Earth Spider Clan Land.
Watchtower.
"What was that?"
"A caravan?"
"When did our caravan ever move this fast?"
The two Tsuchigumo clansmen looked terrified as they watched the caravan come charging toward them, like an army of thousands.
After confirming that the wagons bore the Tsuchigumo banner and seeing the young lady, Hotaru, sitting in the first wagon,
they both breathed a sigh of relief.
They did not sound the alarm.
They let the caravan pass through the watchtower and enter the heart of the clan lands, billowing dust filling the village entrance.
After the time it took to drink a cup of tea,
the Uchiha followed the caravan into Earth Spider Village, where wooden houses stood in rows and sparse lights flickered along the roads, making the place look somewhat desolate.
[Side Quest]: Not a single one can be missing. [Options]: 1. Bring the caravan back to Earth Spider Village. Quest complete! [Rewards]: Storage Space increased by 100 cubic meters.
In the first wagon, Ingetsu's eyes twitched slightly. He gathered his focus and checked his Storage Space.
The additional 100 cubic meters had doubled the original one-bedroom space.
He put corpses on the left.
He put miscellaneous items on the right.
From a god's-eye view, Ingetsu inspected the space once. He figured he would have to make a separate room for storing corpses in the future.
The caravan stopped near the stables.
A grassy clearing stretched around it.
"Heh heh, Grand Elder, Young Lady Hotaru, you both look exhausted. You must have had quite a haul this time, right?"
A young Tsuchigumo clansman came over with a group of others to unload the goods, a torch in his hand.
With the clansmen supporting him, the Grand Elder got down from the wagon alongside Hotaru. The two looked toward Ingetsu and the others.
The wrinkles at the corners of the Grand Elder's eyes rose as he sighed inwardly, We really did have quite a haul... We even picked up an S-Rank Rogue Ninja and a squad of Uchiha Rogue Ninja. What a disaster. Hopefully, they'll leave soon!
Hotaru saw that the atmosphere was somewhat awkward.
She took the initiative to break the deadlock. Raising her hand, she pointed toward Sōsen, who had awakened and was lying in the wagon, then said to the Tsuchigumo youth leading the group:
"Shirajo, settle the escort captain's payment, give them something to eat, and let them rest in the clan lands for one night."
"Understood!"
The Tsuchigumo youth named Shirajo smiled warmly. Before leaving, he glanced at Ingetsu and the others in surprise.
The Tsuchigumo Clan was located on Mount Katsuragi, far from the towns of the Land of Fire. News traveled slowly there, and all their information came through caravans. This caravan had only just returned.
The able-bodied Tsuchigumo men unloading the goods had no idea who Ingetsu and the others were.
As the caravan's escorts and the Tsuchigumo clansmen left, all the goods were carried away.
Only the group of Uchiha, Hotaru, and the Grand Elder remained on the grass.
The night was gentle.
The evening breeze was cold.
Seeing that the Uchiha showed no intention of leaving,
the Grand Elder swallowed and slowly stepped forward. He forced a weak, awkward smile and said to Ingetsu, "Before you leave, do you need to replenish any supplies?"
Ingetsu shook his head. He glanced at the two of them and calmly said, "You're in a weakened state. It isn't safe to travel at night. I'll escort you home."
Grand Elder: "???"
Hotaru: "??"
As he spoke, Ingetsu glanced sideways at Nanfeng and Tamao. The two immediately stepped forward to support the old man and Hotaru.
"I... I... we..."
The Grand Elder's anxious, pale old face instantly flushed red, and he stammered.
Nanfeng interrupted the old man's explanation, patted him on the shoulder, and consoled him:
"The captain is kindhearted and can't bear to see the elderly and weak traveling at night. All right, don't make a fuss. Don't reject the captain's good intentions."
The old man wore a bitter expression and stared at Nanfeng as though he had swallowed a bitter herb, unable to voice his grievances.
What kind of good intention was this?
Hadn't he said he wasn't interested in the Tsuchigumo Clan?
And another thing.
This was the Tsuchigumo Clan Land. What kind of excuse was "it isn't safe to travel at night"? Could it get any worse?
Left with no choice,
Hotaru and the Grand Elder could only lead the group of Uchiha through the old wooden houses along the street toward a relatively large compound.
"As an ally of Konoha, has the Tsuchigumo Clan really fallen this far?"
Kurenai Yuhi raised her beautiful eyes slightly and gazed at the dilapidated buildings in the distance, taking the initiative to start a conversation.
