Hell Valley

"Hoo—"

A fierce gale swept across the thousand-mile desert. The ground was covered in hard sand and stone, with not a trace of life in sight. Only the hurricane blew over the empty land, bringing with it a desolate silence.

Four black figures slowly made their way across the barren earth. From high above, they looked like four black dots moving across the endless yellow expanse.

Enkō raised his eyes to inspect the towering rock wall ahead, casually tugging at his collar to dispel the heat lingering on his body after the long journey.

The three men following behind him had guarded him since childhood. Every one of them was an elite ninja of the Uchiha Clan, yet weariness was visible on all their faces.

Hell Valley lay on the border of Hot Springs Country. Although Hot Springs Country was next to the Land of Fire, the Senju Clan lay between it and the Uchiha Clan's territory. To avoid being detected by the Senju Clan, Enkō had deliberately taken a long detour through the Land of Fields before traveling all this way.

Uchiha Mu walked to Enkō's side and pointed at the deep gorge ahead. "Lord Enkō, once we pass through that canyon, we'll reach Hell Valley. Some of our clansmen are involved in overseeing the Chinoike Clan. We can contact them first."

"Then let's go. We've already been away for three days. The Senju Clan could launch their final assault at any time. I don't want to miss this battle."

With that, Enkō took the lead into the canyon.

Tap, tap, tap...

The canyon was shrouded in darkness. Wisps of pale yellow gas drifted over the barren ground, making it seem like a desolate hell.

Enkō pulled up his collar to cover his nose and mouth, then said quietly, "The gas is poisonous. Its toxicity is weak, but inhaling too much will still numb your nerves. Be careful."

"Yes."

The three men behind him covered their noses and mouths in turn, while Enkō began considering the plan ahead.

The Chinoike Clan had been exiled and imprisoned here by Lightning Country for a rather unjust reason. It began when a woman from the clan married the Lightning Country daimyo as a concubine, provoking the jealousy of his principal wife. A few years later, the daimyo died of illness. The principal wife then pinned the blame on the Chinoike concubine, claiming she had brought about her husband's death. Not only was the concubine executed, but her entire clan was implicated as well. They were all driven from the country and exiled to Hell Valley.

However, the Chinoike Clan had once been a major family in Lightning Country, second only to the Yotsuki Clan. Therefore, Lightning Country hired the Uchiha Clan to help guard them.

Madara had originally had no intention of getting involved in such a rotten affair, but they were simply paying too much!

Rescuing the Chinoike Clan was not particularly difficult in itself. The hard part was resolving the Chinoike Clan's hostility toward the Uchiha Clan, as well as dealing with the inevitable enmity of Lightning Country afterward.

"I hope you're worth saving." Enkō shook his head, casting aside the distracting thoughts in his mind. He led his subordinates swiftly through the not-so-long canyon, and what greeted his eyes was a massive barrier enveloping all of Hell Valley!

Several figures stood before the barrier. Upon seeing Enkō and his group arrive, they immediately came forward respectfully. "Lord Enkō, you've arrived."

"You've worked hard." Enkō nodded. Before setting out, he had already contacted the Uchiha squad responsible for managing this place. He now asked, "How are things here?"

The captain smiled bitterly. "Lord Enkō, if we want to take away the entire Chinoike Clan, we'll need to open the barrier. The Uchiha Clan only holds one-third of the authority over it. All three parties must form the release seals together before the barrier can be opened."

Enkō considered this, then frowned. "Who holds the other two portions of control?"

"Three forces control the barrier. The other two are the Daimyo Palace's personal guard unit from Lightning Country, and the Yotsuki Clan, who were also hired for this task."

Mu exclaimed, "Such a huge operation? Just how much does the Lightning Country Daimyo Palace hate the Chinoike Clan?"

"Heh." Enkō gave a disdainful laugh and laid bare the truth. "If it began as nothing more than jealousy between women, then now they fear the Chinoike Clan's revenge. That's why they're determined not to let them out. They haven't slaughtered them all merely because the Daimyo Palace doesn't want to earn a reputation for being jealous. But imprisoning the Chinoike Clan in Hell Valley is simply a slow death sentence."

"What should we do, then?"

A thoughtful look flashed through Enkō's eyes. "The Lightning Country Daimyo Palace will be easy enough to handle. We've already offended them by doing this, so we might as well go all the way. The Yotsuki Clan, however, will be troublesome. If nothing unexpected happens, their clan is the most likely to unify the ninja of Lightning Country."

"Then, Lord Enkō... are we... just giving up?"

"Why would we give up? It's merely troublesome." Enkō waved a hand. "What matters most is confirming that the Chinoike Clan themselves are willing to leave with us. Can outsiders enter this barrier?"

The squad captain nodded. "They can. This is only a one-way barrier. As guards, we naturally have the right to enter and leave freely."

Enkō understood. "Then I'll go in first. We can only consider the next step after securing the Chinoike Clan."

The squad captain froze for a moment and hesitated. "Wouldn't that be too dangerous?"

"Dangerous?" Enkō looked over Hell Valley's surroundings, a trace of pride appearing in his eyes. "If I fear ninjas who can only barely survive in a place like this, what right would I have to lead you in contending for the world?"

His voice was not loud, yet every person present heard it clearly. A hint of pride appeared on every face. The Uchiha Clan had never feared battle; they only feared being buried in the river of history.

The squad captain said quietly, "Lord Enkō, I understand. But to be safe, please let us accompany you."

"Let Mu come with me. The rest of you remain outside and wait. Too many people would only provoke unnecessary conflict."

"Yes!"

After making the arrangements, the squad captain led them to the barrier and began forming hand seals with both hands.

Whoosh—

A translucent opening appeared in the barrier. The squad captain stepped slightly aside to clear the way. "Lord Enkō, please be careful."

Enkō gave a slight nod and walked in first. Uchiha Mu nodded in acknowledgment before quickly following after him.

The moment they entered the barrier, a massive Blood Pool appeared before them. The water bubbled with a gurgling sound, and a pungent stench of blood rushed at them, making them faintly nauseous.

There was no daylight within the barrier. Gray-white rocks covered the land everywhere, without the slightest trace of life.

Mu walked behind Enkō, looking around at the surroundings. "This really isn't a place for people to live. I don't know how they managed to survive here."

"Ninjas are tools of their countries. We may regret it, but we will never pity them." Enkō spoke blandly as he walked forward at ease. "It seems the owners of this place aren't very welcoming."

Gurgle, gurgle—

The bubbles in the Blood Pool grew increasingly dense. Accompanied by a muffled boom, a stream of pool water transformed into an arrow loosed from a bow, shooting from the surface in a sweeping arc straight at Enkō's forehead!

"Watch out!" Mu shouted!

Hearing the sudden whistle of something cutting through the air, Enkō's expression did not change. Without even turning his head, he raised his right hand.

Bang—

The incoming blood arrow slammed into his palm and exploded into a mist of water in midair!

"Tch, the Chinoike Clan's greeting gift is certainly unique." Enkō shook the blood from his hand and slowly turned around. Mu held his longsword, standing guard at Enkō's side as if facing a formidable enemy.

In the distance, a group of figures slowly approached, red light suddenly flaring in their eyes!

"Uchiha Clan, die!"