In the Raikage’s office in Kumogakure—
“Boom!”
A (Fourth Raikage) slammed his fist onto the desk.
The thick wooden surface shattered instantly, as if it were nothing but tofu.
“Konoha is mobilizing troops at the border—are they trying to start a war?!”
“…That’s the ninth desk this month.”
Beside him, Mabui pressed a hand to her forehead, already used to this temperamental Kage.
At least, compared to his father, the Third Raikage, this one had a redeeming quality—
He could be reasoned with.
Sighing, she raised the intelligence scroll.
“Raikage-sama, can you let me finish first?”
“…Eh?
You weren’t done?”
The Raikage scratched his head awkwardly, chuckled, and waved his hand.
“Go on.”
“Right.”
Mabui cleared her throat.
“Latest intelligence: Konoha and the Uchiha clan have completely fallen out.
The militant faction was annihilated at Naka Shrine by rogue ninja Uchiha Itachi.”
“The moderate faction—over three hundred individuals—has fled Konoha under the leadership of Uchiha Fugaku.
They are currently moving northwest along the Red River, likely heading toward the Land of Frost border.”
“Fugaku has confirmed awakening the Mangekyō Sharingan.
His abilities remain unknown.”
“Konoha’s Danzo Shimura is leading Root forces in pursuit.
Meanwhile, Konoha troops stationed in the Land of Smoke and Land of Hot Water have entered high alert.”
“…Mangekyō Sharingan…”
The Raikage narrowed his eyes, interest flashing across his rugged face.
“Madara’s eyes, huh…”
“So they’re planning to defect to us.”
He strode to the wall map and tapped the Land of Frost.
“Mobilize the border forces.
Have them entangle Konoha’s troops—use ‘preventing invasion’ as the excuse.”
Then he turned to Mabui.
“Also, dispatch an elite squad—around ten people—to intercept and receive the Uchiha.”
“…Ten?”
Mabui adjusted her glasses.
“They have over three hundred people, and Root is pursuing them.
A team that small…”
“I’m not stupid.”
The Raikage cut her off with a grin.
“If Fugaku reaches the Land of Frost, then we just send troops and smash Konoha.”
“But if they haven’t crossed yet…”
“Three hundred refugees—many of them weak—how many of our shinobi would we have to sacrifice to save them all?”
“I’m not throwing away my men behind enemy lines.”
“So—wait until Fugaku clashes with Konoha.
Then seize the chance to snatch people.”
“Bring back as many as possible.
Women, children…”
“…or at worst, a few pairs of eyes.”
Mabui fell silent for a moment, then nodded.
“I understand.
Then… shall we have C lead the team?
He’s proficient in sensing, genjutsu, and medical ninjutsu—ideal for this kind of mission.”
“Good choice.”
The Raikage nodded.
“And have the border forces ready to support him at any time.”
Meanwhile—
“Report, Danzo-sama.
Target is approximately five kilometers ahead!”
Aburame Ryoma crouched on a tree branch, his insects swirling as he analyzed scents carried by the wind.
“The scent is complex—besides the Uchiha, there are unfamiliar traces.”
“Kumo,” Danzo sneered.
Half an hour earlier, intelligence had already confirmed it—Kumogakure forces had begun engaging Konoha’s border troops under the pretense of “defense.”
An elite squad had even slipped past the lines.
All of this… was within Danzo’s expectations.
The Uchiha incident was too massive to hide.
Every major village’s intelligence network had picked it up.
And among them—
Kumogakure was the most eager for the Sharingan.
Now, Fugaku had clearly made contact with them.
But that, too… was part of Danzo’s design.
Konoha forces formed a right-angle encirclement—
One front in the northeast, facing Kumo.
Another force deployed from the Land of Smoke, cutting across the Land of Hot Water.
If battle broke out—
Kumogakure, arriving late, would be at a disadvantage in both numbers and terrain.
That’s why Danzo allowed this meeting.
To give Fugaku hope.
Hope that he could break through into the Land of Frost.
When in reality—
He was only stepping deeper into the trap.
“Advance at full speed!”
Danzo slammed his cane.
“Yes, sir!”
Soon—
On an open stretch of wilderness—
Fugaku stood at the front of the Uchiha group.
Opposite him stood nine Kumogakure shinobi.
Their leader, a tall man with a scar across his face, spoke in a rough voice.
“Clan Head Fugaku.
I am Captain ‘Raiga’ of Kumogakure’s special operations unit.”
“The Fourth Raikage is aware of your situation and is willing to grant asylum.”
“Our forces are engaging Konoha at the Land of Frost border, creating an opening for you.”
He pointed northwest.
“But to be honest—moving three hundred people across the border is nearly impossible.”
“Konoha has another force positioned in the Land of Hot Water, forming a pincer.”
“We can only provide a safer route and tactical guidance.”
“Whether you succeed… depends on your own strength—and luck.”
“…Agreed.”
Fugaku nodded after a brief pause.
“Then let’s move.”
Raiga turned and led the way.
At the same time, a faint signal crackled in his earpiece—
Instructions from the true leader, C.
“Root is less than five kilometers away.
Proceed with the planned withdrawal.
Circle north.
Give them time to catch up.”
“Once Konoha engages—retreat immediately.”
“They won’t care about you.
When chaos breaks out…”
“…capture women and children.”
Raiga tapped a coded response.
“…No elites?”
A moment later, the reply came:
“Fugaku and the adult fighters are too dangerous.
Even Konoha can’t control them.
We won’t take that risk.”
“…Understood.”
The group traveled for about half an hour.
Then—
Fugaku suddenly raised his hand.
The entire group stopped.
“What’s wrong, Clan Head Fugaku?” Raiga asked, frowning.
“…Ah.”
