Idle Chess

"Lightning Clone..." Aburame Shigang, enveloped in lightning, spat out these words with great difficulty.

Then, he saw a pair of scarlet Sharingan reflected in his own eyes, and immediately lost consciousness.

So, he couldn't hold back after all? Amidst the rain, Uchiha Akira looked down at the fallen Aburame Shigang with a cold sneer and whispered, "At last, I've finally managed to get a handle on Danzo."

Not far away, Hyuga Kaoru, who had been standing guard, wore a look of utter shock on her beautiful face; the turn of events had completely exceeded her expectations.

Aburame Shigang had launched a sudden attack on Uchiha Akira.

Yet, Uchiha Akira had countered it in the blink of an eye, as if he had anticipated it all along.

She even suspected that Uchiha Akira had deliberately baited Aburame Shigang into making a move.

Just as Uchiha Akira intended to properly interrogate Aburame Shigang, lumps of various sizes suddenly began to bulge all over the body of the man sprawled on the ground.

The next moment, the sound of rustling gnawing emanated from within his body.

Hearing this, Uchiha Akira's expression darkened, and he muttered, "To think he had this trick up his sleeve..."

The insects inside Aburame Shigang's body were devouring their host's flesh; the bugs had lost control.

Now, Aburame Shigang was nothing more than a hollow skin, his internal flesh completely consumed.

Within a few blinks of an eye, black insects tore through his skin and crawled out.

"Danzo is truly cautious..." Uchiha Akira exhaled, then used a Fire Style jutsu to burn the swarming insects on Aburame Shigang's remains into ash.

Nearby, Hyuga Kaoru hesitated, watching Uchiha Akira skillfully destroy the evidence, and felt that she really ought to run for it now.

However, her reason told her it was already too late to flee; her speed could not possibly outmatch Uchiha Akira's.

"Jonin Kaoru, you saw it yourself just now—Aburame Shigang struck first," Uchiha Akira's voice rang out.

Hyuga Kaoru nodded and said, "Captain, it is true that Aburame Shigang initiated the attack."

Uchiha Akira nodded, indifferent to her thoughts, and said, "Please use your Byakugan to help me search the charred remains and see if there is anything hidden among them similar to the branch we found earlier."

"Understood, Captain." Hyuga Kaoru nodded.

With her assistance, Uchiha Akira soon recovered two more pieces of the Ten-Tails Husk Fragment, each several dozen centimeters in size.

"Captain, what should we do now?" After clearing the scene, Hyuga Kaoru looked at Uchiha Akira. "Are we to continue with our mission?"

She did not mention the incident that had just occurred, acting as if it had never happened.

After a moment of contemplation, Uchiha Akira said, "Let's find a place to rest for a while; the battle just now couldn't have been easy."

During the Third Shinobi World War, the Land of Rain served as a battlefield for the major powers, and the country had been nearly pulverized.

Guided by Hyuga Kaoru's Byakugan, the two found a deserted village, providing them with a meager shelter from the rain.

After resting for a while, Uchiha Akira looked at Hyuga Kaoru by the fire and asked:

"How do you intend to report today's events once we return, Jonin Kaoru?"

Upon hearing his words, Hyuga Kaoru fell into a long silence. After a good while, she asked, "How would you like me to report it, Captain?"

"Just report it truthfully, Jonin Kaoru. No need to overthink it," Uchiha Akira said calmly.

"Report it truthfully?" Hyuga Kaoru looked puzzled.

Having traveled this far, she had a rough idea of Aburame Shigang's true identity.

If she wasn't mistaken, Aburame Shigang was a member of the Root, controlled by the Hokage Assistant, and not an ordinary ninja.

As a member of a prestigious Konoha clan, even though she was from a branch family, she knew that Danzo had long been at odds with the Uchiha Clan, and their conflict ran deep.

"That's right," Uchiha Akira nodded. "Say exactly what you saw; there is no need for concern. I will also report the situation of the mission truthfully."

Had he actually captured Aburame Shigang alive, Uchiha Akira certainly wouldn't have done this.

But now that he hadn't secured any leverage against Danzo, it didn't matter much; without evidence, Sarutobi Hiruzen would never move against Danzo.

Hearing this, Hyuga Kaoru gave Uchiha Akira a deep look, then nodded. "I understand. This time, I will report the specific details of the mission to the Hokage truthfully."

After resting for a long time, Hyuga Kaoru asked again, "Captain, shall we continue the mission?"

"What do you think, Jonin Kaoru?" Uchiha Akira countered.

"I feel that if we return now, it would show a lack of commitment to this mission, especially since it is an S-rank task. What do you say, Captain?" Hyuga Kaoru looked at Uchiha Akira with a faint smile.

Uchiha Akira said thoughtfully, "It seems you aren't very eager to return to Konoha, Jonin Kaoru."

The scene fell into silence, and the atmosphere grew cold.

After a long pause, Hyuga Kaoru's cold voice sounded: "I truly do not wish to return to Konoha. Only when I am out on missions can I possess even a shred of insignificant freedom. Returning to Konoha is equivalent to returning to a birdcage."

Uchiha Akira stroked his chin and asked, "Have you never thought about breaking the Caged Bird Seal?"

"Hmph~" Hyuga Kaoru's lovely face darkened instantly, and she said with a hint of chill:

"Easier said than done. The Hyuga Clan has a rigid hierarchy. The branch family sounds nice, but in reality, we are nothing more than servants to the main house. What ability does a servant have to try and break the cage?"

Hyuga Kaoru's pale eyes swept over Uchiha Akira, and she said coldly:

"Captain, you would do well to worry less about our Hyuga affairs. Elder Danzo, the Hokage Assistant, is not someone who is easily dealt with."

Uchiha Akira showed no signs of anger; instead, a look of apology appeared on his face. "Jonin Kaoru, I have overstepped."

"She must be yearning for freedom with every fiber of her being, and given her personality, she is someone who would dare to take action. Deep down, she harbors immense hatred for the Hyuga Main Family, and even the Hyuga Clan as a whole..." Uchiha Akira felt that this person might prove useful in the future.

"Jonin Kaoru, the Land of Rain is not safe right now; it is the enemy's stronghold. I believe it would be better for us to return to Konoha first. What do you think?" Uchiha Akira brought up the matter from earlier.

"It seems the true situation is not as the captain described; the enemy is not going to take ten days or half a month to recover at all!" Hyuga Kaoru tilted her head to look at Uchiha Akira.

Uchiha Akira shrugged and said, "I don't mind you laughing at me, but we didn't even get to see the real enemy!"

Hyuga Kaoru's expression shifted. Uchiha Akira's words gave her a start, as they were completely beyond her imagination.

"In that case, we shouldn't stay in the Land of Rain any longer." Hyuga Kaoru looked at Uchiha Akira solemnly and said, "The strength of this organization has completely exceeded the village's estimates. If we continue to investigate, our situation will become extremely dangerous."

The following evening, the two returned to Konoha and went to the Hokage office to report on the mission.