Three Uchiha ninja rushed into the prison cell and were instantly relieved by the sight—"Nameless" was still restrained in place as always.
"Good, that's a relief, but... what exactly happened?"
The leading Uchiha ninja felt his wildly pounding heart finally return to its normal rhythm. He gestured to one of his companions, who nodded in understanding and turned to leave—he was going to report that Nameless was still securely imprisoned.
"Send someone to repair the barrier immediately."
At this command, another ninja also departed.
But now a problem arose: if "Nameless" was still here, then who was the person who had just caused such massive chaos in the village?
More than one person had nearly been scared witless—surely they couldn't all have been seeing things?
"Transformation Technique... must be the Transformation Technique. Using such petty tricks—what twisted humor."
It seemed the only possible explanation. The infiltrator had used nothing but this simple trick to throw the Uchiha guards into complete disarray. While this indirectly demonstrated Nameless's intimidating power, it still made the lead Uchiha ninja grind his teeth in fury.
Being played for fools was humiliating, but setting aside the anger, the information revealed here was extensive.
First, the infiltrator could precisely destroy the barrier. Second, the infiltrator could use Uchiha Fire Release techniques. Third, the infiltrator knew Nameless's appearance and build well enough to replicate them perfectly...
What did this indicate?
If only one of these circumstances existed, it might be coincidence or deliberate disguise by the infiltrator. But all three together could only mean there was a mole within the Uchiha.
There was another suspicious point... that infiltrator had very likely reached Nameless's side, so why hadn't they killed her?
Under those imprisonment conditions, she couldn't possibly have any ability to resist.
Could it be that the opponent's goal wasn't just the Sharingan, but actually attempting to rescue Nameless intact? Honestly, wasn't that taking the Uchiha Clan too lightly?
"Nameless, what exactly happened here?" Thinking this, he immediately spoke.
Naturally, Nameless had no intention of responding. After all, even if she remained silent, what could the Uchiha do to her?
The remaining Uchiha ninja frowned, feeling Nameless was being unreasonable. With the village under invasion, shouldn't all Uchiha ninja prioritize the clan's interests? What did other trivial matters count for compared to the clan's overall welfare?
Easy to say when you're not the one tied up. If their positions were reversed and he was the one bound, could he still think this way?
Oh wait, he lacked both the qualifications and strength to warrant the higher-ups' wariness—how could he possibly end up tied up? Besides...
Wasn't there already an invisible dog collar around his neck?
...
White Zetsu also sensed something amiss. Since all the surveillance units had been wiped out, they hadn't even received news like "Nameless broke through the barrier."
White Zetsu dying from area-effect techniques was completely normal—they'd grown accustomed to it over a thousand years. But this kind of total annihilation, where not a single one survived—was that really reasonable?
No matter how you looked at it, the timing was too coincidental. It didn't seem like an accident, but rather like deliberate silencing.
Just as the local White Zetsu leader was growing suspicious and preparing to thoroughly investigate these two recent group elimination incidents, an extremely excited White Zetsu brought incredibly important news, completely diverting the leader's attention.
Forget about silencing—this minor matter could wait.
When that White Zetsu whispered the news to the leader, he nearly burst with excitement on the spot.
"Are you certain?"
"Certain. She just returned to the Uchiha, and according to our previous intelligence, she's suspected of having a pair of Mangekyō Sharingan. Combined with our current confirmation of her identity..."
Shichimi having a pair of Mangekyō Sharingan was unquestionable, but that didn't change her being less important than Nameless in White Zetsu's assessment. However...
Coincidentally, her younger brother was named Uchiha Tajima.
Even more coincidentally, Uchiha Tajima also possessed a pair of Mangekyō Sharingan.
"I must report this news immediately. Have two units move toward the main body at once and deliver this information in person."
The news was too important—the White Zetsu leader decided to use multiple communication channels.
What Uchiha versus Hagoromo conflict? Was that important? It was now light as a feather.
At this moment, even Uchiha Madara seemed less significant.
...
The two Hagoromo Clan ninja secretly infiltrating the Uchiha Clan prepared to summon their comrades hiding around the village's perimeter—they had found the target's location.
