Asuma Wasn't Convinced

Watching Gaara fall under the genjutsu, Uchiha Yu let out a long breath.

The genjutsu didn't just suppress Gaara; it also suppressed Shukaku inside him.

Even after the genjutsu wore off and Gaara's consciousness returned, Shukaku would remain suppressed.

From beginning to end, Uchiha Yu had never worried about Shukaku going berserk. After all, Rasa was in the village.

And it wasn't Konoha that was getting destroyed.

Uchiha Yu simply had a selfish reason: he wanted to see if Gaara could become one of his own.

Someone like Gaara, a Jinchūriki who had been lonely and misunderstood since childhood, could be changed entirely if even a single ray of light reached him.

Gaara's eyes slowly opened. The icy killing intent had completely vanished, replaced by waves of panic.

"Second Brother, just now, did I..." Gaara looked at the swath of wrecked buildings around them and trembled all over. "Am I really like a monster?"

Uchiha Yu thought, What, were you going to kill me or something? With Wood Release, restraining you would be as easy as grabbing a chick!

But he still patted Gaara on the head and said, "Don't worry, it's all right. Your Second Brother is here. You'll never be a monster."

Uchiha Yu took a deep breath.

He cast the genjutsu again. Gaara's head lolled to one side, and he passed out.

Uchiha Yu rested a hand on Gaara's chest, sensing the restless chakra inside him.

"Little Raccoon, don't think you can do whatever you want just because Gaara's asleep. My ocular power is still suppressing you."

Uchiha Yu gave a cold laugh, warning Shukaku inside Gaara.

The power of Gaara's seal allowed Uchiha Yu's dōjutsu to suppress Shukaku.

If he dragged Shukaku out, Uchiha Yu might not be able to beat him. But for now, Shukaku was still inside Gaara.

Keeping him suppressed was quite easy.

Because of the seal, Gaara had been unable to sleep for years. It was only natural that his personality had become twisted and volatile.

If Uchiha Yu went without sleep for years, he'd probably go completely crazy too.

And Gaara had it even worse!

Letting Gaara get some proper rest would do a lot to comfort him.

Uchiha Yu slung Gaara over his shoulder and ran straight back to the inn.

He tossed Gaara onto the bed, covered him with a blanket, and set a ring of Explosive Tag traps around him before climbing out the window.

It was time to settle the score for that ambush.

Hyuga Tokuma was standing beside Uchiha Yu, his Byakugan active as he darted through the village.

He was searching for the Sarutobi and Shimura clans.

"Found them."

Hyuga Tokuma looked toward a cluster of buildings in the distance.

The buildings looked a little run-down and were divided into two large compounds.

One compound belonged to the Sarutobi Clan, while the other belonged to the Shimura Clan.

Together, they housed six or seven hundred people.

By the numbers, that meant cramming more than ten people into each house.

Uchiha Yu couldn't help sighing.

The conditions were truly harsh. Sarutobi Asuma had been biding his time here, and it certainly couldn't have been easy.

But since Sarutobi Asuma still hadn't given up his ambitions, he couldn't blame Uchiha Yu.

They were the ones who made the first move!

"Uncle Tokuma, you can head back first. I can handle them," Uchiha Yu said to Hyuga Tokuma beside him.

Hyuga Tokuma furrowed his brows, clearly worried about Uchiha Yu's safety.

There were six or seven hundred people in there!

One spit from each of them would be enough to drown Uchiha Yu!

"It's too dangerous for you to go alone! We should report this to Lord Hokage first and let him decide," Hyuga Tokuma advised.

Uchiha Yu shook his head. "They wouldn't dare burn their bridges with me. If they did, even Rasa couldn't protect them! Even if I can't wipe them all out, I have to teach them a lesson. Don't worry, Uncle Tokuma. I know what I'm doing."

They'd launched a sneak attack while he was trying to talk Gaara around. Uchiha Yu loathed that kind of trick to his very core.

Hyuga Tokuma let out a long breath and said, "All right. Be careful. If it really comes to a fight, we'll come support you!"

With that, Hyuga Tokuma's body blurred, and he vanished from the spot.

Uchiha Yu gave a cold snort and gazed toward the compound in the distance.

At that moment, Sarutobi Asuma was still studying the intelligence in his hands, his expression grave.

Jiraiya certainly wouldn't sit by and do nothing now that the Uchiha coup had succeeded.

But their chances of success were still slim. They had to be extremely cautious with every step.

"Sarutobi Shin, come in for a moment." Sarutobi Asuma called to the trusted guard standing watch outside, but there was no response.

Sarutobi Asuma raised his head and saw a shadow lying on the ground.

"Who's there?"

Sarutobi Asuma sprang to his feet—and saw Uchiha Yu dragging the badly wounded Sarutobi Shin over to him.

"You were allowed to ambush me, but I'm not allowed to come pay you a visit?"

Uchiha Yu gave a cold laugh.

With the Mangekyō Sharingan, he could see through the guards' lines of sight.

As long as he moved quietly and used their blind spots, slipping inside had been a piece of cake.

Sarutobi Asuma had only himself to blame for being so careless!

Sarutobi Asuma stared at him in disbelief. "I never sent anyone to ambush you! Uchiha Yu! You can't just make things up!"

For a moment, Sarutobi Asuma was stunned. He'd actually been frightened like this by a seven-year-old child!

Uchiha Yu gave a cold snort. "Sarutobi Asuma, how do you explain this?"

Uchiha Yu tossed the bloodstained Forehead Protector from his pocket onto the ground in front of Sarutobi Asuma. "Your men ambushed me. I almost died at the hands of a berserk Gaara! We're settling this score tonight!"

They said petty people didn't hold grudges overnight, but Uchiha Yu had never claimed to be a gentleman.

"It wasn't just our Sarutobi Clan staying in Sunagakure. The Shimura Clan was there too! They might have done it!" Sarutobi Asuma looked at the Forehead Protector on the ground and explained, "Even if I really did hate you, I wouldn't ambush you!"

Uchiha Yu grabbed Sarutobi Asuma by the chin and thought for a moment.

Sarutobi Asuma did have a point. This really didn't seem like the sort of thing he would do.

After all, he had once been one of the Twelve Guardian Ninja.

"Is that so?" Uchiha Yu walked over to Sarutobi Asuma and reached for the intelligence on the table.

At the sight of this, Sarutobi Asuma's heart lurched.

That was a list of Jiraiya's allies and people in Konoha who were inclined to rebel. If Uchiha Yu saw it, the consequences would be disastrous!

"You can't touch that!"

Sarutobi Asuma reached out and grabbed Uchiha Yu by the wrist. Anger flickered in his eyes. "Don't think I really wouldn't dare kill you!"

Uchiha Yu stared at Sarutobi Asuma with his Sharingan.

Sarutobi Asuma was an elite Jonin, his strength no less than Shimura Danzō's without the Sharingan.

If it came down to a one-on-one fight, Uchiha Yu might well be in for a tough battle.

But after a moment's silence, Uchiha Yu continued, "If you don't rebel, my Uchiha Clan won't do anything to you. Whether the Sarutobi Clan lives or dies is in your hands!"

A strange light appeared in Sarutobi Asuma's eyes.

He looked at the seven-year-old boy before him and exclaimed in surprise, "You're actually threatening me!"