Uchiha Mikoto, Defeated

The Chunin named Makoto stood ramrod straight, looking at Uchiha Chonhua with deep respect.

"Yes, Lord Chonhua! I'll make sure your message gets through!"

Uchiha Chonhua sighed helplessly. "Don't call me 'Lord.'"

"Understood, Lord Chonhua!"

Uchiha Chonhua let it go.

This Chunin was one of the wounded people Uchiha Chonhua had treated, and he was deeply grateful for being saved.

Now that he was on a mission with Uchiha Chonhua, he had witnessed the man's formidable strength, and the mission had gone smoothly.

His gratitude had turned into respect. The Chunin sincerely admired him and had begun to think about following Uchiha Chonhua.

If it had been someone else from the Uchiha Clan, of course, he wouldn't have felt this way.

He wanted to follow them? The Uchiha Clan wouldn't want him. They'd look at him coldly, as if he were trash.

But Uchiha Chonhua was different. This lord was gentle and kind, full of compassion, and powerful, too.

He treated civilian ninja like equals and often asked after their well-being.

This was a member of that renowned ninja clan—and he was actually so good to them!

How could Makoto Yamagami not be moved and deeply touched?

He had to do a good job completing the mission Lord Chonhua had given him!

Makoto Yamagami left with a determined look.

"Lord Chonhua," Nawaki repeated with a grin, looking envious. "I wish someone would call me Lord Nawaki, too."

Uchiha Chonhua lightly tapped him. "All right, let's head to the next place. The mission's urgent, and we don't have much time."

Because of the ninja's high mobility, Sunagakure had sent out squads to roam between the forces led by Hatake Sakumo and Orochimaru.

They were trying to cut off communications between the two forces, disrupt the movement of their ninja, and occasionally launch lightning-fast raids deep into their territory, ambushing supply routes and causing casualties and losses of supplies.

Hatake Sakumo and Orochimaru took one look at the situation and decided they needed to send people to clear out the Sunagakure ninja roaming the area.

They each dispatched squads, one from the north and one from the south, pushing toward the middle. Once the Sunagakure ninja had been driven away, they would send ninja to hold the area and prevent the enemy from breaking through again.

Black-maru

Konoha had ample resources and plenty of ninja, so stationing some here was no great burden.

Sniff, sniff.

Kuro-maru raised his head, went over to Tsume Inuzuka, and whimpered a few times.

Tsume Inuzuka nodded and said to Uchiha Chonhua, "Seven people."

"They all smell of poison."

Uchiha Chonhua nodded. Seven Sunagakure ninja who used puppets.

He activated the Mind's Eye of the Kagura and discreetly signaled the others, directing them to surround all seven Sunagakure ninja.

"Do you think we can win this war?"

One Sunagakure ninja looked worried. "This is Konoha we're talking about. They have plenty of ninja and supplies. They're the strongest village in the Ninja World."

Another Sunagakure ninja sneered. "This is all for survival. Think about where we live, then look at where the people of Konoha live."

"Do you want your descendants to spend every day eating sand?"

"Well..." The Sunagakure ninja sighed and fell silent.

Who wanted to eat sand? Looking up at the cloudless sky, feeling the warm sunlight and the pleasant breeze, and breathing in the fresh air—

Before him stretched a sea of green. He couldn't find the words.

"So what if Konoha has more ninja? We're not pushovers!"

As if caressing a lover, the Sunagakure ninja ran his hand over his puppet. "People who live in peaceful places can't imagine what it's like for those of us raised in harsh conditions, can they? You're worrying over nothing. They're docile little sheep, while we're wolves—the elite!"

The Sunagakure ninja smiled confidently. Uchiha Chonhua, standing right in front of him, smiled too.

"You?!"

The Sunagakure ninja's smiling face turned to one of terror. He had just started to shout when pain burst through his chest.

Indigo lightning illuminated the two of them. A few drops of blood spattered Uchiha Chonhua's face. With his scarlet Sharingan, he looked just like a demon.

"The elite? The elite are exactly who I kill!"

Lightning raged, sending the Sunagakure ninja straight to his grave.

"Ambush!"

One of the Sunagakure ninja managed to shout, but Uchiha Chonhua and the others had already surrounded them.

Uchiha Chonhua went straight for the kill, while the others played it safe, aiming their attacks at the puppets the Sunagakure ninja carried.

Bang! Bang! Bang!

One puppet after another was destroyed before the horrified eyes of the Sunagakure ninja.

"Get in close!"

At Uchiha Chonhua's command, the others closed in and engaged the Sunagakure ninja.

Sunagakure ninja who used puppets never carried just one.

The scrolls on their backs held stronger, more poisonous puppets.

The Sunagakure ninja scrambled to defend themselves, trying to pull out their scrolls and release their puppets.

But this wasn't a turn-based game. Uchiha Chonhua and the others had anticipated that move and interrupted them every time.

"Argh!"

Hearing a scream, the Sunagakure ninja hurriedly looked over—and saw their comrade being killed by the Uchiha.

Uchiha Chonhua casually tossed aside the body in his hand and smiled at them gently. In the eyes of the Sunagakure ninja, he was no different from a demon.

"Without their puppets, they lose most of their strength. That's no good. Has Sunagakure never considered developing in other areas?"

Uchiha Chonhua shook his head in criticism, then lunged forward and drove his Chidori into one of their chests.

