Chapter 24

Black flames surged across the mountaintop, turning every living thing in their path to ash as cries of agony were swallowed one by one. The horrific, hellish scene stunned everyone present.

Amaterasu, a ninjutsu of immense destructive power unleashed by the Mangekyo Sharingan. By fixing one's gaze upon a target, the user engulfs them in black flames that burn for seven days and seven nights, extinguishable only by sealing techniques. The chakra cost is immense; Uchiha Zhi could not sustain the state for long and was forced to deactivate his eyes. Madara's Mangekyo, however, continued to spin at high speed without the slightest sign of strain.

This is the gap! The sheer gap! Uchiha Zhi, eyes sparkling, could not help but worship his clan head once more.

Before an absolute advantage in quality, quantity is nothing more than a string of numbers. The flames of Amaterasu swept across the rolling hills like autumn leaves scattering in the wind. Only when the area was stripped bare of all life did Madara form a seal to extinguish the fire. Throughout the process, the other Uchiha did not forget to mop up the remnants of the enemy who had charged toward them.

After the last of them were killed, Uchiha Zhi slapped his forehead in frustration: "Damn it! I forgot to leave a live one for interrogation!"

"Do not concern yourself with it," Madara said calmly, having read Uchiha Zhi's thoughts. These men were suicide troops who had cleaned their tracks thoroughly; even if captured alive, they would have committed suicide.

Glancing briefly at the ruined carriage, he turned and signaled for Uchiha Zhi to gather the men and depart. The carriage was a loss, but all important items were stored within the "Space Eater." Besides, ninjas were accustomed to traveling light; the group hastily bandaged their wounds, the lightly injured supporting the heavily wounded as they pressed on.

Their water and food supplies were destroyed, leaving only a few Military Ration Pills. They needed to reach the nearest clan outpost in the Land of Lightning before nightfall to rest.

Although he knew they were now on their own turf and unlikely to face further attacks, Uchiha Zhi kept a tight grip on his shuriken, maintaining high alert. He felt no trace of complacency despite having awakened the Mangekyo Sharingan. This was the true strength of Uchiha Zhi, and the very trait Uchiha Madara valued most in him. As the elder in charge of the clan's secret archives and security, beneath his carefree exterior lay an unshakable loyalty and caution.

"Lord Zhi, the matter has been reported to Lord Izuna," Uchiha Amano reported. Upon hearing this, Uchiha Zhi looked toward Madara.

Madara nodded slightly. "Explain it clearly. Do not let him worry."

"What about Lord Etsu..." Uchiha Zhi asked, concerned. Uchiha Etsu had few guards with him and lacked the clan head's presence; he was in greater danger should trouble arise.

Madara shook his head. "He will be fine." Connecting the events, he had deduced three or four parts of the truth and felt no anxiety for Uchiha Etsu's situation. "Yan is with him."

Hearing the name Yan, Uchiha Zhi felt relieved. Uchiha Yan was powerful, and his intuition was even sharper, capable of sensing danger in advance. With him there, Uchiha Etsu couldn't die even if he wanted to.

Madara instructed Uchiha Amano again: "Send another message back. Tell them not to investigate rashly."

Uchiha Zhi looked on in bewilderment. Madara closed his eyes and sneered, "Even if we find out, there is nothing we can do." Skipping over the topic, he turned to Zhi: "Since you have awakened the Mangekyo, there are some things you should know. Once we return to the clan lands, go see Masahiro. He will tell you."

Uchiha Zhi suppressed his excitement. "As you command!"

Elsewhere, Uchiha Izuna lowered his head to read the letter, his hand trembling as he gripped the paper. "Who did this?!"

Intense killing intent permeated the room, and the expressions of the elders present were grim. Uchiha Tai steadied his mind. "May I ask, what instructions did the clan head give?"

"Brother says not to investigate the mastermind... How can this be!" Izuna's eyes widened, his handsome face filled with disbelief. His brother was his only forbidden zone! Uncontrollable rage surged up, and he gritted his teeth, "I will never let them—"

"Lord Izuna!" Uchiha Tai spoke up to remind him. Izuna sobered instantly. When his brother was away, he held temporary command of the clan—and though his nature leaned toward the soft and pure, a brother raised by Madara's own hand would be second to none—but his brother's orders were always the highest priority. He suppressed his emotions and apologized, "...I overstepped."

