Old Affairs of Cloud and Thunder, Three People Make a Tiger

The campfire blazed, illuminating the night sky outdoors.

Amidst the rustling of leaves, faint screams and distant commotion could be heard.

Three people sat in silence around the campfire.

Uchiha Setsuna glanced at the other two before speaking with a grave expression:

"The true danger of this mission stems from an unexpected development."

"Just half a month ago, the Chinoike Clan submitted their plea for forgiveness to the Feudal Lord of the Land of Lightning for the third time."

"However, the envoy sent back by the Feudal Lord of the Land of Lightning was killed on the road, and his bounty was claimed at the Underground Bounty Exchange."

"The Feudal Lord of the Land of Lightning was enraged and decided to continue imprisoning the Chinoike Clan."

"Desperate, the Chinoike Clan knew they had no way back, so they secretly contacted Kumogakure."

"Kumogakure will send people to liberate the Chinoike Clan, and in exchange, the Chinoike Clan will be integrated into Kumogakure, becoming a Kekkei Genkai family of Kumogakure."

Uchiha Seiichiro was immediately confused: "Aren't the Chinoike themselves a Kekkei Genkai family of the Land of Lightning? How could they strike such a deal with Kumogakure?"

Uchiha Ci shook his head slightly. Having read the original work, he had a guess about this.

During the Warring States period, a daughter of the Chinoike Clan married into the Feudal Lord of the Land of Lightning's family as a concubine.

Not long after, the Feudal Lord died of illness, and the daughter from the Chinoike family was consequently met with jealousy and slander, leading to her entire clan being exiled to the Valley of Hell.

To put it bluntly, the Chinoike Clan had already managed to become nobility, so naturally, they were unwilling to lower their status to join Kumogakure and engage in fighting.

They would rather continue to be imprisoned in the Valley of Hell, hoping for eventual amnesty and a return to being great nobles of the Land of Lightning.

Now that their hope for amnesty was shattered, and there was no future in continuing as they were, they had no choice but to bite the bullet and join the ranks of those barbarians in Kumogakure.

Kumogakure, on the other hand, was happy to oblige. With the Ninja Wars imminent, the Chinoike Clan represented a considerable fighting force.

It was possible that the envoy who was killed was a move by Kumogakure.

Once he understood this, Uchiha Ci felt as though a heavy fog had lifted, revealing a clear sky.

Elder Uchiha Setsuna didn't explain much to Seiichiro, only stating gravely:

"You only need to know that the greatest danger now is Kumogakure. That's enough."

"Therefore, our top priority now is to safely reach the Valley of Hell and rendezvous with the Uchiha clansmen there."

"Night is falling soon. Seiichiro, you and Ci will take turns on watch and set up warning traps around the perimeter."

"That's all. Go now."

Uchiha Setsuna waved his hand dismissively, giving the order to Seiichiro.

Seiichiro didn't get an answer, but he got a lot of dirty, thankless work. Frustrated, he grumbled and got up.

At this moment, Uchiha Ci's eyes lit up slightly, and he asked:

"Then why don't we travel at night?"

"In this situation, shouldn't we reach the Valley of Hell as soon as possible?"

Seiichiro, however, showed a look of disdain, glancing sideways at him dismissively.

"That's absurd!"

"Kid, you haven't even read the Ninja Code, have you?"

"Do you want me to read it to you? The first rule of the code is that ninjas should avoid marching at night as much as possible to prevent ambushes."

[Uchiha Seiichiro disdained you.]

Looking at the subtitles floating before his eyes, Uchiha Ci couldn't help but shake his head inwardly.

The logic was sound, but if they followed the normal procedure and departed tomorrow morning.

Wouldn't that mean the lurking Kumogakure ninjas would be waiting for nothing?

He left the village for three things: combat, combat, and more combat!

Moreover, Uchiha Ci's suggestion wasn't without basis.

With this thought, Uchiha Ci smiled and stood up:

"It's a case-by-case analysis."

"Tonight, the wind is high and the moon is hidden, it's pitch black. Forget ambushing people, I can't even find toilet paper when I'm squatting. Plus, we're Uchiha. I don't know what you're afraid of?"

Ci's confidence stemmed from the Uchiha's Kekkei Genkai, the Sharingan.

Even in pitch-black darkness, with the Sharingan's dynamic vision and the ability to perceive chakra flow, ambushes by Kumogakure would be a non-issue for the Uchiha.

