, who knew what kind of hell he'd put them through.
"Hurry up and catch them! If they reach the village and get backup, we're in deep trouble."