The Fire Release shooting skyward was so conspicuous that anyone not blind would see it, and then observation would reveal the truth.
Though they didn't know exactly what had occurred, the chaos made the Uchiha Clan's internal surveillance and defenses increasingly impenetrable. Even considering just this situation, they had no choice but to act quickly.
After all, they couldn't remain hidden in unfamiliar territory indefinitely.
Rewinding time slightly, Yūshin had just scratched Earth nature transformation from White Zetsu.
He was extremely pleased, even experiencing a strange sense of accomplishment. Think about it—this was like wild fishing, where all the river fish grew naturally. Wouldn't anglers be happy when they got a bite?
Though White Zetsu weren't Yūshin's domesticated creatures, successfully "fishing" them up was equally fulfilling.
It was all nature's bounty—White Zetsu in Yūshin's hands were no different from fish in an angler's hands.
After eliminating all the White Zetsu, he dove into the shadows cast by buildings in the night and vanished completely.
The pursuing Uchiha ninja arrived sluggishly, and upon finding their target gone, they searched frantically like headless flies while reporting the situation upward.
This was why people entered the barrier to check the prison conditions. Upon inspection, they discovered the target hadn't escaped at all.
Overall, all parties gained something tonight, but when the next round of action began, who would achieve their desires remained unknown.
More importantly, every gain seemed to harbor infinite risks on its reverse side.
Though he had temporarily mastered Earth nature transformation, it couldn't become Yūshin's immediate combat strength. His upcoming plans remained unchanged.
He informed Shichimi of Nameless's condition. Shichimi probably felt the other party's situation wasn't problematic or hadn't changed much from before, so she genuinely breathed a sigh of relief.
"What should we do next? Wait for those infiltrators to act?"
"Yes, because of what just happened, they've essentially lost the luxury of hesitation and delay... They'll either act quickly next, or choose to abandon the mission entirely."
Yūshin's actions weren't just pressuring the Uchiha Clan—they were simultaneously pressuring the infiltrators. Comparing the two sides, naturally the weaker party would bear greater pressure and be first to lose patience.
"Understood. Next we'll keep close watch on that location, ready to launch our operation at any moment."
"Right. Let's conserve our energy and await the opportunity."
After dawn, Yūshin and Shichimi didn't engage in any superfluous activities. They remained inactive, accumulating chakra while preparing to respond to sudden developments at any time.
That day, the Uchiha village was peaceful, but an atmosphere of impending storm continued brewing.
Another day passed, and the calm seemed to persist.
But when the second night fell again, Yūshin and Shichimi relocated, quietly hiding near their destination.
Both had a feeling that conflict would erupt tonight.
They concealed themselves in a nearby house's attic. The view was mediocre, but they wouldn't miss any disturbances in the surrounding area.
Boom!
Suddenly, a tremendous crash startled Yūshin and Shichimi awake. Shichimi vaulted through a side window, circled a few steps, then leaped onto the roof tiles.
Yūshin's upper body "phased" through the roof first.
They looked toward the distance where a massive summoning beast had appeared in the Uchiha village. It resembled a wild boar but possessed tusks proportioned like an elephant's.
Shichimi immediately frowned. Such large summoning beasts had terrifying destructive power—exactly what she absolutely didn't want to see.
Disregarding their previous plan, she formed hand seals directly, and Xiao Qi was summoned to her side.
"Xiao Qi, go deal with it."
Yūshin looked troubled, opening his mouth to speak but stopping...
He didn't know whether to remind Shichimi to follow the plan, or point out that having a fox barely larger than a dog face such an enormous summoning beast was somewhat unreasonable.
But Xiao Qi didn't slack off—it fearlessly charged toward the giant summoning beast.
Then, whether Yūshin was seeing things or not, he watched Xiao Qi run at incredible speed before diving headfirst into the giant summoning beast's body.
Was the giant summoning beast's hide and fur just decoration? No defensive capability?
No, that wasn't diving in—could it be some kind of "fusion"?
When Xiao Qi burst straight out from the summoning beast's other side, Yūshin felt its size had proportionally enlarged.
Xiao Qi turned back for another pass, continuing its attack on the giant summoning beast.
The infiltrators who summoned the beast had begun attacking the surface buildings above the prison, tying up large numbers of Uchiha ninja.
