Land of Fire.
Borderlands.
Three Konoha squads — twelve shinobi in total — were escorting supplies toward the frontline encampment.
The man leading the operation was Sarutobi Haruki. His squad included Shimura Shinta and Mitokado Ichirō, who were primarily assigned to assault duties.
The other two squads contained reconnaissance and pathfinder specialists Hyūga Shunta, Inuzuka Yūfū, and Aburame Kiya — and the defensive counterattack team of Akimichi Katsu-ta, Yamanaka Taishi, and Nara Shō.
They marched slowly, stopping every so often to scout the western perimeter. When Hyūga Shunta halted them again, Haruki couldn't help but frown.
"What now?" he asked.
"We've been on the move for a while. Let me use the Byakugan to survey before we proceed," Shunta replied. "You three, check ahead as well."
"Yes!" Inuzuka Yūfū rapped his boots and sent his gray hound forward. "Haimaru, go smell it out."
"Woof!" Haimaru barked twice and dashed into the thicket.
Aburame Kiya released a swarm of insects that spread through the air toward the undergrowth.
When Shunta moved to activate his Byakugan, Haruki's patience snapped. "Shunta, this pace is ridiculous. We can't dawdle like this."
"We've been marching nonstop for days. Haven't we encountered any danger so far?"
He needed to get these supplies to the front and return in time for his daughter's birthday. At this speed, he'd never make it.
Shunta's expression hardened with weary resignation. "Captain Haruki, you've never seen the frontlines lately. Ever since Iwagakure and Kirigakure entered the war, pressure on our lines has skyrocketed — gaps are appearing. Supply teams have already been ambushed. A little caution won't hurt."
Haruki's eyes flashed cold. "Are you questioning my command?"
Shunta hurriedly shook his head. "Of course not. I didn't mean—"
"Then move out at full speed."
Shimura Shinta and Mitokado Ichirō chimed in, egging him on. "Captain Haruki's right. Even if we run into enemies, we can handle them."
Shunta felt a sour knot in his chest. This was a battlefield — even if Haruki was a jōnin, they couldn't be so careless. Did those three really understand how brutal war was?
Still, Haruki was in charge, and Shunta obeyed.
"Yūfū, Kiya — recall Haimaru and the insects," he ordered.
No sooner had he spoken than a sharp, eerie howl rang out from the trees.
Yūfū's face went pale and he sprinted toward the sound. "Haimaru!!!"
"Enemy attack!" Shunta activated his Byakugan and followed, Aburame Kiya at his side.
"Nara—what do we do?" Shō asked.
Haruki swore under his breath. "Those three idiots charged ahead knowing there might be enemies. If it's a trap—"
"Forget them. Hold position." Haruki barked. "Set up traps, now."
Shō hesitated. Traps? Now? Would they have time?
Before he could argue, rustling came from the undergrowth. Three figures in black robes stepped into view, each bearing the Uchiha clan's fan crest on their sleeves. Their three-tomoe Sharingan glinted with an unsettling light.
"Uchiha clan…"
"Damn it."
The color drained from the faces of Shō and the others. Uchiha with three-tomoe Sharingan meant at least jōnin-level skill — and there were three of them. Of the six Konoha men, only Haruki held jōnin rank.
What could they do?
A disdainful snort came from the treetops.
"Just a few small fry?" a voice scoffed.
"Captain Fugaku, I can handle them myself," the one in black drawled.
Fugaku Uchiha inclined his head slightly. "Himura, don't be careless."
"I know."
Uchiha Himura smiled, drew a long blade, and descended.
"Chika, provide support from the flank. Strike at the first sign of trouble."
"Understood, Lord Fugaku!" Uchiha Chika replied immediately.
Haruki's anger flared. Three attackers, and they only sent one man forward to fight? Were they looking down on them? The black hair and arrogant smirk matched the Uchiha's reputation to a frightening degree.
"I just rifled through your comrades' memories," Himura said, excitement creeping into his tone. "You lot are Sarutobi, Shimura, and Mitokado clan shinobi, aren't you?"
Haruki's voice dropped cold. "So what? When we were in the village, you were nothing but dogs under our command. You won't rise above us now."
"Fire Release: Great Flame Technique!" Haruki struck first; Himura formed hand seals in reply. "Fire Release: Great Fireball Technique!"
Two balls of flame collided, igniting a ring of intense heat. Himura burst through the blaze, long blade poised for Haruki's chest.
Haruki met him with kunai. He'd dealt with Uchiha before — he was a jōnin from the Sarutobi line, skilled in both ninjutsu and taijutsu. He fully expected to handle this.
But as they clashed, Haruki's gaze flicked to Himura's eyes, and in that instant his head clouded.
"Release: Genjutsu!"
Haruki knew at once he'd been cast into an illusion and forced his chakra flow to stutter, trying to break free.
By the time he cleared his mind, a searing pain spread through his chest. He looked down — Himura's blade had slipped between his ribs and pierced his heart.
"You stole our rights from us; your arrogance made you blind to reality," Himura said coldly. "But under Chief Yuzuru's leadership, we will take back everything that is ours."
He drew his blade across, and Haruki's torso was cleaved in half. He crumpled without a sound.
When he was a member of the Police Force in Konoha, he had been constantly harassed by ninja from the Sarutobi, Mitokado, and other clans.
They were deadly weak, yet they insisted on riding roughshod over them.
That feeling was incredibly suffocating.
Now, he could finally let these scoundrels witness what a true Uchiha was!
At the sight of their jōnin leader falling in a single instant, Shimura Shinta and Mitokado Ichirō fled without looking back. Nara Shō, Akimichi Katsu-ta, and Yamanaka Taishi — who had planned to find an opening — abandoned their plans and ran as well.
But it was already too late. The moment anyone looked into those three-tomoe Sharingan, their fate was sealed.
After dispatching the remaining shinobi with effortless precision, Fugaku used Fire Release to incinerate the supply carts.
The hunting season for the Uchiha clan has now begun!