The Willing Take the Bait

The Matsuda ninja took the envelope without daring to open it himself. After checking the letter for safety, he dismissed the others and hurried off to report to his clan leader.

Matsuda Masahiro had just fallen asleep when he was roused. Thinking it was a matter of great importance, he didn't even bother to dress before pushing open his door.

"What has happened?"

"Clan Leader, a mysterious figure in a black robe suddenly appeared in our territory. He claimed this letter was for you."

The Matsuda ninja respectfully handed over the envelope.

Matsuda Masahiro looked on with suspicion. He took the envelope but did not open it immediately, asking instead, "Where is he now?"

"It was a shadow clone. Once he handed me the letter, he dispelled it."

The Matsuda ninja lowered his head as he replied.

"You may go." After waving him away, Matsuda Masahiro hesitated for a moment before finally tearing open the letter.

After Matsuda Masahiro finished reading, the light in his room remained on until dawn, never once flickering out.

By the time Uchiha Sake returned from delivering the letter, two days had already passed.

Uchiha Yang was not in a hurry. He trusted that the other party would come; this was the confidence he held in his own Brain.

In the basement, Uzumaki Mito, who had been broken for over two months, was thoroughly brainwashed.

Uzumaki Mito, who no longer even possessed the agency to choose death, had only one thought left in her mind.

Uchiha Yang was her master.

The Uzumaki Mito who was cleaned up and brought before Uchiha Yang had not changed in appearance, but her eyes had lost every trace of light.

The fine, elegant clothes she wore could not conceal her inherent dignified and graceful temperament.

"Tsk tsk, what a beautiful color. Submitting to me is getting off easy for you."

Uchiha Yang narcissistically pinched Uzumaki Mito's small chin.

It was a pity; after being tortured for so long, her frame had grown thin, and her face felt almost skeletal to the touch. It was somewhat unpleasant.

"Your father disturbed my peaceful days. It is only right that I bully his daughter to collect some interest."

Uchiha Yang waved his hand, ordering Xia Lian to take Uzumaki Mito away and serve her good food and drink. He needed her to put on some weight; only then would she be worth enjoying.

"Be a good girl and eat plenty of meat, so that Master will love you."

Uchiha Yang stroked Uzumaki Mito's head, a wicked grin on his face.

"Yes, Master."

Uzumaki Mito, her eyes still dull and lifeless, responded with stiff, mechanical obedience.

In truth, Uchiha Yang did not fully believe that Uzumaki Mito had been brainwashed so easily. He still suspected that this cunning woman was merely putting on an act.

[Brain: Master, I also believe Uzumaki Mito is faking it.]

[Sharingan: On this point, I am rarely in sync with Master.]

[Hand: I feel like I need to go and test her. What do you say?]

[Leg: Your keyboard-warrior attitude is reaching all the way to the Uzumaki clan. You aren't learning anything good; you've really fallen.]

[Hand, Master will handle this matter for you, so don't you worry about it.]

After Xia Lian led Uzumaki Mito away, Uchiha Yang spoke to his Hand in his mind.

How had this Hand failed to learn any of his good virtues, while picking up his minor flaws so perfectly?

[Brain: Master, regarding the plan to train death squads, I worked a little overtime last night. Once the foundation is laid, we can implement the plan.]

[Sharingan: As expected, the Brain is truly Master's virtuous assistant.]

[Fire Affinity: Since the Brain is such a virtuous assistant, I am willing to acknowledge the Brain as my foster father. I hope the Brain will think of me more when it comes time to fight.]

[Water Affinity: Ugh!!! I've seen disgusting things, but nothing this disgusting.]

[Fire Affinity: What's wrong? Is there a problem?]

[Water Affinity: Where is your pride as a fire element? Did you lose it?]

[Hand: It was me, it was me! I was the one who wrote it word by word. The Brain just did the thinking. Why is everyone praising it? I give up.]

[Brain: Ahem, we are all on the same side. Let's not talk about foster fathers or anything like that—Master is still watching!]

Uchiha Yang's face darkened. These guys were becoming more and more shameless.

Clearly, this was all the credit of his own hard work as their master. Last night, it was he who had stayed up, writing it word by word, forgetting to eat or sleep.

Sigh, in the end, they were still inferior to him. With his character of not fighting or competing, he had no need for such empty fame.

When the final day arrived, Uchiha Yang lay leisurely on his chair, his fishing rod already positioned to wait for the fish to take the bait.

"Master, the person has arrived outside the clan territory. Should I bring him here?"

Uchiha Kage suddenly appeared beside Uchiha Yang, kneeling on one knee to report respectfully.

"Did he come alone, or are there three of them?"

Uchiha Yang opened his eyes and cast a slow, languid glance in his direction.

"Reporting to Master, there are three of them."

Uchiha Kage spoke in a hurry.

"Bring them over." Uchiha Yang waved his hand.

"Yes."

Outside the Uchiha Compound, Matsuda Masahiro, Yamada Miyashu, and Shinjo Rana stood in place, feeling extremely nervous.

With so many pairs of Sharingan fixed upon them, the sense of oppression was truly overwhelming.

"Masahiro, you bastard, you didn't trick me into defecting, did you?"

Yamada Miyashu's face was tense, putting on a show of having been deceived.

To be honest, he was starting to regret this.

This was the Uchiha's lair, after all; if the Uchiha suddenly decided they weren't happy, the three of them would never make it back.

Shinjo Rana cast a secret glance at Matsuda Masahiro.

She had read that letter too, and it was precisely because of its contents that she had chosen to come here together with them.

Don't let Yamada Miyashu's act of being deceived fool you; in truth, she understood him best—that guy was the most calculating of them all.

A flicker of madness flashed through Matsuda Masahiro's eyes. He was willing to gamble; if he succeeded, he would control the entire Southwest City and perhaps even elevate his clan to a status equal to great clans like the Sarutobi.

In reality, the content of the letter was quite simple: the Brain had painted a picture for the three of them—a grand prospect that no one could refuse.

This prospect involved the Southwest City and the new city controlled by the Senju Defense Line, and the one extending the invitation was the Uchiha, who claimed to be letting bygones be bygones.

Although they all knew the Uchiha had no good intentions, all three were afraid.

They were afraid that the other two would go to the Uchiha behind their backs. They didn't dare to gamble on the others' courage—what if they actually did it?

Right? What if the others went, and what if it actually succeeded?

This was the art of the con, the same deceptive technique that had "tricked" so many people in Uchiha Yang's past life.

It was nothing more than greed blinding the heart, gambling on the idea that one wouldn't be the victim, but rather the one who would truly strike it rich.

In fact, Matsuda Masahiro hadn't wanted to tell the other two at first, but he feared that letters had been sent to all three families, which would have damaged their alliance.

That was why Matsuda Masahiro had shared the letter with them, only to find out later that he was the only one who had received one.

"Follow me."

Uchiha Kage appeared outside the Uchiha Compound and spoke to the three, who were standing there feeling incredibly uneasy.

"Yes, yes, of course."

The three hurriedly followed behind him into the Uchiha Compound, not daring to look around for fear of violating some Uchiha taboo.