Three days later.
In a sparse pine forest on the northern border of the Land of Fire.
Several figures lay hidden among the dense leaves, constantly on alert.
In truth, to protect the clan members fleeing alongside him, Natsume, as the Young Clan Head, had naturally made arrangements.
He had split everyone into smaller groups.
The elderly, children, and women, who were physically weaker, were sent off in batches with merchant caravans heading for the Land of Fields, without drawing attention.
The younger ninja, who were a little stronger, took treacherous routes through dense forests and rocky terrain. They left traces behind as they went, misleading and confusing the Konoha pursuers.
He had even personally stayed behind with several Jonin to cover the retreat.
He was determined to leave nothing to chance.
And this was one of the main roads connecting the Land of Fire to the Land of Fields.
If Konoha's ninja came after them,
they would almost certainly pass through here and be spotted by the Uchiha ninja lying in wait.
At that moment, Natsume was indeed hiding here with three capable Uchiha Jonin.
Keeping watch until the very end.
"Young Clan Head, how much longer do we have to stay here?"
"Another hour and a half, I'd say. The last group of our clan members should be able to cross the border of the Land of Fire and reach the Land of Fields by then."
"Once they're on foreign soil, even Konoha's ninja won't be able to act freely. We'll basically be safe."
Natsume made a quick estimate and gave his answer.
"Come to think of it, aside from a few lousy Konoha scouts, we haven't encountered any large-scale pursuit. I thought Konoha would chase us like madmen!"
Uchiha Teng sighed and joked with a laugh.
Back then, one of the main reasons most of the hardliners in the clan had chosen not to defect
was their fear of Konoha hunting them down.
After all, nobody wanted to spend their whole life fleeing in fear.
"Obviously, they're terrified of the Young Clan Head's strength! Why else would they dare not pursue us?"
Beside him, Uchiha Gin, also young at just sixteen and a huge admirer of Natsume, quickly chimed in with an enthusiastic boast.
What could he say?
Three months ago, when the Young Clan Head had first awakened his Mangekyo, he'd chosen Gin as his sparring partner.
That battle had left a psychological scar on the prodigy Uchiha Gin, who had earned his Jonin rank at just sixteen.
Now, in his eyes, there was no ninja stronger than the Young Clan Head!
Of course, Natsume wasn't getting carried away by all the praise.
"My contingency plan must have worked."
"Itachi really is dependable!"
"Konoha probably won't send out a large force to hunt us down for a while."
"We should have a stretch of relative peace in which to develop."
"But later on, the people sent after us might be our own clan members who stayed behind in Konoha..."
"What? Then we'll have to fight our own people?"
"Those damn Konoha bastards! How could they be so evil?"
Uchiha Gin cursed angrily, furious.
"Don't worry. I already have a plan. I won't let everyone be put in a difficult position."
Natsume's eyes flickered as he spoke in a low voice.
Clearly, he had planned for this well in advance.
"By the way, Young Clan Head, I've got a question too. Why are we fleeing to the Land of Fields?"
"The Land of Fields is a small country, far weaker than the Land of Fire. If Konoha pressures it through the Land of Fire someday, couldn't it just sell us out?"
"Why not flee to one of the other four great nations?"
Natsume glanced at Uchiha Nichiyo beside him.
This kid had a bright future! That was a good question.
So he explained.
"The power plays between the great nations are far more complicated than ordinary shinobi villages can imagine. And the Five Great Shinobi Villages keep one another in check. Even the slightest disturbance could upset their balance."
"To preserve that balance, and to prevent other villages from sheltering their own rogue ninja,"
"if we, as Konoha defectors, sought refuge in another great nation, they would almost certainly turn us away. Some more hardline villages might even kill us all and hand us back to Konoha."
"That would tarnish Konoha's reputation while earning them a favor from Konoha. It's a win-win, so it would be hard for the other villages to resist."
"What's more, our Uchiha Clan is different from other ninja clans. Our Sharingan, our Kekkei Genkai—every village sees them as a treasure trove, a gold mine on legs!"
"Do you think the other four great villages would give up such a huge prize delivered right to their doorstep?"
"I see!"
Uchiha Nichiyo finally understood, at least in broad strokes, the pros and cons involved.
The other two couldn't help staring in amazement, their eyes shining.
Natsume's analysis of the great nations' power plays had clearly left them in awe!
It was hard to believe their Young Clan Head was only ten, yet already so far-sighted and resourceful!
Following the Young Clan Head was clearly a path to a bright future!
"But why not choose a small country farther from Konoha? The Land of Fields is way too close to Konoha, isn't it?"
"The reason we chose the Land of Fields is..."
"Wait, I'll explain another time. We have a visitor."
"Go on ahead and protect the last group of clan members crossing the border. I need to have a chat with this future 'good neighbor' first!"
Natsume cut off his explanation and gave the three men their orders.
The three obeyed without hesitation. They followed his instructions to the letter.
After exchanging glances,
they swiftly leapt up and headed after the clan members making their way across the border.
The moment the three had left,
in the next instant,
a snake-like figure slowly emerged from the massive tree trunk behind Natsume.
"Orochimaru, the way you show up is as disgusting as ever!"
"Hehehe! Natsume, this is only the third time we've met... How can you say 'as ever'?"
The pale-faced Snake Auntie flicked out his unnaturally long tongue.
He licked his lips, grinning sinisterly.
He couldn't help it. The young body in front of him was simply too tempting!
Only ten years old, with an enormous amount of chakra! A perfect Mangekyo Kekkei Genkai!
To Orochimaru, he was a one-of-a-kind vessel to inhabit!
Orochimaru had spent countless nights yearning to take over this youthful, vigorous body!
The only problem was that he couldn't beat Natsume...
Natsume glanced at Orochimaru. He couldn't exactly say he was sick of seeing Snake Auntie's twisted form in his previous life.
So he quickly changed the subject.
"Since you're here, does that mean everything's been arranged on the Land of Fields' side?"
"Of course. My subordinates have already received your clan members. They're leading them to the place you chose."
"The basic houses have already been built there. If everyone squeezes in, it can easily accommodate a few hundred people."
Orochimaru slithered in a long loop around Natsume as he replied.
Sometimes, even he was amazed.
The difference between people could be so enormous!
Two months ago, when this ten-year-old Uchiha brat had sought him out and claimed he wanted to work with him and defect from Konoha,
he'd thought the kid had gone crazy!
He never expected that it would all become reality tonight.
The brat had actually managed to lead so many clan members out of Konoha by himself.
It was insane!
Was this kid really only ten years old?!!
Before you continue