In the forest.
Uchiha Shisui and the others were still concealed.
Suddenly, a series of unmistakable footsteps approached.
Soon after, Qingming appeared in the clearing, leading dozens of ninjas.
He glanced around and directly spoke, "Everyone, come out!"
Upon hearing this, several ninjas, each wrapped in bandages and looking somewhat weakened, emerged from their hiding spots.
Seeing their miserable state, the reinforcements finally believed that they had indeed been ambushed.
Uchiha Shisui swiftly made his way to Qingming's side and looked at Uchiha Hachi, saying, "Qingming, who are these people?"
In response, Qingming pointed to Uchiha Hachi and introduced, "This is our clan uncle, Uchiha Hachi. He heard that some mist ninjas breached the defense line and was worried we might be in danger, so he brought people to provide support."
"Oh, so it's our clan uncle! Shisui greets you, clan uncle!" Uchiha Shisui said respectfully upon hearing Qingming's words.
Uchiha Hachi nodded and looked at Uchiha Shisui, saying, "So, you are Shisui? Not bad! Very good!"
After a brief introduction, Uchiha Hachi did not engage in further small talk.
After all, there were still outsiders present, and many had just lost companions and friends. Being overly enthusiastic about meeting family could easily stir resentment among them.
While Uchiha Hachi wasn't too concerned about this, he still felt it necessary to be mindful of such things.
He began discussing matters with others, inquiring about the details of what had transpired.
Simultaneously, he sent out teams to investigate the previous battlefield to confirm the facts.
This was not due to a lack of trust in Qingming and the others; rather, it was a necessary procedure.
The village evaluated their contributions based on such investigations.
After all, reporting a mission could not simply guarantee an A or S rank; it wasn't that easy.
As a faction, rules were of utmost importance; without them, everything would fall into chaos.
Qingming didn't mind this too much.
On the contrary, the arrival of these individuals finally allowed him to relax a bit.
To be honest, he had little interest in managing people.
He would rather spend that time practicing 'Sage Art' again!
Previously, had it not been for the urgent situation—where the overall commander and deputy commander were sacrificed, and Uchiha Shisui struggled to maintain authority—he would never have taken on this mess.
Now, with Uchiha Hachi and others present, he could finally cast aside these trivialities.
He could now focus on utilizing 'Sage Art' and 'Chakra Refinement Technique' to enhance his body while continuing to develop his potential.
The group remained there for several hours, and by the afternoon, they finally set off toward the front-line command center.
The reason for the prolonged stay was twofold: Uchiha Hachi needed time to re-examine the battlefield, and Qingming's injured subordinates required time to recuperate.
Earlier, to conserve chakra and ensure everyone's stability, Qingming had only managed to stabilize their injuries without fully healing them.
In their current state, after hurriedly traveling for several hours, they were already exhausted.
Now that it seemed they were generally safe, there was no need to push themselves.
Thus, everyone took a break.
...
In the afternoon.
The group set off once again.
This time, there were no unexpected events, and they made steady progress. By evening, they finally reached the front-line command center.
This command center was located in the easternmost part of the Fire Country, near the coast. Just across the strait lay the territory of the Wave Country.
The overall commander was a jonin from the Nara clan named Nara Hikaru.
He was of the same generation as the current clan leader, Nara Kakuzu, and was also exceptionally intelligent.
Upon arriving, the first thing Qingming and the others did was meet with him and report the situation.
Upon hearing their account, combined with the findings from Uchiha Hachi's investigation, Nara Hikaru's expression turned grim.
It was clear he had come to suspect that someone was plotting behind the scenes.
After all, how could the mist ninjas easily breach the northern defense line?
To provide some context, the Hidden Leaf had set up three defensive lines and a forward base against the invasion of the Mist Village.
The northern defense line was closest to the Land of Water, while the southern line was near the Land of Whirlpool, with the central line in between.
All these defensive lines were laid along the coastline, divided into several layers to block the invasion of the Mist Village.
In the past, these defenses had not been breached without a fight, but never had all three layers fallen consecutively.
However, just yesterday, a group of mist ninjas had managed to exploit a defensive gap in the northern line, breaking through all three barriers and invading deep into the Fire Country.
Nara Hikaru had already suspected that there was more to this situation.
Now, with the support team having been precisely ambushed, he understood that this was indeed a conspiracy.
And who was the target?
Nara Hikaru glanced at Qingming, connecting the dots with the mission report and realizing that it was as obvious as a louse on a monk's head.
The enthusiasm for targeting the Uchiha clan, coupled with the ability to organize such an operation without leaving evidence, pointed squarely at Danzo and his root organization.
But Danzo...
Nara Hikaru shook his head.
After Qingming finished his account, he spoke again, "I've noted everything you said. Do you have anything else to add?"
Hesitating for a moment, Qingming ultimately decided not to mention the existence of Oil Girl Longma and the others.
Given Sarutobi Hiruzen's temperament, Qingming estimated that even if he knew, he wouldn't report it to Danzo. Moreover, he wouldn't mind weakening the Uchiha clan.
Since that was the case, what was the point in making unnecessary moves?
In this world, where power reigned supreme, fists were always more persuasive than words. Rather than bickering here, he might as well seize the opportunity to eliminate Danzo directly.
Then, all troubles would be resolved.
With this thought in mind, Qingming shook his head and replied, "That's basically it; I don't have anything else to add."
"Is that so?"
Nara Hikaru pondered for a moment, lightly tapping his fingers on the table. After a brief pause, he said, "Then you may leave to rest!"
"Yes, Captain!" Qingming replied and left without looking back.
Watching his departing figure, Nara Hikaru's gaze deepened.
He sensed that Qingming was withholding something.
However, without Qingming's disclosure, he had no way to know.
What he needed to do was report the breach of the northern defense line as soon as possible.
It wasn't that the matter was of utmost importance, but he needed Sarutobi Hiruzen to know who was behind it.
Otherwise, if this continued to happen, how would he maintain his position as the overall commander?
"Now, it seems only the Third Hokage can keep him in check."
Nara Hikaru chuckled bitterly as he began preparing the report.
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