"A, how are you?"
In the Hidden Cloud Village hospital, a ninja, wrapped in bandages and connected to dozens of monitors, slowly woke up.
As soon as he opened his eyes, he saw his father, the Third Generation Raikage. It took him a moment to remember why he was lying here.
"Father, where are the others?"
The Third Generation Raikage said in a deep voice: "Only you were returned by the Heavenly Transfer Jutsu. I've already sent out scouting ninjas, but there's no news yet. Who did you encounter? Why did this happen…?"
"Father, we found that Uchiha, but before we could act, that bastard... summoned a creature, one similar to a Tailed Beast..."
"It has three heads, about three times the size of the Eight-Tails. But if it spreads its wings, it might be ten times the size of the Eight-Tails... It can unleash lightning attacks with power comparable to a Tailed Beast Ball... I initially wanted to stop the three-headed monster, but it was too powerful..."
Upon hearing this, the Third Generation Raikage understood what had happened at that time.
The creature was three times the size of the Eight-Tails and packed powerful attacks.
Moreover, with wings ten times larger than the Eight-Tails... the Third Generation Raikage couldn't even imagine its size.
When the Eight-Tails goes berserk, it's a catastrophe for the Hidden Cloud Village. He could only barely subdue the Eight-Tails, and A would need many Hidden Cloud Ninja to cooperate, just to sever one of the Eight-Tails' tails.
Without a Sealing Technique, A absolutely wouldn't stand a chance against the Eight-Tails, let alone a monster stronger than it.
"A, you should rest and recover first, as for Ossai and the others, I'll have the Anbu find them."
After saying this, the Third Generation Raikage walked out. This had truly been an embarrassment for the Hidden Cloud Village, losing not just three Jonin, but also someone as capable of a Space Secret Technique like Mabui.
If anything happened to Mabui, the Hidden Cloud's logistics would need a different approach in case of warfare.
Thinking about this, the Third Generation Raikage suddenly suspected that they might have fallen victim to Konoha's plan.
Was giving them information merely a ploy to catch the Hidden Cloud Village in a trap?
And that monster A mentioned also needed thorough investigation. Its power was at least on par with or even greater than the Eight-Tails. If Konoha controlled such a beast, going to war against Konoha in the future would require careful strategizing.
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"Mr. Yoichi, you're back. How did the mission go?"
As soon as the tea was served, Elder Kenji asked with a smile. Uchiha Yoichi had come to visit immediately upon returning to the village, leading Kenji to speculate that something unexpected had happened during the mission.
"Elder Kenji is indeed wise beyond measure. I haven't even said anything, and already Elder Kenji has discerned my thoughts."
Uchiha Yoichi didn't hide anything. Not keen on going in circles, he directly said: "During this mission, two unexpected things happened. The first is that I brought back Uzumaki Minami."
"Uzumaki?"
Elder Kenji was momentarily stunned. Then, his eyes turned into Three-Tomoe, and he gazed sternly at Uzumaki Minami.
"The Chakra is peculiar, and it seems greater in quantity than even the Uchiha Race; it indeed appears to be the Uzumaki Race. I've heard that the Land of Whirlpools was destroyed by war, and the surviving Uzumaki have been hiding across the Ninja World. Yoichi, do you plan on settling her in the village?"
"No, Elder Kenji. She will join the Uchiha Race and become a member of my team in the future!"
Uchiha Yoichi shook his head and said: "Minami doesn't wish to join Konoha, and her abilities are quite special and will be of great help to me; I hope Elder Kenji can assist in her training. If Minami's abilities are cultivated, they will be extremely rare throughout the Ninja World."
"Is that so...."
Elder Kenji was somewhat taken aback, rarely seeing Uchiha Yoichi so serious. After some contemplation, he said: "Very well, Mr. Yoichi, if you need anything, you can directly ask Masato; be it guidance from a ninja or various Ninjutsu, whatever I have is yours to request."
"Additionally, while Kakashi and I were on a mission outside the village, someone from the village betrayed us by informing the Hidden Cloud Village of our departure, leading to us being pursued by Hidden Cloud ninja, led by the Third Generation Raikage's son, A."
Elder Kenji's expression became immediately serious, and he asked in a deep voice: "Mr. Yoichi, are you sure?"
Uchiha Yoichi calmly replied: "The Hidden Cloud believed us to be certain to die and thus revealed everything. But I had a few secretive means to escape narrowly with my life. Kakashi also experienced this, and the Konoha White Fang should already know by now."
"Yoichi, as you've shared this with me, you likely have a plan. Let's hear it."
"Danzo probably wiped out all evidence, making it extremely difficult to trace anything back to him. Plus, Root acts covertly, making retaliation through ambushes unlikely... Elder Kenji, what about the Shimura Family?"
Upon hearing this, Elder Kenji smiled and said: "You're aware of Danzo's Root; to date, I can only vaguely estimate the degree of its development. However, to train so many people, relying solely on village funding isn't viable, since Root isn't Anbu..."
"Is the Shimura Family funding Danzo, providing resources for training Root ninja?"
Uchiha Yoichi asked, confirming his thoughts upon seeing the affirmative expression on Elder Kenji's face.
Fast-tracking the training of ninjas is costly, consuming Secret Medicine, Ninja Tools, and Medical Supplies, unlike the formal Ninja School. Root must churn out battle-ready warriors rapidly, causing expenses to skyrocket.
Konoha Village has countless expenses and cannot allocate vast sums to Root, prompting Danzo often to secure funds independently.
"Exactly."
"If Elder Kenji agrees to aid me, I'll take the lead on this."
"During the Warring States Period, even the Shimura Family head had to bow and scrape before our Uchiha Race, but now they dare step over us in the village; Mr. Yoichi, Uchiha is not to be bullied, and it's the responsibility of the Security Team to fight crime and guard against spies."
"I understand, Elder Kenji!"
"I will have Masato coordinate with you. You shall lead this initiative."
Elder Kenji said. The Uchiha Race had compromised externally far too often, causing most of the clan to forget how formidable they used to be.
During the Warring States Period, if one party hired the Uchiha Race, the opposing side had no choice but to employ the Senju, for there was no other way to deal with them.
Though the Uchiha were defeated by the Senju, they were not for any small fry like the Shimura to trample; a minor clan such as Shimura, acting up one day, could face annihilation the next.
"Thank you, Elder Kenji. I will arrange for Minami first, and afterward, I'll visit Senior Masato in the Security Team."
After saying this, Uchiha Yoichi prepared to take his leave, but before departing, he paused and reminded: "Elder Kenji, remember to eat the mutton early; it should taste good."
Having spoken, Uchiha Yoichi left. After waiting a while, Uchiha Kenji shook his head and called over his daughter-in-law, Satoe.
"Satoe, tonight we shall eat the mutton that Mr. Yoichi brought."