"I'll give you half an hour to pack all your personal belongings, and destroy or take away any confidential documents and supplies that shouldn't be left here. Then, depart immediately."
Uchiha Shao Yu added.
"Yes!"
Everyone complied again, then quickly dispersed, rushing to their simple outposts in the valley to begin packing efficiently.
Their efficiency was extremely high; they had clearly been prepared for the possibility of being reassigned at any moment.
Who the hell would want to stay in this godforsaken place?
In less than half an hour, the thirteen people reassembled in front of Uchiha Shao Yu.
Everyone carried a bulging but neatly tied rucksack, their eyes filled with anticipation for the future and gratitude toward Uchiha Shao Yu.
"Elder, we are ready. We can depart now."
Nohara Ōhi stepped forward to report as their representative.
"Mhm, be careful on the road. After returning to the village, report directly to the Raikage's office."
Uchiha Shao Yu nodded.
"Yes! Thank you, Elder! We shall take our leave!"
Nohara Ōhi and the others bowed solemnly to Uchiha Shao Yu once more, then wasted no time. Like arrows released from a bow, the thirteen figures quickly climbed up the treacherous path they had come from, soon disappearing into the mist above.
Only Uchiha Shao Yu remained at the entrance of the Valley of Hell, along with the never-ending roar of lava and the howling of fierce winds from deep within the valley.
He turned around and cast his gaze deeper into the canyon, toward the area shrouded in thicker mist and a dark red glow. That was the place where the Chinoike Clan was imprisoned.
With the withdrawal of the Kumogakure guard unit, only the ceaseless natural roar and the faint, unsettling remnants of strange energy remained in the depths of the Valley of Hell.
Uchiha Shao Yu concealed his presence and continued deeper along the secret path left by the guards that led to the heart of the imprisonment area.
The further in he went, the harsher the environment became.
The rivers of lava became denser, the scorching air distorted his vision, toxic steam hissed from cracks in the ground, and the faint smell of blood in the air seemed to grow thicker, as if it had seeped into the rocks and dust.
Finally, he passed through a narrow passage formed by solidified lava that looked like a forest of grotesque rocks, and the view before him suddenly opened up to a relatively wide area.
It seemed to be a sunken basin surrounded by towering rock walls. The ground was relatively flat, covered in grayish-black volcanic ash and sharp gravel.
Along the rock walls at the edge of the basin were some extremely simple and dilapidated shacks or cave entrances, made from a variety of materials: charred wood, crude stones, and even the bones and pelts of unknown beasts.
This was the place where the Chinoike Clan had been eking out a miserable existence for an unknown number of years.
The air was thick with despair, numbness, and a deep-seated, bone-chilling resentment.
Uchiha Shao Yu's appearance immediately drew attention.
He did not intentionally hide himself.
Two men, dressed in rags with haggard faces but exceptionally fierce eyes, turned out from behind a shack, seemingly on a routine patrol.
When they saw Uchiha Shao Yu, a clean-clothed stranger with an unfamiliar aura, they were stunned for a moment. Then, a craze of hatred and killing intent, like that of a hungry wolf spotting its prey, instantly erupted in their numb eyes.
"An outsider?! Are you a lackey of Kumogakure?!"
"Kill him!"
No questions asked, no hesitation.
Long-term imprisonment, inhumane treatment, and deep-seated hatred for Kumogakure had long since eroded all their rationality and desire for communication.
Any non-clansman who stepped into this place was an enemy, an executioner who inflicted pain.
One of them quickly formed hand signs, his chest bulging.
"Fire Release: Flame Bullet!"
"Oh? You still know Ninjutsu after all this time?" Uchiha Shao Yu was somewhat curious.
A scorching fireball whistled through the air, heading straight for Uchiha Shao Yu.
Its power wasn't great, but in this narrow basin, it still had some impact.
The other man howled, brandishing a rusty Kunai, and lunged from the flank with a crazed look in his eyes.
Is that a "Tetanus Blade"?
A hint of helplessness flashed in Uchiha Shao Yu's eyes.
He had originally wanted to observe first, or even try to communicate, but the other party's reaction was so intense and direct that there was clearly no possibility for a peaceful dialogue.
This Chinoike Clan had been completely consumed by hatred and despair.
