Ch.224 Forming Seals with Borrowed Hands

Night Owl felt his luck this time was truly exceptional!

Not only had he encountered Uchiha Sasuke right at the start, but on his way back, he unexpectedly ran into his real target for this trip—Uchiha Shinji.

If he could also capture Uchiha Shinji, then his mission would be perfectly accomplished.

Even the Akatsuki wouldn't be able to find any fault with him then.

Compared to Night Owl, Uchiha Shinji was even more pleasantly surprised.

With his sensory ability, Uchiha Shinji had, of course, long detected Night Owl's group not far away. He had also activated his dojutsu in advance to observe them.

By coincidence, he used Susanoo Tomoshibi to control a pair of Byakugan, so he had switched to Byakugan mode while observing.

And with just one look, he discovered that those four shinobi dressed like an interception team were not only carrying the heavily injured Sasuke but that two among them actually possessed the Hogan he had secretly been searching for all along.

Because the Hogan is definitely not a Hidden Leaf dojutsu bloodline, that fact alone let Uchiha Shinji conclude that these four "interception team members" before him were imposters.

Thus, he deactivated his dojutsu and walked straight over.

Meanwhile, Sasuke, slung over someone's shoulder, was incomparably thrilled.

He struggled desperately, shouting, "Uchiha Shinji, these guys aren't the real interception team—quick, trigger the distress flare! There's no time!"

But, having his mouth gagged, what actually came out was just "Mmph, mmph," which no one else could understand.

No doubt about it:

From the fierce battle just now, Sasuke knew at least one of these fake interception team members was at the jōnin level, while the other three were all above chūnin, likely tokubetsu jōnin.

Facing a lineup of enemies like that, he had lost. So he assumed Uchiha Shinji wouldn't be able to deal with them either, meaning the only hope lay in firing the distress flare and calling for backup!

Each side's thoughts coalesced in an instant.

Night Owl quickly gave his subordinates an order: "Catch that brat with the Uchiha crest on his clothes—the others, knock them out!"

Aside from the subordinate carrying Sasuke, Night Owl's other two men immediately strode toward Uchiha Shinji.

In their view, they'd already captured Uchiha Sasuke, who had awakened the three-tomoe Sharingan. A mere Uchiha kid who hadn't awakened his eyes was no match at all.

Seeing the two approach, Uchiha Shinji tilted his head. "Haku, you handle them."

Haku was a bit surprised but did not question Uchiha Shinji's decision. He stepped forward.

Night Owl laughed. "Are all Uchiha brats this cocky?"

Sasuke, still shouldered by one of Night Owl's men, saw how Uchiha Shinji's group appeared to let their guard down—seemingly unaware that these four interception team members were imposters—and grew anxious. "Idiots, they messed me up this badly, can't you see something's wrong? Don't just throw your lives away—hurry up and launch the distress flare!"

Uchiha Shinji only smiled and waved at Sasuke. "Sasuke, just hang on for a bit. We'll get you out of there soon!"

That made Sasuke even more frantic. He kept winking and gesturing in desperation.

Swish, swish…

At that moment, Night Owl's two subordinates struck in unison, lunging at Uchiha Shinji.

Haku did not hesitate and immediately stepped forward to meet them.

Uchiha Shinji already knew who they were through his secret Byakugan observation, whereas Haku, from seeing Sasuke bound and the unusual behavior of Night Owl's group, deduced they weren't the real interception team.

However, he didn't say it outright; inwardly, he was on guard and treated them as formidable foes.

For precisely that reason, from the very first exchange, Haku not only held his own, he actually gained the upper hand, thanks to the enemy's complacency. He quickly suppressed both adversaries.

While Haku pondered whether he was showing too much strength and if he needed to hold back—

Swish!

Seizing the brief moment when everyone's attention was focused on Haku's fight, Uchiha Shinji activated the Body Flicker Technique, instantly closing in on the subordinate who was carrying Sasuke.

"What?!"

That subordinate was startled. Since he was holding Sasuke with one arm, he couldn't form seals with both hands. Reflexively, he tried to jump backward.

Not just him; even Sasuke on his shoulder was taken aback!

Right then, Uchiha Shinji suddenly reached out with both hands.

His left hand seized the free hand of Night Owl's subordinate (the one carrying Sasuke), while his right hand darted forward, grabbing Sasuke who was on the guy's shoulder.

In a flash:

Both the subordinate carrying Sasuke and Sasuke himself had their eyes drawn to Uchiha Shinji's left hand.

Because Uchiha Shinji was actually using the opponent's hand to form seals—borrowing that person's hand as well as his chakra—completing the necessary seals in an instant, and then immediately letting go.

"You—!?"

Night Owl's subordinate was left wide-eyed and speechless.

Simultaneously, since he had already begun leaping backward and Uchiha Shinji had released his right hand, he had no way to stop himself midair—no foothold to regain balance.

Meanwhile, having completed the seals and taken Sasuke from him, Uchiha Shinji followed through by spewing a mouthful of fire at the airborne subordinate.

Boom!

With a low roar, in just one move, Uchiha Shinji not only retrieved Sasuke but also borrowed the man's hand and chakra to deliver a "Great Fireball Technique"!

Thud.

Emitting wisps of smoke and a charred odor, that subordinate from Night Owl's group crashed to the ground, groaning in pain.

From start to finish, Uchiha Shinji took action in the space of only a breath or two.

Never mind Sasuke—even Night Owl, who was a jōnin with the Hogan bloodline, couldn't react in time before the outcome was decided.

"You brat!"

Night Owl's gaze sharpened, revealing a hint of dread in his eyes.

He had just witnessed the remarkable skill of Uchiha Shinji, using someone else's hand and chakra to form seals and cast a jutsu. Even more impressive was Uchiha Shinji's razor-sharp situational awareness!

Replaying Uchiha Shinji's moves in his mind, Night Owl realized that, even though this Uchiha youth hadn't awakened the Sharingan, every step from timing to tactics, down to execution, was performed with stunning precision—nothing like an eight- or nine-year-old child.

Setting the stunned Sasuke gently aside, Uchiha Shinji turned to Night Owl and smiled: "You're next!"

Night Owl's face clouded over.

He had already been puzzled why the Akatsuki wanted him to abduct an Uchiha who hadn't awakened the Sharingan. Now, having seen Uchiha Shinji in action, he was sure the boy had to have awakened his Sharingan—he just wasn't flaunting it like Uchiha Sasuke.

"If the Akatsuki set their sights on him, there's no way he's just a useless brat!"

With that realization, Night Owl immediately felt the urge to flee.

In a flash, he darted to the side of his burned companion, hoisting him up, and ordered his other two subordinates: "Retreat!"

Before they could respond, he himself bolted into the forest behind him.

The decisiveness of their withdrawal left Uchiha Shinji momentarily dazed. "They…"