"Lord Dodai, we're only half a day's journey from Hell Valley."
Dodai nodded calmly.
"Good. Keep formation."
He turned to look at the purple-haired young man beside him, whose expression was somewhat arrogant.
He asked hesitantly, "Gyobu, are you sure it'll be all right?"
Hearing this,
Gyobu shot him a sidelong glance.
"No problem. I'm invincible. That mother cat may not be very cooperative,
"but she won't cause trouble, either. Before the mission, when she heard we were going to give the Uchiha trouble, she even threw a tantrum."
Thinking of the Tailed Beast inside him, he frowned and hesitated.
"When she heard it was just a brat who hadn't even awakened the Mangekyo, she seemed to relax and went off to sleep."
Dodai let out a sigh of relief.
"Good, as long as there's no problem!"
Night fell.
Inside the squat Tenshukaku,
Chinoike Gosho heard his subordinate's report.
Bang!
He kicked over the small table in front of him.
"Damn Uchiha! Is that really what they said?"
Gosho glared furiously at the subordinate kneeling before him.
"Yes. Before I could even leave the valley, the Konoha Military Police Force ordered me to come back."
"They've also issued a ban. For the next three days, no one is allowed to move around freely."
The subordinate kept his head bowed, not daring to make a sound.
Taking a deep breath,
Chinoike Gosho calmed down.
He waved a hand.
"Leave. I want to be alone."
It seemed he really would have to do it.
Having seen what was coming,
he wasn't stupid. He understood that Gabimaru had definitely been discovered.
He didn't know whether Gabimaru had been captured or killed.
But
he wanted to take a gamble.
Chinoike Gosho stood up
and headed to the back of the Tenshukaku.
He entered a hidden room
and activated the mechanism.
The mechanism turned, revealing a tunnel.
Just wait. The demonic power of the Ketsuryūgan will never fall into your Uchiha hands!
At the Military Police Force's headquarters,
the lights in Yuan Ming's office were blazing.
Bang!
A cloud of smoke billowed.
"Meow, meow, meow~"
"Maru-Maru-sama makes a dazzling entrance, meow! Does this boss need Maru-Maru Express service, meow~?"
A calico cat emerged from the smoke.
"Maru-Maru, take this letter to my sister Jieli."
Maru-Maru took the letter and a handful of silver coins.
He licked his paw.
And did nothing.
Yuan Ming looked at him in surprise.
"What's wrong? I gave you the money."
The little cat's fur stood on end!
"Meow, meow, meow! You idiot, Yuan Ming! This is the Land of Lightning, meow."
"I'm the only sage among the Ninja Cats, meow! Nekomata's lucky cat, meow!"
"My sage clan's power can't reach all the way from the Land of Lightning to Konoha, meow! It's too far!"
Uchiha Yuan Ming watched the cat throw a fit,
unmoved.
"So?"
Maru-Maru put his paws on his hips and looked smug.
"I want more money, meow!"
"Sigh~"
Yuan Ming let out a helpless sigh.
Maru-Maru was great in every way: cute, efficient, and true to his word.
But he was just too greedy.
Even petting him cost money!
As one of the few sages among the summoned beasts outside the Three Great Sage Regions, his services were even more expensive!
Damn it! If your sage arts weren't space-time related,
I'd never let you extort me!
He reluctantly handed over another handful of silver coins.
"That's enough, right?"
Maru-Maru struck a pose that made no sense.
"Meow, meow, meow~! Thank you, boss, meow! Maru-Maru Express, go, meow!"
Whoosh!
Space warped, and the cat disappeared!
Yuan Ming shook his head.
His expression grew serious.
Ever since he'd received the mission to leave the village, Jieli had asked him to send a letter every three days to stay in touch.
This was just routine.
But!
That inexplicable sense of foreboding had been weighing on him.
After arriving in this region, inside the sphere of influence of an enemy village,
he couldn't shake the feeling that something was wrong.
Besides the usual updates, his letter also asked Jieli to check the clan's experts' work schedules.
He hoped things wouldn't turn out the way he feared.
Knock, knock, knock!
The sound of knocking interrupted his thoughts.
"Come in."
Uchiha Yuta entered, carrying a pile of files.
He set them on the desk.
"Lord Yuan Ming, these are all the intelligence reports the Military Police Force has collected over the years while monitoring the Chinoike Clan."
Yuan Ming nodded to indicate he should sit.
"Yuta, sit down. Let's look through them together."
"Let's see what they're up to."
Two hours later.
"Phew~"
Uchiha Yuta let out a long breath.
His expression turned solemn.
"Lord Yuan Ming, it seems the Chinoike Clan has built up considerable power over the years."
"Even after we reported them to the Feudal Lord, the Chinoike Clan hasn't backed down."
Uchiha Yuan Ming nodded, neither agreeing nor disagreeing.
