— — — — —
Hatake Sakumo's loyalty was always to Konoha, not specifically to the Third Hokage.
If the Uchiha clan ever harmed Konoha's interests, he wouldn't hesitate to act against them.
But if it was only the interests of the Third Hokage or the clans supporting him that were at stake, then it wasn't his concern.
This was the principle he lived by.
"Uncle Sakumo, I've heard that you're highly skilled in swordsmanship. Some even say you're one of Konoha's top swordmasters."
"They say you've perfected the fusion of ninjutsu and sword techniques. Is that true?"
After finishing his meal, Kaito casually approached Sakumo, pretending to ask out of curiosity.
Building a relationship naturally required finding a topic of mutual interest, and swordsmanship was perfect for this.
"Ahem!"
Sakumo coughed awkwardly when he heard Kaito's words. "That's not entirely true! I do have some decent sword skills and have even developed my own style of ninjutsu-based swordsmanship."
"But the fusion isn't perfect yet—there's still room for improvement."
"I'm working hard to refine it."
"However, calling me the strongest swordmaster in Konoha is definitely an exaggeration!"
"There are plenty of other skilled swordsmen in Konoha, especially from families that specialize in swordsmanship."
"For example, your Uchiha clan has its fair share of capable swordsmen!"
"You should know that better than I do, Kaito."
Though deep down, Sakumo believed he could rightfully claim the title of Konoha's strongest swordsman, he knew better than to boast.
Making such claims would be arrogant and likely offend others.
There's a saying: In literature, there's no absolute first place, and in martial arts, even no second place.
Claiming to be the best only invites endless challenges and trouble.
Human nature is complicated—few are willing to accept that they'll always be second to someone else.
"You're being too modest!"
Kaito smiled and shook his head.
"Us Uchiha? Sure, some of us are decent with a sword, but for the most part, swordsmanship is just a secondary skill."
"The Uchiha still primarily rely on the Sharingan."
"That's not entirely accurate," Sakumo said, raising an eyebrow. "Maybe that was true two or three years ago, but lately, many Uchiha have emerged with strong sword skills."
"And their swordsmanship is different from the existing styles in the ninja world. It's intriguing and inspiring to watch."
This was something Sakumo had only recently learned.
The Uchiha clan's elite had demonstrated this unique style of swordsmanship openly on the battlefield, making it impossible for him not to notice.
If possible, he wanted to learn it for himself.
However, from his observations, this swordsmanship seemed to place significant demands on the user's physical condition.
It was a purely physical swordsmanship style, entirely independent of chakra.
And it was different from the pure swordsmanship practiced in the Land of Iron.
Clearly, the Uchiha had their secrets, and this swordsmanship was one of them.
Everyone knew the Uchiha clan had significant secrets.
Three years ago, they were nothing like this.
Many people and factions had tried to uncover their mysteries, even going as far as ambushing Uchiha ninjas on missions.
But no one had succeeded.
Not a single Uchiha corpse had been recovered.
This only made the clan more enigmatic.
"Oh? So you've noticed?"
Kaito raised an eyebrow, amused. "Well, it's true. Quite a few Uchiha on the frontlines are using that style of swordsmanship."
"But none of them have truly mastered it. We don't even have a single true swordmaster. It's not worth mentioning!"
"Uncle Sakumo, if you're interested, we could exchange insights or even trade techniques. What do you think?"
After all, Sakumo was destined to be contracted by him in the future. Trading now was practically free in the long run.
Besides, Kaito trusted Sakumo's character. Even if he learned the techniques, he wouldn't spread them recklessly.
If it were someone like the Third Hokage, Kaito wouldn't have even considered sharing.
"Huh?"
Sakumo had been planning to slowly get closer with Kaito and then gradually explore the possibility of an exchange or trade.
He hadn't expected Kaito to be so direct, openly proposing an exchange.
This genuinely surprised Sakumo.
"Are you sure you have the authority to make this decision? This concerns the interests of the Uchiha clan, after all."
"If you don't, I can't risk trading with you. The last thing I want is to offend the Uchiha."
"If you're serious about this, you should discuss it with Lady Uchiha Naori or your Clan Head. Have them handle it officially."
Sakumo's response was measured.
He didn't want anyone thinking he was taking advantage of a child, which could easily sour relations with the Uchiha.
That would be a disaster.
"Uh… you're really cautious, huh?"
Kaito couldn't help but roll his eyes, though he understood Sakumo's reasoning.
"Alright, I'll have my mother send you an official letter soon!"
"Otherwise, even if I say I can make the call, you probably still wouldn't dare to trade!"
This was ridiculous to Kaito. In the end, it boiled down to his age.
If he were an adult and in charge, none of this would have been an issue.
He wouldn't have to use his mother's name or the clan's authority to back him up so often.
This wasn't ideal for earning personal goodwill.
It was because he understood this that he chose to join the battle this time—to rack up as many achievements as possible and prepare for the day he could take full control of Konoha.
