"Uchiha clan…?"

On their way back, the squad under Hōzuki Chikage happened to cross paths with Kanda Kyoichi and Namikaze Minato. The two of them were escorting more than a dozen Uchiha toward the western coast.

And what's more—

Those Uchiha all looked injured, each one bearing wounds.

The Kiri-nin exchanged bewildered glances.

What the hell was going on here?

"Don't tell me… Kanda Kyoichi came all the way here for these Uchiha? But… that doesn't make sense. A dozen Uchiha, and every one of them looks badly hurt…"

Terumi Mei frowned in deep confusion.

What trick was Konoha pulling this time? There was no way an entire squad of Uchiha could have gone missing without the village noticing until now.

No—

The more pressing question was… why were these Uchiha in the Land of Water in the first place?

Chikage said nothing, keeping silent.

Obviously—

He had no idea what was going on either. But one thing was certain: while they were observing Kanda Kyoichi, that man was undoubtedly observing them as well. In fact, he had probably noticed them long before they ever noticed him.

Sneaking around like this might only make things worse. Better to come out openly and exchange greetings.

With that thought, Hōzuki Chikage drew in a deep breath, stepped out from the shadows, and forced a thin smile as he approached.

"Kyoichi-sama, what an unexpected encounter. And this is…?"

"My ANBU squad. When I arrived, they had already been tortured beyond recognition by that damned Hiruko."

"Uh…" Uchiha as ANBU?

Yeah, sure—tell me another one.

Chikage grumbled silently in his heart.

Kiri didn't know Konoha in great detail, but they did know the basics—namely, that the Hokage's faction and the Uchiha clan never really got along.

Sure, the Uchiha ran the Police Force, but…

Handing both the Police and ANBU to one clan? The whole village would be dancing to their tune in no time. That kind of power balance was a disaster waiting to happen.

Chikage fell silent for a few seconds.

In the end…

He decided to play the fool.

"So, did Kyoichi-sama manage to capture Hiruko? A man who hunts down kekkei genkai is a massive threat to the Land of Water as well."

"Unfortunately, he got away."

Kyoichi smiled faintly as he said this, gesturing for Minato to lead the others further along without waiting for him. He knew Chikage didn't have the guts to make a move.

And if they really did try…

Kyoichi could kill the lot of them with one hand—

Most of his jutsu didn't even require hand seals.

Chikage couldn't tell whether Kyoichi was telling the truth or spinning lies. He couldn't even be sure whether this "Hiruko" really existed, or if Kyoichi had just made the whole thing up.

But one thing was undeniable—

The situation with these Uchiha was highly suspicious. He even suspected there might have been internal strife within Konoha. Could it be that Danzō had sold off a batch of Uchiha to the Land of Water?

After all…

Not long ago, news had spread that Konoha had held a public trial and executed Danzō in front of the entire village. Could it have been for selling Uchiha clansmen?

Tch—!

If that were true, then Danzō had practically signed his own death warrant.

Chikage's imagination was running wild now, filling his head with one absurd thought after another, until he even started fearing that Kyoichi might be hanging back just to silence them.

But in reality—

He was overthinking it.

Kyoichi merely gave his shoulder a light pat.

"Enough. No point dragging this out. You all should return to your village. As for compensation, your people will hear from me. And don't forget the promises made in the Land of Waves. If you think you can renege… I'll come looking for you."

"N-No, of course not. I'll remember."

Chikage suddenly recalled—

Back in the Land of Waves, he had already been thoroughly fleeced by this man. He was still carrying debt from that fiasco.

Dammit!

Kyoichi's overly polite demeanor back then had almost convinced him he'd misjudged the man. Now, he realized—no, he hadn't misjudged him at all.

Kyoichi sensed that Minato had already led the others ahead, so with a wave of his hand he used Flying Thunder God to catch up.

The truth was—

Madara's control over the Land of Water had been… relatively restrained. While many of his measures certainly disadvantaged Kirigakure, most of his directives at least followed the logic of proper governance.

Obito, on the other hand—

Once he came to power, he threw the rulebook away entirely. Every word dripped with the intent of "destroy you all."

So at present, the Land of Water had practically no bandits or rogue-nin left. And if any did appear, they were most likely just Kirigakure shinobi in disguise.

Which meant…

Kirigakure had no ability to interfere with whatever Kyoichi and Minato were up to.

They had their hands full already.

The chaos within their own village had caught every Kiri-nin completely off guard. The revelation that the Third Mizukage had been under someone's control was so horrifying that, had anyone suggested it earlier, they would've been slapped on the spot.

But now—

It turned out to be true. Worse, the one who'd exposed it had been doing them a favor.

Far from lashing out, they now owed gratitude—and payment.

Which left Elder Genji in a bind.

Although he had convinced the village and stabilized the Third Mizukage's condition, another pressing problem loomed.

How to handle Kyoichi's "reward."

That Konoha brat's appetite was no small thing. If they gave too little, Kirigakure might face serious repercussions.

But if they gave too much…

Genji's own heart ached.

After long deliberation—

He gritted his teeth.

This time, they'd have to bleed for it.

Even though Kirigakure's current situation was dire, the payment had to be made. Otherwise, they might as well let Konoha choose their Fourth Mizukage for them.

That would mean losing both face and power.

So—

Better to approach Kyoichi directly, while he was still around, and find out exactly what he wanted. It was better than guessing blindly.

He went in person.

Hōzuki Chiren brought back news of where Kyoichi's group was staying. Even if Kyoichi and Minato weren't there, Hatake Kakashi and the others were still around. Finding them wouldn't be difficult.

But when they arrived after waiting half a day—

They were met with quite the sight.

Kanda Kyoichi, Namikaze Minato, and an entire group of battered, mutilated Uchiha clansmen. Missing limbs, grievous wounds—it looked for all the world as though they had been captured in some base and subjected to inhuman torment.

What…

What was going on?

Elder Genji was baffled, but almost immediately he thought of those pale white creatures, and the mastermind capable of controlling their Mizukage.

Could it be?

Had even Konoha shinobi—an entire group of them—fallen under the same kind of control?

"Elder Genji, I hadn't expected you to come in person. My apologies for not coming out sooner to welcome you."

Kyoichi inclined his head lightly.

If Genji hadn't come, he would have gone to Kirigakure himself. That the elder had chosen to seek him out instead… was preferable.

Genji gave a small smile, bowing slightly.

"You are our guest. Of course I must receive you personally. More importantly, you saved Kirigakure. Both in sentiment and in duty, I must come and thank you properly."

"You're too polite…"

Kyoichi gestured toward the distance. Genji immediately understood—Kyoichi didn't want others overhearing. He nodded and followed him aside.

Two bodyguards immediately moved to trail them.

But Elder Genji waved them off.

"No need. Our Kirigakure and Konoha have been allies for generations. And Jōnin-Kyoichi has just saved our village. With him here, how could anything happen to me?"

"Yes, sir!"

Hōzuki Chiren quickly yielded.

These guards… really.

If Kanda Kyoichi wanted Elder Genji dead, would they actually be able to stop him?

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