Chapter 201: Rock Hidden's Landing — Ruthless Expansion
Fugaku couldn't possibly tell the truth. How was he supposed to say that this kid would one day join Akatsuki and nearly blow up the entire Ninja World?
Of course, that was out of the question.
So he casually made up an excuse:
"I came across some intel before—apparently this boy is the Third Tsuchikage Ōnoki's chief disciple. He might pose a future threat to Konoha, so I had you bring him back as a precaution."
Itachi nodded in understanding. So that was Father's reasoning.
Deidara's strength was indeed impressive—not only was his explosive ninjutsu wide-ranged, but he could also craft that enormous clay bird capable of flight. Watching Deidara develop that technique from scratch had shocked even Itachi. His creativity and intelligence were monstrous.
If his chakra were sealed and he lived quietly in the village as an ordinary person, that would probably be best.
After a moment's thought, Itachi asked, "Father, that could work… but wouldn't Deidara resent us for it?"
He remembered how Deidara had been muttering earlier about modifying his eyes to counter Sharingan genjutsu. Once his chakra was sealed, that plan would be impossible. No one in the village would ever help him perform such a modification either.
The mention of "resentment" immediately made Fugaku's expression harden—his instinctive response was simple: kill him and be done with it.
"Father!" Itachi quickly interjected, sensing what he was thinking. "He's still a life. Killing him now would be wasteful. Better to imprison him instead."
Fugaku stared at his son for a moment, then sighed.
"…Fine. After dinner, go handle it. Take Kisame with you, restrain Deidara, and have his chakra sealed by the Sealing Arts Division—or the Grand Elder if necessary. Also, make sure to confiscate all of his clay and materials."
A stray thought crossed Fugaku's mind. If Deidara's chakra is sealed… will the mouths on his palms still be able to chew clay?
He quickly dismissed the curiosity.
"Yes, Father." Itachi nodded.
"Are we going to see Shark Brother? Can I come too?" Naruto suddenly asked, eyes shining.
He already knew Kisame Hoshigaki's name—but still preferred the nickname.
"Call him Brother Kisame, Naruto. 'Shark Brother' isn't polite," Mikoto corrected gently.
Naruto just grinned. "Hehe, it's fine—Shark Brother doesn't mind!"
Seeing his carefree confidence, Mikoto could only shake her head and smile helplessly.
Itachi looked toward Sasuke, who was watching eagerly as well. After a brief pause, he decided there was no real danger—Kisame would be with them.
"Alright, you two can come."
Sasuke's eyes lit up instantly. "Really? Yes!"
After dinner, Itachi led Sasuke and Naruto out of the Uchiha compound, heading toward Deidara's current residence.
Since Kisame had been assigned to keep watch over Deidara, he had temporarily moved out of the Uchiha compound. They now lived in a small wooden house built by Yamato of the Anbu, near the Forest of Death.
With Yamato's Wood Release, the place was well equipped—chairs, tables, a bath, even utensils—all elegantly crafted from polished wood. Though simple, it had everything they needed: two bedrooms, a living room combined with a kitchen, and a small bath that also served as a washroom.
Because the Forest of Death was located at the edge of the village, it took some time to reach it. Along the way, Itachi made Sasuke and Naruto practice their rooftop travel techniques.
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Meanwhile, after the boys left, Fugaku wasted no time. He took Mikoto's soft, slender hand and pulled her toward the stairs.
"Oh—husband, the table hasn't been cleared yet," she whispered shyly.
"Forget it. We can clear it later," Fugaku said with a mischievous grin as he scooped her up into his arms and headed straight for the bedroom.
Mikoto didn't resist. She only buried her face against his chest, cheeks burning.
Fugaku glanced down at her bashful expression, and his heart stirred. Even after all these years—and two children—she still looked so shy and beautiful.
With a faint smile, he nudged the bedroom door closed with his foot.
(The following content has been omitted.)
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Far away in the Land of Lightning, a very different scene was unfolding.
A fleet of Iwagakure shinobi had successfully crossed the sea, landing on the northern coast—and immediately began a massive territorial expansion.
Many of the local villages hadn't even heard the news yet—Kumogakure's destruction, the fall of the Daimyō's palace, and the capital's capture. Before they could react, they were already under Iwagakure's control.
Those who resisted were mercilessly cut down.
Some still cried out in defiance—"The Raikage-sama and Daimyō-sama will avenge us!"—only to die moments later under Iwagakure blades.
The invading shinobi sneered coldly. They couldn't even be bothered to respond to such naive defiance. In less than a night, more than half of the northern region had fallen under Iwagakure rule.
There was no real resistance—at least, not from proper ninja forces.
A few rogue ninja appeared, but the moment they saw the Iwagakure banners, they fled like startled rats.
Rogue ninja, no matter the nation, were despised and hunted by the great villages. They had been crushed too many times to count. Even when they outnumbered their opponents, they never dared engage shinobi from a major village.
They were just commoners who had stumbled upon incomplete ninjutsu scrolls and barely learned to mold chakra. Against trained shinobi, they were hopeless.
One example spoke volumes:
A group of forty rogue ninjas once ambushed a three-man squad from Sunagakure. Within half an hour, the entire rogue band was annihilated.
Even slaughtering forty pigs would've taken longer.
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"Kitsuchi-taichō, we've reached the region near Kumogakure. There's still no resistance," one of the Iwagakure scouts reported.
Kitsuchi frowned slightly.
"Strange… Has Konoha really abandoned this land? We haven't seen a single Konoha ninja for half a day."
After a moment of thought, he waved his hand.
"Never mind. Have Squad One and Squad Two extend the reconnaissance perimeter. Keep advancing."
In truth, they had already achieved more than they'd hoped for—but since Konoha seemed content to retreat, why stop now? Kitsuchi's eyes gleamed. If we can occupy the entire Land of Lightning, this could change everything.
He quickly sent a message back to Iwagakure—to see what his father, Ōnoki, would decide.
If the Tsuchikage approved, then this would be a monumental victory: enormous land, countless resources, and a massive population gain—taken effortlessly.
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