When did you get the idea that you weren't under a genjutsu?

Seven days later, in the Land of Hot Water.

Uchiha Sora summoned several clan members with Three Tomoe to take over the Land of Hot Water Feudal Lord's security detail—and to keep an eye on him.

The Land of Hot Water Feudal Lord, under their control, signed a series of treaties agreeing to pay tribute to the Land of Whirlpools. The first shipment of supplies was already on its way.

With everything taken care of, the two of them headed to their next destination: the Land of Iron.

At the border of the Land of Hot Water.

Whoosh! Whoosh!!

Two Kunai shot toward them, aimed straight at Uchiha Sora and Shisui's faces.

They dodged aside and spotted a group of ninja up ahead.

The man at the front wore a hood, a black eyepatch covering his left eye. His face was stern and resolute.

A Cloud Hidden Forehead Protector...

Shisui recognized him at once and whispered, "That's Dodai of Kumogakure!"

A close aide to two generations of Raikage and a bloodline ninja who wielded Lava Release, he held a position roughly equivalent to a department head in Konoha.

Why would someone like him...

Ah, the Land of Hot Water bordered the Land of Lightning. And Uchiha Sora hadn't exactly been sneaking around in secret this time. It would've been stranger if they hadn't been spotted.

Step.

Dodai stepped forward and said sternly, "Konoha Ninja, you're reaching too far!"

The Great Nations had an unspoken understanding.

The territories of the Five Great Nations didn't share borders. They had deliberately left some smaller countries between them as strategic buffers.

The Land of Rain and the Land of Grass were like the Land of Hot Water. The Great Nations refrained from annexing these lands so they'd have somewhere to fight without holding back.

Uchiha Sora tilted his head and smiled. "We're not wearing Konoha Forehead Protectors, are we? You're jumping to conclusions, Mr. Dodai."

Dodai snorted. "If I said the Yotsuki Clan wasn't part of Kumogakure, would you believe me?"

The Yotsuki Clan was one of Kumogakure's major clans, with a status roughly equivalent to the Hyuga Clan in Konoha—perhaps even higher.

"Enough talk. Leave the Land of Hot Water, or we'll consider it a declaration of war by Konoha against Kumogakure!"

Uchiha Sora's smile faded. He slowly shook his head. "Did you leave your brain at home? Konoha and Kumogakure haven't even signed a peace treaty."

"Besides... I told you, we're not Konoha Ninja."

Flash!!

A blade flashed into view as Uchiha Sora struck first!

Dodai dodged the short blade flying at him. When he turned back, a massive fireball filled his vision.

Lava Release: Rubber Wall!

Dodai spat up a mass of rubber, forming a protective membrane.

Boom!!

The Great Fireball slammed into the membrane and exploded!

The blast tore a hole in the membrane. Uchiha Sora used the Body Flicker Technique to close in, drew a Kunai from his hip pouch, and thrust it at Dodai's face.

The Kunai pierced his head, but Dodai melted away like a liquid.

Lava Release: Clone Technique.

Earth Release: Double Suicide Decapitation Technique!

A hand burst from the earth, grabbed Uchiha Sora by the ankle, and dragged him underground until only his head remained above the surface.

"Too impatient, kid."

Dodai's face was expressionless as he thrust his dagger forward.

"You're the one who's too impatient. You're facing a Uchiha, and you dared to look me in the eye."

A crimson flash. Three Tomoe appeared.

Dodai froze, then hurriedly circulated his chakra...

No!

The secret technique sealed in my left eye is meant to counter genjutsu. That's why I'm not afraid to look a Uchiha in the eye. I'm not under a genjutsu!

That moment's hesitation was all Uchiha Sora needed. He burst out of the ground and reached for Dodai's eyepatch.

!!!

Squelch—

At the last moment, Dodai's extensive combat experience let him narrowly dodge. The fingertips only tore a small patch of flesh from the corner of his eye.

Dodai retreated several steps and roared, "You bastard! You tricked me!"

"Ah, words can be a kind of genjutsu too. I got what I wanted, didn't I?"

