After the sun set, the forest was shrouded in pitch-black shadows, with only the faint moonlight spilling down.
Sasuke glanced at the time, knowing it was time for him to go back and rest.
However, before heading back, he needed to visit one place.
— Nankai Shrine.
A significant venue where the Uchiha Clan used to hold clan meetings.
Those who could enter here and participate in the meetings were top-tier ninjas of the family.
But now, the shrine had become extremely desolate; a gloomy atmosphere enveloped it. Walking on the stone steps, only the cold wind could be heard in his ears, and nothing else.
Inside the main hall of the shrine, according to the information Itachi left behind, starting from the right side, under the seventh tatami mat, lies a major family secret.
Sasuke entered without hindrance and walked straight to the innermost part.
There stood an ancient stone tablet engraved with many unidentifiable characters, or perhaps not known scripts, requiring some kind of "power" to unveil.
This is what Itachi mentioned, the biggest secret of the Uchiha Clan.
Yet these days, Sasuke would come almost every few days, but each time he returned without success.
The codes on the stone tablet were too profound, and he could decipher only a small part, which was insignificant.
Sasuke estimated that probably the Sharingan or even the higher-level Mangekyo Sharingan would be needed to uncover the secrets within.
Itachi must have known all the secrets on it.
Because he possessed the Mangekyo Sharingan.
Just how far behind was he? Thinking about it made Sasuke's heart fill with unwillingness, and he gritted his teeth in indignation.
One day, he would personally strike down the traitor who betrayed the clan and the village!
The honor of the clan, to be defended by himself!
◎
The weather in August was far more intense than imagined.
Under such blazing sun, voyaging through the southern waters of the Land of Fire, a massive steel battleship cut through the waves.
Its appearance didn't quite fit with the various ships of the present era.
This was a ship collectively called an 'aircraft carrier,' with its body shape unchanged but with a larger base, and the building materials were mostly steel or alloy, rather than wood.
On such a ship were complex multi-faced towers of various shapes.
Gun barrels, flying rails, and more unknown areas all indicated that such a ship was military rather than civilian or commercial use.
Compared to the largest cruise ship docked at the port of the southern city of the Land of Fire, the steel battleship was like a giant, dwarfing and outperforming the cruise ship in both intimidation and sturdiness.
The steel battleship docked at the city port, with the crowd already dispersed, so there weren't many idle people gathered there.
Yet many were still pointing towards the giant steel battleship from afar.
Such a steel battleship had never appeared in the Ninja Realm before.
But ninjas who experienced the Second Great Ninja War might know a thing or two.
When the Land of the Sky declared war on the Five Great Nations in the past, they had developed similar huge ships, though heavily armed, they were too bulky and were destroyed by the ninjas' techniques at their core, sinking to the ocean floor.
Shikaku, responsible for welcoming the delegation from the Land of Demons, naturally knew about these.
The Land of Demons now has created more troublesome flying ninja tools, shuriken shooters, and steel battleships, all with prototypes somewhat similar to the past designs of the Land of the Sky.
Without surprise, the remnants of the Land of the Sky were found and eliminated by the Land of Demons, their technology assimilated, and developed further.
Looking at the enormous creature docked at the port, Shikaku took a deep breath.
Despite knowing that such a steel battleship would certainly be somewhat unwieldy in action, he understood that the Land of Demons must have overcome many of the weaknesses of the Land of the Sky's ships, making it difficult for ninja powers to attempt destruction.
Moreover, facing such a huge "monster" alone would evoke inner awe.
The military power of the Land of Demons was likely stronger than estimated.
From the ship, the first person to step out was Ruri, who saw Shikaku waiting there, along with Yamanaka Inoichi, Akimichi Chouza, and other Konoha ninjas.
About a dozen people were there to receive them.
There were jonin and chunin.
Following Ruri was his daughter Ichihime, and behind them a few Jonin from the Land of Demons, who surveyed the surroundings as they approached the Konoha ninjas.
Welcoming Ruri and others, Shikaku expressed his greetings and then said, "Hokage-sama is waiting for you in the village, please follow me."
Ruri looked at Shikaku, this old friend, and simply nodded without objection, following him to leave the port towards Konoha.
The group's pace was quick, arriving at Konoha Village after roughly half a day.
Ruri gazed at the familiar Konoha gates, unchanged from before, despite leaving for over a decade.
Entering the village through the gates, the first view remained the enormous Kage Rock carved into the distant cliff.