Chapter 236: The Pursuit, Uchiha VS. Kaito Shirogane
"Lady Providence, what do we do? New Reincarnators have entered. It seems they brought back the intel you intentionally leaked. The shinobi from the other villages failed to get it."
The man, dressed in a shinobi uniform, had red hair and pale skin. He wore a Konoha forehead protector and stood in the room, reporting the information he had just gathered.
In the room with him, a woman with shoulder-length blonde hair wore a mask symbolizing her ANBU status.
"It doesn't matter. The moment that intel was taken out, everything was already set in stone."
The woman's voice was clear and gentle, not at all rushed. It had a calming quality that made one want to listen to her speak.
"But, this way, without external forces getting involved, won't this just put pressure on Konoha's leadership and the Uchiha clan? Won't they just call a truce and choose to coexist peacefully again?"
Although the man was skilled and had already built up a high reputation within Konoha, he found that in front of this woman, he felt like a complete rookie who had just entered the Nexus.
This woman's understanding of the story world was second to none. At least, in this Naruto derivative world, her comprehension and operations had him completely convinced.
Her methods were entirely different from those of the other powerful Reincarnators he had seen. She didn't rely on violence, but used information alone, step-by-step, to get everything she wanted.
"Mr. Renji, what do you believe was the true reason the Uchiha clan was driven to the point of a coup, and then, to their annihilation?"
"Or, to put it another way, who do you think was the key factor in that process?"
The woman didn't answer, but posed her own question. Her tone remained unhurried. Through a crack in the window, she could indeed see the new Reincarnator who had just returned to Konoha. Under the guidance of an ANBU shinobi, he was entering the building where Konoha's leadership resided.
And the man who was currently the strongest of the Uchiha clan, Uchiha Shisui, had just walked out of the Hokage's tower. His expression was calm, showing no sign of the inner conflict or thoughts of a man who was the strongest of a clan at its breaking point.
Most likely, Uchiha Shisui was already contemplating his plan: to use his ultimate genjutsu, Kotoamatsukami, on Uchiha Fugaku at the final clan meeting, in a desperate attempt to save his people.
A small smile touched the woman's lips. Her light chuckle made Renji follow her gaze. He, too, spotted the young powerhouse, but he didn't understand why she was scoffing at Uchiha Shisui.
"I don't understand. Isn't it because Konoha's leadership feared the Uchiha clan's power and marginalized them? And the Uchiha, because of their strength, grew increasingly dissatisfied with this treatment, leading them step-by-step to this armed confrontation?"
Providence shook her head, pulling her gaze back. She looked at this Reincarnator who had enhanced himself with the Uzumaki Clan bloodline. He had a unique advantage in this world, which was why she hadn't "disposed" of him.
"That is still just the surface, Mr. Renji."
Renji frowned. He had loved the Naruto series, and after entering the Nexus, he had been enhancing himself in this direction. He had also read many analyses of the series.
He believed this was the root cause. The Uchiha clan, once equals to the Senju clan, had been increasingly feared and pushed aside after Senju Hashirama's death. In Senju Tobirama's time, he was at least able to grant the Uchiha clan corresponding rights and respect under the name of the Konoha Military Police Force.
But after Senju Tobirama also died, his disciples, who had taken over, lacked the breadth of mind and vision of the two Senju. Their treatment of the Uchiha clan became more and more severe.
In recent years, they had even moved the Uchiha clan to the very edge of the village and used the ANBU to take over a significant portion of the Military Police's duties. This move was a de facto expulsion of the Uchiha clan from Konoha's center of power.
And, contrary to what many believed, it wasn't just Danzo targeting the Uchiha. The Third Hokage, Sarutobi Hiruzen, was also happy to see it happen.
In the eyes of the Third's generation of Konoha leaders, the overly powerful and unstable Uchiha clan—no, all of the overly powerful Kekkei Genkai families—were targets that needed to be restricted.
Providence seemed to read Renji's mind. She smiled and pointed out the core reason.
"The man is innocent; it's the treasure he holds that's the crime."
"The power of the Uchiha is the true, fundamental conflict."
"If the Uchiha were weaker, if their Kekkei Genkai was fading like the Kurama clan's, the leadership wouldn't worry."
