At the Border of the Land of Fire.
Uchiha Fugaku and his party of thirteen encountered a group traveling in the opposite direction.
This group was composed of the surviving members of the Taiwa Merchant Guild. However, instead of transporting goods, the wagons were carrying the corpses of the deceased.
Inside one of the carriages, six corpses wearing clothes marked with the Uchiha clan crest were mixed in among the other bodies—these were the six Uchiha clan members who had been killed.
The six bodies were carefully unloaded and laid out flat on a straw mat.
An Uchiha clansman skilled in postmortem examinations stepped forward to inspect their wounds.
After a short while, he stood up and reported to Uchiha Fugaku.
"Clan Head, their injuries are few in number, but each wound is extremely severe. Judging from the nature of the wounds, the enemy was not only greater in number but also superior in strength. Additionally…"
At this point, the Uchiha's expression turned grim.
"All six of them had their eyes gouged out. The technique was precise, likely practiced specifically for this purpose."
"They trained to gouge out eyes? "
Fugaku's face darkened.
Ordinary bandits wouldn't go out of their way to practice eye-gouging techniques.
There was only one explanation: they had a reason to gouge out eyes; thus, they trained for it.
This strongly suggested the attackers were targeting the Uchiha clan specifically.
The Uchiha clansmen silently gathered around the bodies, bowing their heads in mourning.
"Rest assured," Fugaku said solemnly, "the clan will avenge you."
"Not one of those who attacked you will be allowed to live."
Fugaku stepped up to the bodies of the six fallen Uchiha, bowed his head in silence for a moment, and then said gravely,
"Seal their remains into storage scrolls. We move out."
An Uchiha took out a storage scroll and carefully sealed the six bodies within it.
The thirteen-man team resumed their journey, heading deeper into the Land of Fields.
Several hours later, they entered the heart of the Land of Fields.
"Clan Head, the town ahead is Shōda Town! "
One clansman took out a map of the Land of Fields and confirmed their location carefully.
"I'll operate solo. The rest of you split into groups of three and infiltrate separately in disguise. Search for the enemy without alerting them."
"Whether or not you find anything, regroup at the town center in thirty minutes."
Fugaku gazed toward the distant town.
"Yes!"
All twelve answered in unison, dispersing into prearranged teams.
They used disguises to blend in as ordinary civilians, approaching the town from different directions.
Fugaku transformed his appearance as well, becoming an unassuming man in plain clothes before slipping into Shōda Town.
Inside the town, old houses lined the streets. Few pedestrians walked about—it was clearly not a prosperous place.
"Sensory Technique—"
As he walked, Fugaku activated a sensory ability he had learned from the Yamanaka clan, scanning the surroundings.
"There!"
Passing a secluded street, he suddenly stopped.
Roughly several hundred meters away, inside a house, he sensed seven chakra signatures.
They didn't match any of his twelve subordinates—clearly, these were different people.
To be here in this town and not be part of the Uchiha team—the answer was obvious.
These were the ones who attacked the Taiwa Guild, kidnapped its president, Taiwa Yōshi, and demanded a large ransom.
However, according to the survivors, the enemy had numbered over a dozen. Now, only seven were present—something didn't add up.
"I'll get a closer look."
Fugaku stealthily approached the house.
Soon, he reached the vicinity but realized he couldn't get closer by normal means—any further and the shinobi inside would detect him.
"Mayfly Technique—"
Using the Mayfly Technique, he sank into the ground and infiltrated the house from below.
Inside, he saw the seven individuals whose chakra he had sensed earlier.
Seven shinobi in black clothing stood silently around the house, monitoring the outside through windows, door cracks, or other natural openings.
A bound man was also present.
He was dressed in what were once fine clothes, now dirty and wrinkled, as if he hadn't bathed in days. A cloth was stuffed in his mouth, and a black strip covered his eyes.
"As expected! "
Fugaku immediately recognized the man—it was Taiwa Yōshi, the president of the Taiwa Merchant Guild.
These shinobi were indeed the culprits who robbed the Taiwa Guild and kidnapped its president.
Fugaku did not act recklessly. Instead, he quietly withdrew from the house and made his way toward the town center to rendezvous with his team.
There were only seven shinobi here—far fewer than expected. He needed to hear what the others had found before making a move.
Moreover, when the time came to act, they had to strike all at once—giving the enemy no chance to escape.
At the town center, Fugaku quickly identified the disguised Uchiha operatives.
They posed as ordinary townsfolk, scattered among shops and buildings, appearing idle but remaining vigilant.
"This way."
Fugaku gave a subtle hand signal—one previously agreed upon to verify identities.
Then he walked into a secluded alleyway.
The others soon followed, quietly slipping away from the shops and joining him in the alley.
"What did you find? " Fugaku asked, dropping his transformation technique.
"I spotted one shinobi acting as a lookout."
"Same here—I found one keeping watch."
"I didn't find anyone."
…
One by one, they reported their findings.
Some had identified disguised lookouts among the townsfolk, while others had found nothing.
"I found seven shinobi inside a building," Fugaku said. "And also located Taiwa Yōshi, tied up."
"That makes over a dozen in total. The numbers line up," noted a female Uchiha.
Her name was Uchiha Wako, one of the two elite jōnin in the twelve-man team.
She had once been aligned with the Second Elder's faction, but with the entire Uchiha clan now under Fugaku's command, such divisions no longer mattered.
"Clan Head, what are your orders? " asked another Uchiha with a perpetually blank expression.
This was Uchiha Arashi, the other elite jōnin among the twelve. He had once been part of the First and Third Elders' faction.
Due to severe facial nerve damage from past injuries, he was incapable of any facial expression—his face permanently expressionless.
"According to your reports, there are six lookouts total."
"Uchiha Arashi, Uchiha Wako—you two lead teams to eliminate the lookouts. The remaining six will follow me to the building."
After a brief pause, Fugaku added,
"We move in thirty minutes."
"Yes!"
All twelve responded in unison.
Arashi and Wako led their squads away to take out the enemy sentries.
The remaining six followed Fugaku as they began their stealth approach toward the target building.
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