Zetsu's Ruthless Scheme, Eradicate Them All (3)

"Sweet and delicious. This is truly fine wine!"

"Hahaha! It has long been said that among the three Uchiha brothers, the third, Uchiha Mingye, possesses the Heart-Eye Perception. Though his eyes appear blind, his mind observes the finest details. Seeing you today, I find the rumors to be true!"

Sarutobi Sasuke's praise did not improve Mingye's mood. It seemed the man had been testing him throughout his entire journey without his knowledge, and the sudden realization weighed heavily on Mingye.

"You are too kind. I merely excel at using the Perception Technique, which allows me to act as I do. You must be the head of the Sarutobi clan, Sarutobi Sasuke, correct?"

"What brings you here today?"

Sarutobi Sasuke skipped the pleasantries and went straight to the point. His straightforward nature left Mingye feeling out of his depth; unaccustomed to such bluntness, he could only bite the bullet and steer the conversation.

"I wish to invite the Sarutobi clan to join the ninja village being established by the Uchiha clan. Our ambition is to unite the strength of every ninja clan in the Land of Fire, thereby bringing peace to the realm and ending the chaos of constant conflict!"

No sooner had Mingye finished speaking than Sarutobi Sasuke replied.

"That is a grand ambition. Unfortunately, my Sarutobi clan is loyal to our current commitments and cannot participate. It is a great pity!"

The speed of the refusal made Mingye suspect the man was toying with him. He spoke again, his voice turning cold.

"It seems, Lord Sarutobi Sasuke, that you hold our methods in low regard."

"I would not say that. I simply believe you will not succeed."

"And if we do?"

Sarutobi Sasuke was so direct that he hadn't even considered softening his words. Mingye paused, then shook his head with a smile and asked in return.

"Then we shall naturally bring our entire clan to support you!"

Sarutobi Sasuke's candid answer left Mingye feeling a dull ache. The man was clearly gauging the tides of the world, and since Mingye's plans were only just beginning, they were not yet enough to move the major clans. Sarutobi Sasuke's refusal to hide his distrust made Mingye speechless. Dealing with such honest people was the most troublesome task, for you never knew when they were lying—because they were telling the truth every single moment. Such people were also the most terrifying.

"Very well!"

"Does the sky here have a leak? It's truly annoying! This incessant rain never stops. Since entering this region, I haven't seen a single clear day!"

After leaving the Sarutobi clan, Mingye traveled quickly to the Land of Rain. Together with Madara and several other clan ninjas, he checked into an inn in a village. Looking out the window, he saw that the sky had been pouring with heavy rain for three full days without pause. It made Mingye feel incredibly irritable; in such an environment, everything in the world seemed to become stifling, and every detail felt oppressive.

Madara glanced at Mingye indifferently without replying. Just as the brothers were sitting in bored silence, the door slid open. Uchiha Gu entered, looked at Madara and Mingye, and spoke.

"My Lords, we have tracked Akiyama Nobunori's itinerary. He will personally enter the Land of Rain in three days. It seems someone from the Land of Earth will also be arriving. It appears Akiyama Nobunori has been in communication with them."

Mingye did not speak first, instead turning to look at Madara.

"Big Brother, what is your take on this?"

Madara seemed bored, too lazy to even speak. After a long pause, he finally said, "Assassination requires us not to reveal our identities. It seems quite troublesome."

Mingye chuckled. Madara was clearly uninterested in such matters; without an opponent to fight, it was as if his very heartbeat were slowing. His brother's strength was growing more formidable by the day—"leaps and bounds" was an understatement for Madara's current progress. Mingye stopped asking and began to lay out the plan for Gu.

"Big Brother, you are mistaken. We are helping the Land of Fire purge a traitor who has colluded with the enemy. Gu, send word of this back to Okayama immediately. I want General Sato to handle the cleanup."

"Understood!"

Uchiha Gu nodded and exited the room. Madara looked at Mingye, frowning as he asked, "You intend to act first and report later?"

Mingye shook his head and stood up. He reached his hand out the window, letting the rain strike his palm as if sensing his own existence through the sensation. He explained to Madara, "No. I intend to collect evidence of Akiyama Nobunori's crimes. However, Akiyama Nobunori will react too violently. During our battle, ninjas from the Land of Earth will accidentally kill General Akiyama Nobunori. Afterward, in our attempt to recover the General's body, we will wipe out the Land of Earth's ninjas entirely!"

An assassination carried out in broad daylight—this was another instance where Madara looked at his younger brother with new eyes. Mingye never seemed rushed; he always found a logical way to act, even twisting black into white with his sophistry. Thinking of this, he couldn't help but offer a sarcastic remark.

