The Undercurrents

"Have our spies inside Kumogakure deliver this to the Raikage's desk."

The subordinate who had received the order looked at Danzo's sinister expression.

He lowered his head and didn't dare say another word.

"Yes, Lord Danzo."

After leaving Kagami Uchiha's office,

Yuan Ming felt refreshed.

You wanted to play mind games with me? My perfectly reasonable nonsense left you totally stumped, didn't it?

Never mind. I'd better go see how Jing is doing.

He bought a gift on the way to Konoha Hospital and arrived at Uchiha Jing's room without a hitch.

Creak~

He pushed the door open.

Inside, Uchiha Jing was wrapped in bandages from head to toe.

He was trying to say something to the middle-aged man beside him, but all that came out were muffled sounds.

"Hey~"

"Big Brother Jing, you seem pretty lively."

"But I'd advise you to keep quiet. Your mouth's been stitched shut, after all. Even if you want to say something, you can't."

Hearing the obvious glee in Uchiha Yuan Ming's voice,

Uchiha Jing turned his head, looking indignant.

"Mmmph! Mmmph!"

His ridiculous appearance made Yuan Ming laugh.

"Looks like you're doing fine. I'll come visit again once you can talk."

"I'll leave the gift here for now."

With that,

he politely greeted the middle-aged man beside him and made to leave.

Uchiha Jing was an orphan, just like him. He couldn't have parents or anything like that.

This man was probably an older relative. With him looking after Jing, there shouldn't be any problems.

"Young man, wait."

"Hm?"

Near the doorway, Yuan Ming turned around in confusion.

"You must be Yuan Ming, right? I'm Uchiha Tetsu."

"Would you have time to talk, Yuan Ming?"

Thinking the man was probably a relative of Jing's, Uchiha Yuan Ming nodded.

"Jing, Yuan Ming and I will step out for a while. You get some rest."

"Mmmph! Mmmph!"

Ignoring the ridiculous-looking Uchiha Jing,

they left the hospital.

The middle-aged man took Yuan Ming to a restaurant that was open for dine-in.

After a few rounds of drinks,

Uchiha Tetsu put down his cup and looked at the water in Yuan Ming's hand, his expression warm.

"You're so young, Yuan Ming, yet you defeated Guihao. You truly live up to your reputation as a genius!"

Uchiha Yuan Ming nodded, noncommittal.

"Precisely because you're a genius, you should do more for the clan. Young people ought to shoulder the Uchiha Clan's burden."

"So, I'd like to ask you, Yuan Ming..."

At the first half of that speech, Uchiha Yuan Ming realized something was wrong.

Was this guy really a relative of Jing's?

Bang!

He slammed his cup of water onto the table.

Frowning, he cut the man off:

"Mister, you're not Jing's relative, are you?"

Uchiha Tetsu's warm expression faltered.

"Yuan Ming, I'm here on behalf of Elder Setsuna to visit Jing. I was also hoping to invite you to the Elder's Mansion."

"Elder Setsuna wants to speak with you."

Whoosh!

Uchiha Yuan Ming stood up and walked away without looking back.

When he reached the door, he turned to look at Tetsu, whose expression had turned awkward.

"I don't think I have anything to discuss with you people. I never did, and I still don't!"

Uchiha Yuan Ming's voice was calm.

Crack!

The sound of a bottle shattering and blood spilling across the table

made the figure seated in the shadows by the table

seem especially sinister.

"That brat said the same thing again?"

Inside a residence,

a middle-aged man exuding a sinister aura

asked Uchiha Tiegu, who was giving his report.

"Elder Setsuna, it seems we won't be able to win Yuan Ming over."

"He doesn't understand the honor of the clan. In my opinion, there's no need to pursue the matter any further."

The Uchiha named Setsuna nodded.

"Then give up on him. He's got some ability, since he managed to kill Guihao."

"But without the power of the Mangekyo, he's no threat."

"You may leave. Naka should be arriving soon. I have something to discuss with him."

