Joining

Whoosh, whoosh, whoosh—

Several figures sped hurriedly through the wilderness, moving so fast they were like ghosts flitting through the mountains.

Rustle—

As they passed through a narrow mountain path, the view before them suddenly opened up!

Halfway up the mountain, crumbling walls and shattered ruins lay everywhere. Broken bricks, collapsed rock faces, and wild overgrown weeds formed a desolate scene.

At the center of their view, Enkō supported the injured Mu, while the unconscious Olui lay at his feet.

Uchiha Kaze carried a short man over his shoulder as he hurried to the two of them. Casually tossing the unconscious man onto the ground, he asked, "Lord Enkō! Are you two all right?"

"Don't worry, I won't die." Enkō covered his right eye with one hand and nudged the man Kaze had brought with his foot. "This is a personal guard from the Land of Lightning Daimyo's Palace?"

Kaze nodded. "Yes. I've already learned through genjutsu the portion of the hand seals he knows for breaking the barrier. Lord Enkō, when do we open it?"

"Uh..." Enkō looked slightly embarrassed. "Could one of you treat him a little? I accidentally hit him a bit too hard."

"Hm?" Hearing that, the group instinctively looked toward Olui at Enkō's feet, then collectively sucked in a sharp breath!

"Whoa! This... he isn't dead, is he?"

Olui's entire chest had caved inward, and half of his head was crushed in as well. If not for the faint rise and fall of his chest, he would have been no different from a corpse.

"Jia, Yi, hurry and give him and Mu emergency treatment." Kaze immediately arranged for people to begin the rescue effort.

After handing Mu over to the logistics and supply team, Enkō sighed. "Sure enough, when we get back, I need to mention to my brother that we should establish a medical ninja unit as soon as possible."

"Medical ninja? What's that?" Kaze scratched his head, though he did not dwell on it. Seeing Enkō still covering his right eye, he asked with concern, "Lord Enkō, your eye..."

"It's fine. I haven't used the power of my right eye in too long, so I'm a little unaccustomed to it." Enkō waved a hand. "Kaze, when the time comes, take the Chinoike Clan back first. I'll go to the Water Country alone to subdue the Taketori Clan."

"What? Lord Enkō, wouldn't it be too risky for you to go alone?"

Enkō shook his head. "We've already offended the Lightning Country. There's no need to drag the Water Country into this as well. If too many people go, it will instead be seen as a provocation. Besides, compared to the Chinoike Clan, the Taketori Clan, driven by instinct in their actions, will clearly be easier to subdue."

"This..." Kaze was obviously still hesitant. "How about I accompany you?"

"Mu is badly injured. If you leave with me, no one will be able to keep the Chinoike Clan in check." Enkō spoke seriously. "Return to the clan as soon as possible. Second Brother will arrange the rest. I have a feeling that the great war with the Senju Clan is not far off."

"Lord Enkō, Lord Kaze! The emergency treatment is complete!" At that moment, one of the treating ninjas jogged over. "Lord Mu is out of danger, but that Olui is too severely injured. We truly can't save him. We can only barely let him wake up once."

"That's enough." Enkō nodded and walked toward Olui.

Olui had awakened again, but it was clearly only a final burst before death. When he saw Enkō approach, his eyes were full of ferocity without the slightest trace of fear. He even tried to struggle to his feet.

"Uchiha Clan, just wait. My boss will definitely avenge us."

"Then keep waiting." Enkō shrugged, completely unconcerned. "Even if he doesn't come, sooner or later, we'll go looking for him."

Olui was visibly stunned. Looking at Enkō's young face, his expression became complicated. "What grand ambition."

Enkō knew there was no point in continuing, so he waved a hand to signal Kaze to act.

As the Sharingan genjutsu activated, control of the entire barrier fell into Enkō's hands.

Before the enormous barrier, Kaze and two other Uchiha Clan members formed hand seals at the same time. The next second, the barrier began dissolving from the top down, and free air once again poured into Hell Valley!

Inside the barrier, Miyakenichi looked up at the sky, watching the barrier vanish with his own eyes. His heart was filled with emotion. "I didn't expect it to happen so quickly."

"The barrier is open! We're free!"

"Hahaha! This is great!"

"Clan Head! Let's get out of here! I never want to stay in this damned place again."

Looking at his excited clansmen behind him, Miyakenichi let out a long sigh. "Let's hope we haven't left the tiger's den only to enter the wolf's lair."

Someone suggested, "Clan Head, are we really going to follow that Uchiha Clan? There are only a few of them. Why don't we just kill them? The barrier is open anyway."

Miyakenichi remained calm instead. "Kill them, and then what?"

"And then? Then, of course... uh... then..."

"That's exactly it. The world is vast, yet there is no longer any place for us in it." Miyakenichi pointed overhead. "This barrier has been opened, but it has merely been replaced with a larger one. Let's go. Hopefully, the Uchiha Clan will keep at least a little of their word."

And so, Miyakenichi slowly led his clansmen outward. From afar, he saw Enkō waiting for them. A helpless smile appeared on his face as he took the initiative to extend a hand.

"Then from now on, the Chinoike Clan will be in your care."

"Don't make it sound like you're delivering your last words. There's still a long road ahead." Enkō smiled and shook his hand. "Don't worry. You won't regret the choice you made today."

"Heh, did we have any other choice?"

Enkō did not reply. He pointed at Kaze beside him. "Clan Head Miyake, next, please lead your clansmen to the Land of Fire. Kaze will travel with you."

Miyakenichi glanced at Enkō. "Could it be that Lord Enkō has other plans?"

Enkō did not mind his sudden change in address. "Yeah, there are still a few matters I need to handle."

Miyakenichi did not press further. Instead, he asked in a low voice, "You... heh, we, how much chance do we have against the Senju Clan?"

Enkō thought for a moment, then said in a voice only one person could hear, "To be honest, we have no chance at all."

"Cough, cough, cough..." Even though Miyakenichi had mentally prepared himself, he still nearly choked. Smiling bitterly, he said, "Then what exactly are we doing this for?"

"What for?" A trace of pride flashed through Enkō's eyes as he looked up at the sky. "So that one day, we can break the barrier above our heads."

Miyakenichi froze for a moment, then burst into laughter.

"Hahaha... good! Just for those words, why shouldn't the Chinoike Clan make one more gamble?"

Enkō smiled faintly. "Welcome aboard."