Chapter 7: I Suspect You've Been Bought by Iwagakure!
Returning to the Konoha frontline operational area, Uchiha Sanpō quickly untied Uzumaki Huiyi and signaled her to hide her Kusagakure forehead protector.
Uzumaki Huiyi silently complied, though her heart was filled with unease about this unfamiliar environment and what might happen next.
After walking for a few minutes, they ran into Uchiha Inaka and Uchiha Tetsuka.
Uchiha Tetsuka's face lit up with joy as he rushed over, voice full of concern: "Sanpō-niisan, thank goodness you're okay!"
Uchiha Inaka quickly turned his attention to Uzumaki Huiyi, looking puzzled: "Sanpō-niisan, who's this woman?"
Uchiha Sanpō's lips curved upward as he smiled and introduced her: "This is Uzumaki Huiyi, my woman. You two should call her sister-in-law!"
At these words, Uchiha Inaka and Uchiha Tetsuka exchanged a glance, then bowed respectfully in unison: "Hello, sister-in-law!"
Uzumaki Huiyi had never experienced anything like this. Her cheeks instantly flushed red as she shyly replied in a soft voice: "Mm... hello!"
Noticing the grim expressions and hurried movements of the surrounding Konoha ninjas, Uchiha Sanpō felt a flicker of doubt—after all, he'd only been gone for two days.
He turned to Uchiha Inaka and asked: "Inaka, it's barely past 9 right now. Why are you two rushing back to the outpost? Did something happen?"
Uchiha Inaka sighed helplessly, looking exhausted: "Sigh... the supply rations for the past two days have been only half of what they used to be. We've run out of kunai and explosive tags and were heading back to resupply."
Uchiha Tetsuka added: "Sanpō-niisan, you don't know—lately Iwagakure's offensives have been fiercer than before. But the village's logistical supplies haven't arrived on time. Casualties these past two days are up thirty percent from normal. Word is, higher-ups are already considering abandoning the frontline outposts in the Land of Grass!"
Uchiha Sanpō's eyes shifted slightly as countless thoughts raced through his mind, but he didn't comment immediately.
Changing the subject, he said: "Let's head back to the outpost first. It's not safe here."
"Alright..."
Soon after, they arrived at the outpost.
Uchiha Sanpō looked at Uchiha Inaka and Uchiha Tetsuka and instructed: "Inaka, Tetsuka—take care of Huiyi for me. I'm going to report in."
"Don't worry, Sanpō-niisan—we'll look after her!"
The two patted their chests in assurance.
Uchiha Sanpō turned and headed toward the command tent. Before he even entered, he could hear heated arguing inside.
"Tenrō Ryūna! My Kurama clan had 53 members—dead in your medical division in just two days! You owe me an explanation, or today I'll kill you!"
Kurama Unkai's voice was filled with rage and grief.
Tenrō Ryūna tried to calm him, but her tone lacked conviction: "Clan Head Kurama, please calm down!"
"Calm down? Fuck your calm! Since the war started, my Kurama clan had 1,000 ninjas—401 dead, 172 crippled. Over half casualties! How the hell am I supposed to calm down?! Tenrō Ryūna, if you don't give me an explanation right now, I'll end you!"
Kurama Unkai's roar made the table tremble slightly.
Tenrō Ryūna's eyes reddened as she played the victim: "You want an explanation? Fine. Because logistical supplies have been delayed, medicine is critically short. Many wounds got infected. Some critically injured chose suicide to save medicine for others. Our medical team hasn't slept for days trying to comfort the wounded—we've done everything we could!"
Kurama Unkai clenched his fists and roared to the sky: "Aaaah... Shimura Tarō... I'll kill you!"
"Unkai-kun, please calm down. This isn't my fault. You know—an Iwagakure elite squad ambushed our last supply convoy and burned everything. Three days ago I already requested emergency supplies from the village, but nothing's come. Even if you kill me, it won't help!"
Shimura Tarō's voice carried helplessness and grievance.
Hearing this much, Uchiha Sanpō roughly understood the situation. He knocked lightly on the door and announced loudly: "Clan Head, I have important intelligence to report!"
Uchiha Fugaku's cold voice came from inside: "Enter!"
Uchiha Sanpō gently pushed open the door, stepped in, and closed it behind him.
Seeing who it was, Shimura Tarō frowned deeply, tone hostile: "Uchiha Sanpō, weren't you captured by an Iwagakure jōnin? How did you get back? Did you betray the village?!"
Uchiha Sanpō remained calm. He activated his Three Tomoe Sharingan, gaze sharp and cold: "I pretended to be captured, then used genjutsu to control the Iwagakure jōnin. After that, I infiltrated deeper into Iwagakure territory and gathered critical intelligence!"
Uchiha Fugaku's eyes burned intensely. His fingers tapped rhythmically on the table—thump, thump, thump.
Only then did he speak slowly: "Sanpō, what intelligence did you obtain? Speak."
"After Iwagakure ambushed and killed the Third Raikage, two factions emerged inside Iwagakure. The radicals believe morale is at its peak—now is the time to cripple Konoha and make Iwagakure the number one ninja village. The ones attacking our outposts recently are exactly these radicals."
Uchiha Sanpō paused, then continued: "The conservatives, however, believe that once the Third Raikage's son takes power, Kumogakure will inevitably declare war on Iwagakure. At that point, the Konoha-Kumo war would stop—possibly even leading to Konoha and Kumo allying against Iwagakure. To defend against a potential Kumo sneak attack, the conservatives have already begun redeploying forces toward the border with the Land of Waterfalls."
After hearing the report, everyone in the room exchanged glances, expressions varied.
Mimura Hamaki looked toward Uchiha Fugaku and asked: "Fugaku, as overall commander—if Iwagakure is shifting personnel and supplies to defend against Kumo, then should I still take my 100 men to defend Shinobazu Bridge as ordered?"
Uchiha Fugaku lowered his head in thought for a moment, then said: "It's a direct village order. You should still go and hold the position."
Hearing this, Uchiha Sanpō immediately interjected: "No! Shinobazu Bridge is right on the border between the Land of Waterfalls and the Land of Earth. Hamaki-jōnin taking 100 men there would be completely indefensible—they'd just be sending them to die!"
Hearing someone question high command's orders, Shimura Tarō slammed the table and roared: "Insolent! This is a direct order from village higher-ups—they have their reasons! Uchiha Sanpō, you're always speaking for Iwagakure. I suspect you've been bought off by them—you must be interrogated!"
Seeing the atmosphere turn dangerous, Mimura Hamaki quickly tried to mediate: "The order says the village will send Namikaze Minato for support, so it shouldn't be too dangerous!"
Uchiha Fugaku also kept a stern face: "Sanpō, leave for now. I don't want this Shinobazu Bridge intelligence spreading."
"Namikaze Minato is the overall commander of the eastern front. If the village is sending him here, it means they've already reached a peace agreement with Kumogakure. If Kumo's war has stopped, the conservatives can redeploy over 3,000 ninjas. If the village truly wanted to support our northern front, they should send at least 1,000 reinforcements. But instead of reinforcements, they're sending Namikaze Minato—so he's not coming to support us; he's coming to steal the credit!"
After speaking, Uchiha Sanpō saw the faces in the room darken instantly. Without another word, he turned and walked out of the tent...
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