Night fell like a curtain, and the bright full moon ascended into the sky. The river's surface mirrored the countless stars, occasionally disturbed by startled egrets taking flight.
Kurenai Yuhi crouched by the bushes near the riverbank.
Asuma and the others stood on tree branches.
Five people and a dog, all alert, carefully observing the upstream section of the not-so-wide river.
The river breeze gently lifted the loose, wavy strands of Kurenai's hair that framed her forehead.
Her graceful silhouette floated above the water beneath her snow-white feet, radiating elegance as she swayed with the shimmering waves.
Just a few minutes earlier, Asuma had led the team to set explosive tag traps across the river. Any unsuspecting ninja, even a Jonin, who wandered into this minefield would surely be obliterated.
Kurenai's almond-shaped eyes revealed her concern—she was torn, fearing that Kuroki would come, and fearing just as much that he wouldn't.
Her breathing became rapid, and her heart raced.
If Kuroki showed up...
She had to save him immediately. As for the other Uchiha, they could be ignored.
Kurenai's pupils trembled slightly as she made her decision. She was never one to hesitate once a choice was made.
She had developed this resolute personality due to the night of the Nine-Tails' attack.
Her father, Shinku Yuhi, a Chunin and instructor for Konoha's lower-ranked ninja, had been responsible for protecting and evacuating the newly graduated Genin, including Kurenai's peers, during the Nine-Tails' rampage.
As her father treated her like a child, Kurenai, at that time, stood up against his authority, insisting that as Konoha shinobi, even if they couldn't fight, they should participate in the rescue efforts.
That night, Kurenai opened her heart to her peers, such as Might Guy and Kakashi.
Her father, Shinku, eventually approved of her and entrusted her with the Will of Fire.
But no one knew...
It was Kuroki who had encouraged her to be brave, the one who stood beside her that night, continuously urging and comforting her.
During her moment of hesitation, Kuroki had given her the push she needed.
That night, Kurenai witnessed her father and other Jonin perish under the claws of the Nine-Tails.
Had it not been for Kuroki 's encouragement to express herself, her peers might have been safely evacuated.
She would never have been able to stay by her father's side during his final moments as he called out her name before passing away.
"What's on your mind, Kurenai?"
Asuma noticed Kurenai's vacant gaze and jumped down from the tree, asking curiously.
Kurenai snapped back to reality, taking a half step back to distance herself from Asuma. She shook her head, saying, "Nothing."
Asuma frowned, giving a bitter smile, and then leapt back into the tree.
...
At the foot of Kikyō Mountain, the trees were dense.
The Uchiha rouge squad made their way along a mountain path. To their east lay the brightly lit Kikyō City and the silver, ribbon-like river.
"Achoo—"
Kuroki sneezed, wiping his nose as his cold, aloof expression returned. He continued leading the group, leaping from tree to tree.
His sharp gaze allowed him to discern their direction even in the faint moonlight.
During the journey, Kuroki 's mind raced as he constantly reviewed and refined his defection plan, while also considering the current state of the shinobi world.
Before and after the night of the Uchiha massacre, the shinobi world seemed calm on the surface. Beneath that, there were no undercurrents or significant events.
"If there's none, then I'll create one!" Kuroki thought to himself.
The more chaotic the shinobi world became, the safer it would be for him to operate under the radar.
Otherwise, the five great ninja villages would be focused entirely on his Uchiha defector squad.
Even with his powers of the Eight Thousand Spears and Kotoamatsukami, survival in the shinobi world wouldn't be guaranteed.
But Kuroki already had a plan to stir things up, and their defection was part of it.
After the battle with Danzo, Kuroki had reached the limits of his Eight Thousand Spears Mangekyō Sharingan. With his full-strength Mangekyō Yin Release chakra, he could control around 120 elite ninja at the level of Danzo's Root members.
This was due to his relatively weak eye power. An Uchiha's ocular power stemmed from the transition from love to hate—the stronger the hatred, the greater the eye power. It was also linked to mental fortitude and chakra strength.
Kuroki currently had no quick method to enhance his power, so he could only strengthen his mind and perfect his chakra control over time.
