Everyone Blamed Sarutobi Hiruzen, That Old Beast

"Report! Six Kirigakure ninja have been spotted on the East Coast. Their leader is Kirigakure jonin Ao. Lord Shisui has already gone to intercept them."

Urgent knocking shattered the intimate atmosphere in the room.

Uchiha Sanpo's hand was resting on Uzumaki Huiyi's smooth back.

The two had just finished an intense game of "pulling radishes," and their sweat had not yet dried.

With their game abruptly interrupted, a scarlet gleam flashed through Uchiha Sanpo's eyes. His Three-Tomoe Sharingan emerged on its own, making it clear just how furious he was.

He forcibly suppressed his anger and said, "Gather the God-Demon Battalion. We're going to surround them!"

Feeling Uzumaki Huiyi's body tremble slightly in his arms, he lowered his head and kissed her smooth forehead.

"I'm going out with them for a while. I'll be back later, so get some rest early."

Knowing there was no point in trying to stop him, Uzumaki Huiyi merely nodded. "Be careful."

After saying that, she burrowed into the blankets. Performing eye-transplant surgery on twelve people today had nearly drained all her chakra and energy.

Uchiha Sanpo quietly put on his clothes. When he closed the door, he deliberately did so gently. The instant he turned around, all tenderness vanished from his face, replaced by the cold severity unique to a battlefield commander.

Outside the courtyard, thirty-five members of the God-Demon Battalion were already lined up in formation.

Under the moonlight, the Uchiha Clan gunbai crests on their backs stood out. Every one of them had activated their Sharingan, their crimson reflections making them seem like a pack of Death Gods in the darkness.

"Target: Kirigakure ninja on the East Coast. Move out!"

At Uchiha Sanpo's command, more than thirty figures vanished into the night like ghosts.

That afternoon, Kirigakure had sent over fifty elite Anbu members to escort the Three-Tails Jinchuriki, Nohara Rin, intending to stir up trouble in Nansha City.

Now that more than fifty elite Anbu members and the Tailed Beast had disappeared without a trace, the Kirigakure higher-ups would be fools not to panic. That was why they had sent Ao to gather intelligence.

Thinking of the Byakugan belonging to the Hyuga Main Branch that Kirigakure jonin Ao possessed, Uchiha Sanpo wanted to collect it for research.

Meanwhile, within the dense forest along the East Coast, six Kirigakure ninja were moving rapidly through the trees.

Two Kirigakure ninja suddenly clutched their heads and collapsed, their faces twisting in terror as though they had seen the most horrifying nightmare.

"They've been caught in a genjutsu!"

"Byakugan!"

Kirigakure jonin Ao activated his Byakugan and scanned the surroundings.

Kirigakure Jonin Ao: Byakugan · Open

In the distance, two Shadow Clones were hiding in the bushes. There was also someone in the trees, green chakra flowing around his eyes. That distinctive chakra belonged to Konoha's "Body Flicker Shisui."

After seeing Uchiha Shisui, cold sweat trickled down Kirigakure jonin Ao's face. "We can only abandon the mission. The enemy is Konoha's Body Flicker Shisui. We're no match for him. Retreat!"

Hearing that, the remaining three Kirigakure ninja carried their two genjutsu-stricken comrades and fled using the Body Flicker Technique.

Up in the treetops, Uchiha Shisui deactivated his Sharingan and muttered, "This should keep them quiet for a while."

But the matter was far from over. Uchiha Sanpo waved his hand and shouted, "Catch them! Don't let them get away!"

Upon receiving the order, the God-Demon Battalion members began hurling kunai and shuriken, intending to force the six Kirigakure ninja to stop.

A piercing whistle suddenly filled the air! Dozens of kunai and shuriken flew in from every direction, tracing deadly arcs through the sky.

Just as Kirigakure jonin Ao leaped into the air, his hands formed seals. "Water Release: Water Formation Wall!"

A wall of water more than ten meters high erupted from the ground, blocking part of the incoming kunai and shuriken.

But the God-Demon Battalion members were all elites of the Uchiha Clan. The kunai and shuriken they threw could collide with one another in midair, constantly changing their attack angles.

As a result, many kunai and shuriken curved around the water wall and struck at the Kirigakure ninja hiding behind it.

Two screams rang out as two Kirigakure ninja had their feet pierced by kunai and shuriken.

Kirigakure jonin Ao gritted his teeth and ordered, "There are too many enemies. Abandon the wounded. If even one of us escapes, it counts as a success."

Yet his heart was bleeding. These were elites who had followed him for years!

After saying that, he abandoned his comrades and turned to flee...

Uchiha Sanpo appeared like a ghost on the treetop beside Shisui, a cold smile curling across his lips. "Trying to run? Not a chance!"

Uchiha Shisui frowned. "The war has gone on for so long. Enough people have already died. They're no longer a threat, so why continue this meaningless conflict?"

Bang!

Uchiha Sanpo threw a heavy punch into Uchiha Shisui's stomach, making Shisui double over in pain.

Smack!

Then his right cheek was struck by another hard slap.

The two sudden attacks left Uchiha Shisui utterly stunned, and he fell straight from the tree.

Uchiha Sanpo looked down at him from above and cursed, "Your three thousand men fought the Kirigakure forces, and more than two thousand died. Bear City and White Bird City were plundered by Kirigakure, and tens of thousands of Land of Fire civilians were killed or wounded... What gives you the right to call this a meaningless conflict?"

Even after cursing him out, he still did not feel satisfied.

He jumped down from the treetop, grabbed Uchiha Shisui by the collar, and said, "Or do you think these lives are simply insignificant? Do you think no matter how many of these ants die, it won't stir even the slightest ripple in your heart?"

"I... I... never... thought... that..."

Uchiha Shisui's right cheek hurt so badly that he could barely speak.

Moreover, every word Uchiha Sanpo said was like a knife stabbing into his heart.

He remembered the comrades who had died on the battlefield, and the civilians massacred by Kirigakure ninja... He had never looked down on any life. It was precisely because of that that he longed for peace even more.

Uchiha Shisui struggled to speak. "I... never..."

"Shut up! Your naivety will get even more people killed!" Uchiha Sanpo abruptly released him.

He turned and ordered the God-Demon Battalion members, "Chase them! Don't let a single one escape!"

Watching the Uchiha elites scatter in pursuit, Shisui closed his eyes in pain.

His ideals stood in stark contrast to his clansmen's hatred at that moment, and the tearing sensation nearly suffocated him.

"Sigh, it's all Sarutobi Hiruzen's fault, that old beast, sending children like you onto the battlefield. You're only nine years old this year. It's normal that you can't tell right from wrong. Shisui, you need to understand: excessive tolerance is indulging the wicked; kindness without principles is stupidity."

Hearing this, Uchiha Shisui sank into deep thought.

"If we don't punish Kirigakure's ninja, then we're encouraging them to carry out their next round of plundering. More people will only die then. So we must severely punish these invaders, make them feel pain, and let them know that plundering is wrong. Only then can we stop the war and save more people..."