In the Hokage's office inside the Hokage Building, Uchiha Fugaku was reviewing documents.
Creak—
Spore Clone No. 1, disguised as Uchiha Shisui, pushed open the door and entered quickly.
"What happened?"
Uchiha Fugaku looked up, his brow slightly raised.
For Spore Clone No. 1 to arrive in such a hurry, something serious must have occurred.
"Just received word that a team of four from the Uchiha clan, led by a jōnin, has been captured."
Spore Clone No. 1 spoke quickly.
"Who did it?"
Uchiha Fugaku's expression turned cold.
"Iwagakure."
Spore Clone No. 1 replied.
"Iwagakure… is this retaliation for rejecting their request before?"
Uchiha Fugaku speculated aloud.
"How many of them were there, and how strong?"
"I saw eleven in total, but based on their conversation, there may be others not traveling with them. Among those eleven, several are elite jōnin. One of them wore red armor and had massive chakra—likely the Five-Tails' Jinchūriki."
Spore Clone No. 1 answered.
"They actually sent the Five-Tails' Jinchūriki? They're serious."
Uchiha Fugaku snorted coldly.
The fact that Iwagakure dispatched a Jinchūriki meant they placed high importance on this operation.
"I'll go personally. You stay here and manage Konoha."
Uchiha Fugaku stood up, issued the order, and used the Body Flicker Technique to leave the Hokage office in a flash.
The situation was urgent. The faster he moved, the better the chance to rescue the four Uchiha clan members.
In today's Konoha, he had the highest mastery of the Body Flicker Technique—especially after integrating Uchiha Shisui's talent for it.
He was the most suitable person to carry out this rescue.
Swish—
Without caring to hide his movements, Uchiha Fugaku sped toward the ambush site at full speed.
"Shisui-kun, what's going on?"
As the Hokage, any sudden movement from Uchiha Fugaku would draw attention. Upon noticing him leave hastily, one of the clan heads asked Spore Clone No. 1.
"A team of Iwagakure shinobi infiltrated the Land of Fire and captured Konoha ninjas. Hokage-sama is en route to rescue them."
There was no reason to hide this, so Spore Clone No. 1 answered directly.
"A regular Iwagakure team wouldn't warrant Hokage-sama's personal intervention. Is there something special about them?"
Nara Shikaku, quick to sense something amiss, questioned.
"There are several elite jōnin among them, and one is suspected to be the Five-Tails' Jinchūriki."
"What?! Iwagakure actually sent a Jinchūriki!"
One clan leader's expression changed immediately.
Though the Fifth Hokage was undeniably powerful, the enemy wasn't simple either—not only elite jōnin, but a Jinchūriki as well.
Hatake clan leader Hatake Nobuhiro reacted quickly.
"If a Jinchūriki is involved, we must dispatch an elite support team immediately."
"No need. A few elite jōnin and one Jinchūriki—Hokage-sama is more than enough to handle that."
Spore Clone No. 1 shook his head.
He knew Uchiha Fugaku's strength better than anyone. This level of force would not threaten him.
"Besides, Hokage-sama ordered before leaving that no reinforcements are to be dispatched. Konoha must remain secure in his absence."
Though still concerned, the clan leaders could only back down upon hearing the order.
Swish—
Uchiha Fugaku continued to use the Body Flicker Technique to travel.
His speed was so fast that only flickering afterimages could be seen.
After a while, he stopped and placed a hand on a tree.
A faint pulse spread through the ground, traveling far via the roots and water veins.
Using this network, he connected to his spore clones to receive real-time updates on the Iwagakure unit.
"They've already linked up with the other three Iwagakure shinobi. In total, they've captured not just the four Uchiha clan members, but three other Konoha shinobi as well."
"They're now moving toward the edge of the Land of Fire, preparing to retreat."
With this information, Uchiha Fugaku adjusted his direction and resumed his high-speed pursuit.
A few hours later, at the border of the Land of Fire—
Swish, swish, swish!
Thirteen Iwagakure shinobi moved swiftly while erasing their tracks.
Seven of them carried unconscious individuals on their backs.
Some captives had already awakened, but with chakra sealed, their limbs bound, and mouths gagged, they could do nothing but open their eyes in despair.
"How much farther until we leave the Land of Fire?"
One Iwagakure ninja asked.
"Not far. We just need to pass through this forest."
A ninja holding a map replied.
"Hurry. Once we're out of the Land of Fire and into the Land of Earth, we'll be safe."
An elite female jōnin said.
Swish—
A shadow flashed before them, and a figure appeared, blocking their path.
Wearing the Hokage cloak—it was Uchiha Fugaku.
"The Fifth Hokage?!"
"He got here that fast? And it's really him?"
The Iwagakure shinobi were all stunned.
Konoha received the news so quickly? And the Hokage himself came?
Had there been any disguise marks, they might have suspected transformation.
But this… was clearly the real deal.
Uchiha Fugaku stood alone, but the aura he emitted radiated overwhelming pressure.
It felt like they were the ones outnumbered.
"You captured Konoha shinobi to use them as hostages—to exchange for the Genin detained during the Chūnin Exams?"
Uchiha Fugaku asked coldly.
He had initially assumed it was an act of revenge for his rejection, but upon reflection, it didn't make sense.
If it were revenge, they'd have killed them on the spot.
Capturing them alive suggested they wanted to use them for negotiation.
"Yes, we came to exchange them for our captured Genin."
Han, the Five-Tails' Jinchūriki, clad in red armor, admitted openly and issued a threat.
"Move, or we'll cut their throats."
As he spoke, Iwagakure shinobi raised kunai to the necks of their captives.
As a Jinchūriki, Han had supreme confidence in his strength. He did not think he would lose to Uchiha Fugaku.
Still, since they had hostages, why not use them?
"Are you sure… you still have hostages?"
Uchiha Fugaku remained unfazed, sneering slightly.
The next moment, the seven captives disappeared into mist—vanishing without a trace.
Before revealing himself, Uchiha Fugaku had already cast his True Illusion technique over the enemy.
His current version of the True Illusion no longer required eye contact. It was highly covert and nearly impossible to detect.
Even Han hadn't noticed he'd fallen into a genjutsu.
The disappearance of the seven captives was simply Uchiha Fugaku removing them from the illusion.
As the controller of True Illusion, he could eject people from it with ease.
(End of this chapter)