The First Meritorious Official

If he could not resolve that legendary Susanoo, then rather than wasting his energy here, he would be better off returning to his country early...

Thinking of this, he raised his hand to signal the Kirigakure ninja.

"Retreat?"

The Kirigakure ninja looked at one another, unable to believe this was the order Karatachi Yagura had given.

"Retreat!"

Finally, someone took the lead, and the others no longer hesitated, following suit one after another.

Watching Karatachi Yagura lead his subordinates away, Shisui finally let out a sigh of relief.

If the fight had continued, he truly would have been out of his depth...

He had abandoned the main force along the way to rush here at top speed; both his physical strength and chakra were nearing their limits. He had only managed to hold on until now by sheer force of will.

"Brother Shisui!" Itachi ran over, looking up at the massive green figure.

Shisui looked down at him, offered a strained smile, and then the Susanoo slowly dissipated.

He dropped to one knee, gasping for air as blood from his eyes trickled down his cheeks, blooming into tiny crimson spots on the sand.

"Shisui!" Uchiha Zongye was helped over by his younger brother, his face filled with the relief of having survived a catastrophe. "How did you know to come here?"

Without answering the question, Shisui asked instead, "Is everyone alright?"

At this question, the others who had gathered around fell silent.

Uchiha Zongxin kept his head down, his shoulders trembling slightly, his fists clenched so tightly that his knuckles turned white.

Uchiha Zongye opened his mouth, only to find he could not speak. He looked toward the distant sea, where the water shimmered as if nothing had ever happened.

Hyuga Hiroshi stood to the side, his broken goggles obscuring his eyes, but his trembling lips betrayed his emotions.

Itachi kept his head down, silent.

"I heard Naoki was the squad leader. Where is he?" Shisui asked again.

Uchiha Zongxin said tremblingly, "Naoki... he is dead..."

"No!"

Suddenly, someone spoke, and everyone looked over.

Uchiha Setsuna dragged his wounded body over, his graying hair disheveled. There was a wound on his chest deep enough to see bone, and blood was still seeping out. His face was deathly pale, but his voice remained strong.

Uchiha Zongxin hurriedly asked, "What do you mean?"

"It is true that Naoki fell into the sea, but that does not necessarily mean he is dead."

"When he fell, I summoned my own summoning creature to save him. Although I lost contact with the creature due to Karatachi Yagura's Water Style, I believe Naoki should have been carried to a safe place."

"Let me look!"

Hyuga Hiroshi was the first to react, activating his Byakugan to scan the surroundings.

After a long while, he slowly shook his head at the group.

Uchiha Zongye said, "In that case, we will search. I believe Naoki is not dead; one day, we will find him!"

Seven days passed. Uchiha Setsuna's octopus had been found, but there was still no news of Naoki. Large numbers of Konoha ninja searched the surrounding waters repeatedly, nearly draining the sea, yet they could not find a single trace.

In the end, the arriving Sarutobi Shinnosuke ordered a bounty to be issued across the coastal nations.

Ten million for finding Uchiha Naoki!

Of course, the search continued, though it no longer consumed such massive amounts of manpower.

At the Izumo Camp, Hyuga Akira, the commander of the Southern Border Battlefield, received orders from Konoha.

He instructed his subordinates to summon Sarutobi Shinnosuke and Shisui.

Sarutobi Shinnosuke arrived first.

Walking into the tent, he asked, "Has word come from Konoha?"

It was natural for Sarutobi Shinnosuke to ask; a week ago, he, Hyuga Akira, and Shisui had jointly submitted a report to Konoha detailing the results of the Southern Border Battlefield. Thinking about it, a reply from Konoha was about due...

"Indeed." Hyuga Akira nodded.

Seeing that the other man was unwilling to say more, Sarutobi Shinnosuke knew he would likely have to wait for Shisui.

He was in no rush, so he sat in a chair and closed his eyes to doze.

Over these past few days, he had basically confirmed Hyuga Akira's conspiracy, though aside from reporting it to his father, he had told no one.

After all, this was an internal matter of the Hyuga clan. Although Itachi and the others had been dragged into it, no major disaster had occurred, so he had only reported it secretly without making a scene. How it was handled was not his concern.

As for the person involved, Hyuga Hiroshi, Sarutobi Shinnosuke did not have much sympathy; he would have to fend for himself.

Shisui arrived shortly after.

After Hyuga Akira invited Shisui to sit, he said, "The Hokage's orders have arrived. I am to lead a portion of the army back to Konoha with Shisui, while you, Shinnosuke, are to remain at the Southern Border to clear out the remnants of the Kirigakure army!"

Sarutobi Shinnosuke had been mentally prepared for this.

As the eldest son of Sarutobi Hiruzen, he knew very well that before his old father stepped down from the position of Hokage, he would likely have to stay at the Southern Border for a long time... After all, Sarutobi Hiruzen, having ascended to the position of Hokage for a second time, needed his eldest son to guard the Southern Border to prove that he had no intention of turning the village into a family fiefdom...

The battle reports from the Southern Border Battlefield reached Konoha, bringing joy to some and sorrow to others.

Danzo, for one, was extremely pleased.

So much time had passed since the Nine-Tails Incident that the truth behind the Uchiha clan's sudden decision that night had begun to circulate, and Danzo now knew exactly who was the mastermind behind the Uchiha daring to defy the orders of Sarutobi Hiruzen and joining the battle against the Nine-Tails on their own initiative.

After all, there are no airtight walls in Konoha, and considering it was the Uchiha, the fact that they had managed to keep this secret for so long was already quite impressive.

Walking toward the Hokage building, Danzo listened as his subordinate recounted the events of the Southern Border Battlefield.

"After routing the Kirigakure army, Sarutobi Shinnosuke and Hyuga Akira led the main force south, reaching the coastline in just three days..."

He waved his hand.

"Don't tell me about that; what use is it to me? It's not my military merit!"

"What about Uchiha Naoki? How is he?"

"Yesterday, I received a secret report: Karatachi Yagura led men in a pursuit of Uchiha Naoki, eventually cornering him on the eastern coast of the southern border and knocking him into the sea. His status is unknown."

A Root ninja nearby chimed in, "Excellent. Status unknown? That means he's dead!"

"Dead, how wonderful." Danzo was overjoyed. "Without those brainless Uchiha, won't the rest of the clan be mine to mold and shape as I please!"

Danzo hurried toward the Hokage building in high spirits, only to have a bucket of cold water poured over his head by Sarutobi Hiruzen.

"Uchiha Naoki is the greatest contributor to this war against Kirigakure? On what grounds!"

"Of course he is." Before Sarutobi Hiruzen could speak, Mitokado Homura explained, "Afterward, Shinnosuke, Hyuga Akira, and Shisui all analyzed the situation. It was precisely because Naoki and his team successfully ambushed the Kirigakure supply ships, baiting Karatachi Yagura into continuously pulling elites from the front lines to hunt them down, that the three of them were able to seize the opportunity and successfully break through the Kirigakure army's defensive line!"