A vast, rocky wasteland lay on the border between the Land of Fire and the Land of Earth.
The terrain was complex, studded with towering boulders-a natural place for hiding and ambushes.
Huff, huff, huff.
Heavy panting rang out across the silent wasteland.
Hundreds of Uchiha clanspeople were making their way "with difficulty" through the shadows of the boulders.
Every one of them looked "utterly bedraggled."
Many wore expressions of "exhaustion," their clothes covered in dust and dew, making them look "travel-worn."
There were large numbers of women and children in the group. The women clutched their children tightly, their faces filled with "terror" and "unease."
The atmosphere throughout the group seemed "oppressive" and "hopeless."
"Quick! Faster!"
Uchiha Fugaku stood on a boulder, urging the group onward in an "anxious" voice.
"Konoha's pursuers are right behind us! We have to cross that mountain ahead before nightfall!"
As he spoke, he glanced back warily. His Mitsudomoe Sharingan brimmed with "gravity" and "worry."
Any outsider who witnessed this scene would have reached one conclusion-
This fleeing group of Uchiha had reached the end of their rope and stood on the brink of disaster.
Yet if anyone could have heard their thoughts, their jaw would probably have dropped.
Is it finally my turn? Oh my god, do I look convincing as a Genin so exhausted he's about to cough up blood?
Brother up front, you're blocking my shot! Lord Gen'yō said whoever performs best in this drill gets an extra reward! I've had my eye on that bottle of "Eternal Eye Enhancement Solution" for ages!
Everyone, watch your expressions! Especially you mothers-that's not terror on your faces, you're trying not to laugh! Get serious! We're supposed to be missing-nin fleeing for our lives!
Clan Leader Fugaku can really act. The Oscars owe him a statuette! Look at those worried little glances. Even I'm almost buying it!
That was right.
This "utterly bedraggled" group was bait meticulously arranged by Uchiha Gen'yō.
He himself was sitting comfortably on a mountaintop several kilometers away with Shisui, Ōnoki, and the other higher-ups.
Through an ultra-long-range live projection created with Shisui's Mangekyo Dōjutsu, "Kotoamatsukami: Light," they sipped tea while enjoying the grand performance he had personally directed.
"Lord Gen'yō, I still don't understand."
Watching his own son Kitsuchi in the projection, disguised as a miserable-looking middle-aged Uchiha man and mingling with the group as an extra, Ōnoki could not stop the corners of his eyes from twitching.
"With your strength and that of the Uchiha Clan, you could simply crush Konoha's pursuers head-on. Why go to all this unnecessary trouble and make things so complicated?"
"You don't understand."
Uchiha Gen'yō took a sip of tea and said calmly, "War has never been just about fighting and killing."
"It is also an art-the art of psychological warfare."
"I don't merely want to destroy their bodies."
"What I want even more is to destroy them utterly in spirit!"
"I want Hiruzen Sarutobi to step straight from heaven into hell at the very height of his triumph, when he thinks victory is assured!"
"The despair brought on by that enormous contrast will be the best gift for them."
Ōnoki's scalp prickled as he listened.
Looking at Gen'yō's calm, unruffled face, he had only one thought.
I must never make an enemy of this man! Never!
Just then, something changed in the projection.
Whoosh! Whoosh! Whoosh!
Dozens of dark figures appeared soundlessly like phantoms atop the boulders surrounding the Uchiha group.
They wore standard Konoha Anbu uniforms and various animal masks, giving off a cold, intense killing intent.
Their leader wore a hawk mask. Looking down from above at the "panic-stricken" Uchiha clanspeople below, he curled his lips into a cruel sneer beneath his mask.
"Reporting to Lord Hokage, targets located!"
"Location: rocky wasteland, sector C3!"
"Approximately eight hundred people, mostly elderly, women, and children. Fewer than three hundred combatants, in extremely poor condition. They won't withstand a single blow!"
"Requesting permission to attack immediately!"
