The patter of rain filled his ears as droplets struck his body.
Madara Uchiha stood before the courtyard. His eyelids trembled as he opened his eyes to a night sky so gloomy he loathed it.
His clothes had grown heavy with rainwater, and the way they clung to his skin made him uncomfortable.
Yanbai's identity had been exposed.
The Uchiha Clan members who had received that vicious spanking were still alive, after all. They had seen Yanbai.
The portrait Izuna had drawn earlier had already circulated among the Uchiha Clan's combat units. Everyone knew to watch for a child with that appearance.
Before long, Uchiha Tajima would learn that Yanbai came from the Senju of the Forest.
Of course, following their original plan, Madara Uchiha would still insist that he had not known beforehand that Yanbai belonged to the Senju Clan. Izuna would do the same.
Suddenly, another chill crept up Madara Uchiha's spine.
Madara Uchiha did not turn around, but he heard his father Tajima's voice from the narrow corridor in the inner courtyard. "The injured clansmen told me. She's the Senju Clan's princess, Yanbai Senju. Madara, did you know?"
Without turning, Madara Uchiha replied morosely, "I only just found out myself."
Uchiha Tajima fell silent at that.
After an unknown stretch of time, Uchiha Tajima said, "We had already laid more ambushes along the route Date Yuzhi had to take back to Pinefrost City. After Yuan Zhi's surprise attack failed, Date Yuzhi's remaining personal guards were finally wiped out. But then they suddenly changed course, avoiding our ambushes entirely and covering a wilderness route that should have taken several days in just half a day."
Madara Uchiha's brow furrowed despite himself. An image of Yanbai's radiant smile sprang unbidden into his mind.
With Yanbai around, any bizarre thing