Eight hundred meters was not far.
For Uchiha Akira, whose perception had reached extraordinary levels—
Every sound and movement within that range was crystal clear.
At that moment, he heard the entire conversation between Sarutobi Shun, Hyuga Koji, and the others.
"Heh…"
A cold sneer formed on his lips.
Back before transmigrating, he had often seen naïve people online claiming there were no conspiracies—
That Hiruzen Sarutobi and his faction weren't truly hostile toward the Uchiha.
That only Danzo was the villain.
Now, reality had shattered that illusion.
This was still during the Third Great Ninja War.
The Uchiha were still one of Konoha's main fighting forces—
Serving as the vanguard for the Land of Fire, resisting invasions from other villages.
And yet, even so—
Sarutobi Shun, a member of the Sarutobi clan, still harbored such blatant prejudice.
Or more accurately—
It wasn't just directed at him.
It was directed at the name "Uchiha" itself.
From this alone, one could see the clan's current standing within Konoha.
Akira originally intended to turn and leave—
To stop concerning himself with those people altogether.
But just as he was about to depart and hunt down the enemy alone—
He suddenly heard faint whispers from farther away.
"Do you think those guys will take the bait?"
The voice was familiar—it belonged to one of the Seven Ninja Swordsmen.
Akira's heart tightened.
"Don't tell me… they're planning to lure the snake out of its hole?"
He stopped and listened carefully.
More voices followed.
"Hmph. I'd say they already fell for it."
"Let's wait here and see if I'm right."
"Those Konoha brats will definitely come. We'll finish them here."
"…!"
From their conversation alone, it was obvious—
Their earlier retreat had likely been an act.
They had deliberately feigned injury to lure Sarutobi and the others into pursuit—
Then eliminate them in one decisive strike.
"No wonder the Seven Ninja Swordsmen are so infamous… they're not easy opponents."
Akira thought silently.
After a brief hesitation, he chose to stay.
Not for Sarutobi Shun.
But the Hyuga clan was worth establishing ties with.
Building goodwill with them could prove useful in the future.
As for Uzuki Sena—
Though only a civilian ninja, she was still someone he could build rapport with.
Just as Akira made his decision, more voices drifted over.
"You're actually injured?"
"That guy hit me with a kunai from over a hundred meters away! Definitely not ordinary!"
"Over a hundred meters? A ninja capable of that isn't some nobody."
"Did you see what he looked like?"
"Judging from the clan emblem… he's Uchiha."
"Uchiha… I knew something was off."
The conversation paused.
But they didn't leave.
Akira could still hear their breathing—
Feel their presence—
Even catch their faint scent in the forest.
Sure enough, after a brief silence, another voice spoke:
"He's alone?"
"I only saw one."
"Good. There are seven of us—let's deal with him here as well."
"As long as it's not Shisui the Body Flicker or the Yellow Flash…"
"Any other Uchiha means nothing against the seven of us together."
They clearly had no idea—
That Akira could hear them from this distance.
Having made their decision, the seven began setting up an ambush.
Akira almost laughed.
"Good thing Heaven-Defying Comprehension enhanced my perception…"
"Looks like today… I'll have to personally take down one or two of the Seven Ninja Swordsmen."
Suppressing his presence, he began silently approaching their location.
Meanwhile—
Sarutobi Shun, along with Hyuga Koji and Uzuki Sena, arrived at the site of Akira's earlier explosive trap.
Examining the bloodstains left behind, they quickly determined the direction of the enemy's retreat.
"They're definitely injured!"
"Koji, track their direction!"
Sarutobi ordered.
"Should we wait for the corpse retrieval unit before moving?"
Uzuki Sena asked hesitantly.
On the battlefield, fallen ninja were usually recovered by their comrades to prevent intelligence leaks.
But in wartime, specialized units handled such tasks.
As long as the location was marked, they would come.
"If we wait, the enemy might escape!"
Sarutobi replied coldly.
Hyuga Koji added:
"They've moved beyond a kilometer—that's the limit of my vision."
"But I can still see bloodstains on the trees. They're definitely wounded."
"Then we need to move faster!"
"If you're too scared, stay behind and don't slow us down!"
Sarutobi shot Uzuki Sena a cold glance before dashing forward.
Hyuga Koji hesitated briefly, then followed.
Left alone, Uzuki Sena gritted her teeth and chased after them.
None of them realized—
Death was already waiting ahead.
Uchiha Akira had already reached the vicinity of the Seven Ninja Swordsmen's ambush.
At the same time—
Driven by ambition and the desire for merit, Sarutobi Shun led the others straight into the trap.
Hyuga Koji suddenly stopped.
Sarutobi turned back, puzzled.
"What's wrong?"
"The blood trail… it stops here."
"That's strange…"
Koji muttered.
"Heh… strange?"
"Because we've been waiting here for you."
A voice rang out.
"Just the three of you?"
"So there was no backup after all… we overthought it."
"Getting injured by brats like you… how embarrassing."
"Let's just silence you here."
In an instant—
Seven figures appeared, surrounding them from all directions.
One of the bearded men frowned slightly.
"…Hm? Why are there only three?"