Departure

This was the route jointly decided upon by both sides after careful deliberation. An Elite Jonin personally led the team, but the sheer amount of supplies made their progress too slow.

"It will take roughly three days. And that's assuming nothing unexpected happens. Any accidents along the way will delay us further."

Konoha's Jonin came from a prominent clan. He was a member of the Aburame Clan and had been assigned to accompany and protect Uchiha Yuu.

The Aburame Clan was considered one of Konoha's great clans, known as insect users.

Wrapped in a black cloak, he stood beside Uchiha Yuu. If he had not been so close to Yuu, no one would have noticed him. He seemed more like an outsider detached from the convoy.

"If danger arises, stay by my side. I will ensure your safety."

He was not good with words, but his actions showed that he would do everything in his power to protect Yuu during this mission.

"Thank you, Aburame Jonin."

Aburame Hanfeng nodded lightly. Two insects crawled out from his body and settled on Uchiha Yuu's shoulders, invisible to the naked eye.

"These two insects can pinpoint your location."

Only after everything had been prepared did Aburame Hanfeng return to the group.

Accompanied by the creaking of wagons hauling supplies, they began traveling through the night.

It was easy to see that the convoy had split into two factions. Although this was a joint mission, formal cooperation between the two sides had yet to be established, and neither dared entrust their backs to the other.

Konoha's Jonin gathered the remaining shinobi and had them guard the rear of the supplies, while Sunagakure's Elite Jonin took the lead.

There was also a group of Elite Chunin. They did not remain in the center of the wagons, instead dispersing to the sides according to their orders so they could detect enemies in advance.

There were vast quantities of supplies. Losing them would be no small loss for either side.

They had already left Konoha's patrol zone and entered the borderlands, where all manner of uncertain dangers lurked.

Within the convoy, Uchiha Shuiyun did not stay with the main group. He had moved to the rear, staring ahead with jealous eyes at Yuu, who was personally protected by a Jonin.

"Just wait! After defeating me back then, did you ever imagine this day would come? I'll make you suffer!"

After saying that, he melted into the darkness.

Ahead of the wagons was a group of shinobi—the destination Uchiha Shuiyun had come for. Their leader stood atop a tree branch. Upon hearing movement from nearby, he immediately raised a hand to stop the shinobi beside him from acting.

That Jonin used the Body Flicker Technique and arrived beside Uchiha Shuiyun. He looked down on this kind of traitor from the bottom of his heart, but his words still carried a hint of concern.

"You're much slower than I expected. Looks like there's a lot of cargo."

"The battle will proceed as we discussed. We'll seize the supplies, and as for what you requested, I'll handle it personally."

They were shinobi from Amegakure. They had come to the Land of Fire this time to ambush and kill their target.

They were a squad directly under Hanzo's command. Among them were four Jonin, while Salamander Pufferfish had reached the level of an Elite Jonin.

A trace of cruelty appeared on his face as he signaled for the shinobi around him to move closer.

Only after they left did Uchiha Shuiyun reveal a wild grin. His eyes brimmed with malice as he said with a sickly smile:

"Uchiha Yuu! And that damned Uchiha Clan! Since you think I have no more value, I'll make you pay the price!"

Shuiyun's eyes were undergoing a transformation. His original One-Tomoe Sharingan was changing into a Two-Tomoe Sharingan through this spiritual metamorphosis!

An Uchiha in this state was at his most dangerous, consumed by a terrifying obsession.

At this moment, however, Uchiha Shuiyun felt endless power surging into his body, the darkness within his heart infinitely magnified.

The group traveling onward had yet to notice anything was wrong.

As they passed through a forest, Sunagakure's Elite Jonin stopped. He raised his head and swept his gaze over the surroundings, extending a hand to halt the convoy.

"What happened?"

The Konoha shinobi at the rear looked at him in confusion.

"Jiro hasn't reported in."

The Chunin scattered around the area were supposed to return every ten minutes to report that the route was safe.

But this time, he was one minute late. That made Sunagakure's Jonin hesitate.

There could be no oversight in a mission like this. If there was one, it could only mean enemies had appeared.

The shinobi present immediately drew their kunai and clustered together, watching the surroundings warily.

Sure enough, the moment he gave the warning, a pale white mist began spreading through the forest.

"Hidden Mist Technique!"

Aburame Hanfeng recognized the nature of the mist. To prevent assassins from suddenly attacking, dense swarms of insects crawled out from his body, forming a black barrier around the two of them.

Because his mission differed from the others', Hanfeng had no intention of supporting his teammates.

A kunai shot straight out of the mist, aimed directly at Uchiha Yuu before him.

"Crack!"

The insects blocked the kunai and flung it forward, where it embedded itself in a tree.

"Boom!"

"That was close..."

Uchiha Yuu's pupils constricted. It was no ordinary kunai; an Explosive Tag had been tied to it, meant to ensure a fatal strike.

The commotion drew the attention of the surrounding shinobi. After locating the direction from which the kunai had been thrown, the enemy no longer remained hidden.

"There's actually a Jonin protecting you. Killing you won't be so easy after all."

A shinobi wearing a straw raincoat slowly emerged from the mist, deep-set eyes visible beneath his conical hat.

"Rain Ninja!"

No one had expected Amegakure's people to appear along the route transporting their supplies. They did not know who had leaked the information, but this was not the time to investigate it.

A brutal battle was likely unavoidable today.

Since the enemy dared step out from the shadows, their apparent strength was at least not inferior to the alliance between the two villages.

"Does Amegakure intend to bear the wrath of two great shinobi villages? I wonder whether that Hanzo truly has the strength for it."

Sunagakure's Elite Jonin used a summoning scroll to release two puppets. Judging by his combat style, he was a puppeteer.

"Lord Hanzo can naturally deal with two great shinobi villages. Sunagakure has always been the weakest village. If not for the One-Tail, what right do you have to call yourselves one of the Five Great Shinobi Villages?"

In the Shinobi World, the effects brought by empty prestige far exceeded imagination.

Many merchants chose major villages for their missions, leaving the other villages with only small jobs. Without money or resources, naturally, it was difficult to train shinobi.

Now, under Hanzo's leadership, Amegakure was confident that it could become a new member of the Five Great Shinobi Villages!