He flipped through the reports and pointed to one section.
"Gosho went to a lot of trouble to make Gabimaru stronger."
"That boy?"
"Yes. I just rescued his wife and took him on as a retainer."
"Should we tell him about all this?"
Yuan Ming's expression was unreadable.
"No need. Judging from the reports, Gosho will help me sever all his ties."
"After all, he thinks we don't know he already slipped out, doesn't he?"
Uchiha Yuta lowered his eyes.
Just as he thought!
Lord Yuan Ming was dangerous!
He was about to reply
when a Military Police Force officer spoke from outside the door.
"Lord Yuan Ming, Lord Yuta, Dainagon requests an audience!"
Yuan Ming and Yuta exchanged glances.
Hadn't he gone to enjoy himself in the nearby prosperous town?
Before long,
a capable middle-aged man dressed in formal court attire met with the two of them.
He didn't waste words. "You two! The Chinoike Clan is dangerous, and the Feudal Lord is very uneasy."
He paused. "How strong are the Uchiha forces in Hell Valley?"
"Dainagon has left. I'll go make the arrangements."
"Thanks for your effort, Yuta."
In the quiet office, Uchiha Yuan Ming's eyes were cold.
This really is a gift from heaven!
Now his sixth sense was telling him that something was wrong.
In his battle with Gabimaru, both sides had fought to the best of their ability.
Aura should have gained quite a bit, shouldn't it?
With a thought,
Uchiha Yuan Ming
Lifeform Level: LV4 (Strong Kage)
Talent: Sharingan LV4 (Strong Kage)
Dōjutsu: Right Eye—Amaterasu, Left Eye—Amaterasu-Omikami
Energy Affinities: Fire, Yin, Lightning
Skills: Phantom Body Lucid Lightning Fire Chakra Mode (Fire + Lightning + Yin)
Several standard Fire Release ninjutsu, genjutsu
Uchiha Style Shurikenjutsu
Summoning Technique (Meow, meow~!)
Aura: 4 wisps
Four wisps of Aura? It seemed that a battle fought with the resolve to see it through, even without killing the opponent,
still yielded plenty of Aura.
The Sharingan still lacked Susanoo.
He could feel it: the Uchiha's guardian deity was taking shape.
He'd use the Divine Blade's Aura to accelerate its growth.
That would help him deal with whatever battles might come next.
The Divine Blade trembled, and Aura spilled forth.
Heaven-defying comprehension descended once more.
This feeling really made him feel all-powerful!
His boundless wisdom told him that reaching the Eternal Eye required an epiphany fueled by ten times as much Aura.
But—
Four strands were enough to cultivate and strengthen Susanoo!
A little while later.
Yuan Ming carefully examined the Sharingan information on the panel:
Talent: Sharingan LV4 (Strong Shadow)
Eye Techniques: Right Eye—Amaterasu; Left Eye—Amaterasu-Omikami Susanoo (Spirit Weapon—Tsumugari Great Blade, Divine Sake Gourd)
Excellent. The Aura of epiphany told him so.
After being strengthened, this Susanoo could be activated with three Magatama, just like Uchiha Madara's.
Excellent!
That meant he wouldn't have to fear losing his sight when he activated Susanoo.
There wasn't much to say about the spirit weapon, the Tsumugari Great Blade.
It was simply sharp and indestructible.
The Divine Sake Gourd was a gourd-shaped spirit weapon, just like Itachi's.
But it had different functions.
It was filled with Divine Sake.
This Divine Sake was a liquor of illusion.
Anyone it splashed onto would feel as if they were drunk, their head spinning!
A large dose could even make someone drink themselves to death!
The key was—
The gourd could reclaim the Divine Sake, as well as the chakra of any living being that came into contact with it.
The gourd would absorb it all.
Interesting!
Wasn't this an ability related to the Otsutsuki clan's control over chakra?!
Just then—
Whoosh!
Maru-Maru suddenly appeared on Yuan Ming's desk!
It interrupted Yuan Ming's thoughts.
Hmm?
That was quick. Was Sister Zhili in a hurry?
"Meow meow meow~! Maru-Maru makes another grand entrance, meow!"
"Hand it over!" Uchiha Genmei had no intention of waiting around while it struck some strange pose.
He snatched the letter away.
"What's the rush, meow!" Maru-Maru grumbled, nearly stumbling.
"I'm off, you silly Yuan Ming. Come visit again next time, meow!"
The cat disappeared.
Uchiha Genmei finished reading the letter.
The corners of his mouth curled upward.
He revealed a smile of utmost cruelty, like a poisonous flower in full bloom.
"Then let's have some fun!" His sinister breath billowed out.
Beneath the shroud of pitch-black killing intent—
Was he a god?
Or a demon?!
Before you continue