The so-called best method of infiltration was to kill everyone present.
Although Yuu had originally intended to observe the situation a little longer, now that he had decided to act, he could only go all out—even a lion used its full strength when hunting a rabbit.
At once,
Yuu moved first. His figure flickered in midair, crossing several dozen meters in an instant and appearing at the entrance of the underground bunker. He raised and opened his right hand, grasping the Sword of the Thunder God from his back, then drove it heavily into the earthen platform before him.
This was precisely the core of the barrier Kirigakure had established.
Under normal circumstances, directly breaking a barrier through brute force was not easy.
But Yuu was not normal.
His own strength was already approaching Kage level. He held the Sword of the Thunder God, which had been created by Senju Tobirama and whose Lightning nature countered Earth Release. He also possessed a considerable understanding of sealing and barrier techniques, could see through the weaknesses of external objects with Heart-Blade Domain, and Kirigakure had not made the barrier particularly sturdy to begin with…
With all these factors combined, it would have been difficult for Yuu to fail even if he tried.
Amid an explosive crackling of electricity,
it sounded as though a layer of invisible glass in the air had shattered.
Then Yuu flickered forward and entered the bunker first.
Kakashi and Rin exchanged a glance. Kakashi rushed forward first. After taking a deep breath and suppressing her momentary nervousness, Rin followed closely behind him and jumped down the steps at the bunker entrance.
"…Hey! Why are you all so fast? Wait for me!"
Obito reacted a beat too slowly. Seeing the backs of his three teammates about to disappear into the shadows of the bunker entrance, he shouted anxiously, kicked hard against the ground, and charged straight ahead without caring about tactical coordination.
Shisui had originally wanted to stop him, but failed to catch up. He could only sigh, then turned toward the other two Uchiha beside him.
"Inabi, Tekka, you two stay here and guard the perimeter. Watch for anyone who escapes or any enemies returning. I'll go help Senior Mikami and the others!"
"Understood."
Uchiha Inabi and Uchiha Tekka nodded. Each found a favorable position and swept the surroundings with their Sharingan.
From Yuu breaking the barrier and entering the bunker to Shisui giving his brief orders and following him inside, the entire process had taken barely a minute—perhaps even less.
However,
when Shisui entered the bunker and reached a dim, narrow corridor, he saw a scene of utter devastation, as though a tornado had torn through a parking lot. Numerous slash marks covered the earthen walls on both sides. Several oil lamps had been knocked onto the ground, illuminating six or seven collapsed figures.
Naturally, all of this was Yuu's work.
With the support of Instant Prison Shadow Killing Formation and the Sword of the Thunder God, anyone below elite-jōnin level could barely withstand more than a few moves from Yuu. Chūnin and anyone weaker could be killed with a single slash.
At this moment, Yuu casually flourished his sword. Blue-white arcs of electricity danced across the Sword of the Thunder God, producing faint crackling noises. The few Kiri ninja who had not been killed outright sat paralyzed among the corpses, staring at him in terror as though they were looking at a demonic Asura from hell.
"So powerful…"
Shisui could not help exclaiming in amazement.
He knew his own strength was considerable, and his Phantom Body Flicker Technique could also handle several enemies at once. But achieving Yuu's level of killing one person every ten steps would still be difficult for him.
Farther away,
Kakashi was locked in a fierce battle with a Kirigakure jōnin. The latter seemed to be a ruthless, experienced fighter. Even though almost all his teammates had already been wiped out, he had not lost his will to fight. He and Kakashi moved at high speed through the cramped space, with the sounds of metal clashing ringing continuously.
Obito was also dealing with a frightened-looking Kiri chūnin. He swung the kunai in his hand fiercely while constantly shouting things like, "Take this! Take this!"
"…Shisui, Rin."
Yuu looked back at the two who had just arrived.
"Please tie up the ones who are still breathing. Don't let them die. We still need the Yamanaka clan to extract information from them later. I'll check deeper inside for anyone who escaped."
"Alright."
Rin immediately responded and approached the captured Kiri ninja.
One of them tried to kill himself on the spot. However, because he had been struck by Yuu's Sword of the Thunder God, residual Lightning Release chakra remained inside his body, making it difficult for him to move. Rin swiftly dislocated his jaw to prevent him from biting down on a poison pill.
Shisui had originally wanted to participate in the battle and display his strength, but after glancing at the number of people already lying around, he felt there was no real need. So he stepped forward to help Rin handle the prisoners.
Yuu's figure flickered and disappeared into the passage leading deeper into the bunker.
Only a few minutes passed.
Yuu inspected every remaining room and corner inside the bunker, even checking beneath the tables and beds, and dragged out one more Kiri ninja.
When he returned to the corridor carrying the prisoner, Kakashi and Obito's battles had already been decided.
