This truly enraged Yukimichi Uchiha, who, without even taking a short break, led his army deeper into the enemy territory.
It wasn't that Yukimichi Uchiha impulsively because he was provoked; the original plan was to continue deeper into the territory. It was just that this provocation caused him to speed up his Yukimichi Uchiha.
After accelerating their Yukimichi Uchiha reached a town very close to the capital at an extremely fast pace, in less than a day.
Clearly, the Sarutobi Clan hadn't anticipated that Yukimichi Uchiha so quickly; in their estimation, he should still be outside the second Yukimichi Uchiha.
Therefore, the town in front of Yukimichi Uchiha was still collecting war taxes! There were barely any sentry posts on the city walls, making its overall defense extremely weak.
Keep in mind, this is a town very close to the capital. Knowing that the Uchiha Clan has invaded, shouldn't they at least increase the vigilance and defense of their sentry posts?
But this is the mindset of the Uchiha and Nara Clan. The Sarutobi Clan's thought process is completely different from these two clans, and quite unique.
They dynamically increased defensive forces and outposts based on their predicted Uchiha marching route and news of the fall of various towns; in short, they wouldn't react until they saw the enemy in person.
With this kind of fighting style, they only react when the enemy is practically in their face. This level of military discipline is appalling. It would be an injustice if they didn't get beaten up. No wonder they were able to hand over a town that was originally easy to defend and difficult to attack, all for the sake of their so-called plan.
Meanwhile, Yukimichi Uchiha noticed that the town was completely unprepared, with sparse defenses and few checkpoints; under his Sharingan, almost every spot was a weak point.
Yukimichi Uchiha immediately suspected an ambush, but remembering their previous experiences, the Sarutobi Clan abandoned their easily defensible town...
Based on the military prowess displayed in this incident, Yukimichi Uchiha became highly suspicious that the town before him was their true form and not an ambush at all.
After much deliberation, Yukimichi Uchiha ultimately suffered from his military training and high level of military expertise, and instead of charging in headfirst, he opted for a cautious approach.
Yukimichi Uchiha summoned the men who had previously searched the valley checkpoint and ordered them to infiltrate the city to scout ahead, just in case there were any ambushes or anything like that.
Within the town, the once bustling commercial streets were somewhat deserted, and the formerly lively residential areas also appeared rather desolate.
The Uchiha clan members who were on the scouting mission sensed the town's deathly silence as soon as they entered.
"Hiss, why is this town so deserted? Is this really a town near the capital? It gives me the feeling that this town is a ghost town," an Uchiha clansman complained as he looked around.
The leader of the Uchiha clan stroked his chin and analyzed seriously, "The city is so deserted because the Sarutobi Clan knows we're attacking, and the people in the city have been evacuated or hidden."
So... does that mean their previous lax defenses were all a facade? Hmph, the cunning Sarutobi Clan!
The Uchiha clansman standing nearby opened his mouth slightly. "Oh! Is that so?"
The Uchiha clan members have clearly fallen into a fixed mindset, directly projecting their own domestic situation onto the Land of Gold.
However, apart from the area around the Land of Light under the rule of Uchiha Takashi, where populations tend to gather, this situation does not occur in other countries.
Moreover, apart from the Land of Light relocating its people, the other countries also disregarded the lives of the common people when they went to war, without even sending a word.
Those at the bottom of society often only realize, "Oh, they've already invaded," when the city gates have been breached and the enemy is already charging in and beheading them.
The Uchiha clansman in charge continued, "What we need to do now is to find out the situation within this town of the Sarutobi Clan."
As they were talking, the Uchiha clansman leading the group spotted a restaurant. He immediately pointed at it and said, "There's a restaurant over there that's still open. Let's go in and take a look, gather some information."
After saying that, the Uchiha clansmen swaggered into the restaurant.
The waiter, who was tidying up inside the restaurant, heard footsteps at the door. He turned around and was shocked to see several people swaggering in.
Shocked, the waiter, as usual, walked over and said, "Please come in, gentlemen. What would you like to order?"
An Uchiha clansman reached into his robes, pulled out a stack of silver notes, and placed them on the table, saying, "Bring me all your best tea and dishes. I'd also like to ask you a few questions while we're at it."
When the waiter saw that stack of silver notes, his eyes widened in disbelief. He practically wanted to stick his eyeballs to the notes. He really wondered if he was dreaming; he had never seen so much money in his entire life!
The Uchiha clan members sitting in the chairs exchanged glances, then a sense of unease began to rise within them.
They'd never bought anything here before and didn't know the prices. The leader of the Uchiha clan only pulled out three thousand taels of silver. Could it be... too little?
That makes sense. After all, it's a large restaurant, so the prices are a bit high. If you want to serve all the good tea and dishes, three thousand taels might not be enough.
Before the group could raise the price further, the waiter swiftly took the money and rushed into the kitchen, calling out loudly.
After the waiter left, the leader of the Uchiha clan slammed his hand on the table and began to criticize the Uchiha who had paid the bill.
"What are you doing? This restaurant is so big, what can you do with three thousand taels? How many dishes can you buy? Let me tell you, in this big restaurant in the capital, I spend at least five thousand taels on a meal, and that's not even enough food."
What can you do with three thousand taels of silver? Are you trying to eat at a cheap inn or a small restaurant?
The Uchiha clansman who had paid the bill was now huddled in his chair like a quail, his head bowed low, repeatedly apologizing. "I'm sorry, I forgot. I'm used to eating at small restaurants, I forgot we were at a grand restaurant this time."
Seeing his reaction, the leader of the Uchiha clan snorted coldly, "This won't happen again. I'll let you off this time."
Just as the Uchiha clansmen finished speaking, the waiter came up with a teapot.
The leader of the Uchiha clan immediately took advantage of the waiter's time to prepare tea and began to extract information from him.
Don't get me wrong, they're Uchiha. To get information, they'll just use Genjutsu. Just ask them directly.