The campfire blazed, illuminating the night sky.
Amid the rustling leaves, faint shouts and distant chaotic movements could be heard.
Three figures sat around the fire in tense silence.
Setsuna glanced at his two subordinates before speaking gravely:
"The real danger of this mission stems from an unexpected development."
"Just two weeks ago, the Chinoike Clan submitted their third petition for clemency to the Daimyo of the Land of Lightning."
"However, the envoy sent by the Daimyo was killed en route and his head taken to an underground bounty exchange."
"The Daimyo was furious and insisted on continuing to imprison the Chinoike Clan in Hell Valley."
"Desperate with no escape route, the Chinoike Clan secretly contacted Kumogakure."
"Kumo will send operatives to liberate them. In exchange, the Chinoike Clan will be incorporated into Kumogakure and become one of their bloodline families."
Seiichiro immediately looked puzzled: "Aren't the Chinoike Clan already a bloodline family of the Land of Lightning? How could they negotiate such an agreement with Kumogakure?"
Tsukasa shook his head slightly. Having read the original series, he had his suspicions.
During the Warring States Period, a daughter of the Chinoike Clan had married into the Lightning Daimyo's court as a concubine.
Soon after, the daimyo died of illness, and jealousy and slander against the Blood Pool woman led to the entire clan's exile to Hell Valley.
To put it bluntly, the Chinoike Clan, having once been aristocrats, naturally refused to lower themselves by joining the rough mercenaries of Kumogakure.
They preferred remaining imprisoned in Hell Valley, hoping for eventual pardon and a return to their noble status in the Land of Lightning.
Now that their hopes of clemency were shattered, with little prospect of survival, they had no choice but to swallow their pride and join the ranks of Kumo's warrior clans.
Kumogakure was pleased by this development. With the Third Great Ninja War imminent, the Chinoike Clan represented formidable strength.
Who's to say the slain messenger wasn't Kumo's doing in the first place?
With this realization, Tsukasa reviewed the entire situation, feeling like fog was finally lifting.
Setsuna didn't elaborate further to Seiichiro, simply stating solemnly:
"All you need to know is that our greatest danger right now comes from Kumogakure. That's everything."
"Therefore, our top priority is to safely reach Hell Valley and reunite with the Uchiha garrison there."
"It's nearly nightfall. Seiichiro, you and Tsukasa will take turns on watch and set perimeter traps."
"That's all. Get to it."
Setsuna dismissed Seiichiro with a cool wave.
Seiichiro didn't get his answers, but he did get plenty of grunt work. Muttering resentfully, he stood up.
At this moment, Tsukasa's eyes lit up slightly as he asked:
"Then why don't we travel through the night?"
"Under these circumstances, shouldn't we reach Hell Valley as quickly as possible?"
Seiichiro, however, showed contempt, glancing at him sideways with disdain:
"Ridiculous!"
"Kid, haven't you even read the Shinobi Handbook?"
"Want me to recite it for you? The first rule states that shinobi should avoid night marches to prevent ambushes."
[Uchiha Seiichiro shows contempt for you.]
Watching the system message drift by, Tsukasa couldn't help but shake his head internally.
That makes sense, but if we really follow the standard route and leave tomorrow morning, won't that leave the lurking Kumo forces with nothing to do?
I left the village for three reasons: to fight, to fight, and to fight!
Tsukasa's suggestion wasn't without merit either.
With this thought, Tsukasa smiled and stood up:
"We need to analyze the specific situation."
"It's a dark, windy night where you can't see your hand in front of your face. Forget hiding from others—I couldn't find toilet paper in a bathroom. Besides, we're Uchiha. What exactly are you afraid of?"
Tsukasa's confidence lay in the Uchiha bloodline limit—the Sharingan.
Even in pitch-black darkness, with the Sharingan's dynamic vision and ability to perceive chakra flow, Kumogakure's ambushes wouldn't pose a problem for the Uchiha.