Otherwise, if he kept procrastinating, when would he be able to unify the ninja world, recruit most of the top fighters and talents, and launch a full-scale invasion of the One Piece world?
While Sakumo wasn't in a rush to trade, Kaito was eager to win his favor and secure their bond as quickly as possible.
— — —
"Haha!"
Sakumo chuckled lightly, taking a serious look at Kaito. "Now I'm starting to believe you might actually have the authority to make such a decision."
"Still, just to be safe, let's wait for Lady Naori's approval."
He was genuinely looking forward to future trades and exchanges with Kaito.
Sakumo could sense that Kaito was no ordinary swordsman.
But it seemed like Kaito was deliberately keeping his skills hidden.
On the other hand, the swordsmanship auras around Namikaze Minato and Uchiha Mikoto were much more apparent, though their skills weren't quite there yet.
Sakumo thought to himself that once they were on good terms, perhaps he could trade for some high-grade nutrient pills from Kaito.
If that worked out, it would save him the trouble of coming up with other plans.
The night passed uneventfully.
Perhaps because they were still relatively close to Konoha, in the heart of the Land of Fire, no enemy ninjas attacked them.
— — —
Three more days went by.
By now, Kaito and his group had traveled over 300 kilometers, nearly 400.
They were less than 100 kilometers from the border of the Land of Rain.
Here, they began encountering ambushes.
Not only were there Rain ninjas, but also Iwa ninjas disguised as Sand ninjas, and Sand ninjas disguised as Iwa ninjas—everything you could think of.
But Sakumo, leading Kaito and the others, easily defeated or drove them all away.
Of course, Kaito hadn't revealed his Flying Thunder God Technique, his Space-Time Gate, or the majority of his strength yet. Otherwise, none of these enemies would've escaped alive.
He was deliberately holding back—not for any trivial reason but to set a trap for Danzo and his Root division later.
When the time came to crush them, that would be the moment he unleashed his full power and ended the war in one decisive blow.
"Those two Root squads are still tailing us. Gotta hand it to them—they're extremely persistent!"
As they neared the frontline camp, now less than 30 kilometers away, Kaito sensed the movements of their unwanted followers.
These ninjas had kept their distance because the convoy included Hyūga Hizashi, staying about 15 kilometers back.
If not for Kaito and Kushina's extensive sensory range, they might have gone unnoticed.
Even Sakumo and the others had no idea they were being followed.
"They're still there?"
Minato and Mikoto both frowned upon hearing this. Mikoto's eyes flashed cold as she sent a telepathic message: "Kaito, let's just get rid of these pests already!"
"They're disgusting."
"With them around, we're constantly inconvenienced."
"Agreed," Kushina and Minato nodded in unison.
"No rush," Kaito replied, shaking his head and speaking through their telepathic link. "If we act now, it'll alert Danzo and ruin the plan."
"We've already put up with this for two months—what's a few more days?"
"Now that we're near the frontlines, judging by the Third Hokage's setup, it seems Danzo plans to trap us here and eliminate us."
"So, we just need to wait patiently and observe. Danzo will make his move soon enough."
"When he does, we'll take him and his lackeys down all at once."
If they acted prematurely, it would only make Danzo more cautious and paranoid, complicating things further.
"Good point. Let's hope Danzo moves quickly," Mikoto and the others nodded, understanding the plan.
— — —
Half a day later, Kaito and his group finally reached the Konoha frontline camp in the Land of Rain.
The moment they arrived, Danzo was informed.
"Send word to Kaito's squad immediately. Have them join the patrol team and remain stationed at the frontline camp under orders," Danzo instructed a ninja from the Sarutobi clan.
"Understood!"
The Sarutobi ninja smirked slightly and left to carry out the order.
"Heh,"
Danzo smirked as he sat alone in the command tent, pulling out a letter and glancing at it.
"Hiruzen, Hiruzen. You've finally shown some decisiveness."
"I didn't expect you to be so eager to get rid of Uchiha Kaito and his team."
"Looks like they really ticked you off."
"If only you'd been this decisive sooner."
With that, Danzo used a small Fire Release jutsu to burn the letter to ashes.
He'd been itching to do this for a while.
Since they couldn't serve his purposes, it was better to destroy such talents.
"From the intel I've gathered, it seems both Uchiha Kaito and Mikoto possess the Three Tomoe Sharingan, huh?"
"Heh, good. That means I'll be getting two more pairs of Three Tomoe Sharingan for my collection!"
Danzo's heart swelled with satisfaction.
For over two years now, it had become nearly impossible to ambush Uchiha members and steal their Sharingan during missions.
Every time, the Uchiha managed to recover their fallen comrades' bodies before anyone else could.
Danzo even suspected that some of these so-called deaths were staged, with the Uchiha secretly hiding their injured instead.
Because before their disappearance, none of these Uchiha were ever confirmed dead—just gravely injured.
If treated in time, they could easily survive.
.
.
.