"Sweet and delicious. Now that's some fine wine!"
"Hahaha! I've heard that the third of the Uchiha Clan's three brothers, Uchiha Mingye, can use Heart-Eye Perception. Though he appears blind, his mind's eye observes every detail. Seeing him for myself today, I can say the rumors were true!"
Sarutobi Sasuke's praise did nothing to improve Mingye's mood. It seemed the other man had tested him in all sorts of ways during their journey here, and Mingye hadn't noticed any of it. A wave of pressure washed over him.
"You flatter me. I'm simply skilled at using the Perception Technique, which is how I manage to do these things. You must be Sarutobi Sasuke, head of the Sarutobi Clan!"
"What brings you here today?"
Sarutobi Sasuke didn't bother with small talk and went straight to the point. His forthright nature left Mingye at a loss. Unused to dealing with such a person, Mingye could only steel himself and steer the conversation elsewhere.
"I'd like to invite the Sarutobi Clan to join the Ninja Village founded by our Uchiha Clan. Our goal is to unite the shinobi of every clan in the Land of Fire, so that the country may know peace and no longer be plagued by conflict!"
As soon as Mingye finished speaking, Sarutobi Sasuke replied.
"A grand ambition. Unfortunately, my Sarutobi Clan is in the service of another, so we can't take part. It's a shame."
The speed of the refusal made Mingye seriously wonder if the other man was messing with him. He spoke again, his voice turning cold.
"It seems, then, that you, Lord Sarutobi Sasuke, look down on how we do things."
"Not at all. I just don't think you'll succeed."
"And if we do?"
Sarutobi Sasuke was so direct that he hadn't even considered dressing up what he really thought. Mingye paused, then smiled and shook his head as he asked.
"Then I'll personally lead my entire clan to join you!"
Sarutobi Sasuke's blunt answer made Mingye feel like his head was about to explode. The man was simply watching how events unfolded. Mingye's plans had only just begun, and they weren't enough to sway the larger clans yet. Sarutobi Sasuke didn't trust him, and didn't hide it—he just said so outright. That left Mingye speechless. Dealing with honest people was the most troublesome. You never knew when they might lie, because they told the truth every moment. Such people were also the most frightening.
"Excellent!"
"Is the sky leaking or something? This is so annoying! It's been raining nonstop. Ever since I entered this region, I haven't seen a single sunny day!"
After leaving the Sarutobi Clan, Mingye hurried to the Land of Rain. He and Madara, along with the several shinobi who had come with them from the clan, were staying at an inn in a village. Looking out the window, Mingye saw that it had been pouring for three whole days without a break. The weather was getting on his nerves. In this kind of place, everything felt oppressive, and everything seemed to bring him down.
Madara glanced at Mingye without a word. Just as the two brothers sat there in bored silence, the door opened, and Uchiha Gu entered. Looking at Madara and Mingye, he said,
"My lords, we've confirmed Akiyama Nobunori's movements. He'll enter the Land of Rain in person in three days. It seems someone from the Land of Earth will be coming as well. Akiyama Nobunori appears to be in contact with them."
Mingye didn't answer at once. Instead, he looked at Madara and asked,
"What do you think, big brother?"
Madara seemed bored and couldn't even be bothered to speak. After a long pause, he finally said,
"An assassination means we can't reveal our identities. That sounds troublesome."
Mingye chuckled. Madara clearly had no interest in these matters. Without an opponent to fight, it seemed his heart might stop beating altogether. His elder brother's strength was growing by the day; no matter how fast a thousand miles a day seemed, it still wouldn't describe Madara's current progress. Mingye stopped asking for his opinion and turned to Gu to lay out the plan.
"You've got it exactly backward, big brother. We're helping the Land of Fire eliminate a traitor who colluded with another country. Gu, send word back to Okayama right away. I want General Sato to take care of the cleanup."
"Yes!"
Uchiha Gu nodded and left the room. Madara frowned at Mingye and asked,
"Are you planning to act first and report later?"
Mingye shook his head and stood up. He reached his hand out of the window, letting the raindrops strike his palm, as if feeling their touch could reassure him of his own existence. As he did, he explained,
"No. I plan to gather evidence of Akiyama Nobunori's crimes. But Akiyama Nobunori reacts too violently. During the fighting, shinobi from the Land of Earth accidentally kill General Akiyama Nobunori. Then, as we try to seize the general's body, we wipe out all the shinobi from the Land of Earth."
A bold assassination. This made Madara look at his younger brother in a new light once again. Mingye never seemed to rush into anything. He could always find a reasonable way to do things—and could even argue that black was white. At the thought, Madara couldn't help mocking him.
