After leaving Konoha by ten li, Chiya saw that there was no one around and raised his hand to signal the formation to stop.
His gaze landed on one of the Uchiha who was carrying a large bundle of miscellaneous items on his back.
"Set the clothes down."
"Yes, Clan Head!"
The man undid the bundle and opened it.
One clean set of clothes after another appeared before them.
"Everyone change into civilian clothing."
Fugaku paused and looked toward Chiya with a puzzled expression.
"What is the reason for this?"
Chiya pulled out a plain set of dark civilian clothes and began changing while he explained.
"Uchiha uniforms are too conspicuous. They will alert whoever we are after. This mission requires a quiet investigation. Civilian clothes make movement easier."
Fugaku understood at once and stepped forward to take a set.
"Change!"
The Uchiha group moved quickly and in good order, each one coming forward to collect their clothes.
A moment later, what had been a sharp and uniform Uchiha formation had become a group of ordinary traveling merchants.
After changing, Fugaku walked briskly to Chiya with a serious expression.
"There is one more thing."
Chiya was adjusting his cuffs and did not look up.
"Clan Head Chiya, you have always focused your training on genjutsu. Your taijutsu and ninjutsu are relatively weaker by comparison."
Fugaku chose his words carefully.
"The dangers of this mission are unknown. Perhaps it would be better for you to stay in the middle of the formation, and let us protect your safety."
As Chiya's cousin, he naturally knew where Chiya's training had been focused in the past.
What he did not know was that the Chiya standing before him now was no longer the same Chiya as before.
Chiya's hands stopped moving. He looked up at Fugaku, and a trace of surprise passed through his eyes.
Before he could answer, several more Uchiha gathered around.
"Clan Head, Fugaku is right!"
"Your safety comes first!"
"Please let us protect you!"
One voice followed another, each one genuine and earnest.
Chiya looked around at the concerned faces of his clansmen, and something warm stirred inside him.
He had been about to refuse, but on second thought, this was actually a good chance to build cohesion within the group.
He gave a final nod, and a small smile appeared at the corner of his mouth.
"I will be in your care then."
Seeing the clan head agree, everyone's face broke into a pleased expression.
The formation set out again with Chiya positioned in the middle.
Now that they were far from the village, there was no longer any need to conceal himself.
He activated his three-tomoe Sharingan directly. The crimson eyes looked striking under the sunlight.
'This is a good chance to sharpen my visual ability through continuous use.'
'Unlocking Susano'o sooner rather than later is the real priority.'
'After all, piloting a giant warrior, that is the romance of being a man.'
To the clansmen watching, this scene read as something else entirely.
'The clan head has been keeping his Sharingan active the whole time.'
'He is burning his own chakra to keep watch for us.'
'The clan head is... he really does worry about us so much.'
The clansmen murmured quietly among themselves, and the looks they directed at Chiya grew even more reverent.
Chiya heard the whispers around him, paused for a moment, and felt a quiet sense of resignation.
'Having a high reputation really does have its advantages.'
'If I were to let one slip, would they think that too was some act of protection?'
The formation moved along the main road and soon arrived at the first target location, the town of Aoki.
It was a typical small town in the Land of Fire. Wooden buildings were arranged in an uneven cluster. There were few people on the street, and the place felt strangely quiet.
Chiya signaled the formation to stop, put on a pair of dark glasses to cover his crimson Sharingan, and pulled out the mission scroll from inside his clothes to review it once more.
"According to the intelligence, Aoki Town is the first place to have reported missing children."
He spoke in a low voice.
"We split up. Two per group. Gather information. Remember, do not reveal that you are Uchiha. Identify yourselves simply as Konoha-nin."
Everyone answered together and quickly dispersed.
Chiya and Fugaku formed one group and moved slowly along the main street.
Most of the shops on either side were closed. The few pedestrians still out moved quickly, as if they had somewhere to be.
"Something is off."
Fugaku lowered his voice.
"At this time of day, the town should not be this quiet."
Chiya gave a small nod, his Sharingan scanning the surroundings.
"Let us check over there."
They stopped in front of a tea stall that was still open.
The owner was an elderly man with a deeply lined face. Seeing customers arrive, he managed to produce a thin smile.
"What would the two of you like?"
Chiya and Fugaku took seats at the counter.
"Two cups of plain tea, please."
Chiya said in a pleasant tone, while at the same time reaching into his clothes and quietly showing the old man his Konoha forehead protector beneath the counter.
The old man's eyes went wide immediately. He glanced around cautiously and dropped his voice.
"Konoha-nin?"
"That is correct."
Chiya put the forehead protector away.
"We have been sent to investigate the missing children case. We are hoping you can share any information you have."
The old man's expression shifted at once. His clouded eyes filled with tears.
"We have been waiting for you."
He poured tea for the two of them with trembling hands, his voice catching.
