"It's nothing. My elder brother has only just taken on this great responsibility, and the clan's affairs are extremely demanding. We still have some matters that require Lord Tamaza Ryojin's help this time!"
Mingye nodded. He already had a plan of his own, and turned to speak to him.
"Oh! Could you tell me what it is first?"
The Uchiha Clan almost never interfered with how they conducted themselves; they handled everything themselves. Hearing Mingye say that the Uchiha Clan needed something from them, Tamaza Ryojin suddenly felt uneasy and asked him softly.
"Lord Tamaza Ryojin, I haven't eaten yet!"
"Hmm... Haha! I was being rash. Come with me to the ninja village!"
After Mingye and Tamaza Ryojin finished breakfast together, they chatted about this and that. Only after the table had been cleared and everyone else had left the house did Mingye speak to him in a serious tone.
"My elder brother needs to establish his authority. There have been rumors lately that the Senju Clan has moved west, with the whole clan gathering near the Land of Whirlpools. They must be looking for their so-called distant relatives, the Uzumaki Clan. So my brother wants to wipe out the clans that used to be under the Senju Clan's protection."
After listening to Mingye, Tamaza Ryojin pondered for a while before asking again.
"I've heard rumors lately that all three hundred or so members of the Fuma Clan were killed overnight. Was that the Uchiha Clan's doing?"
Mingye nodded without denying it. He couldn't keep the Fuma Clan matter under wraps for long anyway, so he might as well admit it outright.
"That's right! The Fuma Clan tried to assassinate General Sato several times. It was time to root out that thorn in our side!"
Tamaza Ryojin slowly nodded and fell into thought again. Looking at Mingye's calm expression, he couldn't help feeling an urge to kill him. He didn't know why, but for the past two days he had felt that his clan was about to face a great crisis. Yet the peaceful surroundings gave him no clue as to what that danger might be. He asked again about the target.
"Mm! I wonder which clans Lord Madara is targeting this time?"
"The Kurohabaki, Haguro, and Togakushi Clans all live in the Great River Forest Sea. Since the Senju Clan has voluntarily left the forest, there's no longer any reason for those three clans to remain."
Mingye answered him again. Tamaza Ryojin then recited everything he knew about the three small clans, and faintly sensed the reason Mingye had come. His mood darkened.
"The Kurohabaki specialize in gathering intelligence, disguise, and assassination. They have over fifty members: three jonin, fewer than ten chūnin, and more than forty genin. The Haguro Clan specializes in Earth Release and makes Explosive Tags. They have only thirty or forty members. The Togakushi Clan excels at Wind Release, and has no more than seventy ninja. None of the three clans has more than ten jonin on record. Does the Uchiha Clan really need our help?"
Facing an old fox like Tamaza Ryojin, Mingye knew what he was thinking. If the White Snake Sage hadn't given the order, his real purpose in coming this time would indeed have been to use the Wind-Thunder Clan as cannon fodder.
"For three years, the Wind-Thunder Clan has weathered every storm and prospered without anyone daring to strike at you. That was because the Uchiha Clan protected you. Do you really think you were entitled to it?"
The sarcasm in Mingye's words left Tamaza Ryojin troubled. He couldn't afford to offend the Uchiha Clan, but he certainly didn't want to be used as cannon fodder. He replied tactfully.
"Young master, you can't put it that way. We only want a small corner where we can live in peace and grow stronger amid these troubled times. We truly want no further involvement in worldly affairs."
"Heh. Lord Tamaza Ryojin, even the Fire Temple couldn't stay out of things and ended up submitting to the nation. What makes a little clan like the Wind-Thunder Clan think it can make such a choice? I'm not good at dressing things up in high-sounding words. I only know one thing: if you show kindness to others, they'll repay it in kind. The choice is yours."
Mingye's words left no room for argument. He was determined to pressure the Wind-Thunder Clan, and Tamaza Ryojin knew he wouldn't be allowed to offer any excuses. Hoping to buy some time, he pressed one hand to the wooden floor beside him and summoned the Blood Pact Scroll. Then he smiled at Mingye.
"Would you allow me a few days to consider this?"
Mingye didn't mind and nodded. This was exactly what he had been waiting for; otherwise, he couldn't carry out the next part of his plan.
"Of course."
"Good. Then please write your name here now, young master! It'll fulfill one of your long-held wishes, too."
Tamaza Ryojin opened the scroll without suspicion, wrote Mingye's name in the blank space, and placed it in front of him.
"Mm! I'll be imposing on you for the next few days."
"Not a problem!"
