Hatake Sakumo and Uchiha Ryun sat on chairs, placing their ramen bowls on the table. Hatake Sakumo clasped his hands together and said, "Let's eat!"
Uchiha Ryun had only seen this formal gesture in anime. This was his first time experiencing it in person, so he imitated Hatake Sakumo's actions.
Then, the two began slurping their noodles. After his first bite, Uchiha Ryun's eyes widened in amazement. The flavor was incredible! And the texture of the noodles! His eyes sparkled—it was delicious!
Noticing this, Hatake Sakumo smiled. "Kid, what's your name? Judging by your Uchiha attire, you must be from the Uchiha clan."
Uchiha Ryun paused, swallowed his noodles, and replied, "Lord Sakumo, my name is Uchiha Ryun."
Hatake Sakumo's eyes lit up. Uchiha Ryun! He had heard about him from the Hokage and his clansmen who had participated in the war in the Land of Rain.
Their evaluations were overwhelmingly positive—praise like "a genius strategist," "outnumbered but victorious," and "a prodigy." There was even an unofficial title: "God of War."
"Oh? Uchiha Ryun? The 'God of War'?" Hatake Sakumo chuckled.
Uchiha Ryun scratched his head. "Those are just exaggerated rumors. They shouldn't be taken seriously."
But Hatake Sakumo shook his head. "This is what the Hokage himself told me when I met him at the Hokage Building earlier. Are you saying the Hokage is also spreading false rumors?"
Uchiha Ryun took a sharp breath. He hadn't expected Hiruzen Sarutobi to hold him in such high regard. But then he recalled how he had led the Uchiha to side with Hiruzen on his first night back and realized it wasn't so surprising.
Since they were on the same side, building up Uchiha Ryun's reputation also benefited Hiruzen's rule. See how amazing the 'God of War' is? Well, he's one of my people!
Still, Uchiha Ryun remained humble in front of Hatake Sakumo. "Lord Sakumo, it was mostly luck. The credit really goes to Lady Tsunade. If she hadn't given me the chance to try, success wouldn't have been guaranteed."
Hearing this, Hatake Sakumo nodded inwardly. Despite his young age and great achievements, Uchiha Ryun remained modest. He seemed like someone worth befriending.
"Ryun, may I call you that?" Hatake Sakumo smiled.
Uchiha Ryun nodded. "Of course."
"I've received a mission and would like your opinion on it." Hatake Sakumo's expression suddenly turned serious.
Uchiha Ryun was taken aback. Glancing around and noticing the number of people nearby, he said, "This isn't the right place to discuss such matters." Then he continued eating.
Understanding that Uchiha Ryun was willing to analyze the mission but needed a more private setting, Hatake Sakumo also quickened his pace.
After they finished eating, Uchiha Ryun asked, "Lord Sakumo, is your home a suitable place to talk?"
Hatake Sakumo nodded. "Of course." He then led Uchiha Ryun to his house.
After about twenty minutes, they arrived. Uchiha Ryun observed Hatake Sakumo's residence—a simple two-story house.
He couldn't help but sigh. Are all powerful figures this low-key? Thinking of the Uchiha clan's grand compound, he shook his head.
Their houses were large, but in terms of strong fighters, only Uchiha Hirotomo stood out. The others… were better left unmentioned.
Hatake Sakumo knocked on the door. A woman's voice came from inside. "Who is it?"
"It's me, Yoshiko. I've brought a guest!" When Hatake Sakumo said "Yoshiko," his eyes softened with affection.
Click. The door opened. A beautiful woman peeked out, first looking at her husband with delight, then noticing Uchiha Ryun and regaining her composure.
"Please come in!" She took out slippers and placed them at the entrance, welcoming her husband and Uchiha Ryun inside.
Uchiha Ryun thought, Sakumo is lucky to have such a virtuous wife.
But in the anime, Kakashi didn't seem to have a mother—he only lived with his father. That meant Yoshiko must have met an unfortunate end and passed away.
"Ryun, please come in." Hatake Sakumo gestured toward the study.
Uchiha Ryun nodded, put on the slippers, and entered the study. Yoshiko served tea and then left, closing the door behind her.
She understood that the following conversation wasn't for her ears. She even locked the front door to ensure no one could enter unexpectedly.
Uchiha Ryun signaled Hatake Sakumo to explain the mission. Without holding back, Hatake Sakumo said, "According to intelligence from our spies in Sunagakure, a certain household in the village possesses military deployment plans and strategies."
"The Hokage has ordered me to set out tonight, capture that household, and extract the information. If interrogation fails, eliminate them." He then handed over the map and secret letter provided by the spy.
Since Uchiha Ryun was aligned with the Hokage, there was no issue sharing this. As long as neither of them spoke, who would know?
Uchiha Ryun examined the letter and frowned. The handwriting showed signs of imitation—some strokes were unnatural.
Then he looked at the map. Seriously? Only one house is marked in Sunagakure? Where are the others? Is this a joke?
"What do you think, Ryun? Do you notice anything?" Hatake Sakumo was puzzled. He had also reviewed the materials but felt something was off. However, since the Hokage had given them to him, he tried to rationalize the discrepancies.
Maybe the map only marks the target? The handwriting is shaky because the ink was running low?
Uchiha Ryun set down the letter and map. He looked at Hatake Sakumo and chuckled. "The intelligence is fake, but also real."
Hatake Sakumo was confused. What does that mean?
Seeing his expression, Uchiha Ryun stopped being cryptic. "The intelligence is fake because the handwriting deliberately mimics our spy's writing style, which is why it looks awkward."
"The intelligence is real because the house on the map exists, and people live there."
"As for whether they have military intelligence… Lord Sakumo, if you were a commander, would you store military orders at home?" Uchiha Ryun smiled.
Hatake Sakumo froze. Right, military intelligence wouldn't be kept at home. Commanders memorize it or keep it close. Storing it at home makes no sense.
With Uchiha Ryun's explanation, Hatake Sakumo finally understood what he meant by "fake but real."
"Then what's their goal?" Hatake Sakumo was still unclear.
Using his meta-knowledge, the letter, and the map, Uchiha Ryun deduced that this was a deliberate misinformation campaign.
The real spy was probably dead. This message was a product of Sunagakure's internal power struggles—they wanted to use Konoha to kill the people in that house!
Uchiha Ryun shared his theory with Hatake Sakumo, who fell silent.
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