"It's been almost three days since the massacre. My Eight Thousand Spears chakra has only recovered to about 30%, but Kotoamatsukami has fully recharged. That should be enough."
Kuroki felt reassured.
The original host of his body had been the captain of the Uchiha Police Force and a master of Uchiha swordsmanship, fire techniques, and close-combat Taijutsu.
But even with these skills, if Kuroki only had a pair of Mangekyō Sharingan with a single ability, the pressure of escaping would have been immense without the strongest genjutsu, Kotoamatsukami.
As for Susano'o, he was still exploring its capabilities.
That was why Kuroki had been determined to kill Danzo, despite the risk, to obtain the Kotoamatsukami Mangekyō.
As the squad moved over a hill...
Shush—shush—shush—
Five shadowy figures rose from waist-high bushes, blocking the path of the Uchiha defectors.
Under the moonlight, it was clear the five wore forehead protectors and wielded weapons.
Uchiha Kuroki was the first to stop, crouching on a tree branch. He activated his three-tomoe Sharingan, staring straight ahead, and raised a hand to signal to the others behind him.
At that moment, besides Naruki, who was carrying Tamao, and Izumi, who was looking after Mikoto, the rest of the Uchiha clan members swiftly disappeared into the shadows of the night forest, spreading out in hidden positions. Their movements were quick and coordinated, showing a remarkable level of teamwork.
Mikoto's beautiful, dark eyes flickered with a hint of surprise. The Uchiha clan's ninjas truly possessed such excellent improvisational skills. Yet, as a fellow three-tomoe Sharingan wielder and a Konoha Jonin, Mikoto also understood that no matter how strong the individual combat capabilities of the team members were, without a leader to act as the backbone, it would be impossible to achieve such seamless coordination and collective action.
"What exactly has he done to earn your respect and genuine trust to this extent?" Mikoto's eyes flashed with confusion as she looked at Izumi.
Izumi shot Mikoto a disgruntled look, gripping the ninja sword in her hand tightly, ready for action but did not respond. She was still pondering whether this old woman was a good match for Captain Kuroki . So what if she was Itachi's mother? Did being Itachi's mom give her the right to cradle rob?
Izumi puffed up her cheeks, gripping her sword tightly. If it weren't for the need to watch over this woman beside her, she could have been fighting alongside Captain Kuroki right now.
Mikoto, puzzled and confused by Izumi's animosity, mistakenly assumed the girl was still alienating her. She had no idea that on the night of the clan's massacre, when her elder son was slaughtering civilians, Kuroki had led these Uchiha members in a surprise attack, assassinating key figures in the Konoha leadership and killing Danzo Shimura to avenge the clan.
Izumi suddenly sighed. "Sigh, it seems Captain Kuroki 's choice might not have been the best. Choosing the mountain path, we've now encountered a team of pursuit ninjas. If we had taken the water route, things might have been different."
Mikoto paid little attention to Izumi's rambling. She naturally maintained her gentle and serene demeanor, her beautiful eyes fixed on Kuroki 's upright figure ahead.
At the front of the group—
"Hmm?"
Kuroki squinted his eyes slightly, analyzing the situation. In the next instant, he decisively drew the ninja sword from his back and dashed toward the five shadows in front of him.
In just a split second—
Mikoto's eyes widened, and she only saw a blur before the scene became clear again. Not only had Kuroki reappeared, but the other Uchiha members who had left earlier had also reemerged. They had surrounded the five shadows, their swords crossed against the necks of the five individuals, who were caught completely off guard.
The scene fell into a dead silence.
Kuroki 's sword pressed against one man's throat, the sharp blade cutting into the skin and drawing a line of blood. He took advantage of the moonlight to glance at the man's face. The person was a young man, gaunt-faced, wearing a rogue Hidden Mist forehead protector, with sweat beading on his forehead but a fierce glint in his eyes, his hands tightly gripping a bow.
The gaunt youth was also sizing up Kuroki when suddenly his pupils shrank, and he exclaimed in joyous surprise:
"Captain Kuroki !!!
It's me.
Jaeger!
You saved us before."
(End of the chapter)