The Anbu Captain codenamed "Hawk" reported the situation to Hiruzen Sarutobi in the rear through the communication device at his throat.
His tone was full of contempt and disdain.
These were the Uchiha who had supposedly given the village such a headache?
They looked like nothing more than lambs waiting for slaughter.
Soon, Hiruzen Sarutobi's orders came through.
"Permission to attack! But capture as many alive as possible! Especially the children! Their eyes are precious assets of the village!"
"Yes, sir!"
A gleam of greed flashed through Hawk's eyes.
He knew this mission was a golden opportunity to make a name for himself!
As long as he claimed the greatest contribution here and obtained a few pairs of Mitsudomoe Sharingan, his future in the Anbu would be limitless!
"All squads, attention!"
Hawk swept his hand forward and gave the order for an all-out attack!
"Attack freely in squads!"
"Remember, our targets are those Sharingan! Kill anyone who resists!"
"Go!"
At his command, the hundreds of Konoha Anbu lying in ambush charged from every direction toward the "panic-stricken" Uchiha group like tigers descending a mountain!
Flashing blades!
Flickering swords!
Mixed with all manner of multicolored Ninjutsu!
In an instant, they engulfed the entire area!
"Ah! Enemy attack! It's Konoha's Anbu!"
"Quick! Protect the children!"
"Fire Style! Hold them off!"
The Uchiha group below instantly "fell into chaos."
They screamed in "terror," putting up a "flustered" resistance.
Yet before Konoha's well-trained Anbu, their resistance seemed so "feeble."
One Konoha Anbu easily evaded a Great Fireball launched by an Uchiha Genin with the Body Flicker Technique, then ended his life with a single slash.
"Hmph. Couldn't withstand a single blow!"
Looking at the Uchiha ninja lying in a pool of blood, he gave a disdainful smile.
What he failed to notice, however, was the strange curve forming at the corners of the "dead" Uchiha Genin's lips.
The next second.
Bang!
The "corpse" exploded without warning!
It was Shadow Clone Great Explosion!
The enormous blast instantly swallowed the smug Konoha Anbu!
Similar scenes played out simultaneously across every corner of the battlefield!
One Anbu ninja was about to ambush an Uchiha woman holding a child from behind.
But just as his blade was about to pierce her back, the seemingly frail woman whipped her head around!
Three tomoe spun wildly in her eyes!
Genjutsu: Demonic Illusion: Shackling Stakes Technique!
The Anbu ninja's vision blurred, and several invisible stakes pinned his body in place, leaving him unable to move.
What greeted him next was an enormous iron fan, taller than the woman herself, which she had pulled from who knew where!
"Die, you scum!"
Boom!
Howling winds accompanied by flames blasted the Anbu ninja into charcoal in an instant!
"Wh-what is going on?!"
Anbu Captain Hawk, directing the battle from above, was completely dumbfounded!
The overwhelming, one-sided slaughter he had envisioned had not happened!
Quite the opposite!
His subordinates, Konoha's elite Anbu, had actually fallen into a disadvantage in their very first clash with the Uchiha?!
Every one of those seemingly feeble Uchiha Genin possessed the strength of a Chunin or even a quasi-Jonin!
Those seemingly helpless women fought even more ruthlessly than the men!
How were they lambs waiting for slaughter?
They were clearly a pack of vicious wolves in sheep's clothing!
This is a trap!
The thought flashed through Hawk's mind.
But it was already too late.
"It seems the warm-up is over."
On the mountaintop, Uchiha Gen'yō set down his teacup, a satisfied smile appearing on his face.
Watching the completely flustered Anbu Captain Hawk in the projection, he spoke calmly.
"Uncle Fugaku."
He issued a new instruction to the distant Fugaku through their mental link.
"It's time to let these fools who don't know their own limits witness the true terror of the Uchiha."
"What do you think their expressions will look like when that pair of Mangekyo you've hidden for so many years reveals itself to the world for the first time?"