"Yes!"

The wavering light of the lamp

fell upon

a letter on the table, its surface alternating between light and shadow.

A line of writing came into view.

Respectfully submitted by Shimura Danzo!

One month later.

At the border between the Land of Fire and the Land of Lightning,

"Lord Yuan Ming, we're about to enter the Land of Lightning."

"Though we're carrying out this mission as usual, and Kumogakure shouldn't cause any trouble, we still need to stay alert."

The group of racing shinobi all wore the Gunbai crest on their uniforms.

At their head was Uchiha Yuan Ming.

Hearing his subordinate's warning,

"Don't worry. It's my first time on this mission, but I won't let my guard down," Yuan Ming replied with a calm nod.

This time, they were going to

relieve their comrades in the Military Police Force stationed in the Land of Lightning.

That's right—they were changing shifts in the Land of Lightning.

The reason was simple.

Since the Warring States period, the Uchiha Clan had been hired by the daimyo of the Land of Lightning, generation after generation,

to guard the Chinoike Clan.

This was a task the Land of Lightning had entrusted to the Uchiha since ancient times. Even though Konoha had always wanted to keep the Uchiha cooped up in the Police Force,

there were still loopholes to exploit. This was one of the Uchiha's few

openly legitimate assignments that allowed them to leave the village. The Konoha High Command had no choice but to grit their teeth and accept it.

Would the Konoha High Command dare to block them? Even Senju Tobirama wouldn't dare!

If they caused trouble, would they still get any missions from the Land of Lightning?

Don't think that just because this was the era of shinobi villages, the Shinobi World had developed some notion of national identity.

Why had the shinobi clans slaughtered one another during the Warring States period? Why did the villages fight until the skies darkened and the earth trembled?

It was simple.

They were competing for the missions assigned by the lords.

The same was true in the era of shinobi villages.

Why did Kumogakure resent Konoha so much?

It was simple, too.

The shinobi village era had only just begun. The old generation of lords hadn't all died yet.

They still trusted the Senju and the Uchiha more.

There was no need to explain the lords of the Land of Lightning. They liked hiring the Uchiha best.

The daimyo led the way. They'd worked together for a hundred years. It was a trusted brand!

Guarding the Chinoike Clan was a steady job that had lasted for over a hundred years.

Even when the First Shinobi World War had been a bloodbath,

even when the Uchiha had joined the Senju to establish a village in the Land of Fire,

the Daimyo of the Land of Lightning still trusted the Uchiha!

No wonder Kumogakure was so annoyed. They'd coveted this dependable, well-paid assignment for ages.

Something was wrong. Very wrong!

Yuan Ming's sixth sense told him that something was off about this mission.

The Uchiha did have this long-standing, lucrative assignment.

They needed to rotate personnel to guard the Chinoike Clan.

But!

It wasn't his turn to be assigned there yet.

He'd just earned great merit and been promoted.

By convention, he should have spent at least half a year settling into his new position.

Then the assignment to guard the Chinoike Clan would have come around to him.

But now the higher-ups had said, "You're already a renowned strongman in the clan. You ought to take on more responsibility."

"Conveniently, the Police Superintendent over there is changing shifts, so we've assigned you!"

Never mind.

There's no point worrying. Nobody knows my Sharingan has become a Mangekyo.

If anything happens, I'll show the enemy what a surprise looks like!

Inside a residence in the Uchiha clan compound,

Uchiha Setsuna looked at the Gunbai crest on the table, his expression unreadable, lost in thought.

"Don't blame me, Yuan Ming!"

"You've always been impossible to sway, after all."

Though he'd acted dismissive of Uchiha Yuan Ming in front of Tetsu,

only he knew what it meant for a fifteen-year-old without a Mangekyo to kill a shinobi who could rival a Kage.

Even that lord, at the same age,

hadn't been able to do it!

In the cloud-shrouded village of Kumogakure,

inside the Raikage's Office,

"Do we really have to do this, Lord Raikage?!"