At once,
Danzō closed his eyes and pondered for a while before summoning one of his Root subordinates.
"Kō, take my verbal response to the southeastern border. Tell Otsu and the others to continue closely monitoring Mikami Yuu and the Uchiha clan's movements, and find a way to push them into further clashes with Kirigakure.
"If necessary…"
After pausing briefly, Danzō continued in an even lower voice,
"You may discreetly leak a portion of the Uchiha's defensive deployment information to Kirigakure. But it must be done covertly. You absolutely cannot leave behind any evidence."
"!"
Kō's eyelid twitched. He looked at the old man across from him in surprise.
After a brief hesitation, he finally nodded.
"Yes."
Remaining vigilant toward and suppressing the Uchiha had long been an established policy of Konoha, continuing from the Second Hokage's era until the present day.
Root and ANBU were the main forces responsible for carrying out that policy, so Kō was not surprised by the first half of the order.
However,
betraying Konoha's interests for the sake of suppressing the Uchiha…
That was not particularly common.
Strictly speaking, such an act did not conform to the Will of Fire.
After all, the friction between the Uchiha clan and Konoha was ultimately an internal conflict. Leaking intelligence to Kirigakure, however, amounted to aiding the enemy.
If the matter were exposed, even someone as highly positioned as Hokage advisor Shimura Danzō would probably find it difficult to escape responsibility.
However…
it was not a major problem.
After all, Root had done plenty of things that violated the rules before. Making certain sacrifices for "Konoha's long-term future" was hardly unprecedented.
There were many ways to prevent the matter from being exposed. Even if it truly came to light,
considering Danzō's relationship with Sarutobi Hiruzen, he probably would not receive any particularly harsh punishment.
Therefore, the only thing Kō needed to consider now was how to carry out Danzō's order—how to secretly deliver Konoha's intelligence into Kirigakure's hands and provoke the next decisive battle between them and Konoha.
This could not truly be considered setting up Yuu and the Uchiha either.
After all, battlefields changed from moment to moment, and intelligence leaks occurred frequently.
Only someone who could win despite unfavorable circumstances could be considered truly strong. Otherwise, it merely proved that their "capacity" was insufficient and that they were unfit to shoulder major responsibilities…
Kō completed the process of brainwashing himself within a very short time.
After waiting briefly and seeing that Danzō had no further instructions, he bowed slightly, accepted the order, and departed.
After he left,
Danzō remained seated for a while longer before standing and preparing to head toward the Hokage Building.
Since he had already received the intelligence, Sarutobi Hiruzen should receive it soon as well.
With Yuu and the others having thwarted Kirigakure's offensive intentions twice in succession, Konoha's leadership would certainly hold a small meeting to decide on rewards and commendations.
As one of Konoha's leaders, Danzō needed to attend. He might even need to discuss the details of those rewards with Sarutobi Hiruzen and the others.
Danzō had already prepared himself for that.
…
Yuu naturally did not know that his actions had already attracted the schemes of two masterminds operating behind the scenes.
Mm… it was not that he knew nothing at all.
After all, he was fully aware of both Root's and White Zetsu's surveillance. It was only because of various reasons that he had temporarily chosen not to openly break relations with them.
Right now, Yuu was more concerned about another matter.
"You're saying there are signs of large avian ninja beasts inhabiting a mountain two hundred kilometers from here?"
"Yes."
Honekawa Koo nodded.
"This information came from a border squad stationed farther south. According to them, there is a very tall mountain near the Land of Whirlpools that the locals call 'Eagle Peak.'
"Many birds of prey live on the mountain. Among them is a type of eagle with a wingspan exceeding ten meters. Woodcutters living beneath the mountain have personally witnessed them…"
"Giant eagles…"
Yuu pondered briefly.
He truly wanted an avian summoned beast. If the giant eagle Honekawa Koo had described really existed, it would indeed be an excellent option.
The only issue was that the location was somewhat far away. A round trip would probably take several days.
"Do you have a map?"
"Yes. This is a rough map they asked a local resident to draw by hand."
Honekawa Koo removed a wrinkled piece of paper from inside his clothing and handed it over.
The markings on it appeared somewhat crude, but they were enough to indicate the general direction.
