Twelve: Truly an inherently evil Uchiha brat

"Ah!"

"Why!?"

Accompanied by the sound of blades piercing flesh and pained cries, the Uzumaki Couple collapsed onto the ground. The lead Konoha merchant expressionlessly withdrew his kunai and gave it a light flick, shedding the blood from the blade.

"Captain, it's just as you said!"

The merchant from the Land of Fang with a scar on his face—no, they should be called Konoha ninjas in disguise—retrieved several bags of refined sugar from the kitchen and placed them on the table. "These were all produced by the sugar refinery in the Land of Fang, sugar that was supposed to be offered as tribute to our Konoha! Now they've all ended up in the homes of these Land of Rain civilians. This just goes to show how much of our Konoha's sugar they've been stealing away in secret!"

"Hmph, so it really was these Land of Rain bastards who ambushed our port!"

The captain grabbed a bag of snow-white sugar, took one look, and kicked the corpses of the couple on the floor with hatred.

"Heh, talking about peace, talking about civilians—bah! I think they're all just hidden bandits! These people truly deserve to die!"

"Take this opportunity to rest, Captain."

The scar-faced ninja advised, "If what you say is true, this village... no, the entire Land of Rain has already prepared to ignite a war. We must get this news back to the village. We absolutely cannot let Konoha fall a step behind in this war, otherwise..."

"I know."

The captain nodded and sat down, pulling a military ration pill from his robes and chewing it forcefully. The dry pill quickly released energy, nourishing his body, which had been exhausted by long days of fleeing.

"...There is still a child in this family who went out to play earlier."

The captain called out the scar-faced ninja's name: "Shota, get ready. As soon as he returns, finish him off. We traveled over mountains and through rivers, sneaking all the way here from the Land of Fang just to investigate the truth behind the attack on the Land of Fang. Now that we've finally uncovered something, we must be extremely careful. We cannot let our efforts go to waste!"

"Understood."

Shota walked cautiously to the door and glanced outside. The night was deep and empty: "Captain, you rest. As soon as that child returns, we will kill him!"

"Mm!"

The two nodded.

Yet, what they never noticed was that Nagato, who had gone out earlier, was currently huddled in a corner by the doorway. In a blind spot they couldn't see, his thin, small body was filled with tears and resentment.

And even more terrifying was the shadow of the young Nagato hidden under the moonlight, which was currently curled up behind him like a human face, wearing a hair-raising grin.

"BOOM BOOM BOOM BOOM!!!"

The roar of flames echoed repeatedly within the sugar refinery, and the scorching heat waves, accompanied by churning fire dragons, devoured everything in sight.

Uchiha Sakuya lowered his hands expressionlessly, watching everything before him.

The raging flames danced and the high temperatures seared. The buildings that once stood in this sugar refinery were swallowed the moment they touched his fire, as if they had never existed at all. Only twisted, charred outlines remained, gasping for breath amidst the firelight.

"Tell me, Uchiha, isn't this a bit too much?"

Tsunade, following behind him, felt a lingering fear from the Fire Style Sakuya had just unleashed. "This is a sugar refinery, after all—a place that supplies us with essential goods. You just destroyed it like that?"

She frowned. "This sugar refinery is nominally owned by the Land of Fang. Killing people is one thing, but destroying this place is... isn't it a pity? If there's a chance in the future, maybe it could have been rebuilt. Besides, if the Land of Fang makes a fuss about this later..."

"We can talk about rebuilding later. My Fire Style is naturally high-powered; once it touches these wooden buildings, they catch fire instantly. How could I hold back? As for your worry about the Land of Fang making a fuss..."

"They'll definitely make a fuss, won't they? The silver required to build a sugar refinery is no small amount."

Tsunade counted on her fingers.

At current prices, building a sugar refinery would cost at least fifty thousand ryo—that's the price of several A-rank missions that a major ninja village would have to spend time and effort to complete!

"Rest assured, the Land of Fang won't make a fuss."

Seeing that the surrounding enemies were temporarily cleared, Sakuya stopped releasing flames and explained to Tsunade: "On the contrary, the high-ranking officials of the Land of Fang might even thank us for burning down this refinery."

"What kind of nonsense are you spouting?"

Tsunade was full of confusion.

Is there something wrong with this Uchiha's brain? We destroyed a key facility of their country, and instead of holding us accountable, they'll thank us?

Second Grandfather did not deceive me; the Uchiha Clan is truly...

"Don't understand? Then look at this."

Sakuya squatted down, lifted the hem of a rogue ninja's corpse, and pointed to the hidden pattern on the inside of the fabric: "Look at this, what is it?"

"This style..."

Tsunade took one look and was instantly shocked: "It's not from the Land of Fang. Could it be..."

"These rogue ninjas, without a doubt, were sent by a country hostile to Konoha."

Sakuya narrowed his eyes: "This sugar refinery is near the Land of Fire and has always been heavily guarded. How could ninjas from another country arrive here silently, ambush the factory, and destroy the port? Unless..."

"Unless there is a traitor among the high-ranking officials of the Land of Fang who has defected to another country!"

Tsunade said.

"As expected of 'Princess' Tsunade, you catch on quickly."

Sakuya didn't care at all about the glare Tsunade shot him and stood up: "Our arrival here will surely terrify the high-ranking officials of the Land of Fang who have defected. By destroying this sugar refinery, I've actually put them at ease—because I've helped them balance their books."

He smiled faintly: "With such a considerate ally around, how could he sit by and watch us be held accountable?"

Seeing Tsunade fall into deep thought, Sakuya paused and continued: "Besides, when the time comes, the first ones to jump out will definitely be those involved with the sugar refinery! This is my way of flushing the snake out of its hole."

"But have you thought about this?"

Tsunade shook her head: "By destroying the sugar refinery now, aren't you indirectly destroying the evidence as well? Even if we do manage to catch the traitor who betrayed the Land of Fang and us, as you claim, how are we supposed to..."

"Wrong."

Sakuya shook his head: "The sugar refinery has been occupied by rogue ninja for nearly a week. Even if there was evidence, it would have been destroyed long ago. You shouldn't have had the idea of finding evidence from the very beginning."

"Then you..."

"Dummy."

The corners of his mouth curled up, and he gave Tsunade a wicked grin: "We have destroyed the sugar refinery now. Although it's a destruction on the surface, when the time comes, we can just pull out whatever we want and call it evidence. Who could possibly refute that?"

"You..."

Tsunade stared at Sakuya, stunned, her heart filled with surprise.

Was this his plan from the very start?

Had he already made so many calculations from the moment he began the assault on the sugar refinery?

This guy... isn't his heart a bit too dark?

Truly a naturally evil Uchiha brat; Second Grandfather did not deceive me!

However... having a teammate who considers every angle is actually quite comfortable.