Seeing this situation, Shichimi also understood priorities. She said to Yūshin:
"Let's go. It's time for us to act too."
Yūshin nodded and merged into the wall again. Shichimi leaped down and sprinted toward a certain building.
They had planned to replicate Yūshin's previous infiltration method. The barrier had just been repaired, so destroying it again wouldn't be difficult.
But when they approached a barrier technique node, Shichimi suddenly noticed a forty-something Uchiha ninja emerging from the building.
She had no time to explain, only shouting loudly: "Wait, restrain this person!"
The opposing ninja was obviously startled, thinking Shichimi was talking to him. But in that moment of distraction, an arm suddenly extended from a pillar beside him, tightly gripping his neck.
"You, you are..."
Shichimi instantly appeared beside him, her scarlet Sharingan immediately opening. Complex patterns manifested in her pupils, followed by blood vessels filling her eyeballs and tears of blood streaming from her eyes... With the situation urgent, she began unleashing her Mangekyō Sharingan's power without reservation.
Even among Uchiha clansmen, without equivalent-level eyes, it was difficult to resist this ocular power. This unlucky ninja was instantly controlled by Shichimi.
"He's the person in charge here—at least, he used to be."
After exerting herself to complete the genjutsu, Shichimi explained her reason for targeting this ninja while catching her breath.
"Since he's here now, he's still in charge—at least one of those responsible."
Next, Yūshin tried commanding this ninja: "We need to see Nameless. Lead the way."
"Very well."
The man nodded somewhat blankly, then turned to re-enter the building's interior.
He walked ahead alone, guiding them until the barrier blocked their path.
He formed hand seals and opened the barrier's regular passage. The three of them began descending into the underground space.
Several minutes later, they arrived before Nameless.
"Can you remove the restraints on her?" Shichimi asked.
This time was different from before. When Yūshin had come previously, though Nameless was restrained, her mind was clear. But this time she seemed to have fallen into some kind of deep sleep.
"I can only release the physical restraints on her body. I lack authority to remove the seal on her Sharingan."
"Fine. Immediately remove all the restraints you can."
"Yes."
This ninja obeyed Shichimi's commands like a marionette, continuously forming seals to sequentially release the multiple layers of restraints on Nameless's limbs and torso.
"Is... is that Shichimi-nee?"
After these restraints were removed, Nameless awakened. She realized she had regained mobility, but when trying to struggle upright, found herself completely unable...
She was still too weak.
"It's me. Let's leave here first before talking."
Shichimi carried her on her back, ignoring the ninja under her genjutsu control, and prepared to depart.
But Yūshin stopped her. He grabbed the unlucky man's clothing, used it to cover Nameless, then transformed into her appearance.
"I'll go first, you follow after."
Though the seal on Nameless's eyes remained, she still made a gesture of looking toward Yūshin, sensing her own chakra signature from his direction.
"Alright."
Shichimi wasn't being stubborn. Having Yūshin draw away the Uchiha guards before she departed with Nameless was undoubtedly more reasonable.
...
The infiltrators and Uchiha ninja were locked in fierce combat, with more Uchiha ninja rushing from afar to provide support.
Three young ninja escorted a clan elder, moving swiftly. The young ones seemed dutiful and responsible, but the elder was chattering incessantly.
"Do your best to protect Nameless next, but if she falls into enemy hands... remember not to hesitate—kill her directly, try to recover her eyes or destroy them. Understood?"
The three young ninja exchanged glances, but none responded, because what they heard didn't sound like words a human could speak, so they felt no need to reply.
This elder didn't even care whether his words received acknowledgment. Would young people dare disobey his commands?
He remained immersed in his own world, continuously issuing various orders.
The ninja leading the way silently nodded to the other two, then quietly began adjusting their direction.
Soon, quite coincidentally, they encountered a team of infiltrators.
"Damn it, quickly—eliminate these enemies!"
The elder commanded loudly, then suddenly discovered that the guard ninja around him had already turned and fled.
In an instant, enemies had surrounded him. By the time he wanted to run, it was too late.
Next, the esteemed elder could have intimate exchanges with the enemy's kunai and shuriken.
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