A True Warrior ~ Chahachiro

What humiliated them most was the scattered intelligence leaking out from within Konoha.

Uchiha Lan's squad was so keen on taking prisoners instead of killing because... fucking prisoners were worth more!

They treated captured Hidden Sand ninja as a "money-making venture" for earning hefty mission rewards and trading for strategic supplies such as explosive tags!

This left them furious and helpless. They could only try to set a trap and see if they could lure in this Uchiha squad.

Even if they could just kill that Uchiha genius, their sacrifices would have meaning.

One day, inside the Konoha camp.

"What? Another five? And all captured alive?"

The Konoha Jonin responsible for receiving prisoners looked at the tightly sealed string of "human dumplings" Uchiha Inada had handed over.

Then he looked at the rapidly rising, staggering number of merit points and bounty rewards under Uchiha Lan's squad in the ledger, unable to help marveling at this outrageous tactic.

"This is already over a hundred. Konoha Spark... that title really isn't for nothing. This fire is really burning wild."

It had even successfully led those diligent Konoha ninja astray. They began following suit, capturing enemies alive whenever possible, and if they could not, finding a way to leave them breathing long enough to drain them of intelligence before burying them.

Leaf Village was delighted as well. It could obtain so much free intelligence without lifting a finger. What a massive profit.

Both sides were happy.

As a result, Uchiha Lan's reputation continued to grow.

Naturally, Sand Village was burning with rage when it learned of this.

A hundred ninja captured. That number crashed down like a heavy hammer onto the Sand Village Elders' Council's conference table.

Humiliation! Enormous humiliation!

Sand Village's upper ranks were enraged. Though there was no Kazekage in the Kazekage's office, the atmosphere had already dropped to freezing point.

"A hundred outstanding ninja didn't die on the battlefield. They were captured alive like livestock by Konoha's Uchiha brat and turned into bargaining chips for their rewards!"

An elder trembled with rage.

"Sanctions! They must be sanctioned!"

Soon, a top-secret order from Sand Village's highest command was delivered through special channels to Maki, the frontline commander in the Land of Rivers, and swiftly spread throughout Hidden Sand:

Hidden Sand Kill Order (S-Rank)

Target: Leaf Village ninja, Uchiha Clan, Uchiha Lan.

Accomplices: Uchiha Tetsuka, Uchiha Daosui, Uchiha Inada.

Directive: Any Hidden Sand ninja, regardless of location, must report the target squad's whereabouts as a priority upon discovering them. All means are permitted, at any cost, to annihilate them!

Priority target Uchiha Lan must be confirmed thoroughly dead! Capturing or killing any of the other accomplices carries a mission reward of five million ryo!

At the same time, a ten-million-ryo bounty was placed on Uchiha Lan's head in the black market.

After receiving word from the village's upper ranks, Maki gathered his men again in the cave where they were hiding.

"Everyone, how is your countermeasure plan coming along? The village knows about the situation here too. They want us to use every possible means to eliminate that Uchiha squad!"

"Doing so would not only restore the village's honor, but also make Baiyun Zaojian wary and slow Konoha's advance."

After a brief silence, a Jonin with a scarred face and a sinister gaze stepped forward.

He spread out a detailed local map of the Land of Rivers.

"Lord Maki, rest assured. After our simulations, we are ninety percent certain that this plan can kill Uchiha Lan!"

"Oh? Ninety percent?"

Maki narrowed his eyes. "Explain it in detail."

"The plan goes like this: first we do this, then that, and finally we're done!"

The Jonin who had devised the plan pointed all over the map on the table.

Then Maki slapped him.

Smack!

"What do you mean, this and that? Can you explain it properly?"

"Yes, yes, sir! I'm sorry!"

The Jonin pointed to a perilous gorge on the map.

"This place is called Gale-Splitting Gorge. It was carved by desert winds blowing from the Land of Wind. The terrain is narrow, the cliffs on both sides are steep as if cut by blades, and only one winding passage runs through it."

"Chaotic air currents howl through it year-round, severely disrupting sound, scent, and chakra perception. It is a natural killing ground for an ambush!"

"As long as we station a hundred men on both sides of the gorge, then wait until they enter, the ninja on both sides can use Earth Release ninjutsu at the same time to collapse the weathered rocks and bury them completely there."

He paused, a vicious glint flashing in his eyes.

"Of course, the key to this plan is the bait, so we need a warrior. A true warrior."

As he spoke, he turned his gaze toward Maki, but upon sensing Maki's faint killing intent, he decisively moved on.

The Jonin were equally decisive, signaling with their eyes one after another.

"Think this through, kid. I'm from one of Sand Village's great clans."

"Have you forgotten that I treated you to a meal? Don't repay kindness with ingratitude."

In the end, he could only fix his gaze on the puppeteer Chahachiro.

This man had no great-clan background. He was a bona fide civilian player, and he was not part of the Kazekage faction either.

Though he also used puppets, he had no connection with Elder Chiyo among the upper ranks. His only connection was that his father had been one of the disciples of Monzaemon, the Second Kazekage.

Unfortunately, he had learned the Black Secret Technique, so the Second Kazekage's true legacy, the Chikamatsu Collection of Ten Puppets, had ultimately gone to Elder Chiyo, who also practiced the White Secret Technique.

The Second Kazekage had long since turned to ashes, and his father had been casually killed during the Second Shinobi War by a ninja named Sakumo Hatake.

At a time like this, if he was not the warrior, then who was?

It was decided. He was the one!

They had even thought up the reason.

"I recommend Sand Village Jonin Chahachiro, a Black Secret Technique puppeteer. He has fought Uchiha Lan before, has extensive experience, and holds a personal grudge. He is perfectly suited to be this warrior!"

Chahachiro, sitting in the corner and repairing his puppets by himself: What? Me? Go fuck yourself!

"Chahachiro? A puppeteer probably isn't good at luring enemies, is he?"

Maki said with a frown.

"No, as far as I know, the Uchiha Clan is arrogant and conceited. If we deliberately leak the information about Jonin Chahachiro, he will definitely come after him!"

The moment Chahachiro recalled Uchiha Lan's terrifying Body Flicker Technique and fierce swordsmanship capable of severing chakra threads, he instantly felt that things were going badly.

Combined with that incredibly perceptive Sharingan, the kid was practically Uchiha Sakumo.

Last time, it had been a battlefield environment, and he had been the one attacking from range. He could poison him from afar, yet he had still nearly been beaten to death. In a one-on-one duel, there was a ninety-nine percent chance he would be the one falling.

Chahachiro still did not know how glorious his record had been. His poison had nearly sent Uchiha Lan on a day trip to the Pure Land, and even if he had not gone to the Pure Land, he would probably have lost an eye.

(After all, using Izanagi came at a price. Uchiha Lan naturally would not pass up such a life-saving ninjutsu, and had forcibly learned it through the legacy left by his parents.)