Chapter 380 – Cut the Grass at the Root
"I heard that one of your squad leaders has been deployed as well?"
After giving it some thought, Minato shook his head, forcing himself to stop dwelling on those distracting thoughts.
He was already used to working in this state of constant pressure, but something did resurface in his mind—
Uchiha Kei had indeed sent out one of his squad captains.
Strictly speaking, Minato had no need to interfere in matters concerning the Military Police. That entire department fell squarely under Kei's authority.
Still, Kei had filed a report beforehand, so Minato was fully aware of the decision.
Deploying a squad captain could be interpreted in two very different ways.
On the mild end, it meant strengthening the combat power of the operation and increasing the survival chances of the deployed personnel.
On the extreme end, however, it meant escalating the conflict itself—one misstep, and it could spark a full-scale war.
More importantly, Uchiha Ryū was a shinobi who had awakened the Sharingan.
A bloodline like that was incredibly valuable.
If Kumogakure caught wind of it, there was a very real risk he'd become a target for capture.
"Yes. It's Ryū," Kei nodded.
"He volunteered, and I approved it. The casualties were starting to pile up."
Kei felt a trace of helplessness himself.
Ryū wasn't the only squad captain who wanted to go to the front.
Aside from Ryū and Uchiha Kawa, who had wanted to be deployed from the very beginning, even Hyūga Hizashi and Uchiha Jun had submitted formal requests.
Because of their identities, Kei had rejected all of them at first.
But as time passed and the casualty reports grew heavier, he was forced to send someone capable of stabilizing the situation.
Initially, his first choice had been Uchiha Kawa.
Kawa had followed him the longest, and both his loyalty and strength were beyond doubt.
Yet after reviewing the combat records of all four squad captains, Kei eliminated Uchiha Jun immediately—she had no battlefield experience at all.
The next one he ruled out was Uchiha Kawa.
Kawa's past battlefield performance could only be described as average. Reliable, yes—but not reassuring.
By contrast, the records of Hyūga Hizashi and Uchiha Ryū were impressive.
Kei had intended to choose one of the two.
But by that point, the decision had already made itself.
Even with Hizashi's request—and even with Hyūga Hiashi's tacit approval—Kei couldn't possibly send the clan head's younger brother to the battlefield.
If Kumogakure's intelligence network identified him, the consequences would be disastrous.
So in the end, Kei chose Ryū.
Or rather—
Ryū was the only viable choice.
"You've really been put through the wringer," Minato sighed.
"This whole situation…"
"Captain, didn't we agree not to talk about work?" Kei tapped the table lightly.
"This is supposed to be our break."
"Right—sorry." Minato scratched the back of his head sheepishly.
He had said that himself, and his son was right there beside him.
Yet no matter how hard he tried, he couldn't stop thinking about it.
Even if he didn't truly fear Kumogakure—
Seeing living, breathing shinobi reduced to cold casualty lists was still unbearable.
Those people had gone to the front because of his decisions.
They had died because of his orders.
Taking a slow breath, Minato forced the thoughts aside.
If he was going to wrestle with those questions, it would have to wait until he was back in the Hokage's office.
When he turned his attention back to Kei and Hyūga Ayaka, something caught his eye.
Ayaka's face seemed… slightly flushed?
Did Kei just say something embarrassing?
He glanced between them, a hint of amusement flickering across his face.
Not bad, he thought. Looks like the kid's making progress.
Then another thought struck him, and his expression grew subtly playful.
"Come to think of it," Minato said,
"Today's your birthday, isn't it, Ayaka? I remember seeing it when I approved your jōnin report. Sorry—I didn't prepare a gift."
He smiled.
"So… is this a date?"
---
Several weeks earlier, in the Land of Iron—
Uchiha Ryū stood atop a tree branch, silently observing the distant terrain.
He had already been stationed here for weeks.
The Land of Fire and the Land of Lightning didn't share a border.