The Uchiha looked toward the Tsuchigumo Grand Elder and Hotaru, who were leading the way. Both their faces were ashen.
Kurenai had put it bluntly.
But it was the truth.
Ingetsu sighed. Lies did not hurt people; the truth was the sharpest blade.
Looking around, the buildings along the outer perimeter behind the Tsuchigumo clan lands had largely collapsed into ruins, as if trampled by war.
It was nothing like the tranquility at the village entrance.
"It's all because our clan lacks talented people. Let's not talk about it!" The Grand Elder tried to salvage his dignity by force.
In reality, it was precisely because the clan had declined that the Tsuchigumo Clan had become cut off from information.
Tamao cut in:
"Can being an ally of Konoha really lead to a good ending?
The Tsuchigumo Clan is doing fine by comparison.
The last country to call itself Konoha's ally was the Land of Whirlpools. I bet the grass on the Uzumaki clan leader's grave is already as tall as the tree Danzo turned into."
"..." The corner of Kurenai's mouth twitched.
Ingetsu chuckled inwardly.
When the Tsuchigumo Grand Elder heard the boy's explanation, he immediately gave him a grateful look.
After hearing the comparison,
the Grand Elder felt much more at ease.
All the Uchiha turned to look at Tamao and shook their heads, sighing, "He still can't forget the tree Danzo turned into!"
After walking for a while, Hotaru suddenly mustered her courage, looked at Ingetsu, and asked:
"Do you want to meet my grandfather?"
Her grandfather was the true holder of power within the clan.
The Uchiha gathered their thoughts and looked at Ingetsu.
Ingetsu nodded.
The Grand Elder immediately became worried, unsure whether this was a blessing or a curse. At present, the Tsuchigumo Clan had no way to deal with these rogue ninja.
If they resisted, the Konoha Anbu who had died in the valley would be a warning.
Hotaru asked worriedly, "You only want to meet him?"
"Yes."
"All right, I understand." Hotaru sensed no malice or greed from Ingetsu, so she obediently nodded.
The Uchiha, Hotaru, and the Grand Elder arrived outside the compound. Several Tsuchigumo ninja appeared with the Body Flicker Technique. After seeing Hotaru and the Grand Elder, they respectfully withdrew.
Everyone entered the inner courtyard.
"Everyone, please wait here for a moment. The Grand Elder and I will go inform my grandfather!" After saying this, Hotaru gave Ingetsu a worried look before turning away.
She and the Grand Elder arrived outside a bedroom, knocked on the door, and entered after receiving permission.
The Uchiha looked around.
They felt that the compound was decent enough, but it could not compare with even Konoha's slightly more luxurious buildings.
The fact that the leader of the Tsuchigumo Clan lived in a place like this truly showed the state of the clan.
Inside the wooden house, Hotaru and the Grand Elder told the leader of the Tsuchigumo Clan everything that had happened on the road, along with everything concerning Ingetsu and the others.
After receiving approval, Hotaru walked out of the wooden house and invited Ingetsu to enter the bedroom alone.
Tamao and the others had intended to follow, but Ingetsu raised a hand in warning.
Swish—
The Uchiha clansmen, including Kurenai and Nonō, turned into black shadows and scattered, hiding around the compound.
The courtyard was empty once more.
Ingetsu put on a black hood that revealed only the lower half of his face and followed Hotaru into the bedroom. The moment he entered, he sensed quite a few ninja hiding in the corner of the room.
The bedroom's layout was simple.
The candlelight was dim and yellow.
A bed had been placed in the center. Beneath a gray quilt lay an old man with a head of white hair, frail with age and gravely ill.
The Grand Elder respectfully knelt beside the bed.
The white-haired old man lying on the bed sensed that Hotaru had brought an outsider and weakly opened his eyes.
When he saw Ingetsu, his eyes lit up.
Although he could not see the other man's true appearance,
the old man made a difficult decision.
The leader of the Tsuchigumo Clan, "En no Gyōja," moved his withered hand and took a bundle of green-skinned scrolls from beneath the quilt.
Ingetsu's gaze was drawn to the scrolls.
He could sense that merely opening his eyes had exhausted the old man's entire body, as if he might breathe his last at any moment.
The white-haired old man turned his head and looked up at Ingetsu, who wore a black robe and hood. With great difficulty, he said, "This is the Tsuchigumo Clan's Forbidden Technique: Wrath of Heaven. You can take it...
I have only one request.
Take Hotaru with you too!"
The moment he finished speaking, everyone in the room except Ingetsu showed confusion and shock.
The bedroom fell into deathly silence.
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