"Our town lost five children. All of them vanished in the middle of the night. The doors and windows were untouched. It was as if they disappeared into thin air."
Chiya nodded to himself. 'The method is truly professional.'
"Were there any witnesses? Or anyone who seemed suspicious?"
Fugaku pressed.
The old man shook his head.
"No. But..."
He hesitated.
"A few days before the children went missing, some outsiders came through the town. They claimed to be medicine traders, but they did not look like the sort."
"Medicine traders?"
A sharp light passed through Chiya's eyes.
"What did they look like?"
"All wearing gray cloaks with hoods pulled up. You could not see their faces."
The old man tried to recall.
"But one of them was missing an arm. That stood out."
Chiya locked that detail firmly in his mind.
Just then, a commotion broke out on the street outside.
The two of them stood up quickly. A Uchiha ninja was jogging toward them from a distance, expression grave.
"Something is happening to the west!"
Chiya and Fugaku immediately followed the ninja to an abandoned warehouse on the western edge of town.
Other Uchiha had already gathered there, all on guard.
"What happened?"
Chiya asked in a low steady voice.
One of the Uchiha stepped forward to report.
"Clan Head. While we were asking around nearby, we caught the smell of blood coming from inside this warehouse. We broke in to check and found this."
He stepped aside, opening a view into one corner of the warehouse.
In the dim light, several pieces of children's clothing were scattered on the ground. They were stained with blood that had already dried.
The tomoe in Chiya's Sharingan rotated slightly. He could see a strange trace of chakra lingering in the area.
"Seal the scene immediately!"
He gave the order sharply.
"Cousin Fugaku, take people and search the entire warehouse. Leave no clue unexamined. Everyone else spread out and stand watch. Do not let anyone approach."
The group moved at once.
Chiya crouched down. There was clearly chakra here, but the residue pattern seemed different from the earlier traces.
'Could this be two separate groups?'
Right at that moment.
A sharp whistle sounded from outside the warehouse, followed immediately by the blast of jutsu detonating.
"Enemy attack!"
The Uchiha outside shouted the warning.
Chiya and Fugaku burst out of the warehouse at the same instant. More than ten ninja in gray cloaks had appeared in the distance, blades drawn and facing their direction.
One of them was missing an arm, exactly matching what the tea stall owner had described.
Without waiting for Chiya to say anything, the one at the front launched the attack directly.
"Protect the clan head!"
Fugaku roared. Several Uchiha immediately closed around Chiya.
Chiya's Sharingan spun rapidly.
"That will not be necessary. Everyone, full force. Engage."
"Leave no one alive except their leader."
Before the words had finished, his hands had already completed the seals.
"Fire Release, Great Dragon Fire Technique!"
A blazing dragon of flame screamed forward and struck two enemies directly. Their screams were cut short as they were reduced to ash in moments.
The sheer power of the fire, far beyond what ordinary Fire Release could produce, left the surrounding Uchiha stunned wide-eyed.
'The clan head's Fire Release... is this strong?!'
Chiya paid no attention to the shock around him. His figure flashed, and he was already inside the enemy formation.
His Sharingan read every enemy movement with precision. Each strike he delivered landed on a vital point, and within moments three more enemies were down.
Fugaku and the others snapped back to focus and joined the fight.
The Uchiha's combat strength completely overwhelmed the enemy. In under five minutes, the battle ended with almost no effort.
Chiya planted his foot on the enemy leader, and his voice came out cold.
"Talk. Who are you people?"
The enemy looked up with a sneer, blood trickling from the corner of his mouth.
A look of readiness to die settled onto his face.
Chiya's Sharingan rotated slightly.
The genjutsu activated in an instant.
The man's eyes immediately lost their focus and fell into a daze.
"Who are you people?"
"We are special operatives of Iwagakure."
"Iwagakure special operatives?"
Chiya paused. They were spies embedded in the Land of Fire.
"The children who have gone missing recently. Were you the ones who took them?"
"No."
Chiya's brow furrowed.
"Then what was your purpose here?"
"There were signs of Konoha-nin activity detected in this area. We came to investigate and then pass the information to the advance units along the border."
"Signs of Konoha-nin activity?"
'Konoha-nin activity. Missing children.'
'It all connects. The one stealing the children really is that old man Danzo.'
Chiya's expression darkened considerably. He stood and looked around.
'Damn it. We accidentally helped Danzo wipe out a group of enemies for him.'
Chiya slid the kunai in his hand across the man's throat. Blood poured out, and within moments the man was dead.
"Clean up the battlefield. Leave no one alive."
Chiya gave the order, then looked back once more at the Iwagakure ninja on the ground.
'Iwagakure...'
Something lit up in his mind.
"Danzo."
"Consider this a gift from me."
"When the time comes, it will be your turn to make a contribution to Konoha."