"If the Uchiha were stronger—like Uchiha Madara reincarnated, unleashing power to suppress the entire shinobi world—the leadership would bow their heads. There would be no conflict."
"The Uchiha's problem is that they are strong, but not strong enough."
"By the same token, if Konoha's side was strong enough, if Hatake Sakumo and Namikaze Minato were still alive, the Uchiha wouldn't dare have second thoughts."
"Heh... two groups, each believing they have the power to destroy the other, walking toward mutual destruction in their conflict. Isn't that the most logical outcome?"
Providence rarely spoke at such length. Renji opened his mouth several times to argue, but in the end, said nothing. He finally just mumbled:
"But with Uchiha Shisui'sKotoamatsukami, if the Uchiha clan really wanted to rebel, wouldn't they have a chance? Why don't you approach it from that angle? With your abilities, you could probably gain the Uchiha clan's trust."
Hearing Renji's words, Providence suddenly laughed. It was a genuine, cheerful laugh.
"If I don't force them into a desperate situation, how will they ever believe that I am the only one who can make the Uchiha rise again?"
In that instant, Renji suddenly felt a chill of malice. His expression faltered. That's right. He had almost forgotten. This Lady Providence was a Reincarnator herself. Of course she wasn't some benevolent saint.
She just hid her ambition well. And... she was terrifyingly good at persuading people.
Meanwhile, in the Hokage's Tower, [Rampage] felt a little uncomfortable. He and Catherine rarely operated separately. Right now, in front of him, the Third Hokage, Sarutobi Hiruzen, had placed his kage hat on the desk and was looking down at the so-called top-secret intel. This was not the old man he remembered from the anime.
The Sarutobi Hiruzen of this moment, while no longer in his prime, still radiated a powerful aura just by sitting there. Koharu Utatane, Homura Mitokado, and Shimura Danzo stood to the side. They had all seen the report.
The contents of this "top-secret" intel were no surprise to them. It was only "top-secret" to those outside of Konoha's core leadership.
But if this information leaked out of Konoha, the situation would become dire. The other shinobi villages would undoubtedly exploit it.
"You're saying you got this intel from a woman?"
Danzo spoke, his voice deep. He wanted to torture this man, but Sarutobi wouldn't allow it. Tsk. He just felt that Hiruzen was getting older, and his heart was getting softer.
So many things didn't need to be this complicated.
[Rampage] nodded.
"A woman named Hana Hiranaka. The small village she was in had been massacred by Kumogakure and Iwagakure shinobi. She was the only survivor."
Hearing this news, neither Sarutobi nor Danzo and the others reacted. Danzo continued:
"Then why didn't you bring that woman back with you?!"
Sarutobi Hiruzen looked at Koharu Utatane, who nodded.
"It must be Hiranaka's wife. What a fool he was."
Rampage, pretending not to know Hana Hiranaka's importance, feigned confusion.
"The mission I received was just to ensure the intel didn't leak..."
"Do you need me to go back and retrieve her now?"
Sarutobi Hiruzen waved his hand.
"Rampage, is it..."
"You've done well this time. You don't need to be responsible for the woman. You're dismissed."
Rampage realized that everything was happening exactly as Mercenary Tao had predicted. He smirked inwardly, turned, and walked out of the tower.
Just as he stepped outside, he saw a red-haired shinobi waving at him from a nearby shadow, a playful smile on his face.
A Reincarnator!
[Rampage] let out a slow breath, smiling back. While he and Catherine had been cowardly in front of Mercenary Tao, in reality, he considered them both to be veteran Reincarnators who wouldn't lose to that [Fengbo] guy. In the [Mortal-tier], they were pretty good.
Renji noticed the change in the other's expression. He waited for Rampage to approach before speaking.
"You're from the second batch that entered?"
"You're lucky. You chose the Konoha faction."
He turned and led Rampage into the building. Rampage knew they were on the same side, and this place was close to the Hokage's Tower. These two must have a high reputation.
But he had just completed that mission, and his own reputation had reached 'Friendly.' These Reincarnators wouldn't try anything here. He walked into the room and saw the blonde woman.
Providence turned to look at [Rampage] and spoke.
"Do you... want to obtain the Uchiha Clan bloodline?"
