What humiliated them most was the scattered intelligence leaking out from within Konoha.
Uchiha Ran's squad had been so enthusiastic about capturing rather than killing because... damn it, prisoners were worth more!
They treated captured Hidden Sand ninja as a "money-making scheme" for earning hefty mission rewards and trading for strategic supplies like Explosive Tags!
This left them furious and helpless. All they could do was set a trap and see whether they could lure in this Uchiha squad.
If they could kill that Uchiha genius ninja, then even their sacrifices would have meaning.
One day, inside Konoha's main 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, jaw-dropping merit points and bounty totals listed under Uchiha Ran's squad in the ledger, unable to help clicking his tongue at such a wild stunt.
"That's already over a hundred. Konoha Spark... that title really wasn't for nothing. This fire has really started blazing."
It had even successfully led those diligent Konoha ninja astray. They began following suit, capturing enemies alive whenever possible; if they could not capture them, they would try to leave them breathing, squeeze out their intelligence, then bury them in the dirt.
Konoha was delighted too. It could obtain so much free intelligence without lifting a finger. It was making a fortune.
Both sides were happy.
As a result, Uchiha Ran's reputation continued to rise.
Naturally, Hidden Sand was burning with rage after learning of this.
One hundred ninja captured. That number landed like a massive hammer upon the council table of Sunagakure's elders.
Humiliation! Utter humiliation!
Sunagakure's upper ranks were enraged. There was no Kazekage in the Kazekage's office, but the atmosphere had already frozen to the extreme.
"One hundred outstanding ninja did not die on the battlefield. They were captured alive like livestock by Konoha's Uchiha brat and turned into bargaining chips for rewards!"
An elder trembled with fury.
"Punishment! They must be punished!"
Very quickly, a top-secret order from Sunagakure's highest command was delivered through special channels into the hands of Baki, the frontline commander in the Land of Rivers, and swiftly spread throughout Hidden Sand:
Hidden Sand Kill Order (S-Rank) Target: Konoha ninja, Uchiha Clan, Uchiha Ran. Accomplices: Uchiha Tetsuka, Uchiha Daosui, Daotian. Directive: Any Hidden Sand ninja, regardless of location, who discovers traces of the target squad must report it as a priority. All methods may be employed, at any cost, to eliminate them! Priority target Uchiha Ran must be confirmed thoroughly dead! The reward for capturing alive or killing the remaining accomplices is five million ryo!
At the same time, a ten-million-ryo bounty was placed on Uchiha Ran's head in the black market.
After receiving word from the village's upper ranks, Baki, who was hiding in a cave, gathered his men once more.
"Everyone, how is your countermeasure plan coming along? The village knows what's happening here as well. They want us to do everything possible to eliminate that Uchiha squad!"
"Not only will that restore the village's honor, it will also make Baiyun Zaojian wary and slow Konoha's offensive."
After a brief silence, a jonin with a scar across his face and a sinister gaze stepped forward.
He spread out a detailed regional map of the Land of Rivers.
"Lord Baki, rest assured. After our simulations, we are ninety percent confident that this plan can eliminate Uchiha Ran!"
"Oh? Ninety percent?"
Baki narrowed his eyes. "Explain in detail."
"The plan is this: we do this first, then that, and finally it'll be done!"
The jonin who had devised the plan pointed here and there at the map on the table.
Then Baki slapped him.
Slap!
"What do you mean, 'this' and 'that'? Can you explain it clearly?"
"Yes, yes, sir! Sumimasen!"
The jonin pointed to a treacherous canyon area on the map.
"This place is called Gale-Splitting Gorge. It was eroded by desert winds blowing from the Land of Wind. The terrain is narrow, with cliff faces on both sides as steep as blades, and only one winding passage running through it."
"Chaotic air currents howl here year-round, severely disrupting sound, scent, and chakra perception. It is a natural death trap for an ambush!"
"As long as we station one hundred men on both sides of the gorge, then wait for them to enter, the ninja on both sides can use Earth Release to collapse the weathered rocks. We can bury them completely here."
He paused, a ruthless gleam 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 Baki. Seeing the faint killing intent in Baki's eyes, he decisively moved on.
The jonin were equally decisive, signaling with their eyes one after another.
"Think carefully, kid. I'm from one of Sunagakure's great clans."
"Have you forgotten that I treated you to a meal? Don't be ungrateful."
In the end, he could only fix his gaze on the puppeteer Chahachiro.
This man had no great-clan background. He was a pure commoner, and he was not part of the Kazekage faction either.
Although 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 practiced the White Secret Technique.
The Second Kazekage had long since turned to ash, and Chahachiro's father had also been casually killed during the Second Shinobi War by a ninja named Hatake Sakumo.
At a time like this, if he was not a warrior, then who was?
It was decided. He was the one!
They had even come up with the justification.
"I recommend Sunagakure jonin Chahachiro, a Black Secret Technique puppeteer. He has fought Uchiha Ran before, has extensive experience, and even holds a personal grudge. He is perfectly suited to be this warrior!"
Chahachiro, who was sitting in the corner repairing his puppets by himself: What? Me? Go screw yourself!
"Chahachiro? A puppeteer probably isn't good at luring in enemies, is he?"
Baki said with a frown.
"No. As far as I know, the Uchiha Clan is arrogant and conceited. As long as we deliberately leak information about Jonin Chahachiro, he will definitely come after him!"
The moment Chahachiro thought of Uchiha Ran's terrifying Body Flicker Technique and his fierce swordsmanship capable of cutting chakra threads, he immediately felt that things were not looking good.
Combined with the astonishing perception of the Sharingan, that brat was basically another Uchiha Sakumo.
Last time had been a battlefield situation, and he had been the one attacking from range. He could release poison from afar, yet he had still nearly been beaten to death. If it were a one-on-one duel, there was a ninety-nine percent chance that he would be the one falling.
Chahachiro still had no idea how glorious his record had been. His poison had nearly sent Uchiha Ran on a one-day trip to the Pure Land. Even if he had not gone to the Pure Land, he would probably have lost an eye.
(After all, using Izanagi came at a cost. Uchiha Ran naturally would not overlook such a life-preserving technique, and had stubbornly learned it through the legacy left by his forebears.)
Before you continue