Knock knock knock—
The knocking resumed.
Three long taps, two short.
Inside the living room, by the window, the Uchihas all turned their gazes toward Nonoyu, who was studying the Byakugan.
Her expression shifted slightly, and she and Ao simultaneously activated the Byakugan to scan beyond the door.
Uchiha Yu raised his eyebrows, his deep black eyes flashing with thought.
He smelled blood.
Moments later, the other Uchihas also caught the scent, and all of them instinctively moved their hands closer to their weapon pouches.
Mei Terumi's face showed surprise.
"It's one of ours!"
She and Ao shouted in unison, quickly getting up and heading toward the door.
Nonoyu scanned the surroundings with a serious face, even checking the rooftop before quietly saying, "No enemy ninja nearby."
Click—
Ao opened the door, and a Hidden Mist ninja stumbled into the living room.
His armor was damaged—backplate shattered, twin crossed sword wounds on his back, and a kunai driven through his lower leg. Upon entering, he collapsed heavily.
Ao caught him, gently closing the door behind.
Seeing Ao and Mei Terumi, the ninja removed his mask, revealing a pale young face. Blood trickled from his mouth as his fading eyes locked onto the two of them. He spoke weakly:
"Master Genshi… and the other clan leaders… something's wrong with their minds… they ordered your capture… I sensed something was off… so I escaped… to warn you… run…"
With those final words, the Mist ninja gasped heavily, but before Nonoyu could apply medical ninjutsu, he breathed his last in Ao's arms.
Both Ao and Mei Terumi trembled. A heavy silence fell over the room. Mei gently replaced the fallen ninja's mask.
At that moment, Shizune and Tsunade—who had been resting upstairs—sensed the commotion and came to stand at the stairs, looking down at the scene.
"This place is no longer safe."
Though he felt numb from the death of a comrade, Ao was the first to speak, still holding the body.
Mei's expression was sorrowful, but she quickly pulled the useful information together and analyzed the situation with resolve:
"Even if the other clan heads have ordered our deaths, Genshi wouldn't. He must be under mind control—and the one controlling Genshi is likely the same person who's been controlling the Fourth Mizukage!"
Ao's eyes flickered. If all of Kirigakure's leaders were acting strangely, it practically confirmed Mei's long-held suspicion—that the Fourth Mizukage was under someone's mental manipulation.
"What do we do now? Are we really going to go against an entire hidden village?" Ao asked, troubled. He looked to Mei and sighed. "Should we retreat first and decide later?"
Mei lowered her eyes and forced herself to suppress such useless thoughts. She reviewed the current circumstances—
Then stole a glance at Uchiha Yu.
To her surprise, he looked completely unconcerned.
Originally, Mei had invited the Uchihas to act as muscle, so Ao could publicly verify whether the Fourth Mizukage was being controlled.
Once confirmed, not only Ao, but also Uchiha Yu—who excelled in mental manipulation—would certainly have the means to free the Mizukage.
And if during the process they clashed with the mastermind, then the Uchihas would be the perfect external force to counterattack.
But now, it seemed the hidden manipulator, wary of her alliance with the Uchihas, was willing to go all-in—even exposing themselves—to eliminate them.
Mei's heart sank. She looked at Uchiha Yu again, her clear blue eyes filled with unspoken inquiry. She asked seriously:
"What do you think our next move should be?"
If they were to oppose all of Kirigakure, only if he agreed would they have the power to do so.
Perhaps… if that terrifying dark-red demon could be summoned again, Uchiha Yu leveling the village was not entirely impossible.
As Mei spoke, everyone sat upright, automatically turning their attention to Uchiha Yu.
Even Tsunade, who usually looked down on Yu, found herself glancing in his direction.
Yu was just that powerful—so strong that even Tsunade didn't think facing Kirigakure alone would be suicidal for him.
After a moment of silence—
Yu glanced sideways at the corner of the living room, where Tamayo had earlier chopped up a potted plant.
He spoke coldly:
"Let's deal with the surveillance first."
The moment the words left his lips, the tree trunk in the flowerpot trembled ever so slightly—barely visible to the naked eye.
"Surveillance?" Ao looked puzzled. He immediately rebutted, "That's impossible. Nonoyu and I took turns using the Byakugan on the road—no signs of anyone watching us."
"She's right!" Nonoyu nodded, backing Ao's claim.
The Uchihas grew more serious.
Then, Uchiha Yu calmly walked toward Tamao, bypassing him and heading for the corner where the potted plant stood.
Without forming hand seals, he channeled Earth and Water chakra through his feet into the ground.
Staring at the seemingly lifeless plant, Yu explained:
"It's White Zetsu."
"That weird white monster!"
The Uchihas and Nonoyu immediately looked down, recalling the terrifying scene when they fought against swarms of humanoid monsters.