Naturally, Konoha had won.
Although they had long been overshadowed by Yuu, Kakashi and Obito were still very strong among their peers. Obito, in particular, was several times stronger than he had been at this point in the original timeline. If the passage had not been too narrow to use Fire Release comfortably, he probably would have won much sooner.
"Hehe, Rin, Yuu, what do you think? My strength isn't any worse than Kakashi's, right?"
Obito placed his hands on his hips and spoke with a smug expression.
"It was passable."
"? What do you mean, passable? I was clearly amazing!"
"…"
Yuu could not be bothered to argue with Obito. After casually brushing him off, he looked toward the other end of the corridor.
Over there,
Yamanaka Ken'ichi of the Yamanaka clan had already begun using the Mind Body Switch Technique on a captured Kiri ninja to search through his memories.
Honestly, the Mind Body Switch Technique was an extremely practical ninjutsu, and Yuu was rather envious of it. Unfortunately, it seemed to have certain cultivation requirements that Yuu did not meet, so he could not woo it through the galgame system.
At this moment, the Kiri prisoner's body began trembling uncontrollably, strange rasping sounds coming from his throat as though he were resisting the investigation. Yamanaka Ken'ichi had his eyes tightly closed and his brows deeply furrowed. Fine beads of sweat rapidly appeared across his forehead, as though he were enduring a tremendous mental burden.
A full five or six minutes passed.
Yamanaka Ken'ichi finally opened his eyes again and removed his hand from the prisoner's forehead. After taking several deep breaths, he said,
"Captain Yuu, the situation has basically been confirmed. These people belong to an advance reconnaissance force sent by Kirigakure. They are led by Fuguki Suikazan and Jūzō Biwa of the Seven Ninja Swordsmen. Their total force exceeds two hundred…"
"After reaching the area around the Land of Fire's border, they separated into more than ten small squads and began operating independently in different regions along the border. They communicate information and orders through a special lizard ninja beast native to the Land of Water…"
"These Kiri ninja only knew about their own assigned region. They know almost nothing about the exact locations and composition of the other squads, or the whereabouts of Fuguki Suikazan and the others."
"Understood."
Yuu nodded.
It seemed Kirigakure was quite professional when it came to reconnaissance. They had broken their forces into smaller units, infiltrated separately, and communicated covertly, ensuring they could not all be wiped out in one strike. They were far more intelligent than those reckless idiots from Sunagakure who only knew how to charge headfirst.
That made sense.
Fuguki Suikazan was one of the few members of the Seven Ninja Swordsmen who survived the Third War and later became Kisame Hoshigaki's superior. He was probably not some simple-minded brute.
And honestly, Kirigakure's overall strength was considerably greater than Sunagakure's. It had one of the highest numbers of kekkei genkai and secret-technique clans among the Five Great Ninja Villages. If several generations of Bloody Mist policies had not devastated its population, it might have been capable of competing with Kumogakure.
"Thank you for your hard work, Jōnin Yamanaka."
Yuu first nodded toward Yamanaka Ken'ichi, then looked at Shisui and the others.
"Some members of this squad should still be outside conducting reconnaissance and haven't returned. One of them may even outrank these people… Since we're already here, let's wait a while and capture all of them together.
"Clean up the scene. Bury the corpses here and keep the prisoners under guard. We'll bring them back to the stronghold afterward. I'll go outside and take a look."
"Yes."
…
While Yuu began setting traps and preparing to wait for the remaining enemies,
in another primeval forest several dozen li away,
a brief but intense battle had also just ended.
Uchiha Fugaku stood in a forest clearing, his hands still maintaining the final seal. Before him, within a fan-shaped region more than ten meters wide, all the plants and trees had been reduced to ash. The ground had been scorched into a blackened shell, and the air was filled with the smell of burning.
Several charred human figures lay curled beneath trees that had been broken at the waist.
They were the corpses of Kirigakure ninja.
Just moments earlier, Fugaku's squad had encountered a team of Kiri ninja, and battle had broken out between the two sides. Although the Kiri ninja had released the Hidden Mist Technique and Water Release, their abilities were still insufficient before Uchiha Fugaku, an elite jōnin.
Uchiha Yashiro and the others following him had barely needed to act. Fugaku alone had eliminated the opposing six-man squad.
"As expected of the clan head! So powerful!"
"That's right! I never expected the clan head to become even stronger in such a short time. This is truly worth celebrating!"
"…Enough flattery."
Uchiha Fugaku glanced at Asuma not far away. Since Nara Shikaku was absent, Yuu had assigned Asuma's team to travel with Fugaku's group.
Fugaku irritably interrupted his clansmen's praise, then said evenly,
"Clean the battlefield and check whether there are any survivors."
