Luring Uchiha Ran to His Death

"Lord Baki, I don't think a puppeteer like me is suited for this..."

"Hey, I don't care what you think. I care what I think."

"Chahachiro, don't sell yourself short. Don't underestimate your potential. Believe that you can complete this mission perfectly!"

You were strong enough, and your hatred meter could be maxed out too. If not you, then who? There was no one better!

Baki abruptly rose to his feet, swept his gaze across the crowd, and spoke with absolute conviction:

"Execute Operation Poison Fang immediately! Everyone involved must perform flawlessly! This battle permits success only, no failure! Uchiha Ran's head must be brought back to Hidden Sand to honor the fallen heroes and wash away Hidden Sand's disgrace! Move!"

"Yes, Lord Baki!"

The Hidden Sand shinobi in the cave growled in unison.

Only Chahachiro, standing in the corner, wore a miserable expression.

"Damn it, what the hell are you dogs barking about? You're not the ones doing the hardest, most exhausting work. What are you yelling for?!

Meanwhile, beneath the shade of a tree somewhere in the dense forests of the Land of Rivers, Uchiha Ran had just finished "delivering" another batch of "goods" and was sitting on the ground without a shred of dignity, snoring soundly.

Uchiha Daosui counted the thick stack of fresh banknotes Daotian handed him, his eyes gleaming.

"Tsk, the quality of the jonin this time was pretty good, and the intelligence was worth quite a bit too. Add in the bounty for their heads..."

Uchiha Daosui flicked the bills with satisfaction, then carefully tucked them into the deepest compartment of his ninja tool pouch.

"Hey, why is Captain Ran asleep?"

"Shh, Daotian, isn't that obvious? The captain has been working 9-to-9, seven days a week for an entire week. He's been going all out to make money... uh, no, to track down those Hidden Sand shinobi. Otherwise, how would we have gotten the chance to make a fortune?"

Uchiha Tetsuka, seated against a tree nearby, unconsciously rubbed a shuriken in his hand. His brows furrowed slightly as he unusually joined the conversation.

"Uh, but Daosui, what are we even making so much money for? This month's mission rewards, wartime allowances, and all this extra income have brought our team account close to ten million ryo, haven't they?"

He sighed, his gaze somewhat lost.

"Honestly, instead of earning so much money, we should spend more time training our ninjutsu. Money can be earned again after it's gone, but if our ninjutsu is lacking, no amount of money can make up for it."

"Back when I practiced ninjutsu in the Security Force, I was happiest. I didn't have much money then, but I was happy."

Uchiha Daosui said, "Tetsuka, if you've got too much damn money, we can help take some off your hands."

Uchiha Daotian said, "I can too. I'll trade you my ninjutsu scrolls for it!"

Uchiha Tetsuka said, "..."

Uchiha Tetsuka rolled his eyes speechlessly, turned his face away, and could not be bothered with the two money-grubbers.

He had wanted to talk to them about dreams and the ninja way, but they actually wanted his money!

To hell with that. Uchiha Tetsuka was no longer confused at all!

Then, in that brief, peaceful moment filled with everyday bickering—

Whoosh!

Beneath the shade, Uchiha Ran, who had been sleeping soundly, suddenly jolted upright without warning!

His eyes flew open, scarlet Three-Tomoe Sharingan appearing instinctively as he warily scanned the shadowy forest around them. His face still carried the dazed confusion of someone newly awakened and... alarm?

"Captain, what's wrong?"

The three Uchiha underlings immediately went on guard and asked.

"Damn it, I suddenly feel a chill down my back. Could some commoner be plotting against me!"

His brows were tightly furrowed as his Sharingan slowly spun, carefully sensing every movement in the surrounding area.

Daosui, Tetsuka, and Daotian immediately stopped joking and entered a state of alert. They formed a triangular formation around Ran.

Daotian even formed hand seals with both hands, ready to unleash an Earth Release technique at any moment.

"Captain? Is something happening?"

Tetsuka asked in a low voice, his hand already resting on his sword hilt.

"No... I haven't found a specific target."

Ran's Sharingan swept through the area several times. The forest remained quiet, filled only with birdsong and the rustling of leaves in the wind.

"But that feeling just now... was terrible. It was like being watched by a venomous snake, full of intense malice."

He rubbed his brow. The chill had come swiftly and vanished just as fast, but the lingering unease refused to leave him.

"It's a shame we don't have a Hyuga Clan shinobi assigned here. The Sharingan really is inferior to the Byakugan when it comes to reconnaissance."

"Captain, the Uchiha Clan is Konoha's number one clan! Those Byakugan can only see a little farther, that's all!"

After confirming that there was no danger, everyone began discussing how to spend the money.

Several days later, news from the Mount Kikyo battlefield gradually reached Konoha's southern Land of Rivers camp.

The news was like stones dropped into a tranquil lake, sending ripples spreading outward.

The camp atmosphere became noticeably heavier, no longer as relaxed as it had been during rotations between clearing out Hidden Sand shinobi and resting.

More wounded entered and left the medical tents. Messenger shinobi, their faces marked by exhaustion and the smoke of battle, hurried through the camp. The air was permeated by an invisible pressure and concern for the distant battlefield.

