The Land of Grass wasn't unfamiliar to Takeshi.
During the Third Great Ninja War, he had once led a team to destroy the Kannabi Bridge and annihilated an entire Iwagakure unit in the process.
He even helped Obito awaken the Mangekyō Sharingan along the way.
Returning to this old battlefield didn't bring Takeshi any good feelings—on the contrary, his expression darkened even further.
He was irritated. He couldn't shake the feeling that he had become some kind of chosen wage slave, constantly being tossed into mission after mission.
Even though his biggest dream was to cling to a few powerful backers, and once the old man "heroically sacrificed" himself while sealing the Great Bridge, he could inherit Root and become the next Hokage—pfft.
No, he meant to say—the next successor of the Will of Fire, living a life of comfort and luxury, free from worries about food or money.
In reality, it seemed like he had inherited the Will of Fire, but the wealthy lifestyle was nowhere in sight.
Reflecting on his recent actions, Takeshi suddenly became alert—had he somehow turned into Konoha's babysitter? Sent wherever he was needed?
Takeshi, you can't go on like this. You need to straighten out your mindset, firm up your beliefs, and have the courage to say no to the higher-ups!
"Takeshi, take Dokura and scout ahead for intel."
"On it."
Takeshi replied crisply, completely forgetting his internal monologue from just a moment ago.
Bringing along Dokura—who had graduated with him, but was still a Genin—he headed in the direction Nara Shikaku had pointed.
The two soon discovered the location of Kusagakure.
But at the moment, Kusagakure looked nothing like its usual self.
Out of respect for Kusagakure's once close bond with Konoha—like a father and son—Shikaku, the brains of the operation, had originally intended to persuade them with reason and emotion, convincing them to hand over the descendants of the Uzumaki clan.
But after hearing Takeshi's report, he immediately spurred the team forward and rushed to the village entrance.
The first thing he saw was the split-in-half village gate of Kusagakure.
"Hiss... this probably isn't some kind of Kusagakure-exclusive architectural art, right?"
Looking at the Kusagakure shinobi corpses sprawled haphazardly across the ground, Takeshi crouched down, poked one of them, then turned to Shikaku.
"Definitely not. It looks like Kusagakure was attacked, and judging by this kind of damage... it seems like..."
In Shikaku's mind, the first thing that came to him was the scene in Konoha's morgue—the bodies of their fallen comrades.
"Prepare for combat."
Shikaku's expression turned grim. He extended his right hand, ready to form hand seals at a moment's notice.
"Seems like what?"
Takeshi asked curiously. He hadn't fought the post-Mangekyō Sharingan Setsuna, so he had no idea what kind of ocular jutsu the guy used.
Focused entirely on searching for enemy signs, Shikaku didn't answer Takeshi's question. He remained alert and ready.
Once he confirmed that there were no enemies nearby, Shikaku directed a few members to form a standard defensive formation according to academy protocol and slowly began advancing into Kusagakure.
All around them were shredded corpses, some clearly scorched by Fire Release techniques.
"Help... help me..."
A barely audible plea for help came from a pile of bodies. The team exchanged glances before Shikaku used his clan's secret technique to pull the person out using his shadow.
To prevent a potential ambush, Shikaku deliberately placed the person in a spot where he could react in time.
After confirming that the injuries weren't a ruse, Shikaku gave a signal, and Aranka from the team tossed the wounded Kusagakure shinobi a basic medical kit.
Once the man had finished bandaging himself, Shikaku finally began asking him what had turned Kusagakure into such a mess.
Through a brief explanation, Takeshi and the others pieced together what had happened in the village.
Just a few hours before they arrived, two masked, unidentified individuals had led a group of bizarrely moving shinobi to attack Kusagakure.
Every Kusagakure ninja who tried to stop them had been instantly sliced in half.
It was as if an invisible slash had struck them down.
Upon hearing this, Shikaku immediately realized—the attackers were definitely the same Uchiha who had struck Konoha.
But this wasn't the time to bring that up, so he kept his expression neutral and motioned for the Kusagakure ninja to continue.
However, the man refused to say another word, clearly wary of Takeshi and the others as Konoha shinobi.
Seeing this, Shikaku didn't push. He just sighed internally—if only he had brought a Yamanaka clan member in the team.
Choosing not to waste more time, and knowing the attack had happened a few hours ago, Shikaku lowered his guard slightly, preparing to head deeper into the village to see if any Kusagakure leadership remained.
But at that moment, the previously rescued Kusagakure shinobi raised his hand to block them. Despite his deep, bone-revealing wounds, he stubbornly refused to let the Konoha ninjas advance further.
Now he finds his principles?
Wasn't this the same guy who had just been desperately calling for help?
Takeshi mocked him inwardly and then caught a subtle glance from Shikaku.
Ah, I see.
Instantly understanding Shikaku's meaning, Takeshi moved into a blind spot from the Kusagakure ninja's view, using the older man's tall figure as cover.
With a flick of his wrist, a volley of Ice Senbon shot out.
The Kusagakure shinobi, who had just pulled one foot out of the Pure Land, now had both feet firmly planted there.
The Genin in the team had all experienced the Third Great Ninja War, so no one was surprised by Takeshi's sudden strike.
Only Shikaku's expression was filled with confusion.
What just happened? I just wanted you to use your reputation to scare him a little, maybe get some vital intel. Why did you suddenly act like you understood and then just kill him?
As Shikaku tried to figure out how to tactfully ask Takeshi what exactly he had "understood," the next words out of Takeshi's mouth left him completely speechless.
"Captain Shikaku, we can use the chaos from the attack to forcibly retrieve the illegally harbored Uzumaki clan members."
Shikaku fell silent.
He recalled the drinking party he'd had not long ago at the Akimichi clan barbecue restaurant.
At the time, Choza had sworn up and down that Takeshi was nothing like his cold, hard father—that he was kind, gentle, and warm-hearted like a little sun.
He had protected his teammates multiple times on the battlefield.
Even before departure, the Third had told him personally that Takeshi wasn't like Danzō. He had inherited the Will of Fire and, just like Shikaku himself, was part of the moderate faction dedicated to the village's growth.
This was "moderate"?
This was "kind and gentle"?
This guy had exactly the same idea as his hawkish father—both wanted to forcibly seize the Uzumaki clan members from Kusagakure.
But then again...
Even if they abducted the Uzumaki clan members, as long as they wiped out all witnesses—who would know it was Konoha's doing?