Chapter 12: Bad News—The Two-Tails Jinchūriki! The Madman's Midnight March!
The headbands of the Takumi-nin bore the symbol of three rippling lines—resembling the kanji for "river."
Upon learning that a team of Takumi-nin were scouting ahead, Uchiha Setsuna immediately ordered his men to flank from both sides.
As expected, the might of shinobi from a Great Nation was something small-country ninja could never compare to.
When they finally spotted the targets wearing the Takumi headbands, Uchiha Ci didn't even have time to pull out his shuriken for a quick "three-step combo" before the elder, Uchiha Setsuna, had already leapt forward.
Ci could only watch as the old man drew his long blade—its edge erupting in a blazing red flame—and then dove down like a meteor.
He moved like a wildfire racing across dry plains; by the time the flames dimmed, the three Takumi-nin had fallen like cut grass, not even managing a scream.
Ci stood frozen, feeling oddly disoriented—like a low-level player being carried through a dungeon by a max-level boss.
Once the enemies were dealt with, Setsuna rested his sword against the throat of one still-breathing Takumi-nin and asked coldly,
"Who sent you?"
The Takumi-nin flinched, trembling and hesitant to speak.
Seeing this, Setsuna's Sharingan spun to life. With a single, chilling glance, the man's resistance shattered.
Moments later, Setsuna sheathed his blade and wordlessly finished the prisoner off.
Ci, standing off to the side, noticed the elder's expression shift subtly—then Setsuna turned and barked his next order:
"Move out. We're crossing the border—now."
"Once past the checkpoint, don't stop. Head straight to the capital of the Land of Hot Water and rendezvous with Security Captain Fugaku."
"If we encounter resistance, don't engage—withdraw immediately."
"Elder, what happened?" Uchiha Seiichirō swallowed nervously, his face tightening.
Setsuna's reply was brief and heavy:
"The Two-Tails Jinchūriki has appeared in the Land of Hot Water."
"Their target is most likely our clan's garrison stationed in Hell Valley. And there's a high probability that enemy interceptors are already ahead of us."
"The situation is out of control."
"We must reach the capital—Yu no Kuni's Steam City—and contact the Ninneko clan's liaison to report this back to the Uchiha."
"What?!"
Seiichirō's face turned pale, horror etched across it.
A Jinchūriki from the Hidden Cloud… was a living weapon of war.
If the Two-Tails reached Hell Valley—where no top-tier Uchiha was stationed—it would be a massacre.
The Third Great Ninja War hadn't even officially begun, and yet Cloud was already deploying a tailed beast weapon in a small-nation conflict?!
Meanwhile, Uchiha Ci's eyes gleamed with dangerous excitement.
The Two-Tails Jinchūriki…!
It didn't matter how refined one's shurikenjutsu was—one slap from a tailed beast could turn you into paste.
After sparring with Seiichirō earlier, Ci had realized something shocking—
His mastery of shurikenjutsu had reached such an absurd, godlike level that even against a two-tomoe Sharingan Chūnin, his odds of victory weren't low.
Which meant—
Though he was technically a Genin, Ci's combat power was already Chūnin-class.
If his shurikenjutsu counted as a specialization, he might even qualify as a Tokubetsu Jōnin.
Ordinary missions no longer gave him a proper chance to "die gloriously."
He needed riskier missions—more dangerous opponents.
Only then could he achieve a beautiful death!
And now, he'd just heard that the Two-Tails Jinchūriki was nearby.
Ci's feelings were… complicated, to say the least.
Tears nearly welled up at the corners of his mouth.
Setsuna glanced around at his two subordinates. Just as he was about to offer some motivational words, he noticed their faces.
Seiichirō, the spineless dove, looked utterly terrified—eyes darting everywhere, his body tense like a turtle trying to retreat into its shell.
Setsuna sighed inwardly. It was understandable—this was practically an S-rank situation. Fear was natural.
But when his gaze shifted to Ci… the elder nearly twitched.
What the hell was this kid's expression?!
Those bright, eager eyes—those trembling lips—and that barely contained excitement plastered across his face.
He was whispering to himself under his breath, over and over:
"Tatakai… Tatakai… Tatakai…"
Fight… fight… fight…!
Setsuna's eye twitched hard.
What in the world—?! You scared the life out of me, boy!
He shook his head, swallowing the words of encouragement he'd been about to speak.
Then, with a cold glint in his eyes, he raised his sword and pointed into the pitch-black void ahead.
"Move out!"
---
They slipped into darkness and pressed forward.
The night was thick and silent. The mountain range loomed like a slumbering dragon, vast and still.
Thanks to Setsuna's swift action in eliminating the Takumi scouts secretly working for Cloud, the Uchiha squad managed to cross the border safely and without alerting the enemy.
Meanwhile, far away—
Under the fractured moonlight, two figures stirred.
High in the valley, the clouds parted briefly, letting a shaft of silver light illuminate the rocky camp.
A Cloud Jōnin named Rami'i, who had been dozing against his blade, suddenly opened his eyes.
Something was wrong.
"It's too quiet," he muttered, frowning.
He turned toward his comrade keeping watch.
"Moloi, has the messenger from the Takumi patrol returned yet?"
Moloi, polishing his sword, shook his head.
"No. It's been over thirty minutes."
Rami'i frowned deeper, thinking for a moment before ordering,
"Send word to our spies in the border villages—ask for a report immediately."
Moloi nodded, forming the seals for a summoning—but paused as a flutter of wings caught his attention.
Under the moonlight, a pigeon swooped down. He caught it deftly and pulled a scroll from its leg.
"Rami'i-senpai, a message!"
"The Uchiha have entered the Land of Hot Water—they're close. They didn't go to Hell Valley. They've changed direction—heading straight for the capital, Steam City."
Rami'i's face darkened. He immediately shook awake the resting Tsuchidai.
"This isn't right. Quickly—we have to catch up!"
"Setsuna might already know our plan!"
---
Back with the Uchiha team—
By now, they had crossed into the Land of Hot Water, passing through three villages without stopping even once.
The moon had already dipped low; dawn was breaking over the mountains. Birdsong echoed faintly through the mist.
They'd been marching since the previous morning, nearly twenty-four hours without rest.
Even with his newly acquired skills, Ci's chakra reserves were still that of a Genin—he was drenched in sweat, panting heavily.
Ahead lay a deserted village—a perfect place to rest.
Seiichirō, nearly collapsing, begged to stop. Setsuna frowned but finally gave the order:
"We'll rest here for two hours. Then we move again."
He instructed Seiichirō to clear a perimeter, while he personally strung wires and explosive tags around the area, setting traps—tasks normally left to subordinates.
Ci, despite being half-dead from exhaustion, stubbornly tried to help—
Only to receive a sharp smack to the back of the head from Setsuna, knocking him out cold.
The elder then summoned a flock of ninja crows for surveillance, exhaled slowly, and told Seiichirō gravely,
"To reach Steam City, we still have half a day's march. Rest while you can."
Moments later, Setsuna was snoring like thunder. Seiichirō dropped face-first to the ground, asleep like a pig.
For now, the three finally had a brief, precious moment of rest.
Unaware… that danger was closing in fast from behind.