Just as the group prepared to interrogate the prisoners,
Uchiha Fugaku seemed to sense something and raised his head toward a certain part of the forest. A gray-clad figure was approaching through the trees.
It was the shadow clone Shisui had previously created.
"Lord Fugaku!"
Shisui landed before Uchiha Fugaku and reported concisely,
"Captain Yuu's side has discovered an underground bunker suspected to be a Kirigakure squad's base…"
"…Understood."
Uchiha Fugaku nodded.
"Tell Captain Yuu that we also encountered and eliminated a Kiri squad. We are currently extracting intelligence from the prisoners. If we find nothing else afterward, we will head over and regroup with Captain Yuu."
"Understood."
…
At this moment, behind a boulder several hundred meters away,
two figures dressed in dark gray bodysuits and wearing animal masks were coldly observing Uchiha Fugaku's group. Their chakra had been suppressed to the absolute limit, making them seem fully integrated with the surrounding environment.
They were Root elites.
"…Tsk. The Uchiha clan truly lives up to its reputation. They managed to swiftly defeat Kirigakure ninja even in an environment rich in moisture and naturally advantageous to Water Release. No wonder Lord Danzō is so wary of them."
The Root ninja codenamed Shin spoke softly.
"That is the clan head of the Uchiha. Naturally, he is somewhat stronger than the others."
Otsu beside him spoke coldly.
"It wouldn't be good if the Uchiha clan were too weak either. We still need them to trade their lives against Kirigakure. According to the intelligence Lord Danzō provided, this Kirigakure advance force includes several members of the Seven Ninja Swordsmen, along with experts from the Kaguya and Hōzuki clans."
That was right.
As the "Darkness of the Ninja World," Danzō possessed an intelligence network independent of the Anbu system. Even before Yuu's group departed, he had already learned of Fuguki Suikazan and the others' presence.
He had simply not told Sarutobi Hiruzen, the other leaders, or Yuu.
After all…
Kirigakure was the enemy in the open and needed to be exterminated. The Uchiha clan was an enemy concealed within the village, equally ambitious and impossible to leave unguarded.
Danzō's main reason for supporting the Uchiha joining the force was to borrow Kirigakure's hands to kill them—not to let them earn achievements. The best result for Danzō would be for both sides to destroy each other and die completely.
"Let's continue observing for now. Our mission is to recover the eyes and cells of the Uchiha clan members after they die, while leaving no evidence pointing toward Konoha or Lord Danzō. There is no need to act right now."
After Otsu finished speaking, the two Root ninja merged into the shadows once again. Like two lifeless stones, they silently watched everyone on the battlefield.
…
That evening,
Yuu's group waited for the other five Kiri ninja to return from reconnaissance and easily captured them all. Yamanaka Ken'ichi searched their memories and obtained some information different from the previous group's, but there was still nothing about the whereabouts of Fuguki Suikazan and the others.
Afterward, some time passed before Uchiha Fugaku arrived with his people and regrouped with them. They exchanged the intelligence each side had obtained.
"…So Senior Fugaku's side also failed to discover where Kirigakure's main force went?"
Yuu had expected this, so he was not disappointed.
"It seems we can only use a slower method and gradually search."
"Well, this Kirigakure force's mission is to gather intelligence. They'll definitely continue appearing around the various strongholds. If we kill a dozen or so every day, they should become anxious within three or four days at most… Right, Senior Fugaku, I heard that the Uchiha clan once raised avian summoned beasts?"
"You mean… crows?"
Speaking of which,
while Yuu had been on the Sunagakure battlefield, he had considered finding a flying summoned beast. He had indeed asked Shisui, but according to the answer, the Uchiha's only avian summons were crows. Sasuke's hawk from the original story had most likely been something he found himself.
So Yuu could only find one on his own as well.
He planned to set aside one or two days after the current fighting ended to explore the nearby mountains and see whether he could locate the nests of large birds such as hawks or eagles, then subdue them as summoned beasts.
As for now…
"Although crows aren't suited for long-distance raids or flying at extreme altitudes, they should still be capable of serving as aerial scouts, right?"
Yuu said.
And so,
starting the next day, Yuu's group continued their previous strategy. They operated in small squads throughout the southeastern border, focusing on searching for suspicious individuals around several large strongholds.
During this process, several Uchiha clan members, including Shisui, summoned hundreds of crows that circled and patrolled high in the sky.
Although these crows could not speak and were unable to communicate overly complicated information, they were fully capable of serving as scouts and finding ways to sound an alarm when they discovered something.
In addition,
the Inuzuka and Aburame clan members who had accompanied the force also began playing their roles. They used ninja dogs and insects to detect lingering scents and traces of chakra in the air.
