"Damn the Akatsuki!"
He clenched his fist and said coldly, "I'd better not find out that you had anything to do with Yugito's unknown fate!"
Meanwhile, in the shinobi world!
No matter how much the Fourth Mizukage tried to cover it up,
word of the Kaguya Clan's rebellion in Kirigakure still spread throughout the shinobi world.
Naturally, it caused quite a stir!
In Kirigakure, the Kaguya Clan (also known as the Taketori Clan) held a position equivalent to that of the Uchiha Clan in Konoha.
The Uchiha Clan's downfall had drawn enormous attention back then.
Now, the Kaguya Clan's rebellion was drawing just as much attention.
"No way. The Kaguya Clan actually rebelled?"
"What's going on? First the Uchiha, now the Kaguya. Is another war about to break out?"
"What are the 'Kage' of the Five Great Shinobi Nations thinking? Why are they all weakening themselves?"
No one could make sense of it!
But when they thought of Orochimaru's death not long ago,
and recalled the earlier upheaval involving Konoha's two rogue ninja, the 'Demon' Zabuza's failed attempt to assassinate the Mizukage and subsequent defection, as well as the defection of the Seven Ninja Swordsmen of Kirigakure,
many small nations were suddenly gripped by a chilling sense that disaster was looming.
Could war really be coming again?
The once-peaceful shinobi world began to descend into chaos.
Areas that were already unstable became even more turbulent.
It was a scene that seemed to foretell a coming storm.
And a few days later, this wind of unrest naturally reached Amegakure.
[Fruit Development Progress: 61%]
"Has the 'windmill' of the shinobi world really been set spinning by the 'winds' of the times, stirring up 'waves' in this stagnant pool of public opinion?"
Emerging from the scalding Lake Sea, Uchiha Ye gazed at the sky, which had cleared for once but was now clouding over again because of his training. He couldn't help sighing. "Reality's 'wheels' are slipping further and further from the 'tracks' of the plot, racing recklessly onward!"
This kind of turmoil should have been caused by the now-dead Orochimaru, who was supposed to launch the 'Konoha Crush Plan' five years from now, in the sixty-first year of Konoha.
Now!
It had come early, at the end of the fifty-sixth year of Konoha!
"Right. The Konoha Crush Plan can no longer happen, so it makes sense that the plot has changed!"
He got dressed, tied the loose hair at the back of his head into a short ponytail, and set off for the Land of Water.
There was no doubt about it!
Compared to the route from the Land of Rain through the Land of Rivers, across the sea, through the Land of Fire and the Land of Whirlpools, across the sea again, past several small islands, and finally to the Land of Water,
the route from the Land of Rain through the Land of Fire and across the sea to the Land of Water was much faster and easier.
Of course, the only drawback was the chance of running into Konoha Ninja in the Land of Fire.
But clearly!
Uchiha Ye and the other five, including Deidara, were more than a match for a few Konoha Ninja.
So the six had no hesitation in choosing the faster route.
"We're passing through the Land of Fire again?"
In the underground space of Root Division beneath Konoha, Shimura Danzō's eyes flickered. "In that case, let me test your strength a little, Uchiha Ye!"
"That way, I'll have enough information before I eliminate you in the future!"
Uchiha Ye possessed such mysterious abilities, and he had also endured the despair and trauma of the Uchiha Clan Downfall Night. He was bound to resent Konoha.
To prevent him from taking revenge on Konoha and causing irreparable damage and loss,
Danzō had decided he had a duty to eliminate this threat in advance!
As for why the Masked Man had revealed this information to him,
he knew perfectly well!
The Masked Man simply wanted to use him to find out what Uchiha Ye was capable of.
But it didn't matter!
He and the Masked Man had made a deal: whoever eliminated Uchiha Ye would have to give the other a suitable reward.
He wasn't worried that the Masked Man would keep everything for himself!
He hoped the Masked Man would make the first move against Uchiha Ye.
That way, he could simply reap the benefits.
After leaving the Land of Rain and reaching the Land of Fire,
the oppressive, damp chill that had accompanied them all along gradually faded.
To avoid drawing unnecessary attention on this trip,
Uchiha Ye and the others split into three pairs and took different routes, planning to meet up at Hengbing Port in the Land of Water.
But!
Just before they reached a forest, Uchiha Ye, who had been chatting with Sasori of the Red Sands, suddenly stopped.
"What's wrong?"
Sasori couldn't help asking.
Of course!
He quickly realized what was going on, too.
From the way Uchiha Ye was staring straight ahead into the forest,
there was no doubt that enemies were waiting up ahead.
"A few little rats have come out to play. And they're after me, too!"
Uchiha Ye sneered. "Sasori, take a break."
Then he called toward the forest ahead, "Come on out, everyone! Aren't you worried the poisonous bugs in there will bite you?"
As soon as he finished speaking,
eight figures rushed out and surrounded Uchiha Ye.
Their unusual painted masks and Konoha Anbu attire
made their identities unmistakable!
Root!
"Why is it always these guys?"
Sasori couldn't help grumbling from the side. "Have they got it in for you or something?"
Grumbling aside,
Sasori quickly realized what the real problem was.
Their whereabouts had been exposed.
Otherwise, how could Root members from Konoha have set up such a precise ambush here ahead of time?
That put him in a foul mood!
Because it meant there was a traitor in the organization!
"Attack!"
The Root members didn't waste a word. They launched their assault immediately.
All eight were at jōnin level.
And from the looks of it, they had come prepared.
"Do they have some kind of trump card that can actually hurt me?"
To be fair!
It wasn't that he looked down on them.
As long as he stayed in his elemental form, they couldn't do anything to him.
He was sure they wouldn't have been sent here without knowing something about his abilities.
If so, and they still dared to surround him so calmly,
they had to be relying on something!
"Water Release: Water Colliding Wave!"
Two masked members, one tall and one short, spewed out surging waves of water at the same time. From the start, they forced Uchiha Ye to either dodge or fight back instead of using his elemental form to render their attacks harmless.
"So they really know how to counter me!"
Uchiha Ye understood at once.
He activated Observation Haki and immediately sensed two people approaching from behind, their bodies radiating a strange fluctuation.
"Sealing Jutsu..."
Having studied the Phantom Dragon Nine Consuming Seals, Uchiha Ye naturally understood the source of that strange fluctuation. "Are they planning to use this method to cut off my elementalization?"
"Or maybe they want to seal away my abilities altogether? That would let them deal physical damage to me."
He figured those two might have both ideas in mind.
So!
He immediately guessed at the group's general objective.
"Are they using this chance to find out everything about me, so certain people can target me more effectively later?"
At that thought, he called out to Sasori, who stood nearby, "Sasori, sorry for the trouble, but please move aside!"
Sasori immediately understood what Uchiha Ye meant.
After all, they'd worked together for so long; they had a good understanding of each other.
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