After the two finished discussing their business, a puff of smoke suddenly rose beside Mingye, and Ara appeared in front of them.
"You finally wrote your name down, kid!"
Mingye knew what Ara meant. He nodded slightly without replying, while Tamaza Ryojin respectfully asked Ara, who had appeared out of nowhere:
"May I ask what brings you here, Lord Ara?"
"Nothing major. Grandma sensed that this kid had signed the Blood Pact, so she sent me to check on him and take him back to Ryūchi Cave. She has something to tell him."
Ara answered casually, then coiled up Mingye's arm. With business of his own to attend to, Tamaza Ryojin didn't want to linger, so he rose to take his leave.
"If there's nothing else, I'll be going."
"Go on, go on. It's not like we need you for anything."
Ara answered him as impatiently as ever. Mingye nodded slightly to show he understood.
"Then I'll take my leave."
Tamaza Ryojin turned and quickly left the room. Ara watched him close the door behind him, then checked that no ninja were lurking nearby before mocking Mingye.
"I thought you'd stick to your principles. I didn't expect you to give in so quickly."
Mingye showed no expression, and his voice held no emotion as he answered Ara's taunt.
"I do what I believe is right. I don't think what I'm doing is wrong, but I don't think I'm a good or kind person, either. I have my reasons for this. I need Ryūchi Cave more than I need the Wind-Thunder Clan, so I'll just do what matters most to me!"
"You've already wiped out the Fuma Clan. Wiping out one more Wind-Thunder Clan is no big deal. Besides, don't you humans have a saying? 'Killing one person is a crime; killing ten million makes you a hero.' Those who achieve great things don't sweat the small stuff. Come with me to Manda Cave, Mingye!"
Ara liked Mingye, so he tried to talk him around. Mingye chuckled and replied:
"I stopped caring about that a long time ago. Let's get going."
When the snake and the man returned to Ryūchi Cave, they found no mountain ranges before them. Instead, there was a huge pit. Countless black snakes of all sizes slithered over one another inside it, forming a sea of serpents. Mingye leaped into the pit without a second thought.
A solidified wind enveloped Mingye and pressed the snakes aside. In the pit, nearly five meters deep and more than ten meters across, the snake sea towered over three meters high. Mingye forced a path through it. Ara darted out of Mingye's collar and reminded him:
"Be careful, kid. These snakes are venomous, soulless beasts. If you run out of chakra, you'll die a horrible death!"
Moonlight fell across the earth like a layer of frost, making the woods look especially eerie. An owl's cries rang out now and then in the silent forest, making the whole place seem even more terrifying.
A man in black-and-white armor, with silver hair, stepped out of the shadows. As the moonlight fell upon him, he raised his head and closed his eyes, as though its glow brought him warmth. Then a white giant wolf gradually emerged from the woods. When it came out and lay beside the man, its three-meter height and more than five-meter length made for an imposing sight. It yawned, appearing lazy, yet an invisible killing intent spread in every direction.
Caw... caw... caw...
A crow's cries rang out in the quiet village. The master of one household stepped outside, apparently looking for the latrine. Still half-asleep, he stared at the ground and suddenly saw a human-shaped shadow cast by the moonlight on a house. He had barely looked up when his neck felt cold, and his body seemed to chill. He tried to cry out, but no matter how hard he tried, he couldn't make a sound. At the same time, his body stopped obeying him, and he crumpled to the ground.
A pool of blood appeared before the man. Lying on the ground, unable to move, he finally realized that it was his own blood. Then he closed his eyes in despair and died.
Awooo... awooo... awooo-wooo...
His hair was silver, and his armor was the same black-and-white pattern. Younger than the man who had basked in the moonlight at the edge of the woods, he cupped one hand over his mouth and howled like a wolf, as if announcing to the whole forest that tonight's revelry had begun.
In response to the silver-haired man's howl, more howls began to echo through the woods surrounding the village. Countless wolf cries crashed against the quiet village like wave after wave. Before long, the whole village was lit up. The villagers cautiously and fearfully stepped out of their warm homes, peering outside in search of whatever had filled them with dread.
A streak of silver flashed across the sky, followed by a string of screams that finally shattered the village's nighttime peace. Like startled birds, the villagers now realized who had come. Terror and despair filled every expressive feature of their faces, and they scattered in all directions, desperate to escape the village that had become a place of horror.
"Ninja of the Hatake Clan! Why have you come to attack us?"
The village chief, the only elder still able to remain calm, stood before the expressionless man, whose eyes looked so sleepy he might doze off at any moment. Leaning on his cane, he demanded an answer.
Before you continue