Between them lay smaller nations—the Land of Iron, the Land of Hot Water, the Land of Rice Fields, and others.
Even though some of these countries had ninja villages, local daimyō and wealthy merchants rarely trusted them.
Unless they were short on funds, they preferred to commission shinobi from the major villages.
Konoha and Kumogakure were two of the great powers of the shinobi world.
And since its founding, Konoha had participated in every Great Ninja War—without ever suffering a true defeat.
For clients who valued stability and mission success, Konoha was the obvious choice.
The Land of Iron was no exception.
While a few factions leaned toward Kumogakure, they were a minority.
After all, Kumogakure had exerted far more pressure—and caused far more harm—than Konoha ever had.
"Captain Ryū."
A voice broke the silence.
Ryū turned his head to look at the Hyūga shinobi beside him.
"Kaiten? What is it?"
The man was Hyūga Kaiten, a branch family member.
He had been paired with Ryū for this mission.
Their third teammate was Senju Jin, a capable shinobi skilled in Earth and Water Release.
"Cloud ninja are moving toward the mission team," Kaiten reported quickly.
"Six of them—likely two rapid-response squads."
A standard shinobi team usually consisted of four members.
On the battlefield, however, rapid-response units often operated with three—stripped of medics or non-offensive specialists.
Ryū's team followed the same logic.
Of course, it was also possible the enemy squads weren't at full strength due to earlier losses.
After all, even if this fighting was officially labeled a "conflict," such conflicts were inseparable from death.
"Six of them?" Uchiha Ryū nodded, drawing in a deep breath.
"In that case—move out!"
"Yes, Captain!" Hyūga Kaiten and Senju Jin answered immediately.
With a single command, the three figures vanished from where they stood.
Ryū was the fastest.
Although he was a squad captain, on the battlefield he always positioned himself as the vanguard. Leading from the front was the only way to truly inspire his subordinates.
He had more than eight years of frontline combat experience. He knew exactly what had to be done.
As he rapidly closed the distance, his Sharingan activated mid-stride.
Scarlet eyes spun slowly, two tomoe revolving within each pupil. His perception sharpened—and his speed increased yet again.
The three moved through the forest in a staggered formation, one leading, two trailing. In under a minute, they had reached the rear of the mission team.
They were not here to wait for the Cloud ninja to strike.
They were here to intercept—and annihilate them.
"Kaiten, protect the mission team. Jin, flank with me," Ryū ordered while sprinting.
"Execute!"
"Yes, Captain!"
The two immediately split off—one accelerating toward the mission group, the other circling to Ryū's side.
Moments later, the Cloud ninja came into view, converging from both front and rear.
"Fire Release: Phoenix Flower Technique!"
Ryū formed seals mid-run and launched the attack toward the densest cluster of enemies.
Whether it would be effective or not didn't matter.
With numbers on their side, the odds of hitting something were high.
Faced with the sudden appearance of Konoha reinforcements, the Cloud ninja showed no sign of panic.
As the fire jutsu closed in, the leading Cloud shinobi formed seals almost simultaneously.
Bang! Bang! Bang!
Two bursts of smoke erupted in the flames. Wooden logs fell to the ground.
Substitution Technique.
One of the most basic of the Three Body Techniques—and often the one that saved the most lives.
Ryū's crimson Sharingan swept the battlefield, instantly locking onto their real positions.
Just as he prepared to strike—
Every hair on his body stood on end.
A powerful sense of imminent danger surged through him.
He activated Substitution at once.
A slicing sound tore through the air.
But what was struck was only wood.
Ryū reappeared beneath a nearby tree.
He glanced at the torn fabric on his shoulder—then at the tree trunk behind him, split cleanly in half as it crashed to the ground.
This one's dangerous, he realized.
But hesitation on the battlefield was suicide.
"No bad," a Cloud ninja said calmly, glancing at the shattered wood before turning toward Ryū.
"Kid, you're impressive. And those eyes of yours—very impressive."
