The day after Uchiha Gen departed, Fugaku also led a group of clansmen out of Konoha, heading toward the Hidden Mist Village.
The invitation had come from the Hagoromo Clan, but it was formally backed by the Fourth Mizukage and the village's high council. That official endorsement carried the weight of an alliance.
In truth, it was Obito who had orchestrated this. Without the Mizukage's name behind it, a simple summons from the Hagoromo Clan could have been declined. But with the Hidden Mist signaling friendship, Fugaku had no choice but to accept.
If the mission succeeded, Fugaku would have secured a powerful ally for Konoha and earned great merit for himself.
Among the Five Great Villages, if two stood with Konoha, their enemies would hesitate. The ongoing war in the Land of Rice Fields might end swiftly, and Kumogakure would be forced into silence.
Hiruzen Sarutobi supported Fugaku's mission wholeheartedly. The Mist's invitation had specifically requested the Uchiha Clan Head and no one else could go in his stead.
Fugaku departed with seven escorts; three fully matured Three-Tomoe Jonin and four lesser-ranked Uchiha, one Jonin, one Special Jonin, and two Chunin whose strength rivaled Special Jonin. Combined with Fugaku himself, a near-Kage-level warrior, their formation could stand against almost any enemy.
The journey through the Land of Fire passed without incident. But once they crossed into the Land of Whirlpools, the world turned white with snow.
Unlike Fire Country's hints of spring, here the forests were blanketed in frost, silence broken only by the crunch of boots and the occasional snap of frozen branches.
Dark shapes flitted among the trees. Fugaku walked at the center of his formation, ringed by guards. One Three-Tomoe Jonin led the vanguard alongside the Special Jonin, while another Jonin and a Chunin held the flanks. At the rear, the Two-Tomoe Jonin kept watch.
Snap!
A faint twang cut through the quiet. In an instant, kunai shot from the front, left, and right.
"Enemy attack!"
The two Uchiha at the front didn't panic. Sharingan whirled, blades flashed, and steel rang against steel. Every kunai was deflected with elegant precision, sparks scattering into the snow.
The rest halted, leaping to tree trunks for cover. Yet no follow-up came.
"Tadao, sense them," Fugaku ordered coolly.
"Yes, Clan Leader."
The Two-Tomoe sensor ninja at the front dropped into hand signs, his perception chakra rippling outward.
Sharingan excelled in combat but was poor for reconnaissance that was why Fugaku had chosen to bring a rare sensory specialist along. If the Mist harbored treachery, better to know early.
Tadao's expression hardened. "Clan Leader… thirty signatures. All ahead, roughly five hundred meters. Most are Chunin-level chakra. A few… Jonin level."
Surprise flickered among the group. Thirty enemies, yet all weak? The numbers didn't frighten them, but the intent behind the ambush was troubling.
"They're stalling," Fugaku muttered. "If reinforcements are coming, we must finish this quickly. Eliminate them and move on."
"Yes!"
The Uchiha surged forward. Five hundred meters vanished in heartbeats, snow whipping at their cloaks. But when the figures came into view, the attackers froze.
They weren't shinobi. They were pale, plant-like humanoids... White Zetsu.
The Uchiha stiffened, instinctively raising their guard. Yet when blades clashed, they found the creatures strangely weak.
This was Obito's hand. He had planned to assassinate them piecemeal, but Fugaku's tight formation had left no openings. So instead, he loosed Zetsu clones to stir chaos, then strike within the confusion.
Fugaku's eyes narrowed. "Do not underestimate them. These are the same monsters from the Nine-Tails' night. The true culprit behind that disaster, our clan's disgrace, is likely here as well."
His words chilled the squad. The Uchiha knew what that meant, The Masked man.
"Heh-heh…"
The mocking laugh slithered through the trees. "That's right. Talking about me, Fugaku? Your narrow clan pride blinds you. When my dream world arrives, the Uchiha name will shine through me!"
From within a massive tree trunk, Obito emerged, his body hidden within Tobi's parasitic camouflage, the Fuyō technique rendering him invisible to Tadao's senses.
Before the Uchiha could respond, Obito struck. Wood javelins sprouted from his arm, bursting from the tree behind a Jonin. The spike pierced straight through his back, skewering his heart.
The Jonin died instantly.
