The movements of the Uchiha clan could not be hidden from the other four great ninja villages.
The already tense balance of the shinobi world tightened once again.
They all understood one thing:
This was not merely an Uchiha action— it had the full backing of Konoha's leadership.
When the Kage of the Hidden Mist, Stone, Cloud, and Sand villages heard the news, they were stunned.
Konoha was currently the strongest military force in the world—
and with Wen Lan's presence, no one wanted to provoke them.
Yet now, someone had done exactly that.
Not only had they attacked Konoha—
they had killed an Uchiha.
That was like pouring fuel onto a raging fire, directly igniting Wen Lan's fury.
When Yagura, the Mizukage, received the report— especially the part about Wen Lan leading a large force of Uchiha straight toward the Hidden Mist— his head began to ring.
For years, he had worked hard to maintain friendly relations with Konoha.
Yagura was the type to repay kindness with loyalty, and cooperation with Konoha brought stability and development to his village.
He had no desire to jeopardize that relationship.
But now—an Uchiha had been killed in an incident connected to the Hidden Mist.
If this situation were mishandled, war would be inevitable.
The village was already weakened after the Third Great Ninja War.
Then came the period when he was controlled, ushering in the brutal Blood Mist era.
Their strength had declined again and again.
Now, the Hidden Mist was barely stronger than the Sand Village.
If Konoha launched an offensive, they might not be able to withstand it.
And once they showed weakness, the Cloud and Sand villages would surely move in to take advantage.
If Konoha used this incident as justification for war— the Hidden Mist could be doomed.
Yagura understood:
Only by uncovering the truth and distancing the village from the attackers could they survive.
He immediately issued an order:
"Transmit my command.
Dispatch ANBU immediately to support the Konoha mission team.
If you encounter Konoha reinforcements, there will be no conflict.
All actions will defer to Konoha authority."
"Yes, sir!"
An ANBU operative departed at once.
Yagura stared out the window at the thick, unmoving fog.
His fingers trembled slightly.
He knew this decision effectively placed his village under Konoha's scrutiny—
but he had no other choice.
Only cooperation could preserve what remained.
Outside, the fog lingered heavily in the air, as if foreshadowing an approaching storm.
Meanwhile, Wen Lan led two hundred Uchiha through the forest at high speed.
The composition of the force was terrifying:
60 jonin
140 chunin and special jonin
This was not merely a response unit.
It was a small army—
one capable of crushing the regular forces of most ninja villages.
On the third day, they finally caught up with the mission convoy.
The two surviving chunin were tense as drawn bows, escorting the caravan forward.
There were ten wagons in total:
Seven cargo wagons
Three passenger carriages
In addition to the two chunin, more than a dozen armed guards accompanied the convoy, scanning the surroundings nervously.
Then—
two hundred Uchiha burst from the forest.
They surrounded the convoy instantly.
The two chunin drew their blades, faces pale.
The guards tried to reach for their weapons—but under the suffocating pressure of sixty jonin, even breathing became difficult.
Raising a weapon was impossible.
When the chunin saw the identical Sharingan eyes and Konoha headbands, relief flooded their faces.
"It's… it's Konoha reinforcements!"
Only then did the guards finally relax.
The crowd parted.
Wen Lan stepped forward slowly.
The two chunin immediately dropped to one knee.
"Deputy Hokage, sir!"
Wen Lan scanned the convoy with cold eyes.
"Who is in charge here?"
A middle-aged merchant in luxurious clothing stepped down from the first carriage, trembling.
"I—I am the owner of this caravan. My name is Inoue Sanki."
Wen Lan didn't even look at him.
Instead, his gaze shifted to the other two passenger carriages.
"What's in those?"
"In reply, sir… two distinguished guests traveling with me to the Hidden Mist."
Wen Lan snorted softly and gestured.
Two Uchiha jonin stepped forward to inspect.
Shisui and Jien lifted the curtains.
Inside the first carriage sat a young girl in a purple kimono, around thirteen or fourteen years old.
She looked nervous, seated quietly on soft cushions.
The second carriage contained three adult men, equally tense.
Shisui and Jien glanced back at Wen Lan and shook their heads.
No immediate threat.
Wen Lan's expression hardened.
His right hand slowly rested on his sword hilt.
His three-tomoe Sharingan emerged silently.
He lowered his gaze toward Inoue Sanki.
"Do you know why those ninjas attacked your convoy?"
"I… I don't know."
Sweat poured down the merchant's forehead.
"They came suddenly and attacked without a word.
And… none of them wore headbands."
"No headbands…"
Wen Lan frowned.
In the ninja world, a headband was more precious than life itself.
It represented honor.
Even rogue ninja usually scratched a line across their headband—but still wore it openly.
To abandon it entirely was extremely rare.
His three-tomoe Sharingan spun slowly.
His gaze cut into the merchant like a blade.
The man trembled but said nothing more.
Wen Lan turned to a Yamanaka clan member beside him.
"Investigate everyone in the convoy."
"Yes, Deputy Hokage."
Yamanaka Yuu formed hand seals rapidly.
He memorized every face present, then transmitted the information to clan members back in Konoha using their mental communication technique.
Moments later—
his eyes snapped open.
"Deputy Hokage, the girl and the man in the leftmost carriage are suspicious.
According to Konoha intelligence—
that girl is Princess Koyuki of the Land of Snow,
and that man is Minister Asama Sandayu.
Hatake Kakashi once carried out a mission in the Land of Snow to escort them to safety."
Inoue Sanki's eyes widened in shock.
He stared at Yamanaka Yuu in disbelief.
"Bring them here," Wen Lan ordered immediately.
Shisui and Jien swiftly escorted the girl and the minister out of the carriage.
The girl's lips trembled slightly, fear and defiance flickering in her eyes.
The minister stepped protectively in front of her.
Wen Lan walked forward slowly.
His three-tomoe Sharingan reflected their figures coldly.
"Princess of the Land of Snow?"
Sandayu dropped to his knees and began kowtowing.
"My lord! We truly did not intend to conceal this. Please—spare Her Highness!"
Wen Lan narrowed his eyes.
His voice turned icy.
"So those attackers… were from the Land of Snow?"
Sandayu didn't dare lie.
He nodded immediately.
"Yes."
—------------------------------
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