During official business, protocol could not be ignored. Even as Madara's brother, he had to strictly comply.

Uchiha Tai bowed slightly. "Since the clan head says it is unnecessary, we shall execute that. The most important thing now is to welcome the Lord back."

"Welcome?" Izuna looked at him. "What do you mean by that?"

Uchiha Tai narrowed his eyes and said slowly, "To welcome... naturally, we must impose martial law inside and out to ensure safety."

Izuna pondered for a moment and immediately understood that he intended to make the matter public, to strike at the restless elements within the country and, incidentally, test the reactions of other nations. If handled correctly, it could become an excellent pretext for war.

Brother... truly a man who does not hesitate to use even himself, Izuna thought with a bitter smile.

"But—the whole country?" Uchiha Zaitian frowned. "Forty percent of the clan is out on missions. We don't have the manpower; it's going to be very troublesome."

Uchiha Tai smiled meaningfully. "Do not forget, there is still the Fujiwara Clan." They did not need a result; they needed a stance. The Daimyo of the Land of Lightning, who held political power, was the most legitimate blade the Uchiha clan could wield!

Land of Fire, Merchant Alliance Headquarters.

In just three days since arriving in the Land of Fire, Uchiha Etsu had stirred up a storm of blood. He had brought out the interrogation methods of a ninja—direct, brutal, but simple and effective.

"My Lord, aren't these methods a bit too intense?" his assistant, Uchiha Miae, asked tentatively. Although the Merchant Alliance's share in the Land of Fire was not as large as in the Land of Lightning or the Land of Water, it was still a major operation. While thunderous methods were effective, they could easily cause the whole structure to collapse.

Uchiha Etsu waved his hand. "I know what I'm doing." The Uchiha intelligence division in the Land of Fire was no slouch; he was acting with purpose, and the key figures had not been touched. "Miae, call in the next group on the list."

"Still too slow..." Uchiha Etsu rubbed his temples. He was so busy he couldn't even find an hour to rest. "If only I had the Mangekyo Sharingan, I could use Tsukuyomi and take them out one by one!"

Uchiha Yan said flatly, "Third Elder, the next group arrives in five minutes. Please prepare yourself." The implication was to stop dreaming and focus on the task at hand.

Who could understand the misery of being the head of the clan's intelligence and economic departments, sitting in the administration hall every day? His exercise time was pitifully low, let alone the chance to go on missions. The whole clan thought it was a miracle he had even awakened the Three-Tomoe. Uchiha Etsu's expression grew increasingly mournful. "Yan, can you stop wearing that 'official business' coffin-face all the time?"

Uchiha Yan remained expressionless. "Third Elder, you are indeed on official business. Also, please maintain the dignity of the Uchiha in front of outsiders."

Uchiha Etsu's mouth twitched; he had no way to deal with someone as dead-serious as Uchiha Yan. "Forget I said anything." He looked at the towering stacks of documents on his desk and sighed deeply. Performance reports and ledgers for every industry in the Land of Fire for the past three years—when would he ever finish reading them!

Suddenly, Uchiha Yan's body stiffened, a look of obvious shock crossing his face. It was the first time Uchiha Etsu had seen what could only be described as a look of worry on him. He quickly asked, "What happened?"

"The Clan Head..."

"What about the Clan Head?" Uchiha Etsu was full of questions.

Uchiha Yan pursed his lips. "My intuition says something is wrong."

Uchiha Etsu's face darkened. "How can that be?" In the Uchiha clan, two things were absolutely reliable: Uchiha Madara's judgment and Uchiha Yan's intuition.

"It's intuition, not a prophecy," Uchiha Yan glanced at him.

"Did the Senju make a move?" Uchiha Etsu asked, changing his line of questioning. He figured only the Senju Clan had the guts.

Uchiha Yan shook his head.

"Did someone here in the Land of Fire do it?"

"Not entirely. But it is definitely related to the Land of Fire." As long as he grasped the general direction, his intuition could yield much information. "Don't worry too much; the situation isn't too bad." The Third Elder's talent for wild imagination was well-known; if he didn't make things clear, he might imagine things all the way to the moon.

"Ah, of course. How could those ants ever touch the Clan Head?" Sweeping away his previous lethargy, Uchiha Etsu's eyes flashed red for a fleeting moment, his smile looking bloodthirsty. "In any case, I will be sure to... entertain them properly!"