The capital of the Land of Fire.
This enormous city, where the daimyō resided, was located deep within the forest. Much like Konoha, it was backed by mountains, with rivers running through its interior.
Outside the city walls, rows upon rows of temporary wooden huts had been erected.
Like parasites clinging to rotting logs sunk in mud, they were packed together in dense clusters.
Uchiha Yu, Tsunade, and Hikari spent a full week trekking on foot, passing through many small countries and villages before entering the Land of Fire. After crossing vast stretches of forest, they finally arrived here.
Looking at the hastily built wooden shelters around them, Hikari's expression subtly changed. From these temporary dwellings alone, it was obvious that a large-scale war had taken place here as well.
"I wonder how the ninja village is doing now?"
"Those who didn't leave back then must regret it by now, right?"
"Yeah, the Konoha higher-ups promised they'd gradually open up the inner city and let us integrate into the capital."
As the three walked past a shed, they saw refugees gathered inside, faces full of worry, whispering among themselves without paying any attention to them.
In their eyes, the people here looked numb, their faces etched with suffering.
Uchiha Yu casually swept his gaze over them and instantly recognized that these were civilians who had fled Konoha back then, escaping together with the remnants of Konoha's forces.
And now, they had become refugees.
The trio arrived at the city gates.
The gates were tightly shut, and ninja patrols constantly moved back and forth along the walls.
Below the walls, many people squatted together in clusters, like ants waiting for food or for some opportunity to appear.
It was clear that the remaining forces of Konoha were overwhelmed and simply had no way to properly settle these refugees.
"Looks like we can't get in," Uchiha Yu sighed. "I plan to take my wife somewhere else to treat her illness, and also find a way to deal with this meteorite. What about you?"
Hikari shook her head and replied, "We can get in. Follow me."
As she spoke, Guang led the two into a forest. They waited until night fell, then she personally grabbed them and leapt onto the high city wall.
Their feet adhered to the stone bricks as they used the cover of darkness to sprint upward.
"Someone's climbing the wall! Someone's climbing the wall!!"
A half-starved refugee spotted the movement and cried out in alarm.
A patrol squad of Konoha ninja scanned the wall but found no trace of anyone.
The refugee was dumbfounded. The people he had just seen had vanished without a trace.
One of the Konoha ninja shouted harshly, "Anyone who spreads false alarms again can just wait to die!"
Hearing this, the refugees by the wall shrank back, muttering under their breath
"What are you acting so tough for? A bunch of losers who got defeated. You said you'd let us into the city… and now you treat us like refugees. Damn it, serves you right for losing!"
The refugees who had fled here were like crabs in a barrel.
The moment they saw someone escaping, they would desperately try to drag them back down.
On the wall, Hikari had already changed direction, heading toward a blind spot in the patrols' line of sight.
Tsunade sighed inwardly — this was the first time in her life she had been dragged along while climbing a wall.
This "nameless" woman was incredibly skilled in chakra control, and the power she could unleash through chakra was astonishing.
That was precisely why she could smash a ninja to death with a single punch.
Tap—
Under the cover of night, Hikari crouched on the city wall and set Uchiha Yu and Tsunade down in the passageway inside the wall.
Just as the three were about to move on, several black shadows suddenly flickered into existence, surrounding them in an instant.
Uchiha Yu chuckled softly. By now, Konoha's remaining forces had become skittish birds, their nerves stretched to the limit, terrified of anyone infiltrating the city.
But before the Konoha ninja could shout an alarm, Hikari's pupils flashed with a red glow, instantly seizing control of all the shadows that had appeared.
By the faint moonlight, Uchiha Yu finally saw who they were.
"Konoha ninja."
Hikari glanced at the ninja wearing metal forehead protectors, nodded, and simply let these Konoha ninja lead the way off the city wall.
Standing in the passage atop the wall.
Hikari gazed out at the night sky and the ground below. The crescent moon was bright, the starry river brilliant, and the entire Land of Fire was ablaze with light.
It was indeed different from the era she came from. The households in the city before her looked like clusters of fireflies gathered together.
If this era had no war, it would truly be a beautiful age.
Without thinking further, the group left the city wall.
