In the woods—
A group of Uchiha clan members raced swiftly through the forest, their figures slicing through the trees like gusts of wind.
At the head of the group, Uchiha Fugaku stood out in his Hokage robe, his presence commanding.
"Damn it! Someone actually dared to rob the Uchiha's gold mine? They must be tired of living!" Fugaku roared, his voice echoing through the forest like thunder.
Earlier, he had been in his office attending to official business when a clan member responsible for finances barged in, clearly panicked.
"Master! Bad news—our family's gold mine outside the village has been robbed!" the treasurer reported, out of breath.
Upon hearing this, Fugaku's expression darkened instantly. Rage flickered in his eyes.
Without a moment's hesitation, he returned to the clan, summoned the elite members, and led them in a swift charge toward the mine's location.
He knew all too well just how important that mineral vein was. For a long time, it had been the Uchiha clan's lifeline—a vital source of income.
Despite their formidable strength, the Uchiha were notoriously poor at business.
Due to their proud and aloof nature, they struggled to manage stores or attract customers. Even when they did open shops, villagers were often too intimidated to step inside.
Without foot traffic, there was no business. Eventually, every store the Uchiha opened ended up closing down.
That's why the gold mine was so critical to their financial survival.
And now that their only reliable source of income had been attacked, the Uchiha were enraged.
A fierce group quickly assembled and rushed toward the mine with murderous intent. Their eyes blazed with fury, each man ready to tear the culprits apart on sight.
---
Elsewhere—
"Kakuzu, wait for me!" Biwa Juzo called out, struggling to keep up with Kakuzu, who had already pulled ahead.
Kakuzu ignored him. His feet, covered in nanomachines, allowed him to run at blistering speed.
Suddenly, a figure shot past overhead. Kakuzu glanced up and spotted Konan flying through the air.
"Kakuzu, I'm going ahead," she said as she accelerated toward the mine.
Kakuzu gritted his teeth in frustration. "Damn it!"
But there was nothing he could do. Konan could fly. He couldn't.
"Haha! Take your time, boys. Uchiha Obito is mine!" Scorpion laughed. Blue flames burst from his feet as he activated his jet propulsion, rocketing into the sky and overtaking even Konan in the blink of an eye.
He moved so fast that Konan could only watch helplessly as he disappeared into the distance.
Seeing this, the other Akatsuki members picked up their pace—none of them wanted to lose the chance to take down Uchiha Obito.
And so, both groups—the Akatsuki and the Uchiha—raced toward the gold mine at full speed.
A fierce clash was inevitable.
---
Outside the Mine—
The Uchiha force emerged from the forest and stared at the ruined entrance of the gold mine.
It had been completely destroyed, debris scattered everywhere.
Uchiha Fugaku stood at the front of the group. His voice thundered: "They dared to touch the Uchiha's mine? Today, they will pay with their lives!"
Hearing his words, the clan's morale surged. The Uchiha shouted in unison:
"Kill! Kill! Kill!"
Their cries shook the earth, a terrifying force of rage and unity.
Weapons drawn, they were ready to begin a bloody battle at any moment.
---
Inside the Mine—
Clang! Clang!
The crisp sound of shovels striking rock echoed through the dark tunnels.
Obito suddenly paused and tilted his head. "Did you hear something?" he asked, frowning.
His eyes shifted to Shisui and Kakashi, laced with suspicion.
"Obito, stop overthinking and keep digging," Kakashi said impatiently, swinging his shovel without looking up.
Shisui nodded. "Yeah, we need to hurry. If the mine's owner shows up, we're in trouble."
Obito hesitated, then nodded slowly. Maybe I'm just being paranoid... this is a mine, after all. Strange noises are normal.
He exhaled deeply and activated his Susanoo again to speed up the mining.
Each swing of the glowing blue arm shattered rock with ease.
Behind them, a pile of shimmering ore glittered in the dim light—a testament to their efforts.
Luo Sha, in the back, was busy refining the gold.
---
Back Outside—
Just as the Uchiha were preparing to enter the mine, a shadow flew across the sky.
Everyone stopped and looked up.
It was the Scorpion of the Red Sand.
Fugaku narrowed his eyes. "So, an accomplice of the mine thieves... They think they can stop us? They clearly don't know their limits."
The Uchiha followed his gaze, their expressions darkening. All eyes locked onto Scorpion above.
Meanwhile, in the sky, Scorpion frowned. "Are they Uchiha? Did Obito call them in for backup…?"
This wasn't what he expected. He had hoped to kill Obito before anyone else arrived.
Just as he hesitated, the Uchiha moved.
Several members pulled shuriken from their ninja tool pouches and hurled them into the air.
Scorpion's pupils contracted. A chill crept up his spine.
The barrage of shuriken was dense as rain, whistling through the air with terrifying speed.
Scorpion reacted quickly, using his puppetry to maneuver around the assault midair.
He retaliated by launching poison needles from his puppet's arm down at the Uchiha below.
But the Uchiha were quick—Body Replacement Techniques and swift evasions helped them dodge with ease.
Several of them activated their Sharingan, instantly reading his movements and preempting his attacks.
Scorpion's heart sank. So the Uchiha really are this strong...
He knew he couldn't waste any more time.
He would use his ultimate technique—The Hundred Puppet Performance!
He swiftly formed hand seals, and in the next moment, a swarm of puppets appeared behind him—dozens upon dozens, an overwhelming puppet army.
Each puppet had a different form—some wielded blades, others launched ranged attacks, while some carried strange and dangerous tools.
With a wave of Scorpion's hand, the entire puppet army charged down at the Uchiha, a steel tide descending upon them.
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