"Itachi, did you request to travel with the clan this time?"
Countless figures leaped swiftly through the dense forest. Fugaku, who was in the lead, unconsciously looked at his eldest son and spoke.
Upon hearing this, Itachi first glanced at the clansmen following behind him.
Then he nodded slightly and said, "Yes."
Fugaku remained silent in the face of Itachi's cold attitude.
However, ever since Itachi became the captain of the Anbu, he has maintained a distant relationship with his clan.
To be honest, even he himself doesn't believe that he requested to come along this time.
Looking at the proud faces of his clansmen behind him, Fugaku did not refute them.
Since the Uchiha Clan and Konoha reconciled a few years ago.
Shisui and Itachi, these two geniuses who awakened the Mangekyo, served as role models for the clan's disciples.
Moreover, they all held high positions; even Shisui was the captain of the Shadow Guard Unit.
With that in mind, Fugaku said no more. The fact that his clan was able to participate in this war meant that the path to advancement through military merit had once again opened up for the Uchiha.
Everything is moving in a positive direction.
Uchiha Itachi secretly breathed a sigh of relief when he saw that his father didn't ask any more questions.
He left the Anbu and followed the main force because Hiruzen Sarutobi had given him a mission.
The only way we can find out about the Akatsuki is through Orochimaru.
To prevent Orochimaru from evading Konoha's search again, Itachi had no choice but to go with the Uchiha Clan to the front lines in the Land of Grass first.
Um?
Just as Itachi was still pondering, Fugaku suddenly stopped beside him.
He stared ahead with a wary expression, his Scarlet Three-Tomoe Sharingan swirling wildly.
The Uchiha Clan, who had been advancing steadily, all stopped and stared at Fugaku ahead, confused about what was happening.
"Come out!"
"Fugaku shouted in a deep voice, his gaze fixed on the area ahead," he said.
Is anyone there?
Itachi remained expressionless, following Uchiha Fugaku's gaze.
The next moment, a hint of surprise flashed in his eyes.
Does anyone really have their own father?
"Oh no, we've been discovered."
As soon as he finished speaking, the entire ground began to tremble.
The Uchiha clan members behind Fugaku went from being wary to looking astonished.
Ahead of them, a giant clay giant, topped with a man wearing a Jonin Iwagakure, looked down at the Uchiha troops below.
"I was hoping to use this terrain to launch a surprise attack on you."
At this point, the seemingly honest-looking man scratched his head and sighed.
"As expected of the head of the Uchiha Clan."
After all, they had been preparing for this trap for several days, and they hadn't even dared to intercept the previous grain transport team.
"Iwagakure · Akatsuchi!"
Uchiha Fugaku couldn't help but frown. The person in front of him was the Third Tsuchikage's bodyguard, a ninja who had already become famous as long as the Kitsuchi during the Third Shinobi World War.
"Oh dear, I didn't expect to be recognized, but--"
"None of you will be leaving today."
As Akatsuchi finished speaking, countless figures appeared in the surrounding dense forest.
"Are these Iwagakure ninjas?"
"How can there be so many people here!"
The Uchiha clan members looked around with grim expressions; they were surrounded.
Uchiha Itachi calmly surveyed his surroundings. With Jiraiya- Lord Jiraiya on the front lines, there was no way anything could go wrong.
That leaves only one possibility: the Takigakure did not carry out Konoha's orders.
They allowed the Iwagakure troops to pass through.
Moreover, the fact that the Uchiha Clan went to the front lines should not have been known by many people.
In other words, there are now Iwagakure spies within Konoha.
"Father, let's break through."
Thinking of this, Uchiha Itachi said to Uchiha Fugaku, who was standing beside him.
"Yes, protect the safety of our people as much as possible."
Fugaku nodded, formed a hand seal, and unleashed a massive Great Fireball directly at the clay giant before him.
Uchiha Itachi did not respond; instead, he leaped forward and headed towards the Iwagakure group that was surrounding them.
"Everyone, charge!"
Akatsuchi waved his hand, and the Iwagakure Ninja and headed towards the Uchiha Clan they had surrounded.
"Fight them!"
"For the glory of the Uchiha!"
Instead of panicking upon seeing Iwagakure, they attacked them.
The Uchiha Clan members were not about to sit idly by and wait to die; they charged towards the Iwagakure that had come from them.
--
In the dense forest, the four members of the Hagoromo Squad moved forward quickly.
They spent almost a whole day searching for the Iwagakure team, but to no avail.
It seemed as if all the Iwagakure Ninjas hiding in the Land of Fire had vanished without a trace.
At this moment, Hagoromo could only lead her squad towards the front lines of the Land of Grass.
After all, the three days are almost up.
Regardless of the outcome, I must return to report to Jiraiya.
Um?
The next moment, a hint of surprise flashed across Hagoromo's face.
Neji, standing nearby, immediately spoke up, "Master, there's a huge Chakra fluctuation about three kilometers ahead!"
"I sensed it. There's a battle going on, and it's quite large."
Hagoromo frowned and immediately issued a new command.
"Everyone, full speed ahead! Kill any enemy you encounter!"
Regardless of who is engaged in battle ahead, this is within the territory of the Land of Fire.
They all have to face it head-on!
"Yes!"
The Yutoshi, Kokone, and Neji all responded, heading towards their positions with solemn expressions.
"As expected of the Uchiha Clan, they're really troublesome!"
Akatsuchi looked at Fugaku and Uchiha Itachi and said hatefully.
Their painstakingly prepared trap not only failed to wipe out the Uchiha team, but the two men in front of them ended up killing many Iwagakure Ninja.
"Iwagakure nothing but a bunch of worthless idiots!"
Fugaku said with a calm expression, "The Uchiha Clan has simply not appeared on the battlefield for many years."
That doesn't mean they're so weak that anyone can come and kick them while they're down.
Although their own clansmen suffered losses in this battle, it was still far better than the Iwagakure forces.
However, Akatsuchi in front of them was not the kind of ninja who sought fame and fortune. His Earth Release and Monster Strength made it difficult for him and Itachi to defeat him for a while.
No, it should be said that Itachi hasn't even used his full strength yet.
As he thought about it, Fugaku glanced at his son beside him, who looked somewhat weak.
Is he hiding his strength? Or is his eye almost completely blind?
Don't underestimate me!
Akatsuchi Fugaku's mockery, Akatsuchi, who was clumsy with words, became furious, clapped his hands, and shouted:
"Earth Release: Ultra Earth Release: Golem Technique!"
Rumble--
Akatsuchi spat out a huge amount of clay from his mouth, which gradually formed a clay giant that was even larger than before.
For a moment, the entire forest seemed exceptionally small beneath the giant's feet.