Uchiha Sora wiped the blood from his fingertips and said calmly, "That's enough pleasantries."

"Because of some unresolved issues from the past, our clan left Konoha."

"The Land of Hot Water chose to hire us as guards. That's perfectly legal. You're sticking your nose where it doesn't belong."

Dodai's pupils shrank.

Compared to Uchiha Sora's revelation, the matter of the Land of Hot Water suddenly seemed trivial.

The Uchiha... had left Konoha!

People in the Shinobi World had a fixed impression of the Uchiha: this was an extremely arrogant clan that generally didn't lie.

Especially not about something concerning the honor of the entire clan!

He didn't know Uchiha Sora, but he knew Shisui, standing beside him.

And Shisui hadn't denied it...

"You've entered the Land of Hot Water. By the authority granted to me by the Feudal Lord, I have the right to drive you out."

Uchiha Sora stepped forward, with Shisui close behind.

It looked as though another battle was about to begin...

"Wait!"

Dodai raised a hand and said urgently, "Is what you said true?!"

A great many thoughts raced through his mind.

Most of Kumogakure's ninja were hotheads, but Dodai was a strategist.

"How could the Fourth Hokage possibly allow the Uchiha to leave Konoha?!"

Dodai had heard the Raikage praise that man more than once. In both strength and character, he was nearly perfect.

With a Hokage like that, why would the Uchiha defect?

Had something happened to the Fourth Hokage? Or was Konoha planning something big?

Were they pretending the Uchiha had defected so they could seize smaller countries and prepare for the Land of Fire's expansion?

"I can't tell you that. Go find the answer yourselves."

Flash—

Uchiha Sora drew Shisui's short sword and slowly advanced.

Dodai took several steps back and said gravely, "Fine. We'll leave the Land of Hot Water. Sorry."

He was in a hurry to report the situation to the Raikage and investigate what had happened. He no longer wanted to fight the two of them.

He had just signaled his men to retreat when Uchiha Sora spoke.

"Hey, if I let you walk away just because you said you were sorry, wouldn't that be a disservice to the handsome fee the Feudal Lord is paying us?"

"Why do you think I bothered wasting so much breath on you...?"

Dodai sensed something was wrong, but it was too late.

Flames rose from Uchiha Sora's fingertips. He slammed his hand onto the ground.

The chakra he had stored up surged out, drawing on the earth's infernal flames.

Fwoom!!!

Four walls of fire rose up, enclosing the Kumogakure ninja.

Uchiha Flame Formation!!

"Attack!"

Whoosh, whoosh, whoosh!!

Shisui sent more than a dozen Kunai flying, each striking a Kumogakure ninja in a vital spot. They had time for a single cry before they lost their lives.

Shisui split into countless copies, each one enough to make the enemy's blood run cold.

At the same time, Uchiha Sora charged at Dodai with his blade, radiating killing intent!

Dodai raised his arm to block and roared, "You bastard! We were already leaving, and you still dared to attack us!"

"Are you insane?!"

"You dared to kill my men... unforgivable!!"

In the corner of his eye, he saw Shisui tearing through the Kumogakure ninja like a wolf among sheep, cutting down lives at will. Dodai's eyes burned with fury.

"Don't be ridiculous, old man."

Uchiha Sora's eyes glowed red as he said coldly, "If you were an ordinary ninja, the Kunai you threw earlier would've killed us."

"I'm just returning the killing intent you showed us. Is that so hard to accept?"

Dodai froze, then glared at Uchiha Sora. "You really... have made me angry!"

Uchiha Sora smiled calmly. "You looked me in the eye again."

"You think you can pull the same trick twice?!"

I won't fall for a genjutsu. The power sealed in my left eye is enough to counter the Sharingan!!

Dodai roared and moved to force Uchiha Sora back...

But his arm didn't move with the strength he expected.

Flash—

The blade burned with crimson flames. It severed his arm and charred the wound black.

"When did you..."

"Get the idea that you weren't under a genjutsu?"