This Is Also an Opportunity for You

Sometimes, Uchiha Sou had to admit.

The "you wouldn't want to" tactic, while it always felt strange to him, was undeniably effective!

This kind of rhetoric could not only move a wife who loved her husband deeply to tears, but also leave those loyal to the village feeling helpless.

Under the gazes of Mitarashi Anko, Morino Ibiki, and Hyuga Tetsu—gazes that were empathetic yet tinged with a bit of schadenfreude—Shisui could only nod helplessly in the end.

"But Senior, is it really okay for you to do this?"

Looking back at the black smoke constantly rising from the cave, then glancing at Uchiha Shizuka, whom Mitarashi Anko was responsible for looking after, Shisui asked with a helpless expression.

"We haven't received any mission orders, nor have we received approval from our superiors. And shouldn't a mission like this have as few people as possible?

Also, Senior, how do you intend to proceed? I'm afraid Sister Shizuka's condition requires rest right now."

"We will take good care of your sister. As for our situation, special times call for special measures.

After all, we are behind enemy lines and cannot contact the rear. We just need to remember that completing the mission is what matters."

Uchiha Sou offered a patient explanation; after all, this was a super-powered fighter, and he still needed to show the proper respect.

"Besides, you should know who that woman is, right?"

As he spoke, Uchiha Sou pointed toward Mitarashi Anko, who was maintaining the formation on the flank.

"Orochimaru-sama's disciple, Mitarashi Anko." Sure enough, Shisui gave the answer after just a single glance.

"Since you know her identity, and she is in my team, do you think there are any more problems?"

This single sentence from Uchiha Sou left Shisui with nothing left to question.

That's right, she was the disciple of Orochimaru-sama, known to all of Konoha!

If she was here, didn't that imply she was already aware of or had approved of this situation, or perhaps this situation was exactly what Orochimaru-sama desired?

Shisui breathed a slight sigh of relief at this thought, but what truly put him at ease was Uchiha Sou's promise.

Since he had already said he would take good care of his sister, Shisui was willing to trust this genius senior, whether out of village loyalty or clan ties.

Moreover, he now realized that he truly couldn't take care of his sister on his own.

Especially if they wanted to break through the encirclement to return, he feared that the life his sister had just barely kept would truly be lost here.

"It has been taken care of, sir."

In the Land of Whirlpools, inside a medical tent at a Kirigakure camp, a ninja wearing a Mist uniform looked at the Anbu before him with concern.

This Anbu had arrived alone yesterday. When he came, he looked incredibly disheveled, especially with the horrifying wound on his eye.

Faced with such a situation, the camp personnel dared not be negligent. On one hand, they took the Anbu for treatment, and on the other, they immediately notified other Anbu members.

The Anbu of every village were extremely unique. Not only were members powerful, but the networks behind them were often incredibly complex.

Because the Anbu was a special platform—a platform connecting the Kage to the various great clans.

Except for the suicide squads composed of orphans, other positions were almost always handed to members of the great clans whom the Kage could trust.

Being able to enter the Anbu meant that the Kage either trusted you or needed to appease you.

Therefore, ordinary ninjas would handle Anbu members with extreme caution; no one wanted to cause unnecessary trouble due to a single careless action.

"What is the situation?"

The Kirigakure ninja raised his head slightly. Without the mask, his face was fully revealed.

If Uchiha Sou were here, he would surely recognize who this guy, whose right eye he had gouged out with a kunai, really was.

He was the captain of the Fifth Mizukage's guard, the captain of the sensory division during the Fourth Great Ninja War, the man who survived a Tailed Beast Bomb from the Ten-Tails, the strongest scientific cyborg in the ninja world, and a current member of the Kirigakure Anbu: Ao!

At this moment, Ao was wearing an eyepatch that covered his right eye, a sensation that felt far from pleasant.

And for a ninja, losing an eye was a fatal blow!

"I am very sorry, but your right eye..."

The Kirigakure ninja hesitated, but eventually said helplessly.

"We were unable to save it. The eye has been completely pierced and has lost all function. We..."

"Is that so."

Upon hearing this, Ao didn't wait for the ninja to finish before sighing.

"Thank you for your hard work. I think you must be tired, so let me have some quiet time."

"This..."

Hearing this, the Kirigakure ninja felt a slight sense of relief. He immediately bowed and said.

"Then, I shall take my leave."

After saying this, he immediately turned and left the room.

He had clearly sensed that the moment he mentioned the Anbu's eye was ruined, the oppressive and heavy aura had almost suffocated him!

However, he understood; after all, what kind of situation would it be for a ninja to lose an eye?

After the Mist ninja left, Ao sat silently alone inside the medical tent, his head bowed and not saying a word.

However, his body had already begun to tremble slightly; he would never forget that Uchiha youth who had suddenly appeared beside him and blinded his right eye with a kunai.

Those scarlet eyes, those three slowly rotating tomoe, were already deeply branded into his mind!

"Damn the Uchiha!"

After a long while, filled with inner rage, he could no longer hold back and slammed his fist hard against the edge of the bed.

The bed could not withstand his strength at all and shattered into pieces in an instant, while the fury building in his heart grew ever more intense.

He truly could not understand why the heavens favored Konoha so much, or why they favored the Uchiha so much.

Whether it was the guy he had been hunting or the one who came to the rescue, they were nothing more than brats in their teens.

Yet, these very brats relied on their bloodline to possess power that countless people could never hope to reach in a lifetime!

Even after he had struggled and strived for so many years, he had still paid such a heavy price when facing them; how could he possibly accept this?

"Giving up on yourself like this is not like the man I remember."

Just as Ao was at his most grief-stricken and indignant, a voice suddenly rang out, and the next moment, several Anbu appeared inside the tent.

Standing in the center of these Anbu was an old man holding a staff.

"Elder Genji?"

Ao immediately looked up upon hearing this voice, and when he saw the old man, his entire body stiffened involuntarily.

"Now is not the time to give up on yourself."

Genji shook his head gently, looking closely at Ao's face, especially the right eye covered by an eyepatch, before he finally smiled and spoke after a long pause.

"Besides, for you, this might even be an opportunity."