If this were to happen, then Uchiha Setsuna and Uchiha Seiichiro would have a high probability of breaking through Kumogakure's preset defenses.

And he, Uchiha Ci, because he hadn't awakened his Sharingan.

In such a battle, he absolutely wouldn't survive!

This way, he could gloriously sacrifice himself!

Elder Uchiha Setsuna couldn't help but raise his eyes slightly upon hearing this, looking at the gathering clouds in the sky.

Uchiha Seiichiro, standing nearby, let out a cold laugh.

Seiichiro took two steps forward, grabbed Uchiha Ci by the collar, and lifted him up. He brought his head close to Ci's ear and said in a low, cold voice:

"Uchiha Ci, I'll tell you one more time—"

"It's because of you that I got dragged into this messy mission!"

Uchiha Seiichiro gritted his back teeth, his gaze icy, his tone utterly dismissive:

"Who do you think you are?"

"You, questioning the Ninja Code compiled by the Second Hokage?"

"Do you know how many ninja in the entire Leaf Village die each year because they ignore the code's advice?"

As his words fell, the surroundings fell silent, the wind ceased, and the clouds stilled.

Uchiha Ci looked calmly at Seiichiro, clearly seeing the cold, indignant eyes of the other man.

He paused, then spoke faintly:

"Senior Seiichiro, the reason ninja climb over walls is because it's the most convenient way."

"And if it's more troublesome to jump over,"

"for a ninja, smashing through a wall to advance is also an option."

Uchiha Ci curled his lips, glanced at the other man, slapped his hand away, and said coldly:

"You've got it backwards."

As these words landed, a deafeningly crisp sound exploded by Uchiha Ci's ear.

[Clang!]

Hot springs are mostly found in riverbeds within valleys, and the Land of Hot Water, famous for its hot springs, is generally characterized by high mountains and deep valleys.

From the Land of Fire to the Land of Hot Water, from hilly terrain to high mountains.

Passing through the deep valleys between the high mountains is the necessary path to cross the border between the Land of Fire and the Land of Hot Water.

At this moment, Beneath a large tree behind the mountain pass, two ninja dressed in Kumogakure attire, with long swords on their backs, were leisurely and comfortably roasting meat.

A slightly younger Kumonin frowned and asked:

"Senior Ramii, Senior Dodai, won't there be a problem if we let our guard down like this?"

"Moroi, you're too tense." The older Ramii was very calm, even offering him a roasted rabbit leg, then explained:

"We have scouts we sent ahead to keep watch."

"As soon as there's any movement, we'll receive a signal immediately."

"Besides, the Uchiha aren't made of iron. They've been traveling all day and are exhausted. Knowing there's danger ahead, why would they show themselves?"

"Rest well. This time, the Uchiha are sending that old geezer Uchiha Setsuna. Tomorrow will be a fierce battle."

"He must die here, so that we can ensure the Two-Tails Jinchuriki destroys the garrison in the Valley of Hell."

Moroi glanced at the lineup of the three, thought about it, and then relaxed.

An elite jonin, a jonin, and him, a special jonin.

No matter how you look at it, taking down an aging Uchiha was a sure thing.

Moreover, none of the three present were simple individuals.

Ramii, a veteran jonin, had survived since the Warring States period, witnessed the peace talks of the Second Great Ninja War, and had personally seen Kinkaku and Ginkaku enter Nine-Tails Chakra Mode. Countless terrifying battles hadn't defeated this old jonin, truly a case of growing stronger with age.

Dodai, an elite jonin, one-eyed, wearing a black hat, was the right-hand man of the Third Raikage. He possessed the Lava Release Kekkei Genkai and had recently served as the chief examiner for the Black Bull Lightning Scythe ability. In his prime, his strength was close to Kage-level.

And himself, Moroi, a special jonin, was the first captain of Kumogakure's Barrier Division and the confirmed successor to the position of head of the Barrier Division. His Fuinjutsu, inherited from the Uzumaki Clan, could immobilize even a jonin if they weren't careful.

The three of them could be considered top experts in Kumogakure!

With such a lineup, even another squad of jonin wouldn't be their match!

For the Chinoike Clan to join Kumogakure, Kumogakure had truly spared no expense this time!

Just wait for the leader of the Uchiha hawks to arrive, and they would bury him and his entire squad here!

Seeking collection, seeking follow-up reads! This is really important!