Obito caught the body, hand glowing as he plucked both Sharingan from its sockets with surgical speed. He sealed them in a vial of preserving fluid before discarding the corpse, which hit the snow with a sickening thud. Blood seeped into the white ground, spreading crimson blossoms into the winter landscape.
"Damn you!" Fugaku roared, charging. His anger was hot, but his mind stayed cold. "Jonin, with me! The rest, hold these things back!"
The surviving Jonin broke from their fights, racing to his side. But Obito melted into the ground before they could close in.
"Tadao! Where is he?"
The sensor's face twisted. "Clan Leader, his chakra is… gone. I can't sense it at all!"
Fugaku cursed inwardly. Such an enemy was too dangerous. If they dragged this out, losses would mount and he himself could be next.
"Forget the fodder. Burn them all down and regroup!"
The Uchiha fell back, weaving signs for Fire Release. But Obito was faster.
The trees around them writhed to life, wood twisting into spikes and lashes, hammering down in relentless waves. The Uchiha dodged, cut, and deflected, but their jutsu were interrupted. Meanwhile, Zetsu clones merged, blooming into monstrous pitcher plants.
These weren't deadly, but they were durable, soaking damage and forcing constant evasion. Explosive tags slowed them, but nothing short of overwhelming force could destroy them outright.
While his minions pressed the Uchiha, Obito darted among them like a shadow. Kamui swallowed blows, his body turning intangible at will. By the time the wave subsided, another Jonin and two Chunin lay dead. One Jonin's corpse was taken into Kamui space; the Chunin were left sprawled in the snow.
Fugaku regrouped with the survivors, his voice sharp. "Together... Fire Release!"
They wove signs in unison.
"Fire Release: Great Fireball!"
"Fire Release: Dragon Fire!"
"Fire Release: Great Dragon Fire!"
"Fire Release: Majestic Destroyer Flame!"
The forest erupted in a wall of roaring fire, scorching snow and timber alike. The blaze consumed the pitcher plants, forcing back Obito's press.
But Obito only stepped from the shadows, Mangekyō glowing. "My turn."
"Fire Release: Blast Wave Wild Dance!"
Wind spiraled into the flames, twisting them into a storm of fire-serpents that tore forward with crushing force. Alone, his flames matched those of the four combined.
Fugaku's eyes widened but he moved without hesitation, answering with his own jutsu. The others followed. Fire clashed with fire, the mid-air struggle lighting the sky like a second sun.
As the inferno raged, Tobi slipped unseen into their ranks. From the shadows he lunged, wooden spike thrusting.
Uchiha Tadao sensed the attack too late. He twisted desperately, sparing his heart but taking the spike deep through his back. Blood sprayed.
"Tadao!"
The sensor staggered, but lived. Tobi withdrew, retreating before the others could strike back.
The distraction broke the Uchiha's coordination. Tadao's pain disrupted their chain, and Obito's fire surged ahead.
Fugaku barked a sharp order; the Two-Tomoe Jonin dragged Tadao to safety while the others scattered, barely avoiding the blaze. When the flames passed, they were left covered in ash, gasping.
"You'll live," the Jonin told Tadao gruffly. "But stay hidden. I need to return to the fight."
He left him in the snow. Tadao gritted his teeth, forming a Shadow Clone to help bind his wound. It was rough, but without aid he would bleed out. He forced the pain down, eyes darting warily in case Tobi struck again.
The respite didn't last. Tobi returned with two White Zetsu, overwhelming the weakened Tadao. Even with Sharingan, three-on-one while wounded was hopeless. After a desperate struggle, he collapsed, vision fading to black.
Tobi crouched over the fallen sensor, checking his wound. Still barely alive. He called to the Zetsu, "Guard him. Don't let him die yet."
"Yes," they rasped.
Satisfied, Tobi slipped back toward Obito.
By now, Fugaku and the remaining Jonin were battered and bleeding. They had withstood the storm, but their enemy was a phantom; untouchable when he chose, striking with devastating force when he pleased.
Even knowing Obito's abilities, facing him was like fighting smoke. During the Fourth Great Ninja War, it had taken the entire alliance, with full knowledge of his tricks, to pin him down. Here, with only a handful of Uchiha in a frozen forest, Fugaku's squad stood on the edge of annihilation.