In a narrow alley.
In a dim corner—
BANG—
Ebisu's two shadow clones burst apart instantly, scattering into dust.
The three men stood frozen in the darkness, staring straight at the figure walking in from the alley entrance—
Hikari.
Behind his pitch-black sunglasses, Ebisu's eyes widened, sweat beading on his forehead. His throat tightened, and he swallowed unconsciously.
This overwhelming, immobilizing pressure—
They had become all too familiar with it lately.
It was the ocular power Uchiha Yu often used when crushing Konoha.
But what shocked Ebisu even more was that the person following them into their own territory…
was actually a young girl.
And she possessed the very same terrifying Mangekyō Sharingan that frightened them so deeply.
She was also an Uchiha.
A moment later, the three men saw another figure appear behind her—a tall, long-haired man with a strikingly handsome, commanding face.
"Another Uchiha?"
Ebisu's expression hardened, his breath nearly stopping entirely.
Looking closer, the man and girl—one older, one younger—did share a certain resemblance.
"Do you know Uchiha Itachi?"
Hikari asked, sweeping her gaze across the three of them.
Hearing the question, Ebisu glanced sideways at the two teammates beside him. All three looked nervous, hesitant.
Revealing information about a fellow shinobi under circumstances like this—
that amounted to treason.
The punishment afterward would be severe.
And the Will of Fire did not allow them to betray their comrades.
But… Itachi was no longer welcomed in Konoha.
All the clan heads despised him.
Sharing information about him… wasn't entirely out of the question.
Ebisu suspected this girl was either Uchiha Yu in disguise
—or another surviving Uchiha seeking revenge on Itachi.
The three men wrestled with their thoughts, watching as Hikari prepared to act.
"I-I know him…" Ebisu blurted, answering quickly before she moved.
Seeing Ebisu speak up, the other two Konoha shinobi didn't glare at him or show any resentment.
Instead, they both exhaled in relief.
They were afraid that lacking "useful value" would get them killed on the spot—
which would've been far too unfair a death.
After all, Itachi was no longer welcomed among Konoha's clans.
And right now, Uchiha Yu's revenge rampage had trapped them all in fear.
Everything began because Itachi teamed up with the masked man to wipe out the Uchiha clan.
"He's here?"
Hikari continued.
"Yes," one of the three replied.
"Is it true the Uchiha clan was massacred?" Hikari asked, voice tightening.
"Yes…"
"And the real culprit was Uchiha Yu?"
"I… I don't know. At first, the village claimed Yu was the one who did it. But after Yu led the surviving Uchiha to seize the village, he used genjutsu to reconstruct the massacre night for many to see. In the illusion, the one who caused the Uchiha clan's destruction was… Itachi."
Ebisu answered truthfully.
"Uchiha Yu took over Konoha?"
Hikari's brows furrowed sharply.
If Yu occupied Konoha… then what was this place?
Did Madara bring her to the wrong location?
But this really was a place crowded with Konoha shinobi—that much she hadn't gotten wrong.
However, Madara's homeland was far from the Land of Fire's Konoha, so mistaking the exact location was normal.
Besides, the Uchiha clan's massacre happened pretty much as she imagined. To understand the truth, she might have to personally seek out that man, Uchiha Yu, and talk to him.
Then, with Uchiha Yu accompanying her, Hikaru questioned Ebisu and the others about recent events in Konoha.
Ebisu answered honestly. None of it was a secret—sooner or later, the entire ninja world would hear about it.
"..."
After hearing everything, Hikaru fell silent. What shocked her most was learning that Uchiha Yu had overthrown the great clans who founded the shinobi village…
And then expelled them from the territory.
If this had happened in her own era, it would be the same as a single person defeating all the ninja clans and claiming everything they owned!
A feat neither she nor the entire Uchiha clan had ever accomplished—and yet it happened after the Uchiha clan had already been wiped out.
"..."
Hikaru's brows tightened. She suddenly felt like this Uchiha Yu was the very center of this era.
All major recent events in the shinobi world revolved around him.
At the alleyway entrance, Uchiha Yu watched Hikaru's serious little expression. His face remained calm, but inside, he sighed:
"In the end, she's still just a young girl. None of her questioning hit the important points."
So much so that she didn't notice any of the flaws in the misleading directions he'd given her.
Of course, Uchiha Yu suspected this was connected to the era Hikaru came from.
In Hikaru's time, the various ninja doctrines probably hadn't developed yet.
Most conflicts between clans—when they fought over missions—were resolved through direct combat.
Infiltration, espionage, interrogation… these methods weren't used much.
Ninja from Hikaru's era were likely more like chakra-using warriors, still unaware of the darker arts of shinobi.
Their way of acting resembled a sheet of paper, half stained with ink while the other half remained pure white.
…
…
At the Daimyō's residence—its walls towering—Konoha's upper ranks were stationed near the inner palace.
The Daimyō allowing these shinobi to remain so close to his own living quarters already showed great consideration, given his past ties with generations of Hokage.
Of course, there was also the possibility that he wanted the Konoha shinobi to serve as bodyguards.
In the past, Konoha always sent guardian shinobi to protect the Daimyō. Now, the entire remaining strength of Konoha was gathered around him.
Inside a refined courtyard—
Guided by a Konoha shinobi, Koharu Utatane and Homura Mitokado, inside their office room, received three unusual visitors.
The same three Cloud shinobi who had sneaked over the walls into the Land of Fire's capital earlier.
"Cloud shinobi?"
Koharu narrowed her eyes as she and Homura sat on the floor, facing the three. Seeing the Cloud forehead protectors, her voice grew icy.
She didn't bother showing them any courtesy. After all, Kumogakure was one of the culprits behind Konoha's current miserable state.
Even though, thanks to Uchiha Yu, the various villages had cooperated briefly at the end of the war…
Right now, Koharu and Homura's eyes were bloodshot, faces haggard.
Likely the result of many sleepless days—exhaustion had clearly overtaken them.
And Homura's hair, burned off by the Edo Tensei Uchihas during their escape, was now replaced with a ninja hat similar to the one Hiruzen once wore.
"Honored elders, we have come seeking cooperation with your village."
The Cloud team captain spoke as he took out three scrolls, offering them to the two Konoha advisors.
Seeing no reaction from the two old men, the captain explained:
"We are pursuing a bloodline-limit shinobi who defected from Kumogakure. The middle scroll contains her portrait. The other two scrolls hold the portraits of her companions."
When he finished—
Another Cloud shinobi added:
"Konoha must be desperate to build deep alliances with other villages right now. If Konoha helps Kumogakure complete this mission, Lord Raikage will certainly consider advancing further cooperation."
The Cloud-nin captain nodded, carefully sizing up the two old men in front of him.
This was his scheme to have someone else do the dirty work. As long as they didn't reveal the identity of that Uchiha girl and framed their role as merely assisting the Cloud-nin with the mission, they might get the remnants of Konoha to take action.
After all, one of the Legendary Three Sannin — Lady Tsunade — was among that group. Konoha would surely be interested.
°°°
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