Chapter 9: Old Tales of Cloud and Thunder, Three Rumors Make a Tiger
The campfire blazed high, casting its light against the dark wilderness sky.
Amid the soft rustling of leaves, faint cries and distant chaos could almost be heard drifting through the night.
Three figures sat silently around the fire.
Uchiha Setsuna glanced at the other two before finally speaking, his expression grim.
"The real danger of this mission… stems from an unexpected incident. Half a month ago, the Chinoike clan submitted their third confession letter to the Daimyo of the Land of Lightning."
"However, the envoy sent back by the Daimyo was killed on the road—and his head was later seen exchanged for bounty at an underground gold exchange."
"The Daimyo was enraged and decided to continue imprisoning the Chinoike. Desperate and with no way out, the Chinoike secretly reached out to Kumogakure."
"Kumo agreed to liberate them. In return, the Chinoike would become one of Kumogakure's bloodline clans."
Uchiha Seiichiro frowned, puzzled.
"But the Chinoike were already a bloodline clan from the Land of Lightning. Why would they agree to something like that?"
Uchiha Ci only shook his head slightly. Having read the original timeline, he had a faint guess.
Back in the Warring States era, a daughter of the Chinoike clan had married into the Daimyo's household as a concubine.
Not long after, the Daimyo died of illness—and jealousy and slander followed. The Chinoike were exiled to Hell Valley.
To put it bluntly, they'd once climbed high enough to taste nobility. There was no way they wanted to become soldiers again, killing and dying under Kumogakure's banner.
They preferred rotting in that valley prison, clinging to the hope that one day they'd be pardoned and restored as nobles of Lightning.
But now that pardon was gone. With hope extinguished, joining Kumo was the only move left.
And Kumo, on the eve of another Shinobi World War, couldn't be happier to have them. The Chinoike clan was no small addition to their forces.
Perhaps, Ci thought, the "murdered envoy" had even been Kumo's doing from the start.
Once that realization sank in, the entire situation became crystal clear to him.
The elder Setsuna didn't explain further to Seiichiro, only spoke solemnly:
"You only need to know this — the greatest danger right now comes from Kumogakure. That's all. Our top priority is to reach Hell Valley safely and rendezvous with the Uchiha stationed there."
"It'll be night soon. Seiichiro, you and Ci take turns keeping watch. Set up traps around the perimeter."
"That's all. Go."
Setsuna waved them off lightly.
Seiichiro, having gotten no real answers but plenty of grunt work, muttered curses under his breath as he rose.
Then Ci's eyes suddenly lit up.
"Wait—why aren't we traveling at night?" he asked.
"Wouldn't reaching Hell Valley sooner be safer under these conditions?"
Seiichiro shot him a scornful look, his lips curling.
"Ridiculous. Kid, don't tell me you've never even read the Shinobi Regulations? Should I recite them for you? Rule number one — a ninja should avoid night travel whenever possible, to prevent ambush."
[Uchiha Seiichiro looks down on you.]
Watching the invisible "caption" float by in his mind, Ci couldn't help but shake his head inwardly.
Sure, the logic made sense. But if they moved at a normal pace and only resumed at dawn… wouldn't that just let Kumo's ambushers sit there all night for nothing?
He hadn't come all this way just to camp — he came for one thing: battle.
Battle, battle, and more battle!
And besides, Ci wasn't suggesting this recklessly. He had his reasons.
A small grin spread across his face as he stood up.
"Specific situations call for specific strategies. It's pitch-black tonight — so dark I can't even find toilet paper if I go for a dump, let alone see an ambush. And we're Uchiha. What are you even afraid of?"
The confidence in Ci's tone came from their clan's bloodline — the Sharingan.
Even in complete darkness, those eyes could see the flow of chakra and perceive motion with unnatural clarity. Any ambush would be meaningless.
If they made use of that advantage, Setsuna and Seiichiro could easily break through any trap Kumogakure had prepared.
As for him — Uchiha Ci — who hadn't awakened his Sharingan yet…
He'd have no chance of survival in such a fight.
Which meant he could die gloriously.
Setsuna glanced upward, his old eyes reflecting the thick clouds gathering in the night sky.
But Seiichiro only sneered.
He took two steps forward, grabbed Ci by the collar, and yanked him up sharply, lowering his voice to a cold growl near his ear.
"Uchiha Ci, let me remind you again— It's because of you that I got dragged into this damned mission!"
Seiichiro clenched his teeth, his glare sharp as a kunai.
"What do you think you are? You think you're qualified to question the rules written by the Second Hokage himself? Do you have any idea how many shinobi die every year because they ignored those very rules?"
Silence. The air stilled, even the wind seemed to fade.
Ci met Seiichiro's cold, furious eyes calmly.
Then, after a moment, he said quietly:
"Seiichiro-senpai… you know why ninja climb walls? Because it's the simplest way through."
"But if breaking the wall is faster— Then for a ninja, smashing through it is fine too."
Ci smirked faintly, brushed off Seiichiro's grip, and said flatly:
"You've lost sight of the point."
The moment the words left his mouth—
CLANG!
A deafening metallic ring exploded beside his ear.
---
Hot springs often formed along mountain valleys and riverbeds — and the Land of Hot Water was known for its countless valleys and peaks.
From the Land of Fire to the Land of Hot Water, the terrain shifted from rolling hills to towering mountains.
Between those mountains lay a narrow pass — the only route crossing the Fire–Hot Water border.
At that very moment—
Beneath a large tree behind the pass, three figures dressed in Kumogakure uniforms were lazily roasting meat.
One of them, the youngest, frowned.
"Raimii-senpai, Todai-senpai… isn't it risky to be this relaxed?"
Raimii, the older of the two, looked completely at ease. He handed over a skewer of rabbit and replied calmly:
"Relax, Moloi. We've got Hot Water shinobi keeping watch ahead. If anything moves, we'll get the signal immediately."
"Besides, those Uchiha aren't made of steel. They've been marching all day. Knowing danger lies ahead, they won't move until morning. Get some rest. Tomorrow's battle won't be easy — we're up against Uchiha Setsuna himself. He must die here. Only then can the Two-Tails jinchūriki destroy Hell Valley's garrison."
Moloi looked at the three of them and exhaled slowly. The logic made sense.
A veteran jōnin, a special jōnin, and a high-level elite jōnin—how could they possibly lose?
And none of them were ordinary.
Raimii — a veteran jōnin, survivor of the Warring States era, witness to the Second Shinobi World War's peace summit, and one who'd seen the Gold and Silver Brothers' rampage firsthand. Age hadn't dulled him one bit.
Todai — an elite jōnin, one-eyed and clad in a black hat, right-hand man to the Third Raikage. Wielder of the Lava Release, examiner of the Hellish Lightning Hot Knife technique, and a man whose power nearly reached Kage level.
And himself — Moloi, a special jōnin and first captain of Kumo's barrier corps. Heir apparent to the barrier division commander's seat. His sealing arts, inherited from the Uzumaki, could immobilize even a jōnin who let his guard down.
Three of the strongest Kumo had to offer.
Even if another jōnin squad showed up, they wouldn't stand a chance.
For the sake of bringing the Chinoike clan into Kumo, this operation was worth every resource.
All they had to do was wait for Uchiha Setsuna—the hawkish leader of his clan—
…and bury him and his team right here.