Two red dots suddenly appeared in the thick fog.
Masaki Uchiha's gaze was drawn to them.
It turned out Kaito Uchiha had activated his Three-Tomoe Sharingan.
"Masaki, how about you try out my genjutsu?"
[Demonic Illusion: Shackling Stakes Technique]
Masaki Uchiha suddenly realized he couldn't move. He couldn't even control his arms and legs.
"Ah..."
Feeling waves of pain coming from his body, he thought, Hashirama Cells do a pretty good job of amplifying ocular power. I've learned just about all I need to.
"Kaito, did you forget something?"
"My ocular power is greater than yours!"
A pattern like a triangular pinwheel appeared in Masaki Uchiha's eyes, and he fixed his gaze on Kaito Uchiha.
[Demonic Illusion: Mirror Heaven and Earth Change]
He reflected the genjutsu straight back at Kaito Uchiha.
"Ah!"
Struck by the reflected genjutsu, Kaito Uchiha couldn't help but beg for mercy.
After all, this wasn't a fight to the death, and Mangekyo Sharingan genjutsu wasn't easy to break.
So...
"I give up! I give up! Hurry and release the genjutsu!"
"That's all it took?"
A faint smile touched Masaki Uchiha's lips. He snapped his fingers, dispelling the genjutsu.
"Still, judging by your strength now, the experiment worked quite well. Your ninjutsu, taijutsu, and genjutsu have all improved tremendously."
"With your current strength, you can absolutely take on a Kage Level expert like Rasa. Congratulations on reaching the ranks of the Kage Level."
Kaito Uchiha, sitting on the ground, rolled his eyes. "Why does that sound so weird? But... never mind. I'm more than satisfied just to have reached Kage Level."
"Come on. There's something I need your help with." Masaki Uchiha pulled Kaito Uchiha to his feet.
He brushed the dust off him.
The two of them then walked back toward the Uchiha clan compound with their arms around each other's shoulders.
Only a few pits remained in the training ground, silently crying out.
When they reached the house, they saw Uchiha Eishin already up and tidying the place, cleaning the house.
"Eishin, look who's here!" Masaki Uchiha turned sideways to give Uchiha Eishin a clear view of the person behind him.
Uchiha Eishin was dressed in casual home clothes and doing housework.
Hearing Masaki's voice, she immediately looked up. "Welcome home, Masaki."
Her gaze then shifted to the figure behind him.
Recognizing her long-unseen second brother, she cried out with delight, "Second Brother!"
She immediately put down what she was doing and hurried over to Kaito Uchiha, chattering away:
"Second Brother, you haven't sent a single message this whole month. Big Brother was starting to worry something had happened to you."
"If Masaki hadn't told me what you were up to, I wouldn't have known where you'd gone."
"Look at you, all fit and full of energy. You had Big Brother and me worrying for nothing."
"I'll go call Big Brother over so we can all have a meal together. I'll go buy groceries now. Masaki, keep him company and have some tea."
As Uchiha Eishin rattled on without pause, Kaito Uchiha was ushered into the living room before he could get a word in.
"Eishin, I already let Big Brother know on the way here. You don't need to go."
"Then I'll go buy groceries. We can chat over the meal. Have a seat for now." Without waiting for a reply, Uchiha Eishin headed straight out to the market.
"My little sister's always been in such a rush. I hope you'll be patient with her, Masaki," Kaito Uchiha said, turning to him.
Masaki Uchiha waved it off with a smile. "What are you talking about? I'll propose to Eishin before long. Then we'll all be family, so don't be so formal."
"Hahaha, then congratulations to you both!" Kaito Uchiha was overjoyed. His little sister's future was settled. All that remained was to avenge themselves on Danzo.
At the thought, a murderous glint flashed in his eyes. "Masaki, when are we going to ambush Danzo?"
For the clan members following Masaki Uchiha, there was only one greatest enemy at present—Shimura Danzō!
During the war, he had constantly killed Uchiha clan members. His crimes included, but weren't limited to, deliberately providing false information, leaking details about Uchiha teams, and ambushing Uchiha clan members.
The truth only came to light after Masaki Uchiha's last deal with Orochimaru. To protect his benefactor, Orochimaru had casually handed him the information.
That was how Danzō's actions against the Uchiha were exposed.
When the other clan members first learned the truth, they all wanted to confront Danzō immediately.
Masaki Uchiha was the one who stopped them, promising to make sure Shimura Danzō would die without a place to be buried.
After that, no one said much. They only asked when Shimura Danzō would be eliminated.
At the time, Masaki Uchiha had smiled mysteriously. "Give me a year. Isn't Shimura Danzō always claiming he's the only one fit to become Hokage?"
"Isn't he willing to sacrifice everything for Konoha? Fine. First, we'll ruin his reputation. Second, we'll make him watch the Shimura Clan perish. Third, we'll wipe him off the face of the earth."
Kill the body and the heart!
Seeing that Masaki Uchiha already had a plan, they stopped asking. Afterward, they all declared that they were ready to help kill Danzō whenever the time came.
With nearly half a year left before the deadline, everyone was growing impatient, so they asked Kaito Uchiha to find out when Masaki Uchiha planned to act.
Masaki Uchiha said with a smile, "The first step of the three-part plan I told you about can begin tomorrow."
"Naoya's arrived, too. Once he sits down, I'll explain the second step."
As soon as he finished speaking, Uchiha Naoya came in from outside.
"Clan Leader, forgive me for arriving late." He bowed slightly, his posture straight as a pine.
"We're all family now. You don't need to call me 'sir.'" Masaki Uchiha smiled helplessly.
"Masaki, when did you become clan leader?" Kaito Uchiha asked, astonished.
Seeing Kaito Uchiha call the clan leader by his first name, Uchiha Naoya was displeased. He strode forward and smacked Kaito on the head. "Show some respect to the clan leader!"
His fear of his older brother was ingrained in his bones, so Kaito Uchiha could only duck his head, not daring to make a sound.
Seeing this, Masaki Uchiha stepped in to smooth things over. "We're family. There's no need for that. Naoya, sit down. What we're about to discuss is important."
Hearing the seriousness in Masaki Uchiha's voice, the two brothers immediately sat down properly.
"Kaito, I need you to lead a team of elite jonin to the Capital of the Land of Fire and pay a visit to the Daimyo."
"I recently heard that the Daimyo is putting together an organization called the 'Twelve Guardian Ninja' to protect him."
"I heard Sarutobi Asuma is part of it, too. Take some clan members with you and join them. Don't let the Hokage faction influence the Daimyo."
"There are three benefits to this."
"First, you can protect the Daimyo from being assassinated by rogue ninja."
"Second, you can stop certain 'extremists' from whispering in the Daimyo's ear and influencing his judgment of either the Uchiha or Konoha."
"Third, and most importantly, you'll earn the Daimyo's trust."
"This is crucial to my later succession to the Hokage Position and my efforts to eliminate the other opposition factions."
"Kaito, this mission is very important. I've thought it over, and you're the best person for the job. Are you confident you can complete it?"
Facing Masaki Uchiha's stern expression, Kaito Uchiha immediately stood and dropped to one knee. "Clan Leader, you have my word. I will complete the mission, even if it costs me my life."
Though Kaito Uchiha could be unreliable in everyday life, he could be counted on to take his missions seriously.
Masaki Uchiha's lips lifted slightly, and he nodded with satisfaction. "Time is short, so leave tomorrow morning."