The campfire burned brightly, illuminating the night sky in the wilderness.
Among the rustling sound of leaves, faint cries and distant chaos could be heard.
Three people sat in silence around the fire.
Neo Uchiha glanced at the other two before speaking in a serious tone:
"The real danger of this mission stems from an unexpected incident."
"Half a month ago, the Chi no Ike Clan submitted their third confession letter to the Daimyo of the Land of Lightning."
"However, the envoy sent by the Daimyo was killed en route, and his bounty was placed in the underground exchange."
"The Daimyo was enraged and decided to continue imprisoning the Chi no Ike Clan."
"In despair, the Chi no Ike Clan, seeing no way out, secretly contacted Kumogakure."
"Kumogakure is sending forces to free the Chi no Ike Clan. In return, the Chi no Ike Clan will merge with Kumogakure and become a Kekkei Genkai clan of the village."
Seichiro Uchiha immediately frowned in confusion: "Isn't the Chi no Ike Clan already a Kekkei Genkai family in the Land of Lightning? Why would they agree to such terms with Kumogakure?"
Neo shook his head slightly. He had some guesses after recalling details from the source material.
In the Warring States period, a daughter of the Chi no Ike Clan became a concubine to the Daimyo of the Land of Lightning.
However, not long after, the Daimyo passed away due to illness, and the Chi no Ike daughter became the target of jealousy and slander, leading to her family being exiled to Hell Valley.
To put it plainly, the Chi no Ike Clan had once ascended to nobility and naturally didn't want to lower their status by joining Kumogakure's ranks as mere warriors.
They preferred staying imprisoned in Hell Valley, hoping that one day they would be pardoned and reinstated as aristocrats in the Land of Lightning.
Now that all hope of pardon had been shattered, they had no choice but to bite the bullet and join forces with Kumogakure.
Kumogakure, for their part, was more than happy to accept this. With a shinobi world war on the horizon, the Chi no Ike Clan was a powerful addition to their forces.
It was even possible that the assassination of the envoy was Kumogakure's doing.
Having figured this out, Neo felt as though the clouds had parted, revealing the truth beneath.
Elder Setsuna Uchiha didn't explain much to Seichiro and simply stated gravely:
"You only need to know that Kumogakure is our greatest threat right now. That's enough."
"So, our top priority is to reach Hell Valley safely and rendezvous with our Uchiha kin stationed there."
"It's almost nightfall. Seichiro, you and Neo will alternate keeping watch and setting traps around the camp for defense."
"That's all—go do it."
Setsuna gestured dismissively at Seichiro.
Seichiro didn't get any answers, but he certainly got all the hard work. He stood up, muttering curses under his breath.
Neo's eyes lit up slightly as he asked, "Then why don't we travel at night?"
"In this situation, wouldn't it be better to reach Hell Valley as soon as possible?"
Seichiro shot him a disdainful look and sneered.
"Ridiculous!"
"Kid, have you never read the ninja code?"
"Do you want me to recite it for you? The first rule is that a shinobi must avoid night marches whenever possible to avoid ambushes."
[Seichiro Uchiha looks down on you.]
Neo sighed inwardly as the words floated through his mind.
It was true—but if they traveled by day, wouldn't the Kumogakure ambushers be left waiting for nothing?
Neo hadn't come on this mission to sneak around—he'd come for battle, battle, and more battle!
Besides, his suggestion wasn't entirely without basis.
With that thought, Neo smiled, stood up, and said, "The situation calls for flexibility."
"It's pitch black tonight—not even the moonlight shows. Forget spotting an ambush, I'd have trouble finding toilet paper in this darkness! Plus, we're Uchiha. What's there to be afraid of?"
Neo's confidence came from the Uchiha's Sharingan.
Even in complete darkness, the Sharingan's dynamic vision and ability to perceive chakra flow meant that Kumogakure ambushes were barely a threat.
If they leveraged that advantage, Setsuna and Seichiro could potentially break through the ambush lines entirely.
However, Neo himself hadn't awakened his Sharingan yet.
In a battle like this, survival was nearly impossible for him!
This way, he could "heroically" go down without much effort.
Setsuna's eyes flickered slightly as he glanced at the thick clouds gathering overhead.
Seichiro let out a cold laugh and took two steps forward. He grabbed Neo's collar, lifted him, and pulled his face close to Neo's ear, lowering his voice to a threatening whisper:
"Neo Uchiha, let me tell you one more time—"
"I got dragged into this mess of a mission because of you!"
Seichiro's teeth ground together as his cold eyes glared into Neo's.
"Do you think you're something special?"
"You dare question the ninja code written by the Second Hokage?"
"Do you even know how many shinobi die each year in Konoha because they ignore the code?"
His words fell like a hammer, silencing the surroundings. The wind stilled, and the clouds thickened.
Neo remained calm, meeting Seichiro's furious gaze.
After a moment's pause, Neo said softly:
"Seichiro, shinobi climb walls because it's the easiest option."
"But if climbing makes things harder—"
"Then smashing through the wall is fine too."
Neo's lips curled into a smirk as he slapped Seichiro's hand away and said coldly, "You've lost sight of the goal."
A deafening clang resounded in Neo's ears.
[Ding!]
Meanwhile, in the Land of Hot Water...
Hot springs often formed along riverbeds in mountain valleys, and the Land of Hot Water was a region of towering mountains and deep valleys.
The road from the Land of Fire to the Land of Hot Water led from hills to highlands.
Crossing the valley between the mountains was the only way to traverse the border.
At that moment, beneath a large tree near a pass, two Kumogakure shinobi dressed in their village's uniforms, each with a long sword on their backs, were roasting meat with relaxed expressions.
The younger of the two frowned and asked, "Rami'i-senpai, Dodai-senpai—aren't we being a bit too lax?"
"Moroi, you're too uptight," said the elder Rami'i, completely calm. He even handed Moroi a roasted rabbit leg as he explained:
"We've got Hot Spring Village scouts stationed ahead."
"If anything happens, we'll get their signal immediately."
"Besides, the Uchiha aren't invincible. They've been traveling all day and are exhausted. Knowing there's danger ahead, they wouldn't dare rush in."
"Rest up. We're dealing with Setsuna Uchiha, that old hawk. Tomorrow's battle will be brutal."
"We have to kill him here—that's the only way to ensure the Jinchuriki of the Two-Tails can obliterate the Hell Valley garrison."
Moroi glanced at his team and relaxed.
An elite jonin, a jonin, and a special jonin—that was their squad.
It seemed certain that even an Uchiha elder past his prime wouldn't stand a chance against them.
And the three of them were no ordinary shinobi.
Rami'i: A veteran jonin who had survived from the Warring States period to the Second Shinobi War. He had personally witnessed the terror of Kinkaku and Ginkaku's Nine-Tails form and had fought in countless deadly battles.
Dodai: An elite jonin with Lava Release and the right-hand man of the Third Raikage. At his prime, his strength was near Kage-level.
Moroi: A special jonin and the first captain of Kumogakure's barrier team. He had inherited Uzumaki-style sealing techniques and could immobilize opponents with ease.
These three were among Kumogakure's finest!
Even if a whole squad of jonin showed up, they wouldn't stand a chance against them!
Kumogakure had spared no effort in ensuring the Chi no Ike Clan would join them.
Now, they awaited the arrival of the Uchiha's hawkish leader.
When he came, he and his team would be buried here.