Yu had previously explained—they were creatures capable of hiding hundreds of meters underground, moving rapidly, and nearly undetectable.
"What's a White Zetsu?" Mei Terumi asked, her beautiful face full of confusion.
Just as she finished her sentence—
Boom—
The floor cracked.
The soil churned.
Under Yu's Mokuton, the roots of the potted plant thickened several times, wrapping around five wriggling White Zetsu, suspending them in the air in the corner of the room.
The Uchihas paled at the sight of those grotesque creatures again, their breathing growing heavier.
Tamao's scalp went numb. The moment he saw a tree moving, he was instantly reminded of Danzo.
Expressionless, he murmured, "So that's White Zetsu…"
"W-What…"
Mei's pupils dilated as she stared at the plant-like humanoids in shock. Beside her, Ao stood frozen as well.
"Hmm?" Tsunade raised an eyebrow in curiosity. One hand rested on Shizune's shoulder, the other gripped the stair railing as she leaned over to inspect the restrained pale creatures.
She was getting used to encountering the weirdest things whenever she followed Uchiha Yu.
"..."
The five White Zetsu twisted and struggled violently, but it was pointless.
They had originally hidden in the flowerpot to monitor the Uchihas.
One of them had panicked when a random Uchiha—apparently deranged—picked up a massive sword and chopped the plant for no reason.
At first, the Zetsu thought they'd been exposed and tried to escape underground. But they quickly realized the guy was really just crazy—he chopped the tree just for fun. It had them seething.
Later, they were still trying to figure out why the plant's roots—normally something they could merge with—suddenly turned into chains, capturing all of them at once.
Buzz—
Yu's right hand distorted space. He summoned the Dark Moon and walked toward the five suspended White Zetsu.
And with one smooth motion—
The blade fell.
Heads fell.
One by one, their lives were ended, and their bodies absorbed into a 300-cubic-meter storage space—saved for Orochimaru to extract cells later.
Before anyone could recover from the shock—
Uchiha Yu stood up, sheathed the black blade, and calmly stated his plan:
"No need to run. We'll head straight to the Mizukage Tower. Take down the one responsible for this mess, and Kirigakure's order will be restored."
That was his plan—no fancy strategy, just taking care of Tobi. No need to overcomplicate it.
When he finished speaking, both Mei Terumi and Ao paused. But as the image of the Valley of Judgment surfaced in their minds, their anticipation of Yu's actions was mixed with dread.
"Once we enter Kirigakure, I'll act alone. You all follow Mei's lead," Yu instructed the Uchihas, then looked up toward Tsunade standing on the stairs. She folded her arms and turned her face to the side with a snort of pride.
Shizune scratched her head awkwardly.
Yu said coldly, "Do as you please. Just get ready to move into Kirigakure."
Everyone moved into action.
In the kitchen, Mikoto had just finished cleaning. She was on her knees wiping a stain from the floor when Izumi came to call her.
Outside the inn.
The sea breeze was salty and damp.
This island near Kirigakure in the Land of Water was sparsely lit. Across the bay, the village itself was shrouded in white mist—completely dark, like a dead city.
Due to Kirigakure's full lockdown in recent years, the Land of Water's economy had declined. This inn likely would've closed down long ago if it weren't funded by Mei's faction within the village.
Yu refocused.
He gazed toward Kirigakure, stepped into the night, and arrived at a patch of open sand. Centering himself, he pulled up the main mission list.
> [Main Mission]: Allies
[Options]:
1. Help Kirigakure restore order.
[Reward]: Perfect Jinchūriki Body.
(Note: Allows for tailed beast containment without sealing techniques. No limit to the number of beasts.)
"Help Kirigakure restore order…"
Yu muttered the mission requirement aloud. A decision formed in his mind: As long as he eliminated the Kirigakure leaders under Tobi's control and helped Mei seize leadership, order could be restored.
And Kirigakure would become his ally.
As for Tobi...
That guy probably didn't know Yu's real objective in coming to Kirigakure was the Six-Tails and Three-Tails.
So, considering Tobi's mindset—how would he set up an ambush?
Use the tailed beasts?
Use the Akatsuki?
Tobi had only two options. And he understood well that even if he mobilized all of Kirigakure's current strength, it wouldn't pose a real threat to Yu.
And if he did choose to use tailed beasts against the Uchiha squad—Yu would welcome that.
If he used Akatsuki… the only real threat he could send would be Nagato's Deva Path Pain.
But with the organization still consolidating, Pain probably wouldn't show up.
"…"
Yu thought carefully. Tobi's logic was unpredictable, so he needed a backup plan.
As for the mission reward—
If he acquired the Six-Tails and Three-Tails, and completed the mission to obtain the Perfect Jinchūriki Body, then chakra deficiency would never be a concern again.
After that, he could focus entirely on Konoha—and absorb both Nine-Tails once and for all.
°°°
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