"Toroi?" Ryū frowned.
"The Magnet Release shinobi from Kumogakure?"
"Oh? So you know me," Toroi nodded.
"Good. Then I'll be taking those eyes of yours."
"Is that so?" Ryū replied flatly.
He scanned his surroundings.
It seemed Toroi was alone—meaning the others had gone after the mission team.
That realization allowed him to exhale slightly.
One-on-one, he still had confidence.
After all—
I'm an Uchiha.
Ryū's gaze sharpened as his mind rapidly evaluated the situation.
Toroi was no ordinary opponent.
A Cloud ninja who wielded the Magnet Release—something even Sunagakure coveted.
Not Lightning Release. Not a traditional Land of Lightning bloodline.
And yet, unquestionably powerful.
Ryū wasn't even sure he could win.
But battlefield instinct overruled doubt.
He hurled his kunai to the ground and stripped every metal tool from his body.
Against a Magnet Release user, metal was a death sentence.
"Smart," Toroi narrowed his eyes, a mocking smile forming.
"Discarding metal limits me, sure—but…"
"With no weapons, how will you fight me?"
Without warning, Toroi appeared before him and drove a fist forward.
The impact felt wrong.
Smoke burst outward.
A log dropped to the ground.
Substitution again.
Toroi wasn't bothered.
Two-tomoe Sharingan.
Not fully matured.
Victory was still firmly in his grasp.
He tore open a scroll.
Dozens of flat, rectangular shuriken burst forth, hovering midair, spinning as Toroi infused them with chakra.
Ryū didn't rush.
He observed.
Information was everything—and he had precious little of it.
"Found you!"
Toroi shouted.
The shuriken shot forward like living magnets.
Ryū leapt away, but they followed.
Even after another Substitution, they tracked him instantly.
Why…?
As he dodged, Ryū focused his Sharingan.
He saw it—abnormal chakra lingering on the shuriken.
Not just propulsion.
Attraction.
Suddenly understanding dawned.
He darted behind a tree and glanced at his shoulder.
The torn fabric from earlier still carried faint residual chakra.
So that was it.
Tracking via magnetic chakra.
Thank you, Kei-sama…
If I didn't have the Sharingan, I'd be dead.
The trees began to shatter as Toroi increased pressure.
Forced into the open, Ryū formed seals.
A Fire Release explosion detonated, scattering shuriken.
He grabbed a fallen branch and charged.
Toroi scoffed.
A stick? Really?
He confirmed the lingering chakra—still there.
No problem.
Two shuriken reshaped into blade-thin weapons in his hands.
The rest surged forward like a storm.
Ryū advanced with terrifying precision, dodging and deflecting, using his Sharingan to the fullest.
This was no clone.
Toroi was certain.
Impressive… but still doomed.
The blades extended further, crackling with magnetic force.
"Magnet Release: Twin Sparrow Blades!"
He struck.
And then—
Something felt wrong.
Ryū rushed forward, fearless.
Too fearless.
Boom!
Smoke exploded.
A discarded shirt fell to the ground.
A Shadow Clone.
Before Toroi could react, a figure erupted from the earth and slammed a fist into his chest.
Too late.
Red eyes met his.
Genjutsu chakra surged straight into his mind.
"Demonic Illusion: Shackling Stakes!"
His body froze.
Pinned. Nailed in place.
Ryū stood before him, bare-chested, exhausted—but victorious.
"Magnetization," Ryū said calmly.
"That's your trick."
"You're… Uchiha," Toroi laughed weakly.
"Terrifying bloodline."
"Do you think I won't kill you?" Ryū asked quietly, hands forming seals.
"You thought we'd capture you. Bargain. Trade you back."
He finished the seal.
"You're wrong."
"My superior is Uchiha Kei."
"And he gave one order before we deployed."
"If you strike—wipe them out. Leave nothing behind."
Cut the grass.
Pull the roots.
---