"Are you saying that it's not just Kumogakure and Iwagakure—but Konoha's own shinobi are also tracking us?"
Catherine focused, expanding her mental search range to several hundred meters. At this range, her perception was no longer clear, serving only as an early warning system.
She didn't even notice the several crows that had circled above their heads four or five times.
Kaito Shirogane was forcibly strapping pieces of bloody shinobi armor onto Hana Hiranaka. She was pale with rage, but unable to resist.
While he worked, Kaito replied to Catherine's question.
"It's not just Konoha's internal shinobi. Those Uchiha won't let us go, either."
His words seemed contradictory, but from above, someone suddenly laughed.
"Hmph. You've got some insight."
"You know that we Uchiha are completely different from those other Konoha shinobi."
The cold, arrogant voice made Catherine realize the enemy had gotten close without her knowledge. Her wide-area mental scan had allowed the enemy to slip right through, using some unknown jutsu.
She now recalled Mercenary Tao's actions—forcing the armor onto the woman. Did Mercenary Tao sense them even back then?!
Swoosh, swoosh.
Two figures used the Body Flicker Technique to instantly appear beside the speaker.
All three wore the black Uchiha combat uniform under Konoha flak jackets. In their eyes, the red tomoe of the Sharingan blazed.
If this intel—about the Uchiha splitting from Konoha to start a civil war—were to leak, the Uchiha clan itself would be harmed the most.
Even if they were proud of their strength, even if Uchiha Shisui had built a fearsome reputation... this was their best chance, now that Namikaze Minato was dead.
But they weren't so arrogant as to think they could fight all the other clans in Konoha.
What they wanted was a lightning-fast coup to kill the village leadership and seize power, not an all-out war with every family in Konoha.
Anyone who had touched this intel... must die!
The three landed lightly from the high trees, their Chakra flowing smoothly. An Uchiha who had awakened the Sharingan was far stronger than an ordinary shinobi.
This was a Kekkei Genkai. This was the Sharingan. This was... Uchiha!
The man in the center gave a hand signal. One of the two behind him instantly leaped back, and the shuriken in his hand tore through the air with a sharp whir. Dozens of shuriken carved arcs through the air, flying at Kaito's group of three.
The other man tucked his hands behind him and broke into the classic "Naruto run," sprinting to the right flank. Catherine was forced to divide her attention, raising her left hand as an invisible barrier shimmered into existence.
Clang! Clang! Clang!
A series of impacts rang out as the shuriken were all blocked.
The man on the right flank instantly formed hand seals, his movements a blur.
[Fire Style: Great Fireball Technique]!
The fireball swelled in the wind, instantly becoming a massive, two-meter-wide inferno that smashed through the trees, roaring toward Catherine.
Catherine instantly felt a pressure that surpassed all seven or eight of the shinobi from last night combined.
These Uchiha clan shinobi, though arrogant, were indeed on a completely different level from ordinary ninjas.
Hana Hiranaka watched this, remembering her husband's hidden fear of this clan. She grew nervous. She couldn't help but look at the tall, equally arrogant man beside her, the one who seemed to look down on everyone. She found he wasn't moving. He was just standing there.
On the other side, the leader of the three-man Uchiha squad was also standing still. The three-tomoe in his eyes spun slowly.
The Genjutsu had already been cast.
Catherine, dividing her attention, noticed this, and her face changed.
Crap! Did Mercenary Tao fall for a Sharingan genjutsu?!
She pushed against the pressure and started to move toward Mercenary Tao, shoving her hands backward.
BOOM!
The fireball's explosion was completely blocked. She focused on Mercenary Tao, preparing to use a mental shock to try and wake him.
But the next moment, the sound of slicing air returned. Her pupils trembled. The shuriken she had just blocked were now, with a flick of the Uchiha ninja's hands, flying back at her.
[Manipulating Shuriken Jutsu]!
Damn it!
Catherine's mind raced. She decided to ignore the shuriken and forcibly hit Mercenary Tao with the mental shock. But then, she saw it.
A smirk was playing on Mercenary Tao's lips.
"Aargh! What is this?!"
The Uchiha ninja suddenly clutched his head and let out a blood-curdling scream.
(End of Chapter)
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