Chapter 51
"Report this matter to Hokage-sama immediately."
Given Kumogakure's false alliance as a precedent, those present were not fools; they would implement all defensive and surveillance measures, leaving no opportunity for the other party.
Besides,
Only six Genin and one Jonin from Hidden Mist Ninja came to participate in the exams.
Such a combination could not cause any major trouble.
However, no one knew that Akatsuki Ninja had already infiltrated this Hidden Mist team... Chapter 40: Obito Wants to Capture Sako
That night,
The Hidden Mist Village's assigned lodging.
It was located on the outskirts of Konoha, surrounded by forests.
The buildings here were clearly separated from Konoha by a distinct boundary.
The intention was obvious: both to protect these foreign guests and to prevent them from causing trouble.
Konoha Anbu were spread all around.
The winter night was quiet.
Yet, in this seemingly peaceful environment, unknown schemes were unfolding.
"I never intended to return to that bloody Village, nor do I plan to work with you… but the leader's orders cannot be disobeyed…"
The moment he removed his straw hat, the six Hidden Mist Ninja around him developed a strong hostility towards their "companion."
The man who spoke looked to be in his thirties.
He had short, light black hair, and his eyebrow-less upper face was particularly striking.
However, even more noticeable were the bandages wrapped around his ears and neck, and what appeared to be red stripes but were actually scars covering the area around his mouth.
His shark-like teeth further proved his lineage from the Land of Water, naturally linking him to the Hidden Mist Village.
"Biwa… Jūzō…"
Someone whispered the traitor's name.
One of the Seven Ninja Swordsmen of the Mistfrom the Hidden Mist Village, the wielder of kubikiribōchō, but also a traitor to the Village!
The title of Seven Ninja Swordsmen signified that he was one of the seven strongest individuals, second only to the Mizukage.
The sword he wielded was also a treasure coveted by every Hidden Mist Ninja.
There were seven such swords.
Yet, such a man had deserted the Village, becoming a rogue Ninja hunted by everyone in Hidden Mist!
"The irony is… even though I joined that Akatsuki Organization, I still have to deal with you guys in the end…"
Biwa Jūzō spoke of the irony of his fate with a mocking tone.
Was this the destiny of a Hidden Mist Ninja?
Even if he seemingly escaped that Village of the Bloody Mist, he still had to interact with it in the end.
For this mission, Pain, the leader of Akatsuki, had inconveniently assigned it to him.
Meeting former comrades from his hometown was not a pleasant experience.
"Jūzō! When do you plan to act!?"
Someone asked with an unfriendly tone.
Jūzō was bound by the mysterious organization he belonged to.
These six Hidden Mist Ninja were also bound by the Mizukage.
Mizukage-sama's directive was to use this opportunity to steal Konoha's confidential documents.
After all, Konoha and Kumogakure were already fighting fiercely at the border, so their defenses were bound to have gaps.
Once they obtained the confidential documents, they would find a way to leave Konoha and hand the documents over to the "Cipher Division."
The Cipher Division had dedicated escorts until they returned to Hidden Mist.
"Don't rush…"
Facing the hostility of his former comrades, Jūzō remained calm and composed.
Even if several of these six individuals were disguised as Genin, and had likely improved over the years, perhaps even becoming elite Jonin… they still couldn't be his opponents.
This was the confidence of a master among the Seven Ninja Swordsmen of the Mist, standing at the apex of Hidden Mist.
"Do you think the Konoha guys wouldn't notice if we acted directly?"
"What do you mean?!"
Watching his compatriots' reactions, Jūzō shook his head internally.
Unlike the ignorant Hidden Mist Ninja,
Being in the Akatsuki Organization, he could obtain more intelligence.
Including the specific reasons why Kumogakureand Konoha went to war, all had been reported by White Zetsu.
With the precedent set by those Kumogakure guys, Konoha would not make the same mistake again.
Therefore, the action plan had to be carefully and thoroughly considered.
