Three miles from the center of battle.
The people from the Hidden Cloud stood on high ground, staring at the massive green Susanoo not far away, their expressions serious.
Because of this Susanoo, they had lost nine Cloud ninjas—how infuriating!
The Susanoo was like a giant battle machine, requiring the power of someone like Raikage or the Jinchuriki, Killer B, to deal with it.
After a minute,
The huge Susanoo began to dissipate, and peace returned to the area.
"Lord Dodai, should we pursue?" One ninja asked, filled with hatred upon seeing the Susanoo fade away.
In this ambush, they had the advantage in strength, but the sudden appearance of the Susanoo had disrupted their plans and caused significant losses.
Dodai shook his head, his face dark: "No, this plan has failed. Withdraw!"
He took one last unwilling glance at the scene before turning and heading back to Hidden Cloud Village.
Uchiha Shisui had activated his Mangekyou Sharingan. If pushed, he could make it difficult for them to escape.
It wasn't worth the risk!
The battle ended under the night sky, with light rain washing away the traces of the fight.
Konoha, Merchant Association Police Force
Genya was inside, refining his chakra to nourish his body and his heavy eyes. Recently, he felt his eyes might soon awaken the third tomoe, and he had more chakra and energy, leading to an increase in his appetite.
His eating habits even surprised his father.
It wasn't that he couldn't afford it; it was just that two tables in their house couldn't hold the food for just Genya.
Meanwhile, Uchiha Kinya felt sorry for his wife, who had to cook so much food. Recently, he had even bought a large oven to make it easier to roast suckling pigs.
At that moment, Uchiha Shin rushed in, her tone laced with relief: "Genya-kun, the Uchiha team has returned!"
"They're back?" Genya opened his eyes, curiosity lighting his features. "Did they all return?"
In his heart, he didn't want anything to happen to the Uchiha clan, so he quickly asked.
"Not everyone." Uchiha Shin shook her head, her tone turning heavy. "This time, the team was ambushed. The Uchiha team lost four people, and the Hyuga team lost five. If it weren't for Shisui awakening his Mangekyo in the crisis, the team might have been completely wiped out!"
As they talked about the situation, Uchiha Shin still felt a bit of luck. If it weren't for Genya firmly saying they shouldn't carry out this mission, he might have impulsively agreed.
Now it seems that Genya's decision was correct.
Sure enough!
Genya nodded. Uchiha Shisui had actually activated his Mangekyō Sharingan here. Was it activated earlier than in the original story?
This mission had already cost the Uchiha four top ninjas.
Was the Third Hokage really planning to gradually eliminate Uchiha's top ninjas like this?
"Son, go check on Uchiha Shisui. Your dad has things to do and can't get away!" Just as Genya was about to say something more, Uchiha Kinya's loud voice came from outside.
As a genius of the Uchiha clan who had activated the Susanoo, it was only right for him to visit.
In Uchiha Kinya's view, with Shisui's talent, he was destined to elevate the Uchiha clan to new heights, perhaps even restoring the glory of the clan during Madara's time.
"Got it, Dad!"
Genya didn't want to interact with Uchiha Shisui because he felt that someone brainwashed by the Third Hokage would seem foolish when discussing village issues.
That's exactly how Shisui seemed now.
But this time, he couldn't avoid it.
---
In the afternoon, Genya took Uchiha Shin and a few others on a patrol. Seeing the darkening sky, he estimated that Uchiha Fugaku had already left, so he took Uchiha Shin to the hospital.
They brought gifts!
Since Shisui had a private ward, they first checked on the three injured Uchiha clan members. Seeing their miserable state, Genya felt a bit emotional.
Their bodies were covered in wounds, and their faces were pale!
It showed just how fierce the battle had been.
Uchiha Shin looked at the pitiful familiar faces and couldn't help but sigh in sympathy.
During this time, Genya encountered Hinata Hyuga, who came to visit her clan members, along with the shy Hinata following behind her. When Hinata saw Genya, her white pupils clearly lit up with excitement, but her timid nature held her back from saying hello.
Genya smiled and greeted the two before heading to Uchiha Shisui's hospital room.
At the door, he coincidentally saw Fugaku and Itachi coming out.
"Clan Leader!" Genya cheerfully called out, but Fugaku only responded with a cold huff and walked away with Itachi.
Itachi remained silent the entire time.
"Tch~~" Genya clicked his tongue and led Uchiha Natsu into the room.
"Don't be upset. The clan leader is feeling down because of the losses, so don't hold it against him!" As soon as he entered, he heard Shisui's weak voice, trying to defend Uchiha Fugaku.
At that moment, Uchiha Shisui looked pale and weak, and even his eyes had lost their usual luster. It seemed he had overexerted his visual power.
"I know!" Genya nodded, but he added, "I warned you that this mission was dangerous, but you didn't listen and insisted on going anyway!"
As soon as he said this, Shisui's already dim eyes grew even duller. Perhaps if they had heeded Genya's warning, their clan members might have survived.
Still, he felt a bit confused: "Genya, how did you know this mission was dangerous?"
"How did I know?" Genya looked at the naive Shisui and replied, "If it wasn't a particularly dangerous mission, would Lord Third Hokage send our Uchiha clan members to carry it out?"
"That's not true. The Third Hokage just wanted to ease the village's relationship with Konoha. This mission was merely an opportunity!" Shisui hurriedly explained, sensing that Genya might be misunderstanding the Third Hokage.
"The Third has done a lot for our Uchiha clan, like improving the harmony between villagers and us. Before, villagers really disliked us!"
He thought Genya's views were quite dangerous.
"The villagers' relationship with the Uchiha has improved?" Hearing Shisui's somewhat naïve statement, Genya suddenly laughed. Looking at this talented clan member, he said again, "You don't really think this is the Third Hokage's doing, do you?"
"Isn't it? If it weren't for the Third Hokage, how would the villagers' attitudes change so quickly toward our clan?" Shisui nodded seriously.
Genya was speechless at the innocent Uchiha Shisui. Even Uchiha Natsu's gaze toward Shisui had changed.
It seemed that Shisui had truly been fooled by that old fox, the Third Hokage. Didn't he ever ask the common people why they no longer held resentment toward the Uchiha clan and instead became friendly?
****
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