After Yahiko left, Sora returned to the Konoha outpost.
He felt relieved about Yahiko and wasn't too concerned that he might seek out Nagato. People like Yahiko valued their companions deeply, and he would surely be cautious when it came to the safety of Nagato and Konan.
But if Yahiko did decide to find Nagato despite their agreement, then he would no longer be Sora's collaborator or companion.
And if he was no longer a companion, Sora would have no choice but to let Nagato experience the pain of losing a close friend once more.
However, Sora suspected that even if he took no action, the Black Zetsu lurking in the shadows wouldn't allow Yahiko to live. What Black Zetsu needed was an extremist Nagato, not a kind one.
Sora breathed a long sigh, hoping that Yahiko would honor their arrangement. After all, if Yahiko succeeded, the Xiao organization they established would greatly benefit Sora's plans.
"I hope you won't disappoint me, Yahiko... no, Jindai."
...
A few days later.
Uchiha shinobi began arriving in the Land of Waves one after another.
By the seventh day, all the reinforcements had arrived—a total of 98 Uchiha shinobi.
Among them were 20 Jōnin, 45 Chūnin, and 23 Genin.
This represented the strength of a great shinobi clan, and it was only a portion of the Uchiha forces. Twenty Jōnin alone was an impressive number.
After all the Uchiha shinobi had arrived, Sora immediately summoned everyone to assemble.
On the field, the Uchiha shinobi stood together as a group, while the other shinobi formed their own separate group.
The contempt in the eyes of the Uchiha toward the other shinobi was obvious.
Sora and Nara Kubota stood at the front.
Sora's cold eyes scanned over the Uchiha shinobi.
Among the crowd, he spotted several familiar faces—Uchiha Fugaku, as well as Uchiha Kyousuke, Uchiha Keiichi, and Uchiha Ryuhei who had been with him before. He also recognized Uchiha Kazuo, with whom he'd had conflicts and fights.
Uchiha Kyosuke, Uchiha Keiichi, and Uchiha Ryuhei kept their heads bowed low, not daring to meet Sora's gaze.
Even after so much time, they still feared him greatly.
Uchiha Kazuo, on the other hand, glared at Sora.
Initially tricked by Sora, and then set up by Orochimaru, Kazuo had been thrust into the front lines of battle. He had survived several near-death experiences, and his resentment toward Sora had only grown with time.
Uchiha Fugaku looked at Sora with a complicated expression.
Now Sora was someone even he needed to respect.
However, other Uchiha shinobi looked down on Sora.
Though his reputation had grown significantly and he had awakened the Mangekyō Sharingan, in their eyes, Sora remained the abandoned son of the Uchiha clan.
Sora addressed the assembly: "From now on, all Uchiha shinobi are under my direct command. Jōnin among you, step forward."
Uchiha Kyosuke, Uchiha Keiichi, and Uchiha Ryuhei quickly moved out of formation and stood at the front.
Uchiha Fugaku followed closely and positioned himself beside them.
The other Uchiha Jōnin hesitated before reluctantly stepping forward.
Nara Kubota, standing beside Sora, kept his eyes fixed on the ground throughout, as if the situation had nothing to do with him.
If his guess was correct, Sora would immediately establish his authority. Kubota knew he must not get involved in this matter.
Though he also disliked the Uchiha, he was a member of the Nara clan and couldn't afford to offend them.
Seeing the reluctant Uchiha Jōnin, Sora sneered: "Each of you twenty Jōnin will take two Chūnin under your command. The remaining Genin will fend for themselves. Starting tomorrow, you will immediately join the battle and hunt down all Kirigakure shinobi in the Land of Waves."
He turned to the other assembled shinobi. "The rest of you! Stay where you are! Defend your positions. No one leaves the outpost without my direct order!"
Everyone's eyes widened in surprise—everyone except Nara Kubota.
Kubota had long anticipated that Sora would do this.
Uchiha Fugaku spoke up anxiously: "Sora! Please reconsider! I'm familiar with the situation in the Land of Waves. If we face the Kirigakure shinobi alone, we may not survive!"
Sora replied mercilessly: "I am your commander, so everything must be done according to my orders! This is my decision, and my decision is absolute! You need only to obey! You have no right to question my authority!"
Uchiha Fugaku frowned as he looked at Sora.
When he had learned that Sora would be leading the forces in the Land of Waves, he had felt uneasy.
As expected, Sora intended to take revenge on the Uchiha shinobi.
Fugaku's eyelids twitched with apprehension. He had a bad feeling about this.
Uchiha Kazuo glared at Sora. "You're taking revenge! Because the Uchiha clan didn't recognize you and expelled you, you're taking revenge on us now!"
Fugaku's sense of foreboding intensified.
"Kazuo! Be quiet!" he shouted.
Sora's face twisted into a sarcastic smile. "The Uchiha clan doesn't recognize me? Expelled from the Uchiha clan?"
His voice took on a dangerous edge. "Why don't you ask Uchiha Fugaku? Ask your clan leader Uchiha Masaki: is it the Uchiha clan that doesn't recognize me, or is it I who doesn't recognize the Uchiha clan?"
"Expelled from the Uchiha? I was never a member of the Uchiha clan, so how could I be expelled?"
Sora's eyes narrowed. "I will ask all of you one question: will you obey my orders?"
Uchiha Kazuo's mind was consumed with rage. "Everyone knows you're an abandoned child of the Uchiha clan. Why should we follow orders that will get us killed?!"
"Kazuo! Stop talking!" Uchiha Fugaku was extremely anxious, sensing that if Kazuo continued, disaster would follow.
Sora lowered his gaze to the sword at his waist. "I'll give you one last chance. Will you obey my orders? If so, kneel on the ground, confess your disrespect, and apologize to me."
Nara Kubota's eyelids trembled as he stared at the ground.
Sora wasn't truly offering a chance at all. How could he expect an Uchiha to kneel before him?
Uchiha Kazuo couldn't hear Fugaku's warnings anymore. All he could think about was Sora demanding that he kneel.
"You bastard!" Kazuo roared. "You're dreaming!"
The next moment, Sora drew his sword. Lightning chakra burst from his body, and in the blink of an eye, his figure appeared behind Uchiha Kazuo.
Then Sora calmly sheathed his sword.
Uchiha Kazuo clutched at his neck desperately as blood poured between his fingers.
Finally, he collapsed to the ground, his life extinguished.
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