A thin veil of mist blanketed the skies above the Kaz Plains day and night. Undead creatures wandered aimlessly among the shattered ruins scattered across the blood-colored earth.
The structures here were centuries old. What remained of them jutted from the ground like crooked gravestones, yet not a single building retained its original shape.
A small squad of combat shinobi exhaled several Fire Style: Great Fireball Jutsu blasts, incinerating the undead blocking their path.
One of the shinobi, a member of the Hyūga clan, activated his Byakugan. His pale eyes pierced through the red-brown wasteland, scanning beyond layers of rubble and fog. Just like the past ten days—
Nothing new.
"Captain, no changes."
"Move to the next location."
Because of Uchiha Soren's repeated and strict orders, Uchiha Baru had outfitted the patrol units with exceptional strength. Every squad captain was an Uchiha shinobi.
Each team was guaranteed at least one Hyūga and one Uzumaki member. The remaining slots were either personally recruited or randomly assigned.
Ten squads in total rotated day and night, sweeping this land long known as the Cursed Plain. The high bounties offered for clearing undead had drawn adventurers in unprecedented numbers.
They had encountered formidable enemies along the way—bone dragons, archmages of the dead, even organized undead battalions.
The strongest among them were the Death Knights. Their combat ability nearly rivaled elite jōnin. Worse still, they possessed a peculiar trait—once their vitality dropped to a sliver, they would forcibly remain at a single point of life, requiring a second decisive strike to truly finish them.
Ordinary adventurers were slaughtered in droves. Only with the aid of the ten patrol squads were the waves of undead finally pushed back and exterminated—though not without shinobi casualties.
Later, Uchiha Baru personally led a team and encountered a massive, dilapidated ghost ship.
Thick fog surrounded the vessel like a membrane. Beyond fifteen meters, visibility vanished completely. Even the Sharingan proved ineffective—its concealment resembled Kirigakure's Hidden Mist Technique. Only the Byakugan retained significant utility.
The ship itself floated roughly a meter above the ground, powered by negative energy rather than sails.
Baru promptly transported it to the Konoha Science Division.
If its secrets could be unlocked… perhaps Konoha's future would involve flying vehicles and airborne fleets.
After completing their daily patrol, five squads exited the Kaz Plains and entered the Free City established along its border.
The city had been jointly funded by the Kingdom and the Empire to support adventurers and imperial knights tasked with clearing the undead.
Now, the imperial knights were nowhere to be seen. Only adventurers and shinobi moved through the streets.
"Still no discoveries today."
After submitting their reports, the five squads received news from the shinobi world.
A dragon gives birth to a dragon.
A phoenix gives birth to a phoenix.
A daimyō's child inherits the nation.
The leader of the shinobi world's child inherits leadership.
Simple universal truth.
The Hokage of Konoha had alternated between Uchiha and Senju. Now that the Shinobi World Alliance had been established under Uchiha Soren's authority, the next leader could only be Soren's child.
That was the consensus among the Uchiha.
As for what outsiders thought? Irrelevant.
Anyone with objections could settle it in combat.
Just as the five squads prepared to rotate out, a panicked adventurer galloped into the Adventurers' Guild on horseback, reporting shocking news.
At the very edge of the Kaz Plains, a massive ruin had appeared suddenly.
The structure was circular, enclosed by six-meter-tall thick walls, with clearly defined front and rear gates.
When adventurers attempted to explore it, they were met with high-tier undead clad in enchanted armor and wielding magically enhanced weapons.
Without mithril-rank strength, adventurers were cut down like wheat before those elite skeletal soldiers.
Only one survivor escaped—a magic caster capable of flight. Every other member of his party had perished beneath blades and spears.
"Search his memories directly."
Compared to questioning through language, memory extraction was faster and far more accurate.
The Uchiha elite overseeing the guild casually "invited" the adventurer into a private office. A Yamanaka clan shinobi gently placed him into unconsciousness.
After some time, the Yamanaka shinobi rubbed his aching temples and compiled the extracted information.
"We missed something."
The Uchiha jōnin skimmed the report and let out a cold laugh.
The ruin was in fact a massive cemetery—chaotic in architectural style but clearly maintained over long periods. The weeds had been deliberately trimmed.
At each of the four cardinal directions stood medium-sized temples. Inside were banners and emblems forged from precious metals, treasure-filled coffins, and enormous armored stone statues.
When some adventurers attempted to take the treasure, rustling sounds filled the air.
Then waves of skeletal soldiers flooded the area.
Most adventurers died instantly. The rest, driven by greed, followed shortly after.
Only the magic caster at the rear managed to fly out, mount a horse, and return to the Free City—intending to spread the news and stir chaos for greater profit.
"At least he understands his own weakness."
After reading the report, the Uchiha jōnin instructed his Uzumaki deputy to circulate the information.
He then composed a letter to Uchiha Baru and, through a miniature Flying Thunder God Formation, transmitted it directly to the palace of E-Rantel.
Meanwhile, the five patrol squads were ordered to investigate the Great Tomb.
At the fortress city, Uzumaki Minako gently touched her abdomen.
She could feel it.
A new life stirring within her.
(Kaori. Zhili. You're not the only ones who carry Soren's child.)
A faint smile of satisfaction crossed her face.
Just then, the doors opened. Sukama hurried in with an urgent letter.
"Lady Minako, this is an emergency message from the Free City."
"Let me see."
Minako's heart stirred. Remembering Soren's prior instructions, she carefully read the contents.
Then, activating the spatial seal embedded within her body, she relayed the information directly to—
Uchiha Soren.
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