If they achieved this, then Setsuna and Seiichiro would have an excellent chance of directly breaking through Kumo's defensive line.
And he, Tsukasa, hadn't awakened his Sharingan.
There's no way I could survive a battle like that!
I could die gloriously!
Upon hearing this, Setsuna couldn't help but glance up at the gathering storm clouds.
Seiichiro, standing nearby, sneered.
He took two steps forward, grabbed Tsukasa's collar, and yanked sharply. Leaning close to his ear, he spoke in a low, cold voice:
"Uchiha Tsukasa, I'll tell you again—"
"It's because of you that I've been dragged into this screwed-up mission!"
Seiichiro gritted his teeth, his gaze icy, his tone utterly dismissive.
"Who do you think you are?"
"Are you worthy enough to question the Shinobi Handbook compiled by the Second Hokage?"
"Do you know how many shinobi die throughout Konoha every year for disobeying the Code?"
As he finished speaking, silence fell—the wind stilled and the clouds quieted.
Tsukasa looked at Seiichiro calmly, his eyes clearly filled with cold indignation.
He paused, then spoke evenly:
"Seiichiro-senpai, shinobi climb over walls because it's the easiest method."
"Going around them would be more troublesome."
"For shinobi, smashing through walls is also an option."
Tsukasa grinned, glanced at him, slapped his hand away, and said coldly:
"You've put the cart before the horse."
As these words fell, a deafening, crisp sound rang in Tsukasa's ears:
[DING!]
The Mountain Pass
Hot springs are typically found in valley riverbeds, and the Land of Hot Water, renowned for its hot springs, is a realm of high mountains and deep valleys.
From the Land of Fire to the Land of Hot Water, the terrain shifts from rolling hills to towering peaks.
Crossing the deep valleys between mountains leads to the essential passage at the border between Fire and Hot Water.
Meanwhile, beneath a large tree behind the pass, two shinobi in Kumogakure uniforms, carrying long swords, were leisurely grilling meat.
A third, younger Kumo-nin frowned and asked:
"Rami-senpai, Dodai-senpai, isn't it problematic to let our guard down like this?"
"Moroi, you're too tense." The elder Rami remained calm, even offering a roasted rabbit leg. He then explained:
"We have a surveillance operative from Yugakure up ahead."
"If there's any movement, we'll receive the signal immediately."
"Besides, the Uchiha aren't made of iron. They've been traveling all day and are exhausted. Why would they appear when they know danger lies ahead?"
"Get some rest. This time, the Uchiha are deploying that old man, Uchiha Setsuna. Tomorrow will be a fierce battle."
"He must die here. This ensures the Two-Tails Jinchuriki can destroy the Hell Valley garrison."
Moroi glanced at their three-man formation and felt reassured.
One elite jonin, one jonin, and himself as a special jonin.
No matter how you looked at it, taking down an aging Uchiha was a certainty.
Furthermore, none of the three were simple opponents.
Rami, a veteran jonin, had survived from the Warring States Period to the present day, witnessing peace negotiations during the Second Great Ninja War and even seeing the Gold and Silver Brothers' Nine-Tails transformations. Countless terrifying battles had failed to defeat this seasoned warrior.
Dodai, an elite jonin wearing a black hat, was the Third Raikage's right-hand man. He possessed the Lava Release kekkei genkai and had recently served as chief instructor for mastering the Lightning Plow Hot Sword technique. In his prime, his power approached Kage-level.
And Moroi himself, a special jonin, was the first captain of Kumogakure's Barrier Team and confirmed successor to the position. He had inherited sealing techniques from the Uzumaki Clan, capable of immobilizing even a jonin if caught off-guard.
All three were arguably among Kumogakure's most skilled operatives!
With such a lineup, even another jonin squad would be no match!
To secure the Chinoike Clan's allegiance to Kumogakure, the village had made a massive investment this time!
They would wait for the hawkish leader of the Uchiha faction to arrive and bury him and his team here!
End of Chapter 9
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