Then there were the summoned beasts Yuu called forth.
With several methods being used simultaneously, it did not take long
for suspicious traces to appear throughout the endless forests, deep valleys, and winding streams.
"Northeast, five kilometers from here, upstream along the river. Traces of a suspected four-person Kirigakure squad."
"Directly south, in the shaded side of the mountain hollow. Signs that a group briefly stopped there. Exact numbers unknown."
"Southwest, near the abandoned mine. Six people moving rapidly. Direction… they're circling toward our Number Three stronghold!"
The Konoha squads receiving this intelligence approached the discovered Kiri squads like leopards that had caught the scent of blood.
There was no need to mention Yuu's squad.
On Uchiha Fugaku's side, several three-tomoe Uchiha jōnin were present. Facing an equal number—or even twice as many—Kiri ninja placed almost no pressure on them. Several consecutive encounters ended within a very short time.
Afterward,
came the capture and interrogation of prisoners.
Within only a few days,
news that the "White Reaper and the Uchiha clan had appeared together on the southeastern border" spread wildly throughout Konoha's border strongholds and the Kirigakure advance force.
Previously, many ordinary Kiri ninja did not know who the "White Reaper" was. But as time passed, stories began circulating about Yuu punching Pakura, kicking Chiyo, and capturing Rasa alive at Mount Kikyo.
An emotion called panic continuously spread.
"Hey, hey, have you heard? Konoha has an incredibly powerful white-haired brat. Not a single ninja who has seen him has survived!"
"Seriously? Is he really that ridiculous?"
"Of course it's true! Why else would he be called the 'Reaper'? I personally saw him kill Jōnin Nakamura with one slash! That was Jōnin Nakamura! Even Lord Jūzō Biwa praised his swordsmanship!"
"…Hmph, you still don't know, do you? That glowing sword in the white-haired brat's hand is the Sword of the Thunder God once used by the Second Hokage, Senju Tobirama. I suspect he may actually be Senju Tobirama's illegitimate son!"
"Uh… judging by their ages, he should be more like his grandson."
"…"
All kinds of rumors, some true and some exaggerated, spread without restraint.
Yuu had no idea that someone had inexplicably assigned him a "grandfather."
But the surviving Kiri ninja became cautious—even timid—during their following operations. They did not dare leave their hiding places easily. The advance force's reconnaissance mission fell into an almost complete standstill.
Inside a temporary command post hidden deep within a mountain,
bang!
Fuguki Suikazan smashed his fist onto the heavy wooden table, causing the cups and scrolls on top to jump.
"Useless! A bunch of useless trash! They've been frightened so badly by one ten-year-old Konoha brat that they don't even dare step outside! How the hell are they supposed to conduct reconnaissance like this?!"
"What 'White Reaper'… Mikami Yuu! And the Uchiha Sharingan! I'll personally go meet them and see how much they truly weigh—whether they're really as powerful as the rumors claim!"
Beside him,
Jūzō Biwa leaned against the cold rock wall, holding his signature Kubikiribōchō. His expression looked somewhat grave.
"Fuguki, calm down.
"In only a few days, we have already lost nearly forty ninja. That cannot be explained by empty reputation alone. I suggest we first send the situation here—especially the intelligence about Mikami Yuu and the main Uchiha force—back to the village and wait for Lord Mizukage's next instructions."
"Wait?"
Fuguki Suikazan sneered, his spit nearly spraying onto Jūzō's face.
"How long will that take? Are we supposed to sit here doing nothing while Konoha finishes preparing for war? Jūzō, don't tell me even you've been frightened out of your wits by that brat's reputation?"
"…"
Jūzō Biwa narrowed his eyes slightly. The muscles in the arms holding his sword tensed for an instant.
Then he continued,
"Fuguki, you can act if you want, but you need a plan. Otherwise, you'll simply be going there to die. If that's the case, I won't help you."
"…Hmph."
Fuguki Suikazan's chest rose and fell violently several times before he finally calmed down. He sat back at the table, pulled over a blank scroll, and wrote down the advance force's obstruction, along with the appearance of Yuu and the Uchiha.
Then he stuffed it into the mouth of a lizard inside a nearby cage.
This creature was a sea lizard unique to the Land of Water. It excelled at concealment and long-distance travel, so Kirigakure often used it to deliver information.
After releasing the lizard and watching it disappear among the rocks, Fuguki Suikazan finally turned around. Only cold killing intent remained on his face.
"Good. We no longer have anything to worry about. Jūzō, summon the jōnin from the Kaguya and Hōzuki clans!"
"We need to properly entertain those people from Konoha!"
The two members of the Seven Ninja Swordsmen turned and walked deeper into the cave.
A carefully planned trap aimed at Yuu's group was already slowly unfolding…