"Green Medicine... no instructions, just a plain name. Given the reward is tied to the task, it's most likely a healing agent."
Kuroya steadied his mind as he walked toward the rear of the squad, his curiosity piqued. The task system had always been like this—erratic in its assignments and abstract in its rewards.
He glanced at his mental "Task List," focusing on the Main Mission. Whether main or side, once issued, the missions were etched into his consciousness in text.
[Main Mission]: The Night of the Massacre[Options]:
Eliminate the rest of the Uchiha. Successfully escape Konoha Village. [Reward]: (Plunder) – Seize another's Mangekyō, absorb its ocular power, and acquire its unique ability.
They had physically left the village, but the mission remained incomplete. Kuroya's hunch was correct: the system judged that they weren't "successfully" clear yet. He estimated the mission would only conclude once the squad was either entirely safe or had wiped out their pursuers and crossed the border of the Land of Fire.
"Captain... Tamao's wounds are bleeding heavily again..."
The young Uchiha carrying Tamao looked frantic, sweat beading on his forehead as he glanced back. Tamao lay limp on his back, his head, chest, and limbs wrapped in blood-soaked bandages. He looked like a crimson mummy. His breathing was visibly shallow.
The squad halted, looking at Tamao with a mix of urgency and lingering fear. Recalling Danzō's high-level Wind Style, they felt a shiver. Except for his back, Tamao didn't have a single patch of intact skin; he looked as though he had been subjected to the "Death by a Thousand Cuts."
Izumi's eyes filled with worry for her comrade. She cursed herself for not studying Medical Ninjutsu while in Konoha. Every Uchiha present knew the truth: no one was coming to help them. They wouldn't find a medical ninja on this road. Tamao would likely die before dawn.
Kuroya frowned. He focused his spirit and reached his hand out into the empty air. The gesture confused the others. A moment later, they watched in awe as two items materialized in his hand, as if he had performed some profound space-time ninjutsu.
"Kuroya is truly full of surprises," Uchiha Nanfu thought, adjusting his glasses. Even Mikoto, though still under the influence of Yachiyamato, showed a flash of astonishment.
Kuroya produced a small black porcelain bottle and a yellow-wrapped packet of 'Soldier Pills.' He shook out one pill from each and forced them into Tamao's mouth. The black bottle contained a medical pill designed to actively stimulate chakra. He handed the supplies to the youth carrying Tamao.
"Feed him one of each every hour," Kuroya instructed.
The youth took the bottles. The group breathed a sigh of relief, but a shadow of concern remained. Kuroya was using a brutal method: flooding Tamao's body with chakra to forcibly sustain his life.
This crude tactic was common during the Great Wars. If no medical aid was available, feeding a dying soldier pills to boost their chakra could buy them time. But it came at a price. If he didn't receive proper medical treatment within a week, the chakra pathways stimulated to their limit would collapse. The patient would die instantly.
"He won't die for now. Keep moving. Pursuers are likely already on our trail. If you don't want to die, run faster!"
Kuroya's face was calm as he returned to the head of the group. He had done what he could; whether Tamao lived was now up to fate.
"Rest. I'll carry him," Nanfu said, taking Tamao from the exhausted youth. The youth's back was stained dark with blood.
"Thank you, Captain Nanfu," the youth said gratefully.
Nanfu warned, "Change your clothes and seal the old ones away. The blood will leave a scent for trackers."
The youth nodded. He was one of Tamao's subordinates and had feared Kuroya would abandon their captain during the flight. Kuroya's refusal to do so gave him a sense of security. Even Nanfu, who had long-standing friction with Tamao, had put aside his grievances. Though they didn't know where this road led, the atmosphere in the squad was subtly shifting.
Edge of the Uchiha District. Crows circled the night sky, their hoarse cries adding to the eerie atmosphere of death.
Hiruzen Sarutobi, Koharu Utatane, and Homura Mitokado walked together toward the clan grounds. ANBU guards were stationed at every intersection. The trio's faces were grim as they debated how to handle the aftermath.
"Hiruzen, I believe the extermination of the Uchiha can be blamed on that rogue Uchiha squad," Koharu suggested in a slow, detached whisper. Her elderly eyes were devoid of emotion; to her, this was simply the most logical move.
Homura's eyes lit up. This plan was viable.
Hiruzen felt a sense of déjà vu regarding this method of shifting blame. He looked at Koharu but said nothing.
Koharu continued unhurriedly, "After the clan is wiped out by the defectors, we report that Uchiha Itachi tried desperately to stop them but failed. He becomes a hero of Konoha. Hiruzen, with Danzō gone, the village is desperate for talent!"
Hiruzen questioned, "And if Itachi refuses to be a 'hero' under those terms? Do we use Sasuke to force his hand?"
Koharu smiled thinly and nodded.
Hiruzen brushed his sleeve back and said coldly, "Given Itachi's character, he won't agree to be a hero in such a farce, even with Sasuke as leverage."
Koharu's lips curled. She leaned in and whispered a few words into Hiruzen's ear. Hiruzen's brow furrowed deep in thought. Faced with an impossible choice, his habitual indecisiveness began to take hold.
As dawn broke, a six-man elite Root squad quietly left Konoha. They were Danzō's closest confidants. Having learned of their master's death at the hands of the Uchiha defectors, they had organized an unsanctioned mission for revenge. Leading them were Fu Yamanaka and Torune Aburame.
Uchiha District. The bodies of civilians lay scattered across the streets. Blood pooled in the depressions of the cobblestones. Crows perched on the walls, their crimson eyes watching, waiting.
When Itachi walked into view, the crows took flight, leaving a shower of black feathers in their wake. Itachi found his target quickly. Sasuke was slumped against the wall of a wooden house, his head bowed.
Itachi activated his Mangekyō. "My foolish..."
Sasuke didn't move. His eyes remained shut.
"Hmm?"
Itachi frowned, rubbing his eyes. His vision was slightly blurred, as if a mist had settled over it. Once his sight cleared, he realized with shock that Sasuke was not just asleep or cowering.
He was unconscious.