Naruto: Uchiha Survivor Forced to Save the Shinobi World

"Stop!"

Jiraiya suddenly halted, ordering the group to stop advancing.

Everyone obeyed, their faces filled with confusion. But soon, they understood why Jiraiya had called a halt.

"The fighting ahead seems to have stopped…"

"Yeah, the explosions and firelight are gone!"

"Even the chakra fluctuations have calmed."

Clearly, the reason Jiraiya stopped the group was that the fierce battle ahead had suddenly fallen silent.

This situation typically meant only one thing.

The intense battle had reached its conclusion—victory or defeat had been decided!

"Damn it! Damn it! Are we too late?"

Sasuke gritted his teeth, his expression twisted with rage.

Having faced the enemy's strength firsthand, he believed that if the battle was over, it must mean Uchiha Shinji had fought valiantly but lost.

Given the intensity of the battle, the consequences of defeat were unimaginable.

Sasuke's outburst caught Kakashi's attention.

He noticed a chilling aura surging from Sasuke, the three tomoe in his Sharingan spinning rapidly.

Startled, Kakashi warned, "Sasuke, calm down!"

But Sasuke's eyes burned crimson, his voice a low growl, "I'm going to kill that guy! I will kill him!"

The rookies trailing behind were equally agitated.

Haku, in particular, was filled with regret. He cursed himself for not forcing his way past Kakashi's blockade to support Shinji.

If he had reinforced Shinji in time, even if he couldn't defeat the enemy, he might have saved him.

Karin, anxious, closed her eyes to sense the area ahead.

But the battlefield was saturated with overwhelming Tenseigan chakra. Unlike other chakra, Tenseigan chakra was not only immensely powerful but also had the ability to absorb other chakra. This made it impossible for sensory jutsu or the Byakugan of the Hyuga clan members in the team to discern details in the forest ahead.

"Shinji, you better be okay!"

Shion clutched her bell artifact, her eyes brimming with worry.

Having never seen Otsutsuki Toneri, she didn't grasp his strength and wasn't as pessimistic as Sasuke. To her, Shinji was the undefeated top student of the ninja academy!

Most of the other rookies shared Shion's mindset. They knew Shinji's situation might be dire, but they instinctively refused—or didn't dare—to believe he could die.

All eyes were fixed on the now-silent forest ahead, as if it hid some terrifying beast.

Jiraiya turned to Tsunade, "I'll take the lead in a moment!"

Tsunade snorted, "Hmph, that guy hurt Yakumo—I won't let him off lightly!"

Jiraiya gave a wry smile.

He knew he couldn't dissuade Tsunade, so he resolved to protect everyone around him.

Just then, a steady sound of footsteps echoed from the forest ahead.

"!?"

Everyone tensed. The one casually walking out of the forest now was undoubtedly the victor of the battle!

And that victor clearly couldn't be Uchiha Shinji, still a student at the ninja academy.

"He's coming!"

"Is it that guy?"

"Get ready!"

The group braced for combat!

The seasoned Jonin remained composed, but some Chunin and Genin were less steady.

Some reached into their pouches, gripping ninja tools. Others slowly raised their hands, ready to form seals. Some clenched their kunai, veins bulging!

A battle was imminent. Kakashi couldn't help but caution Sasuke, "Don't act rashly!"

Sasuke, chakra surging and tomoe spinning in his eyes, was beyond restraint. His face radiated killing intent as he snapped, "Just don't get in my way!"

There was no time for Kakashi to say more. He lifted the headband covering his left eye, staring toward the source of the footsteps.

Haku, Karin, Shion, and the other rookies also locked their gazes on the forest ahead.

Realizing belatedly, they knew the footsteps likely belonged to the mysterious enemy who had attacked the village and crippled Yakumo.

In that moment, the entire pursuit team was steeped in an unprecedented air of deadly tension. Even the usually boisterous Naruto now silently donned his Tailed Beast cloak!

The distant footsteps continued, slow and steady.

Like drumbeats, they struck at the hearts of every Hidden Leaf shinobi present. The dark forest ahead was like a breeding ground for fear, a black hole drawing all eyes!

Finally, the figure making the footsteps emerged from the shadows!

The pursuit team stirred, some shinobi already itching to unleash jutsu for a preemptive strike.

But Jiraiya and Tsunade at the front still hadn't given the attack order, so the group could only suppress their tension and unease.

Suddenly, the Hyuga clan members with active Byakugan froze, as if witnessing something unbelievable.

At the same time, Karin's eyes snapped open, her face lighting up with joy.

The figure continued forward, stepping out of the shadows. As he did, the pursuit team finally saw him clearly.

"This!?"

"How… how is this possible?!"

"It's Shinji?"

The group was stunned, their faces filled with shock and confusion.

Emerging from the shadows wasn't the terrifying enemy they expected, but Uchiha Shinji—carrying an unconscious Neji over one shoulder and holding a severed head in the other hand.

All eyes locked onto the head in Shinji's hand.

When they recognized its face, Tsunade—who had just faced Otsutsuki Toneri—and Sasuke, who had suffered at his hands, felt their pupils constrict.

The head Shinji held was none other than the mysterious enemy who had attacked the village and defeated Yakumo in a single blow.

Now, that once-invincible foe had been beheaded, eyes closed, and was casually held in Shinji's hand!

The scene caught Shinji off guard. He gave a weak smile, "You're too late!"

Shion was the first to push through the crowd, rushing to Shinji. She looked him up and down to check for injuries, then asked curiously, "Shinji, you… you defeated that guy?"

Shinji tossed the head of Toneri's puppet to the ground, "Yeah, this guy was tricky. Took a lot out of me to deal with him!"