"Grand Elder Grandpa, we're not afraid either!"
One after another, a group of boys and girls stepped forward, their small faces filled with determination.
"Good… good… good!"
The Grand Elder's voice trembled as he said it three times in a row, his eyes growing moist. "You are all brave children. Grandpa is proud of you."
Seeing the children stand up so fearlessly, the adults' resistance finally crumbled.
"Grand Elder… we'll listen to you. We won't resist."
"But… will Konoha really let us go?"
The Grand Elder shook his head slowly. "I don't know whether Konoha will spare us. But I do know one thing—the Clan Leader will never abandon us."
He paused, then continued:
"Do you remember the pills I gave you? We old ones… if we die, we die. But you children still have a future. Those pills will give you a chance—a sliver of hope. I believe the Clan Leader will find a way."
"…Alright. We'll listen to you."
The room fell silent. Everyone turned their gaze toward the entrance of the underground casino, waiting.
Waiting for their fate.
---
Meanwhile, in Small Town…
Homura Mitokado and Koharu Utatane finally arrived at the Great Golden Sands Hotel.
"Who are you people?! You can't just barge in here!" Two security guards stepped forward nervously.
"Can't you see our headbands?" Koharu said coldly. "We are Shinobi from Konoha. We suspect fugitives are being hidden here. We will be conducting a search."
The guards immediately shrank back.
"N-Ninja masters… please, at least let us inform the boss first…"
"Hmph. Then stop wasting time and go!"
"Yes! Yes!"
The guards rushed off in panic.
---
Inside, Takahashi Shinichi was calmly sipping tea—until the guards burst in.
"Boss! Boss! It's bad!"
"What are you panicking for? Speak properly."
"Konoha Ninja are here—they want to search the hotel!"
"Pfft—WHAT?!"
Takahashi spat out his tea and shot to his feet.
If they found the Uchiha hidden below… his life was over.
He rushed outside immediately.
"N-Ninja masters, what brings you here?"
Koharu didn't even bother with politeness.
"We suspect you're hiding fugitives. We're searching this place."
"This is a legitimate business! There's no one here—you must be mistaken!"
"We'll decide that after the search. Move!"
With a wave of her hand, the Konoha Ninja stormed inside.
---
Minutes later…
"Report! Search complete—no suspicious individuals found."
"None?" Koharu clicked her tongue. "What a waste of time. Let's go."
Takahashi nearly collapsed in relief.
But then—
"Wait."
Homura Mitokado stepped forward, eyes narrowing.
"Are you sure you searched everywhere?"
The air froze.
The reporting ninja hesitated. "Yes… we checked everything."
Homura slowly turned toward Takahashi.
"This man… wants us to leave far too badly."
Takahashi's face turned pale instantly.
Koharu frowned. "You're overthinking it."
"No," Homura said calmly. "Now I'm certain."
Takahashi's legs nearly gave out.
---
"Hyuga ninja—step forward."
A Hyuga clan member approached and activated his Byakugan.
"Byakugan!"
His vision pierced through walls, floors—everything.
Top floor… nothing.
Middle floors… nothing.
Ground floor…
Still nothing.
Just as he was about to deactivate it—
His eyes widened.
"There it is…"
A dense cluster of chakra—hidden beneath the building.
And not just any chakra.
Uchiha chakra.
He smiled coldly.
"Found them."
"What did you see?" Homura asked immediately.
"They're underground. A large group of Uchiha clan members."
"What?!"
Koharu's fury exploded instantly. She kicked Takahashi to the ground.
"You bastard! You dared to deceive us?!"
Takahashi collapsed like a broken puppet.
"It's over…"
---
"Heh… I knew something was wrong," Homura said with a cold smile.
"Hyuga ninja, lead the way. Everyone else—follow!"
The group quickly moved through the hotel, stopping at a concealed section of the floor.
"So that's how you hid it…" Koharu sneered. "No wonder we didn't find it."
"Open it."
The hidden door was forced open.
A dark passage revealed itself.
"Move."
The Konoha ninja descended underground.
Behind them, Takahashi was dragged along like a corpse.
His face was ashen.
Because he knew—
What waited below…
Was not just a group of fugitives.
It was the breaking point of everything.
----------------_-_-_------------------
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