The others watched another comrade die, their faces filled with despair and grief.

They glared at Uchiha Chonhua with hatred.

"Damn it! Have the guts to let us release our puppets and fight!"

Nawaki looked as if he wanted to say something, but Uchiha Chonhua gave his idealistic friend a glare.

He snorted. "Those who kill will be killed."

"You didn't hesitate to kill the people of the Land of Fire. So I won't hesitate, either!"

Uchiha Chonhua suddenly appeared in front of a Sunagakure ninja. Seeing the other's furious expression, he said coldly, "Don't worry. I'll send you all to join each other."

"Ugh..."

The Sunagakure ninja spat out a mouthful of blood and looked down at his chest, trembling. His head lolled to one side, and his body went limp.

They called themselves the elite, but their strength depended on their puppets. They were different from Rasa and Karura, and easy to counter when caught off guard with a plan in place.

Before long, Uchiha Chonhua's squad had dealt with all seven Sunagakure ninja.

Uchiha Chonhua turned to Nawaki, his expression serious. "Nawaki, you heard what they said. Don't hesitate. They're the enemy!"

Nawaki gave Uchiha Chonhua a speechless look.

"Is it possible I was actually trying to curse him out?"

Chapter 63: Uchiha Mikoto, Defeated

"..."

Uchiha Chonhua blinked, then turned to the others. "Get rid of the bodies. We need to keep moving!"

"Chonhua, don't you have anything to say to me?"

Nawaki's voice drifted over, full of reproach. Uchiha Chonhua cleared his throat and said nothing, instead spraying the bodies of the Sunagakure ninja with Fire Release and burning them.

"I may be reckless, but I'm not naive," Nawaki muttered. He formed Hand Seals and created an earthen wall, burying the bodies.

After cleaning up, they continued on their way, taking out every Sunagakure ninja they encountered along the route.

They followed the tried-and-true sneak-attack approach. On the surface, they had Kuro-maru from Tsume Inuzuka's family sniffing out enemies; behind the scenes, Uchiha Chonhua watched with the Mind's Eye of the Kagura.

By planning ahead and striking when the enemy least expected it, they hit their mark every time.

The Sunagakure ninja were skilled. When ambushed, they didn't lose their composure and showed the discipline of well-trained ninja. But they were unlucky enough to face opponents with a huge gap in strength.

Uchiha Chonhua alone had raised the fighting strength of the entire squad.

There was no need to hide his Three-Tomoe Sharingan. With his full strength unleashed, Uchiha Chonhua could be rated an elite Jonin in overall ability!

"Minato, Senior Ono!"

As they continued onward, Uchiha Chonhua and the others ran into another ninja squad.

Their squad wasn't the only one dispatched to clear the Sunagakure ninja from the area.

"Chonhua, is everyone all right?"

Namikaze Minato looked them over and saw that they were clean and neat, not at all disheveled. They looked as if they hadn't been in a fight.

"Heh, of course we're fine." Nawaki rubbed his nose and grinned proudly. "They weren't a match for us!"

"Makoto Yamagami and the others... Judging by your condition, they went back to the main force to deliver the message, right?"

Ono sighed suddenly, and Namikaze Minato's expression turned sorrowful.

Uchiha Chonhua and the others exchanged glances, then looked at the squad behind them.

Several people were missing. Seeing how travel-worn they looked, and that some of them were injured, Uchiha Chonhua had a feeling about what had happened. He spoke up to offer his condolences. "I'm sorry for your loss, Senior Ono."

"They all sacrificed themselves for Konoha." Jonin Ono steadied her breathing, trying to suppress her grief.

"We'll rest for a while, then keep going. We're not far from the rendezvous point."

After resting for a while, they set off together.

They soon encountered other ninja squads. Most had suffered a few injuries, but no squad had been wiped out completely.

Among the Southern Squad, Uchiha Chonhua's team was the cleanest and most relaxed. Their appearance drew frequent glances from the other squads.

The team led by Hizashi Hyuga came second. After talking with him, Uchiha Chonhua nodded in approval and patted him on the shoulder.

Ninja rarely fought head-on. Most belonged to the sneak-attack crowd, but few were actually any good at it.

"You pass."

Hizashi Hyuga looked at Uchiha Chonhua in confusion, unsure what he had passed.

The Southern Squad had now assembled. After traveling a little farther, they would meet up with the Northern Squad.

At last, the northern and southern forces had joined together, forming a wall that kept the Sunagakure ninja out.

"Senior Jiraiya?"

As the northern and southern squads joined up, Uchiha Chonhua looked at the leader of the Northern Squad in surprise.

The Squad Captain, a senior figure in the Command Center, had come to clear out Sunagakure squads from this area. Wasn't that like using a cannon to kill a mosquito? Such a waste of talent!

"This wall is thin. If the enemy breaks through at one point, they could easily get past it."

Jiraiya pointed to himself and grinned. "That's why I'm here. I'll be stationed in the middle and rush to reinforce any area that's in trouble. We have to make sure this wall holds and doesn't let them harass the civilians behind us!"

"Rest for a while. In a bit, I want the captains of each squad to come see me. There's something I need to discuss with you."

With that, Jiraiya flicked his white hair and walked away.

The squad captains glanced at one another, then dispersed to rest or talk with people they knew.

"Chonhua, long time no see!"