True and False Intelligence, Borrowing a Knife to Kill

Hatake Sakumo and Uchiha Xiao sat down in their chairs and placed their ramen on the table. Hatake Sakumo pressed his palms together and said, "I'm digging in!"

Uchiha Xiao had only ever seen this in anime; it was his first time witnessing such a formal gesture in person, so he mimicked Hatake Sakumo and did the same.

The two began to slurp their noodles. The moment the first bite hit his stomach, Uchiha Xiao's eyes widened. This flavor was incredible! And the texture of the noodles! His eyes lit up—it was delicious!

Seeing this, Hatake Sakumo smiled slightly. "Kid, what's your name? Judging by your Uchiha attire, you must be a member of the Uchiha Clan."

Uchiha Xiao stopped eating and swallowed his noodles. "In reply to Lord Sakumo, my name is Uchiha Xiao."

Hatake Sakumo's eyes brightened. Uchiha Xiao! He had heard plenty about this man from the Hokage and his own clansmen who had participated in the Great War in the Land of Rain.

The evaluations were all incredibly high: a genius in military strategy, a master of winning against overwhelming odds, a heaven-sent talent! There was even a vague title circulating for him: the God of War.

"Oh? Uchiha Xiao? The God of War?" Hatake Sakumo chuckled.

Uchiha Xiao scratched his head. "Those are just rumors spread by others; they aren't to be taken seriously."

Hatake Sakumo shook his head. "This is what the Hokage told me himself when I went to the Hokage Building to pay my respects earlier. Are you suggesting the Hokage is spreading rumors too?"

Uchiha Xiao gasped. He hadn't expected Sarutobi Hiruzen to hold him in such high regard, though upon reflection, it made sense—he had brought the Uchiha to align with Sarutobi Hiruzen on his very first night back.

After all, they were in the same boat now. Building up Uchiha Xiao's reputation was also beneficial for the Hokage's own rule. Look, isn't the God of War impressive? He's my man, too!

Still, Uchiha Xiao remained humble in front of Hatake Sakumo. "Lord Sakumo, that was just luck. It was mostly thanks to Lady Tsunade; if they hadn't given me the opportunity to try, success wouldn't have been guaranteed."

Listening to Uchiha Xiao, Hatake Sakumo nodded inwardly. To have achieved such great merit at such a young age, yet remain so humble—it seemed Uchiha Xiao was a man worth befriending.

"Xiao-kun, may I call you that?" Hatake Sakumo smiled.

Uchiha Xiao nodded. "Of course."

"I've received a mission, and I'd like your input on it." Hatake Sakumo's expression suddenly turned grave.

Uchiha Xiao paused, then glanced at the people nearby. "This isn't the place to discuss such things," he said, and went back to his noodles.

Realizing that Uchiha Xiao was willing to help him analyze the situation but that the location was inappropriate, Hatake Sakumo quickened his pace.

Once they finished eating, Uchiha Xiao asked, "Lord Sakumo, is it convenient at your home?"

Hatake Sakumo nodded. "Naturally." He stood up and led Uchiha Xiao toward his house.

The walk took only twenty minutes. Uchiha Xiao glanced at Hatake Sakumo's house—a modest, two-story cottage.

Uchiha Xiao sighed to himself. Were all powerful figures this low-key? Thinking of the houses in the Uchiha Clan Compound, he couldn't help but shake his head.

The compound was built quite grandly, but for the time being, Uchiha Hirotomo was the only powerhouse worth mentioning; as for the others... the less said, the better.

Hatake Sakumo knocked on the door, and a woman's voice came from inside: "Who is it?"

"It's me, Meiko. I've brought a guest home!" When Hatake Sakumo mentioned the name Meiko, his eyes were filled with tenderness.

Click. The door opened, and a beautiful woman poked her head out. Her eyes lit up with joy when she saw her husband, but then she noticed Uchiha Xiao and regained her composure.

"Please, come in!" She took out some slippers, placed them by the entrance, and ushered her husband and Uchiha Xiao inside.

Uchiha Xiao marveled at how lucky Sakumo was to have such a virtuous wife.

However, in the anime, Kakashi didn't seem to have a mother and lived alone with his father. This meant that Lady Meiko must have met with some accident and passed away.

"Xiao-kun, please, this way." Hatake Sakumo gestured toward the study with a smile.

Uchiha Xiao nodded, put on the slippers, and entered the study. Shortly after, Meiko brought in a pot of tea, left the room, and closed the door.

She understood that the following conversation was not for her ears; she even locked the front door so that no one could barge in unexpectedly.

Uchiha Xiao signaled for Hatake Sakumo to reveal the mission. Hatake Sakumo didn't hold back. "According to a secret report from our spy in Sunagakure, a certain household there possesses the deployment plans and strategies for their current army."

"The Hokage has ordered me to set out tonight, capture that household, and extract the intelligence. If they won't talk, I am to eliminate them entirely!" After saying this, Sakumo handed over the map and the secret letter provided by the spy.

Since Uchiha Xiao was part of the Hokage's faction, there was naturally no issue with this. If the two of them didn't say anything, who would know?

Uchiha Xiao examined the letter and frowned. The handwriting showed signs of imitation, and in some places, it was poorly written.

He looked at the map. Good grief, is this the only house in Sunagakure? Why aren't there maps of any other buildings? Are you kidding me?

"What do you think, Xiao-kun? Do you see something?" Hatake Sakumo asked, sounding a bit puzzled. He had looked at these himself and felt something was off, but since they came from the Hokage, he had tried to find excuses to justify them.

Maybe the map only shows the target? Maybe the handwriting is shaky because the ink was running out?

Uchiha Xiao set the letter and map down. He looked up at Hatake Sakumo and chuckled. "The intelligence is fake, yet it is also real."

Hatake Sakumo was confused. What do you mean it's fake yet real? What are you talking about?

Seeing Hatake Sakumo's expression, Uchiha Xiao stopped beating around the bush. "The intelligence is fake because the handwriting is clearly an attempt to mimic our spy's penmanship, which is why it looks so clumsy."

"The intelligence is real because the house on the map is real, and there are people living inside it."

"As for whether there is military intelligence inside—Lord Sakumo, if you were a commander ordering troops, would you hide your military orders in your own home?" Uchiha Xiao laughed.

Hatake Sakumo froze. That's right. How could military intelligence be hidden in a house? It would be kept in the minds of the commanders and high-ranking officers, or kept close to the commander's person.

Hiding it at home was unrealistic. With Uchiha Xiao pointing it out, Hatake Sakumo finally realized what he meant by the intelligence being both true and false.

"Then what is the other party's goal?" Hatake Sakumo asked, still puzzled. Uchiha Xiao, through his "god's-eye view" and the contents of the letter and map, concluded that this was a premeditated attempt to pass on a message.

The real informant was likely already dead, and this message was merely a product of a power struggle within Sunagakure. They wanted to use Konoha to kill the people in that house!

Uchiha Xiao explained his theory to Hatake Sakumo, and Hatake Sakumo fell into a heavy silence.