Swish—

Using the Body Flicker Technique, within just a dozen breaths, Uchiha Fugaku had already left Konoha.

The others were left far behind.

Because he had absorbed Uchiha Shisui's body, his talent in the Body Flicker Technique was extremely high.

Thanks to his intense training over this period of time, his mastery of the technique had improved rapidly.

Now, his skill with the Body Flicker was no weaker than Uchiha Shisui's.

After leaving Konoha, he didn't head in any fixed direction but instead stopped and walked up to a tree.

He placed his hand on it, using the tree roots and underground water veins to connect with one of his spore clones and learned about the situation regarding Uzumaki Naruto, the Nine-Tails Jinchūriki.

At this moment, Spore Clone No. 1 was secretly tailing the five Iwagakure shinobi who had kidnapped Naruto using the Mayfly Technique.

After traveling a certain distance, the spore clone would relay its location back to Fugaku.

Currently, the five Iwagakure shinobi were heading west of Konoha.

"It's time to begin."

With the help of the spore clone, Uchiha Fugaku gave the order to Spore Clone No. 1 and rushed toward Konoha's western perimeter.

Spore Clone No. 1, possessing the Mangekyō Sharingan, had strength on par with a Kage and was more than capable of retrieving Naruto from the five Iwagakure ninja.

Had he not instructed otherwise earlier, those five wouldn't have succeeded in kidnapping Naruto in the first place.

The reason he hadn't acted yet was simple: while saving Naruto at that point could improve his reputation, the gain would be minimal.

Letting Naruto get taken and the village fall into a crisis, then making a dramatic rescue, would elevate his reputation far more.

To the west of Konoha, three men and two women erased their traces as they quickly distanced themselves from the village.

One of the women carried an unconscious blond boy on her back—Uzumaki Naruto, the Nine-Tails Jinchūriki.

These five were the shinobi leaders representing Iwagakure in the joint Chūnin Exams.

"We've kidnapped the Nine-Tails Jinchūriki. The Genin we brought for the exam will surely be used to vent Konoha's anger," one of the women said with some reluctance.

Once Konoha learned it was them who abducted Naruto, the village would be furious.

The more than 20 Genin from Iwagakure who came for the exam would become easy targets for retaliation and might be killed.

That made her uneasy.

"They're sacrifices for Iwagakure. Their families and friends will be proud," the middle-aged man leading the team replied.

From the start, those Genin had been abandoned. It was nearly impossible for them to return alive.

Because of that, the Genin selected were all of average strength and talent—disposable, in the eyes of the village.

"But... this kind of sacrifice isn't something they chose. The village never asked for their opinion," another woman said.

"Capturing the Nine-Tails Jinchūriki is too important. A single mistake could ruin everything. It's not something we can discuss with them beforehand," another man responded with a shake of his head.

"Although I feel some guilt, there's no helping it. Their sacrifice will make Iwagakure stronger. A stronger village means fewer deaths in future wars."

"Losing over 20 Genin now could save tens of thousands on future battlefields," the middle-aged man concluded.

The women fell silent.

They had experienced the Third Great Ninja War and had witnessed its brutality.

Each day, countless comrades died. There were so many corpses they couldn't be preserved—most had to be cremated on the spot.

They had watched friends die one after another, losing comrades daily.

The five continued onward in silence.

None of them noticed the pair of blood-red eyes watching them from a nearby tree.

They belonged to Spore Clone No. 1, who had just received Uchiha Fugaku's orders.

Swish—

The group advanced quickly, with the woman carrying Naruto positioned in the center for protection.

Suddenly, just ahead of the woman, Spore Clone No. 1 emerged from the ground and stared straight at her.

"Genjutsu: Binding Illusion—"

The tomoe of the Sharingan in his eyes spun rapidly as he cast the illusion.

"Aah—!"

Metal stakes rained from above, piercing into the woman's body. She screamed in agony as her limbs locked in place.

She could no longer move.

Spore Clone No. 1 took a step forward and approached her.

Slash—

A kunai in his right hand drew a clean line across her throat. Blood sprayed out.

His left hand caught Naruto as he fell from her back.

Her eyes widened. Her body collapsed limply to the ground.

Death had come too swiftly—she hadn't even processed it before her throat was cut.

"Damn…"

The remaining four Iwagakure shinobi were enraged by their comrade's death and Naruto's sudden rescue, but at the same time, a chill ran through them.

To be chosen for this mission, their strength had to be at least elite jōnin level.

Yet one of them had been killed instantly in a surprise attack, without even time to react.

The enemy's strength was terrifying.

"You… You're Uchiha Fugaku?! Didn't you go into the Forest of Death? How are you here?!"

One of the men stared at Spore Clone No. 1 in disbelief.

He had personally seen the Third Hokage assign Uchiha Fugaku to enter the Forest of Death to hunt Orochimaru.

There was no way he could be mistaken.

But now, Fugaku—who should've been in the forest—was here?

There were no signs of a transformation jutsu. If not for that, he might have assumed this was a fake.

"…"

Spore Clone No. 1 didn't respond and continued to stare at him.

"Don't make eye contact!" the middle-aged man warned sharply.

Realizing the danger, the man quickly averted his gaze.

But it was too late.

There was a pupil technique in Spore Clone No. 1's eyes that didn't require direct eye contact.

"Amaterasu—"

His right eye rotated, locking onto the man.

Immediately, black flames of the highest temperature erupted on the man's body.

(End of this chapter)