Kaguya Den looked thoroughly excited.
"Kirigakure is going to lose!"
"Wonderful!"
"They deserve it!"
"That old dog, the Third Mizukage, kept targeting our clan members, forced Fuguki Suikazan to defect, and oppressed the Kaguya at every turn. If not for him, Kirigakure's strength would never have sunk this low."
"He is the true reason Kirigakure has fallen into such a state—not Sunagakure."
"This is our chance!"
Kaguya Den went to find Uchiha Yashiro.
"Yashiro, have you heard how the situation on the battlefield has changed?"
Uchiha Yashiro nodded.
"I have already received word. Sunagakure launched a surprise assault on the Kirigakure army, dealing them heavy losses and driving them back step by step. Even with Konoha's support, they remain at a massive disadvantage."
"And the Iwagakure army is pressing Konoha hard."
"Right now, the alliance between Konoha and Kirigakure is hanging by a thread."
Hatred rose in Yashiro's eyes.
"I was just about to lead the clan in delivering a fatal strike to Konoha."
Kaguya Den quickly stopped him.
"Yashiro, under the current circumstances, I don't think attacking Konoha is the best choice."
"Hm?"
"The alliance between Konoha and Kirigakure is indeed unstable, but both the Kirigakure army and the Konoha army are near Konoha right now. If we attack Konoha at this moment, it will still be difficult."
Kaguya Den said, "We have too few people."
"Under these circumstances, I think attacking Kirigakure is the better option."
"The Kirigakure army is in crisis. That means Kirigakure will inevitably send shinobi reinforcements, which will greatly weaken the village's internal defenses. If we strike Kirigakure now, we have an excellent chance of taking it."
"If we seize Kirigakure, then we'll have a place to stand in this shinobi world."
"Once that happens, I'll become Mizukage, and you can be my assistant."
"Our two clans can build Kirigakure up together."
"And then, when the time comes to deal with Konoha and avenge the Uchiha clan, we'll have a much better chance."
Yashiro's eyes narrowed faintly.
You become Mizukage, and I become your assistant?
On what grounds?
Since when was the Kaguya clan stronger than the Uchiha?
We haven't even taken Kirigakure yet, and you're already talking like this. If you actually became Mizukage, what then?
Greedy—and not particularly smart.
Yashiro did not think much of Kaguya Den.
To be precise, he did not think much of the Kaguya clan as a whole.
Extreme in temperament. Arrogant. Quick to anger...
And Konoha dares say the Uchiha are extreme by nature and uses that as an excuse to target us. If they ever saw the Kaguya clan, wouldn't they start screaming for blood on the spot?
At first, after hearing Kaguya Den out, Yashiro had indeed felt somewhat tempted.
But after hearing the latter half, he abandoned the thought.
Marching on Kirigakure together with the Kaguya would only mean doing unpaid labor for them.
Even if they succeeded in taking Kirigakure, the Uchiha would gain nothing.
Once the Kaguya obtained the position of Mizukage, they would inevitably suppress the Uchiha and target them.
It would merely be a repeat of what had happened in Konoha.
"The only ones the Uchiha can rely on... are the Uchiha themselves."
"No one else can be trusted."
Of course, Yashiro was not going to say that to Kaguya Den's face.
Instead, he found an excuse.
"My apologies. Ever since the Uchiha clan left Konoha, we gave up any intention of joining another shinobi village. The Uchiha will only ever belong to the Uchiha."
"And compared to attacking Kirigakure, we would rather strike Konoha in retaliation."
"Konoha has wronged the Uchiha too deeply."
"This grudge must be repaid."
"And now is the best chance. If we miss it, another may never come."
Kaguya Den revealed a disappointed look.
"Very well. Since that's your decision, then we'll split up here. Your Uchiha will head for Konoha and exact your revenge, while my Kaguya will head for Kirigakure and attempt to seize the village."
"If my Kaguya clan succeeds in taking Kirigakure, and your Uchiha later find yourselves without a place to go, then the gates of Kirigakure will absolutely be open to you."
Yashiro clasped his fists.
"Then I thank you in advance."
Very soon, the Uchiha clan and the Kaguya clan began to move.
One headed east.
The other west.
Yashiro gazed toward Konoha in the distance. By now, scattered Konoha shinobi had already begun entering his field of vision.
"Remember our purpose."
"We are here to kill."
"If you see a Konoha shinobi, kill them."
"We are not here to fight Konoha head-on."
"We are here for vengeance."
The others exchanged glances and answered in unison.
"Yes, Yashiro-sama."
One Konoha shinobi had only just withdrawn from the front.
His chakra was exhausted, and his injuries were not light either. Only after drawing near to Konoha did he finally let out a breath, feeling safe at last.
"Kirigakure is so useless!"
"They're good for nothing."
"They only know how to drag Konoha down."
"If only we had never formed an alliance with them."
Suddenly—
The Konoha shinobi sensed danger and instinctively turned back, only to see a pair of eyes.
Scarlet eyes.
Tomoe rotating slowly within them.
"Uchiha?"
The Konoha shinobi's pupils contracted sharply.
But it was already too late.
The Uchiha's genjutsu descended, and he fell into an illusion.
The Uchiha shinobi stepped forward.
Puchi!
A kunai drove viciously into the Konoha shinobi's throat.
The intense pain jolted him out of the illusion, but it was already meaningless. The blood pouring madly from his neck was proof enough of his fading life.
Bang!
The Konoha shinobi crashed to the ground and became a corpse.
The Uchiha shinobi revealed a smile.
"Refreshing!"
"So this is what revenge feels like!"
"Kagami-senpai, Uchiha Tong—I've avenged you!"
"I've avenged every Uchiha who ever suffered Konoha's unfair treatment!"
"All Konoha shinobi deserve to die!"
"I'll kill every last one of you!"
One Konoha shinobi after another, withdrawing from the front lines, fell in succession.
Against ordinary shinobi like these, the Uchiha's killing efficiency was terrifyingly high.
A single genjutsu to immobilize them, followed by either a kunai or a short blade—one strike was enough to take a life.
Especially now, when Konoha's entire focus was fixed on the Iwagakure front and the Sunagakure front.
For the moment, no one had noticed the situation unfolding behind the front lines.
That let the Uchiha massacre to their hearts' content.
Watching Konoha shinobi collapse, breathing in that thick smell of blood, the Uchiha felt an incomparable sense of release.
All the grievance, resentment, and fury they had endured until now burst forth in this single moment.
"Kill!"
"Keep killing!"
"I want to kill more!"