Uchiha Ran's team was stationed in an open area at the edge of the camp.

Uchiha Ran sat cross-legged atop a rock, carefully maintaining his kunai and shuriken. In truth, he was secretly grinding away, practicing control over the contraction and release of his Mangekyō Sharingan's ocular power.

Daotian practiced Earth Release hand seals, while Tetsuka repeatedly wiped down his short sword. Only Daosui held a small notebook, muttering as he calculated something, his face alternating between excitement and inner conflict.

"Captain, over at Mount Kikyo... I heard the fighting has been brutal."

Tetsuka stopped wiping his sword and broke the silence, his voice low.

He may have loved battle, but after half a month on the battlefield, he understood the cruelty of a large-scale battlefield's meat grinder.

Uchiha Ran nodded.

"Yeah, but Hidden Sand has stabilized the front ever since the forces led by Orochimaru arrived at Mount Kikyo."

"Especially after Lord Orochimaru fought their future Fourth Kazekage, Rasa, alone. I heard he nearly won. And since the Hidden Sand shinobi's offensive hasn't been particularly fierce, Mount Kikyo is secure."

"Besides, Hidden Sand clearly needs time to recuperate."

"Right now, the main issue is that Iwagakure has entered the war. The Land of Earth has dispatched over ten thousand shinobi, and they've already occupied half the Land of Grass. I heard even the Third Tsuchikage's son has gone to the battlefield."

"The most hateful ones are those Hidden Grass shinobi. The Land of Grass is clearly an ally of our Land of Fire, yet the moment Iwagakure's ten-thousand-man army arrived, they surrendered. Now they've become Iwagakure's accomplices!"

"Gasp..." Daosui sucked in a breath.

That meant the Land of Fire and Konoha would have to face two great nations and two great shinobi villages at the same time. Oh, and one shameless little shinobi village too.

Of course, that was not a huge problem. They had fought two great shinobi villages before.

But the key question was whether the other shinobi villages would join the war.

If Kumogakure and Kirigakure entered the conflict as well, who would they target first?

There was no need to guess. It would definitely be Konoha and the Land of Fire.

That was already an unspoken rule and political orthodoxy in the shinobi world.

If that happened, history would repeat itself, just like the First Shinobi World War and the Second Shinobi World War.

Leaving aside whether Konoha could win, even if they won as they had before, how great would the losses be? No one knew!

"Luckily, things are relatively peaceful on our side. Otherwise, if we were sent to one of those battlefields where thousands of shinobi were fighting in a melee..."

Even the usually steady Daotian stopped practicing, his brows slightly furrowed as he spoke.

"That's very possible."

Uchiha Ran's voice carried certainty.

"If I were Hidden Mist or Hidden Cloud, I definitely wouldn't let such a good opportunity slip away. Especially Hidden Cloud, the most warlike and bandit-like of them all. They may have already made a move in the Land of Fields."

"The Land of Fields daimyo has always wanted to establish his own shinobi village, to the point that Konoha has warned him repeatedly. So in this war, he'll definitely shift his allegiance toward Hidden Cloud, though Hidden Cloud isn't exactly made up of good people either."

"The Land of Water, where Hidden Mist is located, is an island nation far from the continent. It isn't convenient for them to immediately send a large army to attack."

"But small-scale probing attacks and ambushes will definitely be unavoidable. They can gather intelligence while buying time for the assembly and transport of their later forces."

Uchiha Ran's analysis was clear and straightforward, accurately cutting through the most likely direction of the current chaotic situation.

Just as he finished speaking, a young shinobi wearing the Nara Clan's distinctive deer-patterned vest approached, his face carrying a trace of surprise he had not managed to hide.

The newcomer was Nara Shikaso, responsible for communications between the main camp and the outer perimeter guard units.

He had clearly heard Uchiha Ran's final analysis regarding Hidden Cloud and Hidden Mist. Strong agreement and a trace of worry flashed through his eyes.

Uchiha Ran had noticed him long ago but did not care. Was discussing national affairs forbidden in this camp or something?

"Captain Uchiha Ran," Nara Shikaso steadied himself and pushed up the glasses on his nose. His tone was unexpectedly respectful.

"Is something the matter?"

Uchiha Ran's expression did not change. He merely looked calmly at Nara Shikaso.

"Lord Baiyun Zaojian requests your presence at the main camp command center. There is an important combat mission."

"Understood."

Uchiha Ran answered crisply, his gaze sweeping over his team members.

"Let's go. We've rested enough these past few days."

"Time is of the essence. We leave immediately."

Uchiha Ran took the lead and walked out of the tent.

The other three responded in unison, "Yes, Captain!"

Daosui and Daotian followed close behind, moving as swiftly as the wind. They still had to put on an act in front of outsiders; they could not let anyone learn about their hidden goofy side.

Nara Shikaso watched the three figures swiftly disappear toward the edge of the camp, his brows tightly drawn.

Uchiha Ran's precise prediction had left a deep impression on him, but the heavy reality that followed weighed on his heart like a boulder.

If Hidden Cloud joined the war, it would mean an abrupt escalation in the scale of the conflict. Konoha would face unprecedented pressure.

He did not dare delay. He immediately turned as well, becoming a blur as he rushed toward the other areas that needed to be notified.