Chiya followed Hatake Sakumo to a quiet corner. There was no one around, only the soft rustle of the breeze moving through the leaves.
A flash of crimson light passed through Chiya's eyes, then vanished. He looked toward Hatake Sakumo.
"Captain Sakumo, I heard that traces of the Uzumaki Clan were found in the eastern waters of the Land of Fire. Do you have any information on that?"
Hatake Sakumo's brow furrowed slightly, and his expression grew somewhat serious.
The Uzumaki Clan still carried influence in Konoha.
After all, the Senju Clan and the Uzumaki Clan had once been very closely connected, and for Konoha, the clan held a special significance.
"I have not received any assignment related to this matter. The Anbu's main focus lately has been on village defense and matters relating to Lady Mito."
A trace of doubt flashed through Chiya's eyes.
'Even the Anbu received nothing? Could it be that Root has already moved?'
Hatake Sakumo thought for a moment, then nodded.
"That is possible. Root has had some unusual movements lately, but I do not know the specifics of their assignments."
He paused and looked toward Chiya with a heavy gaze.
"If Root truly made a move, things may not be so straightforward."
Chiya's heart sank.
Root always operated in secrecy and with ruthless methods. If they had truly set their sights on the Uzumaki Clan, those surviving members were most likely in serious danger.
After all, Orochimaru was still in Root, and Homura Mitokado was now the head of Root.
Chiya understood the reality.
Homura was nothing more than a puppet.
Root was essentially filled with die-hard loyalists of Danzo.
Given Danzo's nature, he would never allow those Uzumaki survivors to return to Konoha safely.
At the very least, the ones with no obvious use could still contribute to his research and experiments.
When the time came, either they would simply not be found, or there would be an accident along the way.
He had to move quickly.
[Congratulations, host. A mission has been triggered: Rescue the Uzumaki Clan survivors.]
[Mission reward: One random Kekkei Genkai. (Perfect fusion.)]
Hearing the system trigger a mission, Chiya paused.
'Another Kekkei Genkai? I can already use Susano'o. What use would a regular Kekkei Genkai be?'
Chiya addressed the system inwardly.
"System, system!"
[Host, the system is here.]
"A regular Kekkei Genkai is not of much use to me. Can the reward be exchanged for something else?"
[It cannot.]
[Once the host collects a sufficient number of Kekkei Genkai and combines them, the host can reach the origin state.]
'Reach the origin state?'
'What does that mean?'
[Origin State: Break through the limits of Kekkei Genkai and reach the All-Encompassing Bloodline.]
Chiya felt his heartbeat slow for just a moment.
The All-Encompassing Bloodline?
This was an ability that stood above both Kekkei Genkai and Kekkei Tota, formed by fusing seven nature transformations together.
So the Kekkei Genkai rewards from the system had such a purpose all along!
It was clear he had to keep collecting them from now on.
This was the direct path to the All-Encompassing Bloodline!
"Thank you for letting me know."
Chiya said with gravity.
Hatake Sakumo gave a slight nod, then asked.
"Why are you so focused on the Uzumaki Clan?"
Chiya smiled lightly.
"The Uzumaki Clan has deep ties to Konoha. And beyond that, Kushina is now an important member of the village. If her clan members can be found and brought back, that is a good thing for the village as well."
Hatake Sakumo looked at Chiya carefully, as if trying to read more from his expression.
But Chiya's face was calm and gave nothing away.
In the end, Hatake Sakumo simply said.
"If you need help with anything, come find me any time."
"I will."
Chiya nodded.
After parting with Hatake Sakumo, Chiya returned to the Uchiha Clan district immediately.
He walked the two girls home, and while Mikoto and Kushina were busy cooking, he slipped away and headed straight to police force headquarters.
Fugaku was going through documents. When he saw Chiya arrive in a hurry, he stood up at once.
"Clan Head, is there an urgent assignment?"
Chiya spoke in a low, firm tone.
"Gather the clan members who previously left the police force. I have something important to entrust to them."
Fugaku blinked.
"The ones who left the police force? That may be difficult..."
"Go now."
Chiya cut him off, his tone leaving no room for argument.
Fugaku asked nothing more and quickly arranged for people to be gathered.
Half an hour later, Uchiha elites filled the police force meeting room.
