The group soon left the disreputable establishment, though everyone else would have considered it perfectly respectable.
Uchiha Takashi turned all his attention to the Chinoike Clan.
"How many people in the Chinoike Clan can fight right now?" Uchiha Takashi asked as he walked.
The Uchiha clansman following him kept answering his questions.
"According to our current intelligence, the Chinoike Clan's ninja numbers should only be in the double digits.
"After all, the conditions in Hell Valley are harsh. They can barely support their clansmen, let alone ninja, who need even more resources.
"According to the captain's estimate, if the Chinoike stay in Hell Valley any longer, their numbers will probably plummet even further."
Uchiha Takashi nodded. The weaker the Chinoike were, the better it was for him, though the Uchiha did have a hand in this matter.
But that had all been to fulfill their contract with the Daimyo of the Land of Lightning. How could the Uchiha casually break a contract?
Every grievance had its source, and every debt had its debtor. If the Chinoike wanted someone to blame, they should blame the Daimyo of the Land of Lightning, who had driven them into Hell Valley in the Land of Hot Water, not the Uchiha. The Uchiha had merely been responsible for carrying it out.
Soon, Uchiha Takashi arrived at the Uchiha guard camp near Hell Valley.
"Captain, the Third Elder is here!" The Uchiha clansman who had come to fetch Uchiha Takashi shouted into the camp as soon as he entered.
A flurry of hurried footsteps came from inside. A middle-aged man wearing the Uchiha Clan's robes walked out. "Has the Third Elder arrived?"
After looking over Uchiha Takashi's group, his initial excitement gave way to bewilderment. He pursed his lips and scratched his head. "Uh, which one of you is the Third Elder?"
Uchiha Takashi slapped his forehead, speechless. Both clansmen accompanying him were very young. Hen Uchiha went without saying, and the other was only in his teens.
No wonder the captain could not recognize him. They were too young. Who could tell?
Uchiha Takashi cleared his throat twice, stepped forward, and said, "I'm Uchiha Takashi, the clan's newly appointed Third Elder. You must be the captain of the Uchiha squad guarding Hell Valley."
When the captain saw Uchiha Takashi step forward, surprise filled his face. He seemed not to have expected the Third Elder to be so young. He had heard that the Third Elder was only ten, but had thought it was just talk.
Still, the captain did not look down on Uchiha Takashi because of his age. After all, the Uchiha Clan had always respected strength above all. In the captain's view, if Uchiha Takashi could become the Third Elder at ten, he had to be the Uchiha's strongest fighter.
The captain cupped his fist in salute and said to Uchiha Takashi, "Third Elder, my name is Uoyuki Uchiha. I've been responsible for guarding Hell Valley for over a decade.
"The First Elder has already sent us word about your situation, Third Elder. We will give you our full support."
Uchiha Takashi clasped his hands behind his back and raised his chin slightly. "Very good. Uoyuki Uchiha, was it?
"I don't want to waste words. Take me to see the Chinoike Clan's leader immediately. The sooner I finish this, the sooner I can return."
Uoyuki Uchiha nodded. He liked elders who acted decisively without wasting words. "Understood. Third Elder, please follow me."
With that, Uoyuki Uchiha headed into the camp. At the same time, he told the Uchiha clansman from earlier, "Go gather everyone in the camp."
After that clansman left, Uchiha Takashi followed Uoyuki Uchiha at an unhurried pace into a large building in the camp.
Under Uoyuki Uchiha's lead, everyone took their seats in the building's main hall.
As soon as they sat down, Uoyuki Uchiha said to Uchiha Takashi,
"Third Elder, I know I shouldn't question this, but I'm still very curious. If we let the Chinoike out of Hell Valley, how will we explain it to the Daimyo of the Land of Lightning?"
"Don't worry," Uchiha Takashi said. "There's no need to worry about the Daimyo of the Land of Lightning. That contract dates back centuries. The Daimyo of the Land of Lightning won't make enemies of us Uchiha over a mere Chinoike Clan.
"Would their Yotsuki Clan dare go to war with our Uchiha Clan?"
As Uchiha Takashi spoke, his confidence in the Uchiha unwittingly showed in his words.
Hearing that domineering declaration, Uoyuki Uchiha's eyes shone. "Well said, Third Elder! Exactly! We Uchiha are the strongest in the Shinobi World. What does a mere Yotsuki Clan amount to?"
At those words, every Uchiha clansman in the hall lifted his chin with a smile, proud to be an Uchiha.
Just then, a voice came from outside. "Captain, Third Elder, everyone in the camp has assembled. We can depart at any time."
Before he even finished speaking, Uoyuki Uchiha and Uchiha Takashi were already standing at the entrance.
"Since everyone's assembled, let's get moving!" Uchiha Takashi waved his hand. "If the Chinoike Clan doesn't know what's good for them, we won't mind using force."
Inside Hell Valley.
Naka Chinoike, the leader of the Chinoike Clan, sat at his table savoring wine.
Since the conditions in Hell Valley were hardly good and resources were extremely limited, wine was naturally a rare commodity.
Even the Chinoike Clan's leader could not drink to his heart's content. He could only take two bottles out of the treasury each year to enjoy a few sips.
Today was his annual drinking day. Naka Chinoike carefully filled his cup with wine and slowly brought it to his nose.
"Sniff-" Naka Chinoike sniffed gently. The fragrance of fine wine slipped into his nostrils like strands of silk, yet also barged in roughly like an old man driving a tractor.
That combination of roughness and gentleness sent Naka Chinoike straight into bliss. His eyes rolled slightly upward, as though he were high.
"This is life!" Naka Chinoike stared fixedly at the cup of wine and slowly brought it to his lips. Just as he pursed his lips to take a couple of sips,
"Clan Leader, bad news!" As the shout drew closer, Naka Chinoike shook his head frantically and looked toward the door in horror.
But with a deafening bang, the door was kicked open. The entire room shook three times, and the sudden commotion made Naka Chinoike's hands tremble twice.
The fine wine in his cup spilled onto the floor. With a thud, Naka Chinoike dropped to his knees, staring lifelessly at the wine on the ground as tears fell despite himself.
"My wine? No! My wine! No-!" Background music seemed to rise around Naka Chinoike: "Snowflakes drifting~ dreams of tears rustling~"
"Clan... Leader." The Chinoike clansman who had rushed inside spoke shakily at the sight. "Um, well..."
Naka Chinoike abruptly raised his head and stared at him with bloodshot eyes, speaking through gritted teeth. "If you can't give me fifty-six, seventy-eight million good reasons for this today, you're dead!"
At those words, the Chinoike clansman shook even harder from head to toe. "Clan Leader, I didn't mean to spill your wine! Something really serious has happened!"
Naka Chinoike stared at him with a terrifying look, tilting his head as the corners of his mouth curled eerily. "Heh, then tell me what's so serious. Don't tell me someone's coming into Hell Valley from outside to beat us up."
"Ah." The clansman immediately stopped trembling and stared at Naka Chinoike in shock. "Clan Leader, do you have some kind of prophetic ability? How did you know?"
Naka Chinoike (◐ o ◑ ): "Huh?"