Mount Myoboku was wrapped in immortal mist, and in the deep forest the croaking of frogs echoed continuously.
Natural energy flowed through the air like a gentle stream, creating a tranquil scene completely cut off from the outside world.
Arisu sat quietly on a bluestone, faint sage chakra surrounding his body.
He had just heard news from the ninja world from a frog. His eyes suddenly opened, and a trace of confusion appeared between his brows.
"Uchiha Katsu is dead? How is that possible?"
Arisu muttered softly. His fingers lightly tapped his knee as he fell into thought.
No matter how he looked at it, the matter felt strange. Something was clearly wrong.
What kind of person was Uchiha Katsu?
During ten years of war, he had staged a coup with his own strength and seized power, leading the Uchiha back from the edge of decline to the ranks of the top clans.
Careful-minded, cunning by nature, ruthless in action yet extremely patient. How could someone like that die so easily at the hands of an unknown assassin?
According to Arisu's judgment of Uchiha Katsu, even if the man were to fall, it should have been during a war sweeping across the ninja world, after a desperate battle against great clans like the Senju and Uzumaki.
Yet now he had supposedly been assassinated by killers from the underground bounty exchange. It was far too absurd and simply made no sense.
And Arisu had also asked the bounty exchange organization himself. They had never received such a contract.
Who would even dare accept it?
How was this any different from Kakuzu trying to assassinate the First Hokage?
Although the bounty exchange also had some strong wandering fighters, they were not enough to assassinate Uchiha Katsu.
Thinking of this, Arisu narrowed his eyes slightly, and a trace of understanding flashed through them.
Uchiha Katsu had always been cunning and calculating. He never acted without a clear purpose. Such an abrupt announcement of his death must hide some unknown scheme.
In an instant, Arisu was certain.
This was not an assassination at all. It was completely a fake death directed and acted by Uchiha Katsu himself.
"Hmph, the cunning reincarnation of Indra."
———
Inside the History room of Mount Myoboku, thin smoke curled in the air. Bamboo historical scrolls lay spread across the table.
Fukasaku Sage sat at the desk, holding a brush. His fingers were steady as a rock as he solemnly carved each word into the historical record.
"In the seventieth year of the Ninja Calendar, Uchiha clan leader Uchiha Katsu was assassinated."
Just as the brush stroke finished...
The room door was suddenly slammed open.
Black Zetsu's figure drifted in like a ghost. He rushed in hurriedly and loudly interrupted in a hurried tone, "Stop writing! This part of history still needs to be verified again. Pause for now!"
Fukasaku's hand holding the brush suddenly stopped. He looked up at the flustered Black Zetsu, his brows slightly furrowed with confusion.
"Didn't the Uchiha clan already officially announce to the ninja world that Uchiha Katsu was assassinated? Why should we pause?", Black Zetsu took a breath and replied rapidly.
"I'm not sure about the exact reason either. The Great Sage personally sent a message saying that Uchiha Katsu might have faked his death to escape. This part of history absolutely cannot be written down hastily. We must wait for the time being!"
"I see."
After hearing this, Fukasaku did not ask further questions. He gently placed the brush on the inkstone and slowly smoothed the unfinished bamboo scroll with his hand before responding calmly.
"Since it is the Great Sage's instruction, we will simply follow it."
———
The next day, just as dawn was breaking and the morning mist still lingered at the edge of the Senju clan territory near the South Naka River, Senju Mio was already fully prepared to depart.
This time she wore simple cloth clothing. At her waist hung only the ancestral short blade of the Senju clan. It was clear that Senju Mio did not want to attend the funeral wearing armor.
Mio stood upright at the exit of the clan territory, the sadness in her eyes still lingering.
A group of Senju elders had already gathered there. Their expressions were solemn as they surrounded her and began to persuade her one after another.
"Elder Mio, you are heading to the Uchiha clan territory. The Uchiha have always been unpredictable. Even if Uchiha Katsu is dead, we cannot be sure they do not harbor hidden schemes."
"I sincerely request that you bring five of the Senju's top experts with you as escorts, just in case!"
But Senju Mio simply shook her head calmly, "There's no need. Now that Uchiha Katsu is dead, in the entire ninja world, I, Senju Mio, am unquestionably the strongest combat force.
If Katsu were still alive, the two of us might have been evenly matched. But now that he has been assassinated, there is no one left in the Uchiha clan who can contend with me. Why would I need escorts?
"I can go alone."
Mio's confidence was not arrogance. The strength she gained from ten years of war had already placed her at the very peak of the ninja world. This confidence came from countless battles fought in blood.
Besides, Senju Mio did not want to attend a funeral with a military force behind her.
The elders were still uneasy and continued to persuade her, bowing their hands repeatedly.
"Elder Mio, caution ensures safety for a thousand years!"
"The Uchiha clan still has a deep foundation. Even if they are leaderless, we cannot take them lightly. Even bringing just five elites would at least provide support!"
"Even if Uchiha Katsu did not intend to harm you, what about those proud and fierce Uchiha warriors?"
Senju Mio looked at the worried elders before her and fell silent for a moment.
They were right.
Mio's fingers lightly touched the strap of her shoulder armor. In the end, she nodded.
"Very well. I will follow your suggestion and bring five Senju elites with me."
As soon as she finished speaking, five agile figures with calm and steady auras stepped forward immediately. They bowed and stood behind Mio, their bodies radiating the sharp presence of warriors seasoned in battle.
Senju Mio said nothing more. She turned and stepped forward, entering the morning mist first, with the five elites following closely behind her. The group of six rushed toward the Uchiha clan territory.
They moved swiftly through the forests of the ninja world. In less than half a day, the outline of the Uchiha clan territory appeared in the distance.
Rows of weathered wooden houses stretched across the land. Although there was more life in the place after Uchiha Katsu's reforms, the shadow of the clan leader's sudden death still hung over everything, giving the area a heavy sense of solemnity.
Senju Mio slowed to a stop at the entrance of the Uchiha territory. Looking at the clan before her, the sorrow in her eyes surged again. She took a deep breath and stepped forward.
Standing at the entrance of the Uchiha clan territory, everything she saw was a striking white.
Long ago, people often used black to represent mourning, while white was usually for celebrations. But because of the religion of the Six Paths, white had come to represent mourning.
The entire clan wore mourning garments. White flags hung from the corners of every wooden house roof, rustling softly in the wind.
The clansmen coming and going all wore white mourning clothes, and their expressions seemed covered with sorrow, fully emphasizing the solemn atmosphere of the funeral.
Mio had just raised her foot to enter.
Two Uchiha guards standing at the gate stepped forward and bowed respectfully, yet firmly blocking her path.
"Elder Mio, we apologize for stopping you."
The guard lowered his head in a respectful salute and spoke politely.
"Before his death, Clan Leader Katsu specifically instructed that only you were invited to attend the funeral. The Senju companions traveling with you were not included in the invitation. Please do not bring others inside."
As soon as the words fell, the five Senju elites behind Mio immediately showed displeased expressions, clearly unhappy with the Uchiha's treatment.
"I see."
Senju Mio looked at the respectful and humble guards, and her heart stirred slightly.
Her relationship with Uchiha Katsu was an unresolved feeling hidden beneath the clan grudges of the chaotic ninja world.
Years of entanglement and half a lifetime of attachment. Neither of them had ever married because of the other.
She was certain that Uchiha Katsu would never use such a method to trap and harm her. Since this was his final wish, she should respect it.