They had once been the backbone of the police force, but had chosen to leave under the influence of the Will of Fire.
Now that they had been called together so suddenly, confusion showed on every face.
Chiya stood before them and swept his sharp gaze over each person.
"Everyone, I called you here today because there is a secret mission that I need you to carry out."
The assembled members glanced at one another. They had already left the police force.
'What does the Clan Head intend?'
One of them stepped forward and asked.
"Clan Head, what is the mission?"
Chiya said it directly.
"Traces of the Uzumaki Clan have been found in the eastern waters of the Land of Fire. I need you to bring them back safely."
"The Uzumaki Clan?"
Someone said in surprise.
"Were they not already..."
"That is right. The nation is gone, but survivors remain."
Chiya cut in.
"Root may have already moved. We have to find them before Root does."
One clan member frowned.
"Clan Head, leaving the village without authorization to carry out a mission could bring trouble if the village finds out."
Chiya let out a cold laugh.
"What do you mean, without authorization? You are all free to take on commissioned missions, are you not? How does taking a mission count as leaving the village without authorization? Besides, you are no longer part of the police force, so you are not bound by any restriction against freely leaving the village."
The room went silent.
It was clear everyone was weighing it over.
Seeing this, Chiya pressed on without hesitation.
"The Uzumaki Clan once contributed to the peace and stability of our Konoha. Take the sealing techniques we use in our everyday work. Those were all given to us freely by the Uzumaki Clan. If Konoha turns its back on the Uzumaki Clan today, when Konoha one day finds itself in danger, who will stand up and speak for us?"
Chiya had raised the stakes to the level of the village itself in one move, and something lit up in the eyes of everyone present.
These were people who had taken the Will of Fire to heart. Hearing those words from Clan Head Chiya, the resolve in their eyes hardened at once.
"Clan Head, we will do everything we can to succeed in the rescue. For Kono... for the clan!"
They believed every word Chiya had said without question. The last time they had come to the police force to resign, Clan Head Chiya had expressed full recognition of their "will." And beyond that, this mission might carry an even greater significance behind it.
All of it was for Konoha.
"Remember, move fast, but stay hidden at all times."
"Also, Root may be extreme in their methods, but they are still Konoha ninja. If you encounter Root members, avoid conflict as much as possible. Our goal is to rescue people, not to make enemies of them."
Chiya had leaned fully into the Will of Fire approach, knowing it would land precisely with this group.
Everyone felt moved. Their Clan Head would not even let them strike back against the ruthless Root.
If that was not the Will of Fire, what was?
"Yes!"
Everyone responded with gravity.
Chiya waved them off.
"Go. I will be waiting for good news."
The clan members dispersed quickly, and the meeting room soon returned to silence.
Fugaku stood to one side, seeming to want to speak but holding back.
Chiya glanced at him.
"Say what is on your mind."
Fugaku said quietly.
"Clan Head, is this not too risky? If the Hokage finds out..."
"Fugaku."
Chiya cut him off, his gaze deep.
"The future of the Uchiha cannot be built on following every rule to the letter. Sometimes we need to be flexible."
Fugaku was silent for a moment, then finally nodded.
"I understand."
"But that speech just now..."
When Chiya had laid out the Will of Fire, he had sounded completely sincere, and it had left Fugaku feeling a little unsettled inside.
"Oh, that."
"That was just framed around what they already believe."
Chiya gave him a pat on the shoulder.
"The goal this time is simply to get the Uzumaki survivors to Konoha. As long as they are willing to carry out the mission for us, saying a few nice things along the way is perfectly fine."
'A few nice things?'
'So it was all made up!'
A look of understanding flashed through Fugaku's eyes.
"Go and make sure the village patrols continue as normal. Do not let anyone notice anything unusual."
"Yes!"
After Fugaku left, Chiya stood alone at the window, looking out toward the Hokage Rock in the distance.
His reason for sending people to rescue the Uzumaki survivors this time was not simply to earn Kushina's goodwill.
The deeper purpose was to shift the attention of the Hokage faction away from the Uchiha.
As long as the Uzumaki survivors could reach Konoha safely, the attention of the Hokage faction would be spread thinner.
"Now, it is up to you."
Chiya murmured quietly, looking in the direction the clan members had gone.