Facing the fireball and the lunge, Uchiha Shao Yu's figure merely shifted slightly. Like a phantom, he let the fireball pass by a hair's breadth.
The fireball brushed past the corner of his clothes and exploded against a rock behind him.
At the same time, his left hand reached out seemingly at random, accurately grabbing the wrist of the man lunging from the side and giving it a gentle twist.
"Crack!"
The slight sound of a dislocated bone was accompanied by a scream.
The wrist of the man holding the Kunai was dislocated, and the weapon fell from his hand.
Uchiha Shao Yu pulled him forward, using him to block several Shuriken thrown by the first Ninja immediately following the fireball.
The Shuriken embedded themselves deeply into the companion's shoulder and back, and the screams stopped abruptly.
Uchiha Shao Yu let go, and the Ninja who had been used as a shield slumped to the ground, groaning in pain.
Seeing his companion instantly subdued, the Ninja who had used Fire Release became even more crazed. He roared and began forming signs again, seemingly intending to use a stronger Ninjutsu.
However, Uchiha Shao Yu was faster.
He took a step forward, his body moving like lightning. He instantly closed the distance, and his right hand, with fingers held like a blade, lightly brushed against the side of the opponent's neck.
"Ugh..."
The Ninja's body stiffened, his Chakra flow was forcibly interrupted, his vision went black, and he also slumped to the ground.
The entire process took no more than two or three breaths, and the two Chinoike Ninjas were incapacitated.
Uchiha Shao Yu did not strike to kill; he only temporarily incapacitated them.
He wanted to see if the others would calm down or if other clansmen would come out to negotiate.
However, the first Ninja he had knocked down—the one with the dislocated wrist and Shuriken in his back—managed to lift his head, driven by intense pain and hatred.
He happened to lock eyes with Uchiha Shao Yu's crimson Three-Tomoe Sharingan, which had naturally remained active due to his quick movements and reactions.
"Sha... Sharingan?!"
The Ninja looked as if he had seen the most terrifying thing in the world. His pupils instantly shrank to pinpricks, and his face was filled with extreme horror and... an even more intense hatred.
"Uchiha?! Is it an Uchiha bastard?! You guys actually came here too?! Are the Kumogakure lackeys not enough? Even you damn Uchiha have to come and trample on us?!"
His roar echoed through the basin, filled with endless resentment.
This roar was like lighting the fuse of a powder keg.
In an instant, more than twenty figures burst out from those dilapidated shacks and caves.
Men and women, old and young—everyone was in rags and emaciated, but without exception, their eyes burned with hysterical hatred and madness.
They held crude weapons: rusty swords, sharpened wooden sticks, and even just sharp stones.
"Uchiha?!"
"It's the Sharingan! I saw it!"
"Damn it! Kumogakure imprisoning us wasn't enough, and now even the Uchiha are here to kick us while we're down?!"
"Kill this Uchiha bastard! Avenge our fallen clansmen!"
The crowd was like boiling sewage, surging toward Uchiha Shao Yu.
Among them, the eyes of five individuals were particularly striking.
Their pupils were not a normal color, but a weird, dark red that looked as if it were made of coagulated blood. The shape of their pupils was also abnormal, carrying a sinister sense of distortion—these were the clansmen who had awakened the Blood Dragon Eye.
"As expected... communication is impossible."
Looking at this group of pitiful yet hateful people who were completely consumed by hatred, refused to listen to any explanation, and only wanted to tear him apart, the last flicker of hope Uchiha Shao Yu had for communication was extinguished.
He was never some compassionate saint. On his path of defection, he had killed Konoha pursuers and Evil God Cultists. For survival and his goals, he never minded getting his hands bloody.
Since these Chinoike clansmen chose to be his enemies and there was no room for compromise... "In that case, I'll give you what you want."
Uchiha Shao Yu's voice was cold, devoid of any emotion.
Facing the more than twenty people swarming toward him like madmen, Uchiha Shao Yu did not retreat but instead advanced.
The Three Tomoe in his left eye instantly switched to the Mangekyo. Strange bands of light swirled, and a powerful surge of ocular power and Chakra erupted.
"Tsk tsk tsk tsk tsk."
"Come on, you little brats."
Uchiha Shao Yu spoke to them provocatively... "KILL HIM!!!!!!"
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