"This Uchiha is Too Cautious"
"Looks like this is the place."
Uchiha Kai and his team of five crouched quietly atop a hill, observing a small camp below. They were fairly certain they had located their target.
After spotting the camp, Hyuga Aya immediately sought out Imai Kenta. First, because Kenta was the closest to her position; second, because she was reluctant to approach Uchiha Kai alone.
Upon hearing Aya's report, Kenta didn't hesitate. Grinning, he followed her to find Kai and relayed her discovery.
Kai hadn't expected Aya to actually find the enemy encampment, but since they had, he agreed it was worth investigating.
However, when Kai suggested fetching Kakashi, Aya objected. She argued, "There are a lot of people in this camp — we should stay cautious."
At the same time, although she didn't say it outright, Kai could sense that Aya also believed this was their team's credit. If others, like Kakashi, got involved, they might lose recognition for the discovery.
Kai didn't take offense. He suspected Aya feared that because of Kai's close relationship with Kakashi, if things got complicated, Kakashi might side with Kai and disrupt the team's balance.
"Don't you want to investigate first? Who's the suspicious one now?" Kai thought sarcastically, though he kept his expression neutral.
Kai had recently managed to impress Minato Namikaze — the future Fourth Hokage — misleading him into thinking that Kai's actions supported the Uchiha Clan's interests without appearing disloyal to Konoha. For Kai, playing this political balancing act was just part of surviving.
Kai was firmly against Aya's proposal to act alone. Imai Kenta also looked hesitant to agree. In the end, Kai exercised his authority as team leader and ordered them to find Kakashi and Rin Nohara.
Facing an unknown number of potential enemies, it was simply too risky to act recklessly.
"How many do you see?" Kai asked, his Sharingan scanning the area below. He turned toward Aya. "And what about their chakra levels?"
Aya whispered back, "Twelve people total. As for chakra strength — all of them seem to be at least Jonin-level."
Titles alone didn't necessarily reflect true strength. For example, Kai, Kenta, and Aya were still listed as Chunin despite frequently battling Jonin-level threats during the Third Shinobi World War.
Nevertheless, when detailed intel was lacking, estimates based on chakra and rank were valuable for judging risk.
"Twelve enemies, and all likely Jonin." Kai frowned. "This could get ugly. Contact Captain Minato immediately. Even if he can't get here fast, he needs to know we might have a real problem."
Kakashi nodded and was about to use a special kunai to send a signal to Minato via Flying Thunder God technique, but suddenly, Aya's expression changed drastically.
"Damn! They have a Byakugan user — we've been spotted!" Aya shouted, immediately leaping back.
Kai reacted instantly, springing away from their position. Though Kakashi and the others hesitated for a split second — confused why Mist-nin would possess a Byakugan — their training took over. They dodged without questioning further.
A massive Water Dragon Bullet Technique smashed into their former hiding spot, the impact sending torrents of water crashing down the hillside.
Kai wasn't overly surprised that the enemy had a Byakugan user — but he was shocked at who it might be.
In his mind, a name surfaced: Ao, a veteran Mist-nin known during the Fourth Shinobi World War as the captain of the Kiri sensory unit, a man famed for possessing a Byakugan taken from a Hyuga.
"Why would Ao be here already…?" Kai thought grimly as he landed.
Thick mist rolled over the battlefield — the Hidden Mist Technique, Kiri's signature tactic.
Because Kai's squad had scattered during the retreat, he couldn't immediately locate them through the dense fog. He clicked his tongue in annoyance, recognizing that another battle was inevitable.
The Hidden Mist Technique at its peak could obscure even the Rinnegan's vision. However, this fog lacked dense chakra saturation. Using his Sharingan, Kai could vaguely detect the chakra signatures of nearby enemies — blurred, but visible enough to act.
Still, a disturbing thought gnawed at him: Had Uchiha Madara already begun manipulating the Mist Village this early?
Maybe Ao, with his Byakugan, had been assigned precisely because Madara feared detection of his genjutsu control over Yagura, the Fourth Mizukage.
Kai knew the tragic story:
Yagura, controlled by Madara's Sharingan through Obito Uchiha, had led Kiri into bloodshed.
Ao eventually uncovered the genjutsu using his Byakugan.
After the Fourth Mizukage's death, Kiri plunged into chaos, ruled by the elder known as "Master Gen."
By the Fourth Great Ninja War, Ao was a respected leader — until his tragic betrayal and death under the influence of Kara.
"The Mist Village has been cursed by Uchiha hands for decades," Kai thought grimly.
Muscles tense, Kai's Sharingan spun scarlet as he scanned the mist.
Suddenly — whoosh!
A masked Mist-nin stabbed at Kai's back with a long blade.
Thunk!
The blade pierced wood — a log replacement from Kai's Body Replacement Technique (Kawarimi no Jutsu).
The real Uchiha Kai appeared behind the attacker in a flash, his ninja blade glowing with blue chakra.
Without hesitation, Kai drove his blade into a faint distortion in the mist — a hidden enemy's water clone.
With a splash of blood-tinged water, the mist scattered.