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Women were trouble.
Seeing Uchiha Mikoto on the verge of tears again, Uchiha Haru frowned slightly.
Everything had already been made very clear.
Sasuke's safe stay in Konoha was an agreement between Itachi, Danzo, and the Third Hokage, and there was absolutely no danger to him.
So why was Mikoto still tangled up in this?
It wasn't difficult for Haru to return to Konoha and bring Uchiha Sasuke back.
But now, he was far from Konoha. Could he even go back?
Yet…
Uchiha Sasuke.
The reincarnation of Indra Ōtsutsuki, the son of the Sage of Six Paths—there was no exaggeration in calling his potential the greatest among all ninja.
Moreover, Sasuke was different from his brother Itachi.
Itachi was Konoha's Itachi.
But Sasuke was Uchiha's Sasuke.
At least, that had been the case for a long time.
This meant that Sasuke could be of use to Haru.
Such a prodigy, when grown, would undoubtedly become a great asset.
Haru carefully contemplated the possibility of bringing Sasuke under his influence.
Uchiha Mikoto watched Haru, who seemed lost in thought, silent for a long time, and the disappointment in her eyes deepened.
Yes.
Whatever you want in this world, there was always a price to pay.
That much, Mikoto understood clearly.
Especially since her late husband had been the Uchiha clan patriarch, Uchiha Fugaku.
She had witnessed too many things, knowing far more than most people realized.
No one would risk going to Konoha to retrieve her son without a compelling reason.
Unless… unless she could offer something to truly move Haru's heart.
But now, she was no longer the respected wife of the patriarch.
Too many things had happened on the night of the Uchiha clan massacre.
The clan was gravely wounded.
Patriarch Uchiha Fugaku was dead.
The current head of the Uchiha clan was Uchiha Haru.
And she was just a widow.
With Fugaku's death, all her former status had vanished.
Some extreme clan members even ostracized and hated her because her son Itachi was seen as a traitor.
What could she possibly offer to impress Uchiha Haru, who now held absolute power in the clan?
…
This conversation ended in vain.
Even though Haru thought Sasuke might be useful someday, that was a matter for the future.
Right now, settling the Uchiha clan members in the Land of Water was the priority.
As for Sasuke, there would be plenty of opportunities later.
After resting through the afternoon and enduring the scorching sun, when the weather cooled a bit, Haru and his party set out again.
They stopped to rest once night fell.
More than a hundred Uchiha clan members took shelter in a structure Haru had created using Wood Release.
It was a relatively safe place.
Though it felt like a waste to use Wood Release—powerful enough to conquer the world—for such modest shelter, it was undeniably effective.
However, when the night was silent and the Uchiha clan members had fallen asleep, atop a distant mountain, a group of shinobi observed them intently.
"Wood Release!" the lead shinobi exclaimed.
"I never imagined, after that legendary ninja, such a terrifying bloodline would appear again!"
The speaker was a man around thirty years old, with neat short blond hair and a handsome face.
His name was C, commander of this surprise attack.
He held a high position in the Hidden Cloud Village, was deeply trusted by the Fourth Raikage, and was known as the Raikage's "left hand."
The fact that Hidden Cloud sent someone of his caliber showed how seriously they took this operation.
"Wood Release…" someone nearby whispered, "I fear it's even more than that."
Beside C stood a young kunoichi, about seventeen or eighteen.
She had short blond hair with bangs framing her delicate features, rivaling the famous Konoha beauties like Yuhi Kurenai and Uzuki Yugao.
But what caught the eye most was her striking figure—tall and curvy.
Especially the deep, alluring hollow at her collarbone, impossible to look away from, making her breathtakingly beautiful.
She was easily the best among the group.
Given her youth, she still had great potential.
Her future was limitless.
"Oh?" C, the Raikage's "left hand," regarded her with interest.
This young woman was Samui, one of the Hidden Cloud's most outstanding ninjas of the younger generation.
Besides her exceptional ninjutsu, she was calm and composed, able to make the best decisions under pressure.
Her main purpose on this mission was to gain experience and knowledge.
"Samui, what else did you observe?" C asked.
"Uchiha," she replied solemnly.
