The Pot King Carries the Blame

The tree branches under the night sky resembled the gaunt, skeletal arms of demons, and the rustling of leaves in the night wind sounded like whispers maddening enough to drive one insane.

She was the jinchuriki of the Nine-Tails, the princess of the Land of Whirlpools, yet she was also just a young girl; in such a situation, she should have been weeping.

But as she stared directly into those blood-red eyes, filled with mystery and malevolence, her fear was dispelled.

Even though staring into those eyes brought nothing but a sensation of icy coldness.

"Can you walk on your own?"

The voice carried a hint of cold detachment, yet it possessed an indescribable gentleness and an uncanny, magnetic affinity.

Uzumaki Kushina wanted to answer, but she found her nose and throat constricted; she could only force back her tears and nod heavily.

"Very well."

"Return along the path you came; there are people there to meet you."

"Do not be afraid, do not be anxious."

She, who had been held in a princess carry, was quietly set down on the ground. Long-standing distress caused her to stumble upon landing, but a hand reached out to steady her back.

Whether it was an illusion or not, she felt a surge of heat flow from his palm, rapidly spreading throughout her entire body and imbuing her with courage.

The dark forest suddenly didn't seem so terrifying anymore. After walking a few steps, Uzumaki Kushina suddenly turned her head to look at Uchiha Yuji, who was walking slowly toward the Kumogakure ninjas.

The red and white fan crest of his clan remained clearly visible in the shadows cast by the dark clouds.

The bright moon happened to pass through the clouds, spilling its light onto Uchiha Yuji; under the silver radiance, his lithe, athletic frame displayed a strange, aesthetic beauty.

Sensing that Uzumaki Kushina was moving away rapidly, Uchiha Yuji walked slowly to the vicinity of the Kumogakure ninjas.

He snapped his middle finger and thumb together.

And this snap seemed to act as if it had lifted a time-stop.

The Kumogakure ninjas, who had just regained consciousness, acted as if they had all just woken from a nightmare; their chests heaved violently, cold sweat poured down their foreheads, and some even crawled on the ground, their eyes filled with nothing but profound terror.

After breaking one genjutsu, there was another; they had been trapped in layers upon layers of genjutsu, each one bringing a brand-new terror.

Grotesque corpses that were rotting and tattered yet could move with lightning speed, ghosts that reappeared no matter how many times they were killed—Damn it! Is this really just a genjutsu?

"The quality of this year's recruits is the worst I have ever seen."

Uchiha Yuji sighed softly, "After experiencing the genjutsu of the Mangekyo, you have already lost the will to fight."

"It is my fault for overestimating you; after all, you are just a bunch of small fry."

One second he was speaking gently, and the next, a kunai had already pierced the throat of a Kumogakure ninja.

The powerful force tore straight through the throat, the blood-flecked kunai emerging from the back of the neck; the terrified eyes shifted toward despair before losing all color.

"One person is enough to go back and report."

Uchiha Yuji flicked his hand sharply, the blood clinging to it flying off, "I think you understand what I mean."

But the Kumogakure ninjas did not turn on each other.

The darkest-skinned brute slowly stood up; this time, he did not avoid Uchiha Yuji's eyes. "I have no family, no lover, just a worthless life."

"Count me in."

"Sasahara, you still have family, right?"

In just a few words, they had decided who would return to deliver the message.

Even though their legs were trembling with fear, and the longing for life in their eyes had never faded, they still stood up.

The fragrance of courage made Uchiha Yuji feel intoxicated for a brief moment.

The greatness of humanity lies in that noble posture when facing fear!

And in that moment of distraction, the Kumogakure brutes launched their attack simultaneously.

Violent, roaring lightning scorched the earth as they sprinted, closing the distance between them in an instant with extreme speed, the figure of the Uchiha rapidly enlarging in their vision.

"Not bad willpower."

A voice, plain yet carrying a hint of solemnity, sounded abruptly in their ears.

The world twisted, their sense of balance was lost, and their eyes reflected their own lower bodies still maintaining the charging posture as their consciousness gradually drifted into darkness.

"But behavior like yours makes me feel like I am the villain here."

"Even though it was you who broke into someone else's home to rob them."

They were merely Chunin-level enemies; even at their absolute maximum speed, in the eyes of the Mangekyo, their movements were no different from a crawling turtle.

Having dealt with this small squad of Kumogakure ninjas, not a single drop of blood had stained Uchiha Yuji's black clothes.

Like a wealthy young master pondering what to eat for dinner, with a slightly troubled expression, Uchiha Yuji walked leisurely toward the last remaining survivor of the Kumogakure group.

"Go back and tell the Raikage: the Uchiha are no longer the Uchiha of the past. If you dare to use us, be prepared for an all-out war with our Uchiha clan."

The last remaining Kumogakure ninja fought back his grief, wiping away the tears that streamed from his eyes.

"The Raikage will avenge my comrades. You think a single clan can take on our entire Kumogakure village? Nothing awaits you but destruction."

A direct confrontation was clearly no longer an option, but that didn't stop him from hurling insults.

It didn't stop him from wanting to curse a few more times. (Though he didn't dare.)

"Get lost." Uchiha Yuji waved his hand, signaling for this loser—who hadn't even earned a name until now—to scram.

Although his tone wasn't exactly pleasant, the Cloud ninja didn't dare voice any objections, obediently turning around to leave.

With a few leaps, he vanished into the dark forest.

Before long, several Uchiha appeared in the area.

"Lord Yuji, Uzumaki Kushina has already returned to Konoha," Uchiha Yashiro said softly.

Nodding slightly, Uchiha Yuji pointed at the savages who had been cleaved in two. "Take the bodies of these unlucky fellows back; there might be some unexpected intelligence to be found."

How did mere Chunin-level ninja manage to sneak into the heart of the Land of Fire, bypass Konoha's barrier, and accurately snatch Uzumaki Kushina?

To put it bluntly, even if a group of Cloud Jonin tried to infiltrate Konoha during this era of war, it would be a mission of hellish difficulty.

To say there was no scheme involved? Uchiha Yuji knew it was impossible without even needing to think about it.

After all, the person kidnapped was the Nine-Tails Jinchuriki, a vital [Weapon]. If they didn't add some shackles to her, how could the Princess of the Land of Whirlpools dedicate herself wholeheartedly to Konoha?

As for whose plan it was?

If Shimura Danzō hadn't died, this blame would certainly be his.

But since he had already kicked the bucket...

It seemed he was destined to take the fall for this one regardless!