Kakashi: It Hurts, It Hurts So Much!

"I'm on patrol."

"You're here to pay your respects to Obito, right? I'll take you there."

Uchiha Tamaharu said.

In truth, he and Shisui had been patrolling the Uchiha clan grounds for the past few days.

They were responsible for dealing with any Anbu who tried to sneak in.

However, to avoid escalating tensions, they simply used genjutsu to knock these Anbu unconscious before tossing them outside the Uchiha clan grounds.

The Anbu themselves were responsible for retrieving those who had failed their infiltration attempts.

"Then we'll trouble you. The people around here seem to really dislike us."

Might Guy nodded hurriedly, then whispered to Uchiha Tamaharu in a very low voice.

Kakashi's expression was stiff; after all, he was here not only to pay respects to Obito but also to gather intelligence.

But in front of his friend, he couldn't bring himself to be tough.

"With me, it'll be fine."

Uchiha Tamaharu smiled and patted Guy on the shoulder.

He had the best relationship with Guy, while he only had a passing acquaintance with Kakashi and others of that generation.

His own teammates had all sacrificed themselves, dying on the battlefield.

Although he had trained very hard at the time, his strength back then was about the same as Kakashi's.

Without cheating, how could he possibly keep up with these geniuses?

Soon, the group arrived at the cemetery near the Uchiha clan ancestral hall, where members of the Uchiha clan were buried.

Might Guy and Kakashi were very earnest while paying their respects to Obito.

It didn't take long before they were ready to leave.

However, before leaving, Kakashi looked at Uchiha Tamaharu with a complex gaze.

"Can the Uchiha live in peace with the village?"

Kakashi couldn't help but ask Uchiha Tamaharu, who was watching the sunset.

"That question should be asked of Konoha."

"Why target the Uchiha so relentlessly?"

"The Uchiha do not want to end up like the Senju clan."

Uchiha Tamaharu looked at Kakashi and said with a calm expression.

Kakashi's face stiffened, and he gave a bitter smile, saying nothing more.

"Protect that eye of yours. Once you can reach my level, I will tell you a secret—the truth about the deaths of Obito and Rin."

Uchiha Tamaharu suddenly activated his Mangekyō Sharingan and said to Kakashi.

He could feel that Konoha's recent actions were becoming increasingly aggressive, so he needed to provide a slight deterrent to make them fearful and anxious.

Delaying for one more day would be enough; the supplies were basically collected, and the squad leaders of the Military Police Force had already grasped the general situation.

They just needed a little more time.

"You!"

"The truth about the deaths of Obito and Rin, what is that?"

Kakashi was shocked to see the Mangekyō.

But his attention immediately shifted to the truth behind the deaths of Obito and Rin.

This was the pain of his entire life!

"Having been decadent for so long, your strength is not enough to understand these things."

"But the deaths of Rin and Obito were orchestrated by someone. Once you master the Mangekyō Sharingan, I will tell you the truth."

Uchiha Tamaharu said bluntly.

After that, no matter how much Kakashi pressed him, he wouldn't say another word.

Might Guy wanted to ask something, but in the end, he held back; he knew that if Tamaharu didn't want to talk, there was no way to force it out of him.

Finally, after Uchiha Tamaharu escorted the two out of the Uchiha clan grounds, he vanished before their eyes using a Body Flicker technique.

Kakashi bid farewell to Might Guy with a heavy expression before heading back to submit his report.

"What exactly is the Uchiha planning!"

"Are they really going to start a war?"

Sarutobi Hiruzen said with a dark face.

He hadn't expected that the Uchiha would truly dare to harbor such thoughts.

At this moment, he was worried that a third of his manpower had yet to be recalled, as rotating troops from the front lines was not a simple matter.

They need to retreat step by step; they cannot allow other ninja villages to take advantage of the situation.

Wanting to resolve the Uchiha issue in one fell swoop is not an easy task, so a large amount of manpower is required.

"Should we strike first?"

"If we take the initiative and catch the Uchiha off guard, we can significantly reduce our losses."

Danzo spoke up.

He had actually prepared almost everything on his end, while also threatening the heads of some smaller clans to make them join the effort.

"No, if Konoha strikes first, the other clans in the village will grow fearful of us, which is bad for the future."

"Furthermore, Kakashi reported that the Uchiha genius mentioned earlier, named Uchiha Tamaharu, also possesses the Mangekyō Sharingan, though his abilities are unknown."

Sarutobi Hiruzen shook his head.

Uchiha Tamaharu's plan had succeeded after all.

Sarutobi Hiruzen did not actually care much about whether the other clans in the village were afraid or not.

However, he was quite wary of the abilities of the Mangekyō Sharingan; after all, with Shisui as a precedent, who knew what this Mangekyō was capable of?

He wanted to obtain more intelligence and ensure everything was secure before making a move.

After all, ninjas since the time of the First Hokage and Madara Uchiha no longer relied on brute force; intelligence warfare was far more important.

"What? The Uchiha clan has produced another Mangekyō user!"

Danzo was also shocked.

He understood the Uchiha very well.

Over the years, he had deliberately restricted the Uchiha clan from going on missions, keeping them from combat to prevent the Mangekyō from appearing.

He never expected that two young people in this generation would both possess the Mangekyō Sharingan!

"We will wait until we have more manpower."

"However, the surveillance on the Uchiha must be tightened. We need to confirm every piece of intelligence regarding their activities once they leave the Uchiha compound."

"Those Anbu who fell under the genjutsu—it looks very much like Shisui's handiwork. He may have chosen the side of the Uchiha!"

Sarutobi Hiruzen had already begun to treat this matter as a war.

Moreover, they had to win, and they could not afford too many casualties!

Furthermore, the reason he did not act immediately, aside from Uchiha Tamaharu, was because of Shisui.

The Anbu who had been caught in the genjutsu were quickly analyzed, and it was determined that it was likely Shisui who had struck them.

After all, the Anbu had intelligence on enemies captured after Shisui used his genjutsu, making it easy to analyze.

Two Mangekyō users were exactly what Sarutobi Hiruzen feared.

Autumn, 56th year of Konoha.

"The missions have been distributed, and many people are confused."

"However, after I demonstrated the power of my Mangekyō, they no longer had any doubts."

Fugaku Uchiha said to Uchiha Tamaharu.

"We move at five o'clock tomorrow morning."

"People are the most important thing; if we can't take something, leave it behind."

"Anything we lose, we will take back twofold when we return."

Uchiha Tamaharu nodded and then spoke.

The time was not chosen for the middle of the night, but for dawn.

This was because it was the time for the Anbu shift change, and also when the sky was just beginning to brighten.

Having experienced a night with no movement, no one would expect an attack just before daybreak.

"Understood."

"Should we not tell Shisui about this?"

Fugaku nodded, then hesitated.

"We cannot afford any mistakes; this concerns the lives of nearly a thousand Uchiha."

"The faster this operation, the better. The portal will open in the very center so that everyone can get through in the shortest amount of time."

Uchiha Tamaharu shook his head.

Those who have caused issues before cannot be granted absolute trust again.

This time, it would serve as a test of loyalty.

Fugaku Uchiha nodded heavily and went off to make the arrangements.

Thank you to the readers for the monthly tickets and recommendation votes, and thanks to reader alvinsung for the 500 book coin tip!

Before the official launch, please click on the chapters; keeping up with the reading affects recommendations. Feel free to stockpile the chapters after the launch, thank you everyone!!