Konoha's forces swept the forest edge, sealing the last wounded enemy as the scent of scorched bark drifted through the air.
"Yamanaka Shinchiku, I'm leaving the captives to you. Extract intel—quickly. Something is very wrong."
The man addressed—Yamanaka Shinchiku, clan head of the Yamanaka and a Kage-class sensory master—opened his eyes and nodded.
"Understood, Deputy Commander Nara Kaminari."
The famed Ino–Shika–Chō triad had existed for generations, and in this era, all three clan heads were Kage-class monsters.
Yamanaka Shinchiku — "Ino," master of mind techniques, memory extraction, and long-range sensory.Nara Kaminari — "Shika," clan head and deputy commander of all Fire Country forces.Akimichi Chōha — "Chō," the clan's titan, whose physical might could collapse mountains.
Their coordination could match entire armies.
Kaminari observed the battlefield again—kunai scattered, the grass flattened, still-smoking scorch marks where explosions had struck.
Too sudden.
Too noisy.
Too wrong.
The moment the emergency flare was fired, Konoha and Kumo forces had both arrived—
and the Kumo shinobi attacked instantly.
No negotiation.
No hesitation.
With Second Hokage Senju Tobirama and Second Raikage deep in the forest negotiating, such aggression could only mean disaster.
Shinchiku began his work, pressing a hand to the temple of a dying Kumo shinobi. His chakra tunneled through the man's memories with cold precision.
Moments later, his calm expression shattered—shock replacing it.
Kaminari's stomach twisted.
Shinchiku, usually unflappable even before death itself, had reacted.
Without a word, Shinchiku raised a hand.
"Mind–Body Transmission."
Kaminari stepped forward and pressed his brow to Shinchiku's palm.
A voice rang inside his mind—clear, clipped, merciless.
"Kaminari… the alliance was destroyed by Kinkaku and Ginkaku."
"Lord Tobirama is fighting the tailed-beast–cloaked brothers. His situation is extremely dangerous."
"The Kumo shinobi here were rebel loyalists hunting Hiruzen's team."
"But… in their memories, we saw only Akimichi Torifū using the Super Expansion Jutsu."
"There was no trace of Hiruzen's squad catching up."
The transmission ended.
Kaminari clenched his teeth.
"Lord Hashirama hasn't even been gone long… and this already happens."
He inhaled deeply, steadying his thoughts.
"If Torifū needed the Super Expansion… and Hiruzen didn't appear…"
"…their chances are grim."
But emotion was a luxury he could not afford.
He straightened.
"Shinchiku. Mobilize all jōnin from Units One through Three. Form three-man squads. Three squads form one sub-unit."
"Assign one Hyūga to each."
"If numbers are insufficient, pull from Unit Four."
"You depart now to support Lord Tobirama. Classified mission. No unnecessary combat. No spreading intel."
Shinchiku nodded once and blurred away.
Kaminari exhaled, staring at the golden-tinted horizon.
"May things go smoothly…"
"This era never gives us peace."
"Clan interests, village interests, national interests… endlessly colliding."
"If only Lord Hashirama were still alive…"
"If only the tailed beasts had never been distributed…"
"If only Senju and Uchiha had stayed united…"
He shook off the melancholy.
War cared little for "if only."
Time passed.
Shinchiku's strike force cut swiftly through the forest—silent as owls.
Suddenly, a sharp hand signal.
The Hyūga jōnin at the front had stopped—Byakugan activated, veins bulging.
Everyone froze, dispersing into the shadows with practiced efficiency.
Only three figures remained visible:
Yamanaka Shinchiku, Akimichi Chōha, and the Hyūga observer.
The Hyūga whispered:
"There's a powerful, extremely dark chakra ahead… likely an Uchiha."
Chōha tensed, eyes narrowing.
"An Uchiha? There aren't many on this front. Could it be Uchiha Kagami?"
"Check again—do you see my cousin Torifū?"
The Hyūga's pale eyes scanned the forest.
He swallowed.
"…No. Only one Uchiha chakra."
"Don't rush," Shinchiku murmured.
He closed his eyes—
the vast mental network of the Yamanaka expanding into the surroundings.
His senses pierced deeper—
touching a chakra cold, sharp, drenched in killing intent so dense it felt alive.
His eyes snapped open.
"Shadow-level rogue… the Human Butcher—Uchiha Soren."
The name froze the air.
Steel rasped softly—
Weapons drawn.
Breaths suppressed.
Then—
A single figure strolled casually through the forest's gloom.
A tall youth in crimson-and-white samurai garb—
a katana at his hip—
Uchiha Soren, Mangekyō eyes half-lidded with boredom.
In his arms—
A small orange cat stretched luxuriously and let out a pleased, gentle:
"Meow~"
The adorable sound shattered the tension like glass.
Every jōnin in the strike force felt their sanity tremble.
The Human Butcher had arrived—
petting a cat.