Fugaku looked at him—
And smiled.
A playful smile.
“What do you think?”
Raiga’s heart jolted.
We’ve been exposed!
Without hesitation, he turned and fled with his squad.
Facing a Mangekyō wielder—
He had no intention of testing his luck.
But as he ran, he glanced back—
Fugaku hadn’t even moved.
He wasn’t chasing.
Because—
At that exact moment—
Nearly a hundred shadowy figures appeared on the horizon, rushing forward like phantoms.
Root.
“Uchiha Fugaku!
You can’t escape!”
Danzo Shimura’s voice echoed as his forces surged forward, forming a half-encirclement around the Uchiha.
Breathing heavily, Danzo stepped out, his lone eye fixed on Fugaku.
“You were caught faster than I expected.”
“Seems those Kumo brutes never had good intentions—they were just waiting to pick up scraps.”
“For someone who’s endured this long…”
“You’re more foolish than I thought.”
Fugaku stepped forward, placing himself at the very front of his clan.
Then—
He smiled.
Not cold.
Not bitter.
But amused.
“…Who are you calling an idiot?”
Danzo snorted.
“The idiot is you.”
Danzo answered instinctively—
“The idiot is you.”
The moment the words left his mouth, he realized he had fallen straight into a verbal trap.
His expression darkened instantly.
“Even at death’s door, you’re still playing word games,” Danzo Shimura sneered.
“Show me your real strength.
Let’s see how your Mangekyō compares to your son’s!”
Fugaku’s smile only widened.
“This isn’t wordplay.”
“And here’s a piece of advice—Root should really recruit someone from the Hyūga clan.
The Byakugan can see far more than the Sharingan ever could.”
Danzo froze, not understanding—
Until the next second.
Fugaku raised his hand and formed a seal Danzo knew all too well.
“Bang!
Bang!
Bang!
Bang!
Bang—!”
A chain of white smoke exploded outward like fireworks.
Before Danzo and the entire Root force—
All three hundred Uchiha…
Including Uchiha Fugaku himself—
Vanished into smoke.
Shadow clones.
Every single one of them.
“…Shadow.
Clones.”
Danzo forced the words out through clenched teeth, his lone eye blazing with fury.
Just as Fugaku had said—
If a Hyūga had been present, they might have noticed long ago—
Every single “person” in that group had identical chakra levels.
They had been clones from the very beginning.
“Go!”
Danzo roared.
“Capture those Kumogakure ninja!!”
Meanwhile—
At the border between the Land of Hot Water and the Land of Rice Fields—
A vast natural open-air hot spring shimmered faintly with a bluish glow.
Suddenly—
“Glug… glug…”
From beneath the water, dozens of large, egg-shaped wooden containers slowly rose up from an underground current.
These containers, formed through transformation techniques, were filled with air—
Each one hiding several Uchiha inside.
The first container cracked open—
Five figures tumbled into the water.
Then the second.
The third.
One after another.
Far away, in Konoha—
Inside the Hokage’s office—
Hiruzen looked at the intelligence report from the frontlines and couldn’t help but chuckle.
“Danzo really took a heavy loss this time.”
He tapped his pipe lightly against the scroll.
“Over three hundred shadow clones… he got played like a fool.
Even ended up clashing with Kumogakure for nothing.”
Across from him, Koharu frowned deeply.
“This isn’t amusing, Hiruzen.
Fugaku is far more cunning than we expected.”
“The real problem is… we don’t even know where he’s gone.”
Hiruzen stood and walked to the map on the wall.
His gaze moved from the Land of Hot Water—
Until his finger stopped at the border between the Land of Hot Water and the Land of Rice Fields.
“From this report—and earlier intelligence—we can infer a few things.”
“First—Fugaku’s Mangekyō ability can support large-scale reverse summoning and hundreds of shadow clones.”
“Second—he can either negate or greatly reduce the side effects of such techniques.”
He turned back toward his advisors.
“Even if they split their forces, the kikaichū should’ve tracked their scent.”
“The only reason they didn’t…”
“…is because the targets went underwater.”
Homura adjusted his glasses and continued the thought.
“Exactly.”
Hiruzen nodded.
“The border between the Land of Hot Water and the Land of Rice Fields is riddled with underground caves and thermal waterways.”
“If Fugaku moved his people underwater, it would completely eliminate scent tracking.”
His finger traced a path across the map—
From the Land of Hot Water into the Land of Rice Fields.
“So…”
“He most likely used underground caverns and thermal rivers to relocate his people into the Land of Rice Fields.”
“…The Land of Rice Fields…”
Koharu murmured.
“It lies between the Land of Claws and the Land of Hot Water.
We have no stationed forces there—that’s how he crossed the border so easily.”
“It seems his plan is to pass through the Land of Rice Fields, then the Land of Claws, then the Land of Waterfalls… and eventually reach Iwagakure.”
“Onoki may dislike the Sharingan—but only when it belongs to Konoha.
If it were in his own village…”
“…he’d welcome it more than anyone.”
“In that case,” Koharu said, “we need to mobilize forces at the Land of Claws border.
Block their path before they reach the Land of Waterfalls.”
“That country has its own tailed beast.
They may not dare shelter the Uchiha—but interfering with us?
That, they would certainly do.”
“Report!”
The office door opened again.
Another intelligence scroll was delivered.
“Hah.”
Hiruzen skimmed it and took a slow puff.
“Danzo has caught on.”
“He’s already issued blockade orders through Yamanaka Fū.”
“He’s also requested I dispatch another unit—led by the Hyūga—to seal off the lower routes of the Land of Claws.”
Koharu let out a faint scoff.
“Seems he’s afraid of being fooled again.”
“…Very well.”
Homura stood up.
“I’ll go to the Hyūga clan personally.”
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