After a long journey, Seigen finally arrived near the Hidden Stone Village.
His trip to the Hidden Stone Village had been kept completely confidential within the Hidden Flame Village.
Only Itachi, Fugaku, and a few others knew about it.
The village had only just been established, and having one of its strongest fighters remain behind was enough to reassure everyone.
Itachi has probably already clashed with those scouts by now.
Seigen wasn’t overly concerned.
After all, the Five Great Villages were only probing the Hidden Flame Village’s true strength this time.
The forces they sent wouldn’t be their strongest.
“Stop right there!
Which village are you from?
Why are you near the Hidden Stone Village?!”
Just as Seigen was considering how to meet the Tsuchikage, a little girl suddenly jumped out from the roadside and blocked his path.
She looked to be only seven or eight years old.
Could this be Ōnoki’s granddaughter…
Kurotsuchi?
“You’re Kurotsuchi?”
“Huh?
You know me?”
The wary little girl froze for a moment after hearing him call her name, then noticeably lowered her guard.
She had finally managed to sneak out of the village to play, only to run into someone who actually knew who she was.
Did Grandpa send someone to drag me back?
“Oh?
So it really is you.”
Seigen felt as though Lady Luck was smiling on him today.
A mischievous grin spread across his face as he slowly walked toward her.
The moment Kurotsuchi saw that expression, she realized something was wrong and immediately turned to run.
Unfortunately…
Before she could even take two steps, Seigen caught her.
“Stop!”
Ten Hidden Stone shinobi instantly surrounded him.
They had all been searching for Kurotsuchi.
Who would have thought that the moment they found her…
She would already be in the hands of a complete stranger.
“Who are you?!”
Kurotsuchi continued struggling in Seigen’s grip.
“My name…”
“…is Uchiha Seigen.”
Tsuchikage’s Office
“Any news from the team we sent to the Hidden Flame Village?”
Ōnoki called over one of his shinobi, rubbing his aching lower back as he spoke.
“Not yet…”
“We’ve already dispatched additional personnel to search for them.”
“Tsuchikage-sama, why are you placing so much importance on the Hidden Flame Village?
Isn’t it just a small village founded by the Uchiha Clan?”
Hearing the question, Ōnoki’s thoughts drifted back to the past.
To the man known as…
Uchiha Madara.
“You don’t understand.”
“People of your generation can never comprehend just how terrifying the Uchiha truly are.”
Not long ago, Hidden Stone spies stationed in Konoha had returned with urgent intelligence.
On that very night, the entire Uchiha Clan had defected from Konoha.
Among them was a young man named Uchiha Seigen.
Alone…
He had thrown Konoha into complete chaos.
Even Hiruzen Sarutobi had personally intervened, yet they still failed to stop him.
Instead…
Danzo had been killed.
The report also described a gigantic chakra warrior…
Could another monster like Uchiha Madara have appeared within the Uchiha Clan?
Ōnoki sighed.
His lower back suddenly hurt even more.
“Go tell everyone to prepare.”
“Yesterday, the village elders decided…”
“…we’re going to launch an offensive against Konoha.”
“What?!”
“With the Uchiha gone, Konoha’s strength has declined even further.”
“Even the Hidden Cloud Village can no longer restrain itself.
They’re preparing to declare war.”
Ōnoki recalled the previous great wars.
Many Hidden Stone shinobi had died at the hands of Konoha.
Now…
The perfect opportunity for revenge had finally arrived.
Boom!!
A deafening explosion suddenly echoed from outside the village.
“What happened?!”
Ōnoki rose from his chair.
“Tsuchikage-sama!”
“An enemy has invaded!”
A shinobi rushed into the office, panting heavily as he reported.
“Let’s go.”
“I want to see exactly who has the audacity to attack my village!”
Using the Light-Weight Rock Technique, Ōnoki flew toward the source of the disturbance.
“I already told you…”
“I’m here to discuss cooperation with the Hidden Stone Village.”
“So why won’t any of you believe me?”
Seigen sighed helplessly.
The Hidden Stone shinobi had attacked him the instant they saw him.
He had clearly explained why he came.
“Damn Uchiha!”
“You’re not getting away!”
Several defeated Hidden Stone shinobi lay sprawled across the ground.
Their bodies were too battered to move…
Yet their mouths remained as stubborn as ever.
“Are all the shinobi in your village like this?”
Seigen asked the captive Kurotsuchi beside him.
“You jerk!”
“You’re the one invading our village!”
“Come on.”
“I haven’t even entered your village yet.”
“How is that an invasion?”
He lightly patted Kurotsuchi on the head.
“Ugh…”
“I don’t care!”
“Anyone from another village showing up here is suspicious!”
Seeing there was no reasoning with the little girl, Seigen simply gave up trying.
“Caw…
Caw…”
At that moment, a crow flew in from the horizon and landed on Seigen’s shoulder.
He recognized it immediately.
It was one of Itachi’s crows.
It seemed Itachi had sent him a message.
Sure enough, a small bamboo tube was tied to the crow’s leg.
Seigen removed the note inside and carefully read its contents.
“Haha…”
“What incredible timing!”
According to the report…
The Hidden Flame Village had successfully captured every reconnaissance squad sent by the various villages…
Except for Kakashi’s team from Konoha.
The moment Seigen saw Kitsuchi’s name on the prisoner list…
He couldn’t help but burst into laughter.
Well, well…
Ōnoki actually sent his own son to infiltrate the Hidden Flame Village.
Now that Kitsuchi had been captured…
Seigen had gained yet another bargaining chip in his negotiations with Ōnoki.
“Uchiha!”
“What business do you have in the Hidden Stone Village?”
“And why are you holding my granddaughter?!”