"Senior Tatsuma, are you okay?"
Uchiha Jinroku asked, his eyes locked on Tatsuma's leg, where blood was pouring out without stopping.
"Don't worry about me," Tatsuma said through clenched teeth.
"Send the signal—fast."
A kunai tore through the air toward him at full speed.
"Water Breathing: Backflow Torrent!"
The kunai was deflected midair, blown aside by a powerful surge of water-like chakra.
Tatsuma and Jinroku instantly switched positions.
Jinroku drew his sword in one smooth motion.
"Water Breathing: Whirlpool Reversal!"
Jinroku spun, his body twisting like a current, and reappeared behind a shadowed figure.
His blade flashed—one clean slash.
The figure collapsed.
But before the body even hit the ground, another presence emerged from the darkness.
"I didn't think something like this was in the hands of the Uchiha clan," Orochimaru said, his eyes gleaming as he studied them.
"Water chakra sword mode? Or something else entirely?"
Jinroku glared at him.
"Why are you attacking us, you bastard?"
Tatsuma said nothing.
Instead, he hurled a bundle of detonating talismans straight at Orochimaru.
Orochimaru's eyes narrowed as he dodged away.
He didn't think Tatsuma was this reckless.
Tatsuma was not someone who wasted resources like this.
The talismans are activated.
Bang.
Bang.
Bang.
Explosions tore through the area, the sound rolling across the battlefield.
From the distant camp, people turned their heads toward Tatsuma's position.
The entire camp under Tatsuma's command was blown apart.
Orochimaru observed the scene calmly, already aware that chaos on this scale—and explosions this loud—would inevitably draw attention.
Too much attention.
His gaze shifted back to Tatsuma and Jinroku.
Lately, he had seen many Uchiha using strange variations of chakra modes—styles that went far beyond what the clan was once known for.
Each encounter only deepened his interest.
Just last night, he had received orders from the village to move toward the Cloud shinobi front.
Yet these new Uchiha fighting styles were far more tempting to a ninjutsu researcher like him.
He had tried many times to question Uzuku and Fugaku indirectly.
Fugaku himself didn't seem to fully understand these techniques.
And Uzuku… Uzuku never even gave him the chance.
That morning, Orochimaru had finally seen it clearly.
Jinroku was using a Water Style–based chakra mode.
That discovery gave him an idea—genjutsu.
But the moment he attempted it, he felt it.
A barrier.
Something subtle yet absolute blocked his technique.
Before he could analyse it further, Tatsuma noticed his attempt on Jinroku.
And that single interruption—
Had turned the battlefield into this disaster.
Tatsuma and Jinroku stood on opposite sides of Orochimaru.
The place where the camp once stood had now become a massive pit, scorched earth and broken debris scattered everywhere.
"Well, Jonin Tatsuma," Orochimaru said calmly, a faint smile curling on his lips.
"I thought it was an enemy who infiltrated the camp. I didn't realise the Uchiha were also so proficient in Water Style."
His gaze moved between Tatsuma and Jinroku, studying their stances, their breathing, and the way their chakra settled after battle.
He understood the situation clearly.
This was not a good moment to force answers out of them.
Not when attention was already on its way.
Tatsuma heard Orochimaru's words and immediately understood what he was doing.
He's diverting the situation.
Jinroku, on the other hand, didn't bother with restraint.
"Do I look like a Kaguya to you?" he shouted, his chakra flaring as he revealed his Sharingan, the tomoe spinning sharply.
"With these eyes?"
Orochimaru paused for a fraction of a second.
Then he chuckled softly.
"Well," he said, tilting his head slightly, "it seems I may have overlooked that in my suspicion."
"So you went straight for an attack?" Jinroku said, clearly unsatisfied with Orochimaru's reply, his grip tightening around his sword.
Before Orochimaru could answer—
"What happened here?!"
Uchiha shinobi from nearby positions began arriving one after another.
They stopped abruptly, staring at the destruction in front of them—the camp reduced to a ruined pit.
Shock spread across their faces.
So did worry.
The first thought that crossed their minds was the same.
An enemy had infiltrated the camp.
Then—
"Tatsuma, are you alright?!"
Uzuku rushed forward the moment he saw the blood on Tatsuma's leg, his expression tightening with concern.
Fugaku arrived right behind him, followed closely by several others.
Their attention instantly locked onto Orochimaru and the devastated battlefield.
"Orochimaru," Fugaku said coldly as his gaze settled on him, "where is the enemy?"
"Well," Jinroku replied before Orochimaru could speak, his voice edged with restrained anger, "he is the enemy."