"Mingye, you really can spin a tale!"
Mingye didn't mind. He pulled his arm back and wiped his hand with a cloth before replying,
"The best stories are told by the victors. Don't you dare think the story I just told isn't a good one, big brother!"
Madara snorted. Closing his eyes to rest, he said,
"Hmph! Fine. Do it your way."
The ceaseless rain hung over the whole Land of Rain, shrouding the land in an air of bleak solitude. At a cave, Akiyama Nobunori stepped out of his palanquin in full armor. A servant set an elegant wooden chair beside the cave, and Akiyama Nobunori sat down, surveying the area. When he didn't see the person he was waiting for, he snorted.
"The people of the Land of Earth are as irritating as ever! They dare to arrive even later than I do!"
None of the samurai or shinobi standing guard around him dared to answer. They silently kept their heads down and went about their duties. Beneath the downpour, beside a tree not far away, a chubby shinobi carried a huge iron staff and ate a steaming rice ball. He looked toward Akiyama Nobunori and asked curiously,
"Why did the general have to come in person? What a drag. Does he not know that Lord Sasuke warned him just yesterday?"
In response to the chubby man's question, a shinobi with a long braid and a scar across his face calmly explained,
"You don't understand. The Land of Earth and General Nobunori's smuggling partnership benefits both sides, but it harms both countries. The Land of Earth lies in the desolate north. Its mountains stretch endlessly, and its rocks are everywhere, much like the mountain roads in our Land of Fire. The soil is so rocky that even growing flowers and grass is impossible. This leaves the Land of Earth short of supplies. But beneath those rocks lie abundant metals, including gold and silver beyond counting. Unfortunately, they have money but nowhere to spend it, so they can only trade with the smaller countries around them to get the necessities they need. But those neighboring countries couldn't possibly supply everything needed by the people of such a vast nation. If you ask me, only the Land of Fire can meet their demands!"
Beside them, a yellow-haired shinobi smiled and shook his head. The long-braided shinobi had explained things in great detail, but the chubby shinobi had focused all his attention on the rice ball in his hand. The yellow-haired shinobi teased the one with the braid.
"You can explain all you want, but he probably won't understand a word. His mind's probably full of rice balls right now!"
The chubby shinobi glared at the yellow-haired man and waved the steaming rice ball in his hand as he protested,
"Go on, I'm listening. Besides, rice balls don't taste good once they've gone cold!"
The shinobi who had been explaining seemed to realize the problem. He covered his face with one hand and leaned against the tree with a long sigh.
"Alas! What a misfortune for the clan, having a glutton like you!"
"Yamanaka Saura, Nara Dogu, Akimichi Shan, go to the meeting point at once. The lord is getting impatient!"
The three had only been chatting and teasing one another for three or four minutes when a sharp-featured man arrived with an umbrella. He called out their names and gave them his order.
Nara Dogu frowned slightly and looked at the newcomer, asking quietly,
"We're here to guard the lord. May I ask if meeting the person arriving for this inspection was the lord's order?"
The man was extremely arrogant. He looked at the three of them with disdain and casually hurled an insult at them.
"Hmph! Do you think I don't speak for the lord? You dogs, don't think General Nobunori is the only one who can give you orders. You know what happens if you cross me!"
Akimichi Shan, sitting nearby, narrowed his eyes. Yamanaka Saura immediately stepped in front of him and tapped him on the back, signaling him not to act rashly. Nara Dogu bowed to the man at a ninety-degree angle and apologized.
"I wouldn't dare, my lord. Please forgive me. I was just concerned about security and spoke out of turn. Please don't take it to heart."
The man spat at the three of them, hurled another insult, then turned to leave.
"Hmph! Get it done and come back quickly. This filthy place is already enough to make anyone miserable. Having to put up with the likes of you makes me want to vomit!"
"You're absolutely right, my lord. I'll take care of it at once!"
Nara Dogu remained bent in a ninety-degree bow. Only after the man had disappeared into the rain and mist did he straighten up and sigh, shaking his head. Yamanaka Saura turned to Akimichi Shan, who had already crushed his rice ball into mush, and warned him,
"Honda Kamesuke is the general's brother-in-law, and he also manages the distribution of salaries. If you insult or hurt him, you'll drag us all into trouble! Even Teacher Sasuke might be punished over it!"
Akimichi Shan flung his most cherished rice ball to the ground, stood up, and cursed bitterly,
"I just can't stand that look on his face. He thinks we're dogs, but does he really think all that swagger proves he's a person? In our eyes, aren't people like him just pigs kept in a pen?"
Before you continue