By the time they reached the outskirts of Amegakure, the sky had darkened.
To outsiders, Amegakure was mysterious and eerie.
Five years ago, if not for the incident where several major shinobi villages besieged Amegakure, they wouldn't have had even the slightest impression of this village.
After that...
All sorts of bizarre rumors spread—like how a hand might reach out from beneath a toilet seat, or how calling someone's name in this place might get them taken away by spirits.
In short, the Shinobi World's perception of Amegakure grew increasingly sinister. With no useful intelligence gathered from the village in recent years, and every scout who returned ending up insane, its mystique only deepened.
And when they arrived in person...
They were immediately stunned by the towering tree in the distance.
Even though they were still some distance away, standing on the ground and looking up at that massive tree made them feel insignificantly small.
Not only that, but all the trees here seemed much taller than those elsewhere, and in the darkness, their trunks faintly glowed with an eerie blue light.
While spectacular...
It was also undeniably unsettling. Walking through the forest, they moved cautiously, afraid of disturbing some terrifying presence lurking around them.
Among those Kaito brought back, most were twelve or thirteen years old, with the oldest being only fifteen. Aside from the ten reserve disciples, Kakuzu had also dragged along their jōnin instructors.
He claimed it was to allow the sect's promising seedlings to fully devote themselves to the Path of Cultivation, so the disciples would still need caretakers.
Kaito had nothing to say to that, merely watching as Kakuzu's stack of IOUs grew thicker.
"Ugh—"
At the rear of the group, Asuma, still being supported by his subordinates, hadn't recovered from today's "shuriken journey," vomiting at regular intervals.
"I can't take it anymore..." Asuma waved weakly, gasping to his three subordinates, "Find a way to escape..."
After enduring this torment, Uchiha Kaito's image in Asuma's mind had shifted from a fool to a dangerously unhinged Uchiha.Moreover, he was a defector from Konoha who had begun robbing, extorting, and even threatening civilians in the Land of Fire.
His actions could be described as utterly despicable.
Coupled with the casual display of his strength...
To be honest, Asuma felt he could hardly react to Uchiha Kaito's footwork with the Shuriken Technique.
This made him sigh in admiration—the Uchiha clan truly lived up to their reputation as shuriken experts. That kid even played with shuriken in a way that was completely different from others.
"Hey, 35 million! Don't think I didn't hear what you said!"
Kakuzu had his full attention fixed on Asuma—he even remembered exactly how many times the guy had vomited along the way.
Hearing the slightest hint of escape in Asuma's tone, he immediately grew displeased.
Rustle—
Kakuzu took a few steps back, inadvertently revealing the thick stack of IOUs in his pocket.
"Thinking of running? Then pay up first."
Asuma gritted his teeth so hard his molars nearly cracked, but considering his subordinates' safety, he swallowed his words and didn't argue.
There was one more thing...
Every time Kakuzu glanced his way, Asuma felt a chill run down his neck.
"Kakuzu, you're a Sect elder..."
"Not some kidnapper."
Kaito couldn't stand Kakuzu's full-on villainous demeanor anymore, but the expressions of those present turned rather peculiar at his words.
Wait...
How is this any different from being a kidnapper??
You just changed the name!
Even Kakuzu was stunned, because he thought the same as everyone else.
Out of respect for the boss, Kakuzu reluctantly dropped his threatening act and muttered, "Understood, Martial Uncle," before continuing forward.
As the group neared the gates of Amegakure, Kaito ordered them to rest for a while.
"Before entering the Sect, I must test your Spirit Roots."
Shikamaru fell silent for half a second before timidly stepping forward and raising his hand.
"Hold off on that test for a second—I have a question..."
"Speak."
"What's the name of this Sect of yours?"
At this moment, Shikamaru was completely tense.
He was terrified that Kaito would suddenly declare something like "Martial Soul Awakening" during the Spirit Root test, and that the Sect...
Having heard the tales of Martial Souls, he strongly suspected Kaito's Sect was called the Tang Sect.
The question instantly drew everyone's gaze toward Kaito—even Kakuzu, who had been rifling through his IOUs, paused and looked at him in confusion.
"Yeah, Martial Uncle, what's our Sect's name again?"
Kaito suddenly frowned, stroking his chin as he paced in front of the group.
Ten minutes later...
His expression finally relaxed as he raised a finger and declared,
"Hey! How about the Akatsuki Heaven Sect?"
"You just came up with that, didn't you?!"
Shikamaru lost his composure, nearly laughing in exasperation.
Good news—the Sect wasn't called the Tang Sect.
Bad news...
Uchiha Kaito's condition seemed to have worsened.
Though Kakuzu didn't openly mock his boss, the odd look he gave made Kaito extremely uncomfortable.
"Nonsense!"
"I've had this planned for a long time! It's based on the Akatsuki Organization and..."
Kaito spent over ten minutes explaining, but instead of convincing anyone, the group only edged further away from him.When looking at this guy, the same thought flashed through everyone's minds simultaneously...
An Uchiha... a mentally unstable Uchiha...
How terrifying!
"Enough nonsense! Now! Line up immediately for the Spirit Root test!" Kaito roared with a face as dark as a pot, finally making everyone obediently form a line for this so-called Spirit Root examination.
Though it was called a Spirit Root test, everyone assumed it would be a Chakra nature assessment. However, what followed completely defied their understanding.
Spiritual Energy could be converted into five elemental attributes. Kaito casually tossed out five types of Spiritual Energy before him, instructing the line to come forward and touch them.
The procedure appeared perfectly standard, but the shinobi had never witnessed anything like this before.
In their eyes, this mad Uchiha had just unleashed Wind, Fire, Earth, and Magnet Release Ninjutsu.
And even the legendary Wood Release!?
While astonished by Uchiha Kaito's formidable power, they simultaneously felt dread about what might come next.
After all, in their understanding, touching these ninjutsu techniques barehanded...
Whether they'd survive was uncertain, but they'd definitely lose an arm.
Just as everyone stood frozen in fear, Shikamaru on the side stared at the five "ninjutsu" clusters and muttered to himself.
"Wait..."
"Why is there no Chakra reaction?"