For Shinji Uchiha, leaving Konoha's borders was like a tiger returning to the forest.
The "exile" Hiruzen Sarutobi had intended had long since become a valuable strategic respite within Shinji's meticulous plans.
He did not rush toward the eastern border specified in his mission. Instead, he used this unmonitored journey to race against time, stabilizing the blood moon eyes born of unbearable agony. He also made use of the access to advanced ninjutsu he had obtained in Konoha, selecting and memorizing several practical techniques suited to stealth, reconnaissance, and intense encounters.
By the time he finally reached the southeastern coast, where the Land of Fire bordered the outside world, half a month had passed.
He had perfectly concealed the oppressive chill surrounding him, adopting the air of an ordinary traveler. Only when he was utterly alone did those eyes occasionally open in the shadows, betraying the terrifying, rule-warping power hidden beneath.
The "abnormal chakra fluctuations" and "gatherings of wandering ninja" mentioned in the mission scroll were not unfounded.
Shinji adopted the most rigorous covert reconnaissance procedures.
With his consummate chakra control and the extraordinary perception granted by his Mangekyō Sharingan, he became an invisible ghost, slipping silently through border towns, hidden black-market outposts, and desolate stretches of coastline.
Like an efficient intelligence-gathering machine, he silently recorded and analyzed every stream of anomalous data.
His initial discoveries were scattered and fragmentary.
Damaged vessels bearing clear signs of battle washed ashore, their scars pointing to clashes of ninjutsu rather than storms. Certain scarce supplies circulating on the black market appeared to originate in the Land of Water, but their trading networks had become unusually secretive and rife with distrust. Occasionally, he spotted ninja hurrying along with lingering fear and viciousness in their eyes. Most possessed chakra with water- or mist-related properties, closely