"Follow the routine, participate in this Chunin Exams normally, wait for an opportunity… lie in wait…"
Jūzō signaled the six not to be anxious.
In fact, he was also carrying another top-secret mission.
This was conveyed to the Akatsuki Organization by Fourth Mizukage Yagura personally.
Yagura requested Akatsuki… to abduct the daughter of "Fugaku of the Fierce Eyes," a kid named Uchiha Sako.
Stealing Konoha's confidential documents was merely a diversion.
'How truly greedy…'
Jūzō thought to himself.
During the Third Ninja World War, the Hidden Mist Village had already obtained a Byakugan from the Hyuga Clan.
Now they wouldn't even let go of the Sharingan?
Of course, such a young child would certainly not have awakened her eyes yet. After all, intelligence indicated that the child hadn't even entered the Ninja Academy.
So… they wanted to conduct human experiments, or even cultivate her bloodline?
As for why it wasn't just any Uchiha.
It was, of course, because Uchiha Fugaku was the strongest among all current Uchiha Ninja.
Bloodline theory, genetic inheritance of bloodline DNA and talent… Uchiha Fugaku's daughter was the best material.
And at the mention of the name "Fugaku of the Fierce Eyes," Ninja from enemy countries would tremble in fear.
During the period when Uchiha Fugaku led the Uchiha Clan, no Sharingan had ever been lost.
Obtaining such eyes was something no country had been able to achieve.
That's why Mizukage Yagura entrusted the task to the irregular Akatsuki Organization.
And only Akatsuki could complete such a high-level, seemingly impossible mission.
Thinking about having to abduct his daughter now… Jūzō felt a thrill.
Excitement.
A long-lost surge of adrenaline. How long had it been since he had fought a strong opponent after joining the Akatsuki Organization?
"In any case, I'll handle everything…"
Jūzō pulled out a strange, broken sword from under his wide robe, which looked like a cleaver with a very long handle.
Seeing this broken blade, a glint of greed flashed in the eyes of the six present, which then turned into awe.
kubikiribōchō possessed the ability to regenerate; as long as it cut one or two people and drained their blood, it could fully restore its 2.1-meter length… At the same time.
Uchiha Clan Compound.
To prepare for the Chunin Exams, Itachi trained late into the night.
He intended to maintain this regimen until the Chunin Exams began three days later.
Seeing that it was very late, Itachi prepared to return to rest.
"Itachi…"
Just then, a familiar voice made Itachi stop in his tracks.
Shisui emerged from the bushes, looking dusty and weary, clearly having just returned from the battlefield.
"Shisui…"
Seeing his friend return, Itachi immediately felt much more relaxed.
Because he had many things he needed his friend's help with.
"How's the situation on the battlefield?"
The two walked back, chatting.
"It's alright…"
Itachi could see a shadow of gloom in Shisui's eyes.
"Uncle Fugaku was recalled by the Konoha higher-ups, and now it's my turn…"
This was clearly because the Konoha higher-ups feared the Uchiha Clan would become too influential.
That's why they resorted to these petty tricks.
"Does Hokage-sama… know the inside story of this matter?" Itachi asked after a moment of silence.
"No."
Shisui shook his head and offered his conjecture.
It must have been Danzo's doing or something… Hokage-sama is pure, and the fault lies with the treacherous villains, etc… "In any case, I will do my best to ask Hokage-sama to let Uncle Fugaku and me return to the battlefield as soon as possible…"
Saying this, Shisui patted Itachi's head.
Itachi quickly moved away: "I'm not a child anymore…"
"I know."
Shisui nodded, his tone containing something rarely seen in him.
"I heard what happened to your teammates… My condolences…"
"It's nothing." Itachi shook his head.
"So…" Shisui asked tentatively. "Have you awakened your eyes?"
"Hmm." Itachi nodded.
And that must have been a very painful experience; Shisui empathized with him.
However, Itachi was not in Pain because of his teammates' deaths, but rather he hated his own powerlessness at the time.