"Mingye, you really have a silver tongue."

Mingye didn't mind. He pulled his arm back and wiped his palm with a handkerchief, speaking again.

"Good stories are always told by the victors. Big Brother, please do not think that the story I've told is not a good one."

Madara snorted, closed his eyes to rest, and said, "Hmph! Do as you say, then."

The endless rain filled the land of the Land of Rain with a sense of profound loneliness. Walking to a karst cave, Akiyama Nobunori stepped out of his palanquin in full military regalia. A servant placed an exquisite wooden chair by the cave entrance. Akiyama sat down and scanned his surroundings, but failing to find the person he was looking for, he let out a cold snort.

"The people of the Land of Earth are as annoying as ever! To think they would dare arrive later than this old man!"

None of the surrounding guards or ninjas dared to respond to Akiyama's remark. They silently kept their heads down, attending to their duties. Not far away, near a large tree in the downpour, a stout ninja leaned against a large iron rod, eating a still-warm rice ball. He looked toward Akiyama's position and asked curiously, "Why did the General have to come in person? It's so boring. Doesn't he know that Lord Sasuke issued him a warning just yesterday?"

Facing the fat man's question, a ninja with a long braid and a scar on his face calmly explained, "You don't understand. While the smuggling alliance between the people of the Land of Earth and General Nobunori is mutually beneficial, it is detrimental to both our nations. The Land of Earth is located in the desolate north, with endless mountains and rocks as common as the mountain paths in our Land of Fire. The hard stone makes it impossible to grow even flowers, leading to a scarcity of resources. Yet, beneath those rocks lie vast amounts of metal—gold and silver are countless. It's a pity they have money but nowhere to spend it, forced to trade through small neighboring countries for necessities. But those small nations cannot satisfy the needs of a great power. If you ask me, only the Land of Fire can provide everything they desire!"

Beside them, a yellow-haired ninja chuckled and shook his head. Though the braided ninja had explained it in great detail, the fat ninja had focused all his attention on his rice ball. He teased the braided ninja, "You explain so much to him, but he might not even understand. His mind is probably filled with nothing but rice balls right now!"

The fat ninja looked at the yellow-haired ninja with dissatisfaction, shaking the steaming rice ball in his hand as he argued, "I'm listening! Besides, if the rice ball gets cold, it won't taste good!"

The ninja who had just finished explaining seemed to realize this as well. He covered his face with one hand, leaned against the tree, and sighed, "Sigh! It is truly the misfortune of the clan to be saddled with a glutton like you!"

"Yamanaka Saura, Nara Dogu, Akimichi Shan, the three of you head to the rendezvous point immediately! My Lord is growing impatient!"

The three of them had been chatting, joking, and bickering for no more than three or four minutes when a sharp-featured man carrying an umbrella approached them, called out their names, and issued the order.

Nara Dogu frowned slightly, looked at the newcomer, and asked in a low voice, "We are here to guard My Lord. May I ask if this order to meet the incoming party truly came from My Lord himself?"

The man was incredibly arrogant; he looked at the three of them with disdain and contempt, casually hurling insults at them. "Hmph! Do you think I cannot represent My Lord? You dogs shouldn't think that only General Xinde can command you. You know full well the consequences of offending me!"

Akimichi Shan, who was sitting to the side, narrowed his eyes, but Yamanaka Saura stepped directly in front of him, waving his hand behind his back to signal that he should not act rashly. Nara Dogu bowed ninety degrees to the man to apologize. "We wouldn't dare, My Lord, please forgive us. We were just concerned about security and spoke out of turn. We hope you will not take it to heart!"

The man spat at the three of them, finished his insults, and turned to leave. "Hmph! Get going and come back quickly. This filthy place is already annoying enough, and having to look at you lot just makes me want to vomit!"

"My Lord is right, we shall attend to it at once!"

Nara Dogu remained in his ninety-degree bow, waiting respectfully until the man had completely vanished into the rain and mist before straightening his back and shaking his head with a long sigh. Yamanaka Saura looked at Akimichi Shan, who had already crushed his rice ball into a pulp, and offered a reminder. "Honda Kamesuke is the General's brother-in-law and the financial officer in charge of distributing our stipends. If you offend him or lay a hand on him, it will implicate us all! Even Master Sasuke might be punished because of it!"

Akimichi Shan threw his most cherished rice ball onto the ground, stood up, and cursed bitterly. "I just can't stand the way he acts. They think we're dogs, but does he really think his posturing proves he's a human? In our eyes, aren't all these people just penned-up domestic pigs?"