The Command Tent

Hyūga Po frowned slightly. The instant Shimura Du looked up, the malice in his eyes was impossible to hide.

Shimura Du's pupils were tiny within his three-white eyes, giving him a vicious, savage look.

Hyūga Po suppressed the urge to play peacemaker again. Forget it. Crossing the Shimura Clan was asking to die.

At the front, Shimura Danzō held the power of life and death.

Any ninja Advisor Danzo disliked could be sent to their death on a mission with incomplete intelligence.

Intelligence was too important on the battlefield.

If a Genin squad ran into a Stone Ninja Chunin squad, they had almost no chance of surviving.

If a Chunin squad ran into a Stone Ninja squad with a Jonin, they were as good as dead.

If a squad led by a Jonin encountered two Stone Ninja Jonin, they would either turn the tables and make a name for themselves or die horribly.

Hyūga Po did not dare cross the Shimura Clan.

He looked at Uchiha Ling. This kid from the Uchiha Clan had guts.

What was there to be afraid of? Uchiha Ling thought. The Uchiha Clan and the Shimura Clan were sworn enemies anyway. Open conflict was only a matter of time.

The hostility between the two sides was fierce.

Their most recent fundamental conflict centered on Kagami Uchiha.

The Uchiha Clan knew Danzo had assassinated Kagami Uchiha, and Danzo knew the Uchiha Clan knew he had done it.

Both sides understood the situation perfectly.

Their conflict would only sharpen. Uchiha Ling had no intention of currying favor with Danzo and becoming the next Shisui Uchiha or Itachi Uchiha.

Through gritted teeth, Shimura Du said, "Five months from now, only I'll..."

He swallowed the rest. The muscles in his jaw and throat strained, as though holding back the