Shua—
Activating his Body Flicker Technique, Uchiha Fugaku left the Hidden Leaf within just a dozen breaths.
The others were far behind him now.
Having absorbed the body of Uchiha Shisui, he possessed an exceptional talent for the Body Flicker Technique.
Through relentless training in recent days, his mastery had been advancing at a rapid pace—now rivaling Shisui himself.
Once beyond the village's borders, Fugaku did not immediately choose a direction. Instead, he stopped beside a tree, placed his hand on its trunk, and used its roots and underground water veins to make contact with a spore clone. From it, he learned the latest news about the Nine-Tails' jinchūriki, Uzumaki Naruto.
At that moment, Spore Clone One was covertly shadowing the five Iwagakure ninja who had abducted Naruto, using the Mayfly Technique to move undetected.
Every so often, the clone would transmit its position back.
Currently, the five were heading west, away from the Hidden Leaf.
"It's time to act."
Through the spore clone, Fugaku gave the order, then sped westward himself.
With the Mangekyō Sharingan, Spore Clone One possessed kage-level combat strength—more than enough to take Naruto back from five Iwagakure shinobi.
Earlier, if not for Fugaku's explicit command not to interfere, those five would never have succeeded in taking Naruto in the first place.
The reason was strategic—rescuing Naruto mid-abduction, after the village had already plunged into the crisis of losing its jinchūriki, would raise Fugaku's prestige far more than preventing the kidnapping outright.
West of Konoha, three men and two women were erasing their tracks as they moved swiftly away from the village.
One of the women carried an unconscious blond boy on her back—Naruto Uzumaki, the Nine-Tails' host.
These five were the Iwagakure jōnin assigned to escort their village's team for the joint Chūnin Exams.
"We've taken the Nine-Tails' jinchūriki. The Konoha genin in the exams will surely be blamed," one of the women said, unease in her voice.
Once the Leaf learned they were responsible, its fury would be inevitable. The twenty-plus Iwagakure genin in Konoha for the exams would likely become scapegoats—and might be killed.
Her heart weighed heavy with guilt.
"They're sacrifices for the good of Iwagakure. Their families will be proud of them," said the middle-aged leader.
From the beginning, the village had abandoned those genin. Their survival was almost impossible.
That was why the chosen candidates had been mediocre in strength and potential—losses the village could afford.
"But this isn't a sacrifice they agreed to," the other woman countered. "The village never considered their will."
"This mission is too important. Even the smallest mistake could ruin it. There was no room to consult them," another man said, shaking his head. "Regrettable, yes—but unavoidable."
"Their deaths will make Iwagakure stronger. And a stronger Iwagakure means fewer deaths on future battlefields," the leader concluded.
"Losing twenty genin now could save thousands of lives later."
The two women fell silent.
They had both fought in the Third Great Ninja War and had seen the slaughter firsthand.
Every day, comrades and friends died in such numbers their bodies could not be preserved—many had to be burned on the spot.
With grim faces, the group pressed on.
They didn't notice the pair of blood-red eyes watching from the branches nearby—eyes belonging to Spore Clone One, now ready to strike on Fugaku's orders.
Shua—
The five moved forward. The woman carrying Naruto stayed in the middle of the formation, guarded on all sides.
Suddenly, Spore Clone One emerged from the ground ahead of her, locking eyes with her.
"Demonic Illusion: Shackling Stakes Technique—"
The three-tomoe pinwheel spun within his eyes as genjutsu surged forth.
"Ah—!"
Gigantic metal stakes materialized from above, pinning her body in place. She could do nothing but scream in pain.
In a single step, Spore Clone One closed the distance.
Pssh—
With his right hand, the kunai slit her throat in a spray of crimson. His left hand lifted Naruto from her back.
Her eyes widened in shock as her body collapsed. Death had come too swiftly for her to even react.
"Damn—"
Their comrade was dead, the jinchūriki snatched from their grasp. Rage flared in the remaining four, tempered by a creeping dread.
They were no pushovers—each one an elite jōnin. But for someone to kill one of them so quickly in a surprise strike… the attacker's power was undeniable.
"You—Uchiha Fugaku?! Weren't you in the Forest of Death?! " one of the men blurted in shock, recognizing his face.
He had seen Fugaku personally enter the forest under the Third Hokage's orders to hunt Orochimaru. There was no mistaking it.
Yet here he was, impossibly.
If not for the complete lack of any Transformation Jutsu traces, the man would have suspected an impostor.
Fugaku's clone did not answer—only fixed him with a cold gaze.
"Don't meet his eyes! "The leader barked. The man averted his gaze immediately, but it was too late.
The clone's eyes burned with a dojutsu that no mere glance could escape.
"Amaterasu—"
The Mangekyō spun, and black flames of inescapable heat erupted across the man's body.
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