Butsuma: Find That Uchiha and Kill Him

After sending Yanbai away, Butsuma Senju sat alone beneath the eaves of his study, lost in thought.

After an unknown length of time, Butsuma Senju raised a hand and made a gesture toward a certain part of the courtyard.

A figure immediately stirred in the darkness, then vanished into the courtyard's shadows.

Before long, Senju Longshu entered through the main gate and came to pay his respects to Butsuma Senju.

"Lord Clan Leader..."

Senju Longshu had been gravely wounded in his battle with Uchiha Tajima. His powerful Senju constitution had kept him going until he returned to the clan, where Yanbai healed him.

Senju Longshu was one of the few people in the Senju Clan who knew about Yanbai's special ability.

Butsuma Senju looked at Senju Longshu solemnly and handed him a green robe.

With a grave expression, Senju Longshu accepted the garment and unfolded it.

It was an outfit Yanbai had made himself, with a highly distinctive design.

Not just in the Senju Clan, but throughout the entire Shinobi World, there was nothing else like it.

It represented Yanbai.

The garment's design was exceptionally distinctive. Its tied ribbons hung smoothly, flowing with an ethereal grace; the back hugged the wearer's figure, and the hem was elegant and exquisite.

Senju Longshu frowned and said hesitantly, "This is... Her Highness's clothing."

"That's right." Butsuma Senju looked at Senju Longshu and said gravely, "Take this garment and make them all memorize its design and color. I want to know exactly which member of the Uchiha Clan Yanbai gave his clothes to..."

At those words, Senju Longshu's heart lurched, and he stared at Butsuma Senju in disbelief.

Butsuma Senju did not believe Yanbai's story about some little animal with singed fur at all.

After all, Yanbai's Restoration Technique could heal injuries.

If he pitied a little animal, he could simply heal it on the spot.

There was absolutely no reason to lend it his clothes.

So that "it" was not an it, but a he...

Thus, Butsuma Senju had simply filtered Yanbai's words, replacing "little animal" with "someone from the Uchiha Clan." In all likelihood, that someone was a man.

Then everything made sense.

Butsuma Senju's interpretation of Yanbai's story was this: Yanbai had gone to the Naka River today and encountered someone from the Uchiha Clan. There had been little conflict between them, but the other person had still delayed Yanbai and... taken his clothes.

Butsuma Senju believed Yanbai's beauty was enough to attract anyone. Perhaps the other person had meant no harm and had merely acted out of ordinary affection.

But...

Butsuma Senju did not want to accept it.

Yanbai could be willful and tell lies. As long as he did not harm the Senju Clan, whatever he did was fine. Butsuma Senju would indulge him.

But Butsuma Senju would never tolerate the bastard who had taken Yanbai's clothes.

Butsuma Senju fixed Senju Longshu with a penetrating look and said, enunciating every word, "Have everyone memorize this garment's design and color. From now on, pay close attention to every Uchiha you encounter. Find the Uchiha who has this garment, and then... spare no effort to kill him..."

"Yes, Lord Clan Leader!"

Senju Longshu's expression hardened as well.

Their Senju Clan's princess was far too important. They absolutely could not let the hateful Uchiha Clan deceive him and lure him away.

As for the princess being a traitor?

Absolutely impossible!

The princess was still young, at an age when he was easily deceived. Whatever happened, it could never be his fault. It was all the Uchiha Clan's fault...

Yanbai sat in his own private room, fixing system bugs.

Suddenly, a mouse slipped furtively through a gap in the window.

The little mouse cautiously approached Yanbai and let out a soft series of squeaks.

Yanbai's expression remained unchanged. He took out a strip of cloth, picked up a pen, wrote a few sentences on it, and handed it over.

At the same time, Yanbai took a biscuit from a box beside him and gave it to the little mouse.

He steadily made a whistling sound with his mouth. Listening closely, it sounded somewhat like a mouse's squeaks.

The little mouse crunched its way through the biscuit, rolled up the cloth Yanbai had given it, tied it around its little neck, then slipped silently out the window again.

Not long afterward...

At the Uchiha Clan Grounds.

Madara Uchiha, who was anxiously waiting for his younger brother to return, received another "delivery" from a little animal.

Though Madara Uchiha was worried about Izuna, he also cared deeply about Yanbai's messages.

After reading the message Yanbai had sent, Madara Uchiha's eyes widened. He covered his mouth with his hand, afraid he might accidentally let something slip.

Without betraying anything, Madara Uchiha burned the cloth to ashes, growing even more anxious.

Yanbai's delivery gave a concise account of the afternoon's events. It not only explained the double tomoe situation, but also stressed that the clothes he had given away had to be burned and stated when he and Izuna had parted.

Yet Uchiha Izuna still had not returned to the Uchiha Clan Grounds.

This stirred an ominous premonition in Madara Uchiha's already uneasy heart.

The Uchiha Clan had been extremely busy lately.

Their original employer had died. Their new employer had paid the commission for the original mission and offered the Uchiha Clan a hefty sum for a new one-annihilating the Hagoromo Clan.

For that very reason, Uchiha Tajima had not returned home for several days, and the adults were frequently holding clan meetings.

Madara Uchiha had no time to report to his father. He quickly changed into his combat gear, readied his weapons and ninja tools, then left the Clan Grounds alone to find his younger brother.

Based on the information Yanbai had revealed, Madara Uchiha believed something must have happened to Izuna. He had to protect his only remaining younger brother.

Meanwhile.

Uchiha Izuna lingered in the forest by the Naka River.

After parting with Yanbai, Uchiha Izuna had not immediately returned to the Clan Grounds-not because he did not want to, but because he could not.

Uchiha Izuna had been terribly unlucky. The guards accompanying him had been knocked unconscious by the droppings and encountered members of the Hagoromo Clan passing through.

With the change in their commissioned missions, the Hagoromo Clan had gone from yesterday's allies to today's enemies.

Any Uchiha they encountered would be killed.

At first, they had only spotted unconscious Uchiha lying on the ground at the forest's edge.

But as they approached, quite a few members of the Hagoromo Clan collapsed as well.

Only after wasting a considerable amount of time did the surviving Hagoromo discover that this section of the forest had a strange power that caused hallucinations and unconsciousness.

They tried every means possible to drag their affected clansmen out, then took precautions and entered the forest again, intending to kill the unconscious Uchiha.

Unfortunately, all their blundering efforts...

Caused the Wind Release to carry away the effects of the bird droppings in that section of the forest, and Uchiha Izuna's guards woke up as well.

Once both sides were conscious, a fierce battle was inevitable.

And when Uchiha Izuna retraced his steps, he joined the fight.