Samui's blue-green eyes carried a grave seriousness.
"Never forget—the name behind that clan is Uchiha, and their emblem is the Sharingan!"
"The Sharingan is almost as formidable as Wood Release!"
"And now, it's awakened in one individual at the same time!"
In the shinobi world, almost no one was unaware of the legendary battle at the Valley of the End. There, the First Hokage, Hashirama Senju, wielded the power of Wood Release, clashing against Uchiha Madara, who had unlocked the Eternal Mangekyō Sharingan.
And now, both of those iconic powers were manifested in a single person.
How could that not be utterly shocking?
This was the first time C had seen such a solemn expression on this usually calm and proud kunoichi's face.
But her assessment was accurate.
Uchiha Haru was indeed terrifyingly powerful.
Though they had made full preparations and dispatched an operative, they remained cautious, refusing to let their guard down even slightly.
They knew the Uchiha clan's Sharingan granted unparalleled insight, so they had maintained distance, never daring to approach too closely.
First, because of the agreement with Konoha, they were forbidden from attacking the Uchiha clan before the clan had truly departed from the village.
Second, it was part of their own strategy.
"Prepare yourselves. We strike in one hour," C said, narrowing his eyes and speaking in a low, serious tone.
"But..." a nearby shinobi hesitated. "This is still Konoha territory. If we act rashly, won't that break the treaty we agreed upon?"
"Shouldn't we wait until the Uchiha clan has fully left the Land of Fire before launching any attack?"
"No. Now is the perfect time."
"Perfect time?"
"Shouldn't the perfect opportunity have been right when the Uchiha first left Konoha?"
The shinobi looked confused.
He genuinely did not understand why now was the best moment.
Logically, it made more sense to attack immediately after the Uchiha's departure, when they were weakened and wounded.
That would have been the prime time.
But now, after a long rest, the clan had healed from their injuries. How could this be the ideal time?
Wasn't tonight no different from last night? What had changed?
Seeing his confusion, C remained silent for a moment, then glanced at Samui beside him and asked, "Samui, what's your take?"
Samui replied carefully, "The Uchiha clan's weakest moment was indeed right after they left Konoha."
"But then, the clan was in chaos—shaken by tragedy and disorder. On the surface, it seemed like a perfect opportunity."
"However, that was just a facade. Konoha had already made it clear that no attacks were allowed on the Uchiha clan. They must have many hidden guards, far more than we could see."
"The clan may have been weak then, but our real opponents would have been Konoha itself if we struck."
"Unless we're ready to start an all-out war, we must avoid that."
"Furthermore, people, teams, and clans tend to be more vigilant when they're weak, but their defenses relax as they regain strength."
"When they first left Konoha, the Uchiha had suffered greatly, yet their power still shouldn't be underestimated."
"This is a clan blessed with the Sharingan. Confronting them head-on is not a smart choice."
"Even without Konoha's Anbu intervening, the price we would pay would be enormous."
Long before this, the Hidden Cloud's shinobi had detected the Konoha Anbu tailing the Uchiha clan closely.
This wasn't because Konoha's Anbu were incompetent; rather, they were just very blatant about not hiding their movements.
Especially the Hidden Cloud's 0.7 squad—Konoha was effectively warning them: no one is allowed to harm the Uchiha clan while they remain within the Land of Fire.
Another key point Samui mentioned was highly persuasive.
To avoid detection by the Uchiha's Sharingan, they had always maintained distance, never drawing near.
Yet they had still managed to monitor the clan's situation closely—and noticed a change.
When the Uchiha first left Konoha, they posted guards at night, vigilant against attacks.
Now, however, that vigilance seemed to have vanished.
Therefore, the moment the Uchiha clan initially left Konoha was not ideal.
The shinobi who had questioned earlier nodded, understanding Samui's reasoning.
But the others still wondered:
Why is now truly the best opportunity?
"Why is now the best time?" someone asked again.
Samui paused briefly, then explained, "The Uchiha clan has been safe and secure since leaving Konoha."
"After tonight, they will be entirely out of the Land of Fire's sphere of influence and enter Whirlpool Country's territory."
"The situation in Whirlpool Country is vastly different from that of the Land of Fire."
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