At this moment, outside the wall, at the edge of the forest the three had previously passed through—
Whoosh—
A squad of Cloud Ninja silently used Body Flicker, landing on the tree branches. Under the full moon, the three Cloud Ninja stared intently at the city wall with blazing eyes.
"Captain, there's no chance now."
"Not necessarily. Capturing them doesn't require us to act personally. Besides, our reinforcements will arrive soon."
"Looks like you already have a plan, Captain. If we can catch this wandering Uchiha, Lord Raikage will definitely reward us heavily!"
The three Cloud Ninja whispered among themselves.
They too were part of the force responsible for abducting bloodline-limit ninja for Kumogakure, doing all the dirty work.
After passing through the Star Ninja Village and learning that another Cloud Ninja squad had been wiped out, they investigated the cause and set their sights on the three of them.
They had tracked them all the way here.
In the past, they wouldn't have dared to casually enter the borders of the Land of Fire. But now, the country was already fragmented and ununified, with no defensive line at the borders, making it easy to slip in.
The Cloud Ninja unit did not hesitate, moving cautiously. After avoiding another round of Konoha patrols atop the city wall, they vaulted over it and infiltrated the capital of the Land of Fire.
A crooked crescent moon hung in the night sky.
The streets of the capital glowed with light.
Because the clothing of Uchiha Yu and the other two was unremarkable, they didn't draw the attention of pedestrians.
The district was lively and bustling.
"These lights… why are they so bright?" Hikari lowered her voice, asking the "Madara" beside her.
In her era, even at night, when the most prosperous areas of the clan territory were filled with lit candles, it had never been this bright.
Not to mention that it was already late at night and various shops were still open, with people coming and going along the streets.
Uchiha Yu explained:
"Those are electric lights. Nowadays in the ninja world, electricity is used for illumination and in other industries as well."
"Lightning Release?" Hikari asked curiously.
"Mm, a form of natural energy simulated through Lightning Release."
Over these past few days of traveling together, the persona Uchiha Yu and Tsunade adopted was that of a long-suffering couple.
As for Hikari, she was an amnesiac Uchiha kunoichi. No matter what questions she had about life, Uchiha Yu would answer her.
The three of them got along quite well. And of course, Tsunade's inability to speak also greatly contributed to Uchiha Yu's plan of persuading Hikari.
"Let's find a place to stay first," Uchiha Yu suggested.
"Okay!" Hikari nodded.
The three entered an ordinary three-story inn and smoothly checked in.
Their rooms were on the top floor. Uchiha Yu and Tsunade shared one room, while Hikari stayed next door.
The guest room layout was simple: a wardrobe against the inner wall, a clean wooden floor with a bed in the center, and a large window.
Opening the window revealed the inner city of the daimyo. That direction was even brighter than the outer city, looking more prosperous and wealthy.
"Mm—!"
Tsunade sat on the bed, glaring at Uchiha Yu.
These past few days…
When the two of them were not in the same place as Hikari, Uchiha Yu would release his mental control over Tsunade for a while, letting her say a few words to vent her suppressed emotions.
"Alright, this journey has reached its final stop. What happens next depends on your performance," Uchiha Yu said as he lifted the control over her.
The room's soundproofing was excellent, so there was no need to worry about anyone eavesdropping.
Tsunade panted slightly. "Go on, what exactly do you want me to do?"
Of course, she understood why Uchiha Yu had placed her among Konoha's remaining forces.
Using the name of the Hokage, she was to gather intelligence and betray the very remnants of Konoha she was in charge of.
Sitting beside her, Uchiha Yu said, "Just act as you see fit."
Every night, he would shut off the cage space's perception of the outside world, otherwise Hashirama would already be nagging nonstop.
"You trust me that much?" Tsunade's emotions gradually calmed.
"I don't trust you. I trust those two idiots, Koharu Utatane and Homura Mitokado," Uchiha Yu replied.
With leadership like that, it would be abnormal if Konoha's remnants didn't end up in the gutter.
"..."
Tsunade was left speechless.
After a moment's thought, she said coldly, "Don't regret this!"
"Mhm, Shizune and Tonton are still in the village," Uchiha Yu reminded her.
"Bastard!"
°°°
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