That single sentence threw the scene into confusion.
Fugaku frowned, and the Uchiha present exchanged uneasy looks, their attention shifting between Jinroku, Tatsuma, and Orochimaru.
Jinroku then explained everything—from the sudden attack, to the attempted genjutsu, to how the camp had been turned into ruins.
As the explanation ended, understanding slowly spread among them.
So did the tension.
Fugaku looked at Orochimaru for a long moment.
Orochimaru met his gaze and said calmly,"Well, this was a misunderstanding—one that anyone who knows the Uchiha could easily make."
Fugaku sighed.
"Well… let it be, then," he said at last, deciding that turning this into something bigger would not help the situation.
On the other side, Uzuku had already knelt beside the bleeding Tatsuma.
He took out a medical pill and handed it to him.
The moment Tatsuma swallowed it, chakra flowed through his body.
The bleeding slowed.
Then stopped.
Tatsuma's breathing steadied as his condition visibly improved.
Orochimaru witnessed the entire process.
For the first time, surprise openly crossed his face.
He turned toward Uzuku."Well," he said softly,
"there seem to be many… miraculous things the Uchiha possess now. Why not report them to the village?"
Uzuku said nothing.
Only after Tatsuma's bleeding had fully stopped and his body relaxed did Uzuku finally look up.
His gaze met Orochimaru's.
Emotionless.
Cold.
For a brief moment—
Orochimaru felt something he hadn't expected.
And that look alone was enough to leave him stunned.
"We didn't report it because these are Uchiha property," Uzuku said flatly."And if we ever decide to sell it, we'll inform the village ourselves."
He took out another pill and held it up between his fingers.
"What—do you want to grab it?"
He extended his hand slightly, offering it openly.
"Try it," Uzuku continued, his voice calm, almost indifferent.
"I assure you… It will be the last thing you ever touch in your life."
His face remained emotionless.
But the anger burning in his eyes was unmistakable.
Uzuku had understood Orochimaru's intentions from the very beginning.
Now he knew it for certain.
Orochimaru hadn't attacked because of confusion.
He had attacked because he wanted what the Uchiha possessed.
And for that—
Uzuku could not let it go.
Fugaku, who had heard Uzuku speak to Orochimaru like that, felt something was off.
Uzuku was never this kind of person.
Despite being a Hawk member, he had always been polite and controlled.
But now—
"Uzuku, you—"
Before Fugaku could finish, Orochimaru's attention fully settled on Uzuku.
"Interesting," Orochimaru said with a smile. His eyes were cold as ever.
"What do you mean by this, Uzuku?"
"Are you… challenging me?"
He stared at Uzuku like a snake watching its prey.
Uzuku didn't flinch.
He held Orochimaru's gaze, then let out a slow sigh before speaking.
"Listen carefully, Orochimaru," Uzuku said.
"You think you can take our secrets, and that we'll simply hand them over because you're a Sannin."
His eyes hardened.
"Your greed has been obvious from the very beginning."
"I'm letting this go only because we're on a battlefield," Uzuku continued, his voice steady, "for attacking one of my clan members."
"But if you think you can do whatever you want—"
Uzuku took a step forward.
"—then remember this."
"You are a single man," he said coldly, "but every Hawk member standing here will not hesitate for a second if I order them to kill you—at any cost."
His words settled like a blade against the throat.
"We are not a strong clan in name only."
Orochimaru listened to Uzuku's words, then slowly looked around.
Several Uchiha were watching him—quiet, still, their gazes identical to Uzuku's.
Cold.
Ready.
He understood then.
What Uzuku was saying was not a threat.
It was the truth.
"Well," Orochimaru said at last, shrugging lightly, "it seems this incident has caused a deep misunderstanding between us."
Then his tone shifted—calm and official.
"However, as a shinobi of Konoha, I will have to report the medicine you used. You can understand its potential impact on the village."
His eyes moved between Uzuku and Fugaku as if stating a simple fact.
Hearing this, the other Uchiha relaxed slightly.
The tension didn't vanish—but it loosened.
Fugaku, however, did not.
His expression darkened.
"You don't need to concern yourself with me," Orochimaru continued.
"I'll be leaving this battlefield soon."
He turned fully toward Fugaku.
"From this point onward, Uchiha Fugaku will act as the commander here."
Fugaku met his gaze, his face grim.
He knew what that meant.
Managing a battlefield with only a handful of Uchiha…
And if reinforcements didn't arrive soon—
It would be difficult.
Very difficult.