At once,
Yuu put away the map, then summoned Uchiha Fugaku and Kakashi. He informed them that he planned to leave for several days and visit the area near the ruins of the Land of Whirlpools.
During his absence, Uchiha Fugaku would temporarily handle battlefield command.
"!!"
Uchiha Fugaku froze at first, then instantly widened his eyes as excitement surged through his heart.
Command authority!
And not merely ordinary command authority, but the position of independent frontline commander!
Although this "overall commander" position was somewhat limited, since he could directly mobilize only around a hundred ninja—roughly the same number as the Police Force—and could not compare with Jiraiya or Orochimaru commanding thousands,
it was still something unprecedented for the Uchiha clan.
If he could thwart one of Kirigakure's attacks during this period, even if it was only a small-scale assault…
it would be an excellent opportunity to prove the Uchiha clan's value to the village and earn independent military achievements.
For the Uchiha clan, which had endured suppression for so long, its significance would be extraordinary.
However…
"Is this appropriate?"
Uchiha Fugaku suppressed the restlessness in his heart and spoke with slight hesitation.
"Before we departed, Lord Third personally appointed you as commander. If you hand the position to me, the village…"
"It's only an acting position for a few days. The village won't mind."
Yuu said casually.
"Besides, I'll leave a shadow clone here. If necessary, it can send information to me…
"However, Kirigakure is probably already terrified and won't dare reveal themselves casually. Senior Fugaku only needs to keep the situation stable."
That was true.
Ever since Yuu used Heavenly Fire Judgment to burn Kaguya Hiromitsu to death, his fearsome reputation had thoroughly spread throughout Kirigakure's forces.
Now, whenever Kiri ninja saw his figure, they immediately turned around and fled.
They even ran when they saw Kakashi.
After all, both had white hair and were difficult to distinguish from a distance.
Although Yuu had not yet reached Namikaze Minato's level, where all four Great Ninja Villages had issued orders allowing their forces to abandon missions upon encountering the Yellow Flash, he was already approaching it.
Of course…
objectively speaking, Yuu's current combat strength on paper and his battle record were still slightly inferior to Minato's.
At this point in time, Minato had already forcefully repelled the aggressive A–B Combination on the Kumogakure battlefield, while Yuu had not yet fought a jinchūriki.
But that was not a problem.
Yuu was extremely confident in his path of growth.
As long as he raised the affection of the ninjutsu within the galgame system—especially the Summoning Technique—to above ninety, then gifted it the Flying Thunder God skin…
his strength would undergo a qualitative increase within a short period.
Perhaps even his Instant Prison Shadow Killing Formation could advance further, becoming comparable to Namikaze Minato's Spiralling Flash Super Round Dance Howl Style Three, or possibly even surpassing it.
This trip to Eagle Peak was a necessary effort toward achieving that goal.
Flying summoned beasts capable of carrying humans were scarce resources within the ninja world.
In the original story, only a small number of individuals, including Sasuke and Nagato, possessed such summoned beasts.
If Yuu truly found them, contracting several would not be a bad idea.
Even if he could not use all of them himself, he could allow one or two to sign contracts with Mikami Tajima and his wife, Rin, and the others.
At a critical moment, they could save lives.
That was Yuu's plan.
Since things had reached this point,
Uchiha Fugaku no longer declined. He struggled to suppress the excitement in his heart and nodded slightly.
"Thank you for your trust, Captain Mikami. I will do everything in my power to defend the line and await your return…
"Would you like Shisui or Obito to accompany you?"
"That won't be necessary. It'll be more convenient for me to travel alone. You should concentrate on organizing the defenses here."
Yuu replied.
After learning of Yuu's decision, Rin and Kurenai naturally came to see him as well.
Rin did not react too strongly. She merely helped Yuu organize his clothing and reminded him to be careful along the way.
Kurenai wanted to travel with him.
After all, as a genjutsu-type ninja, she could not contribute too much during direct combat—especially when surrounded by Uchiha who possessed two- or three-tomoe Sharingan and were naturally skilled in genjutsu.
Unlike Rin, even when Rin did not participate in direct fighting, she could still serve as a medical ninja and treat the wounded.
However, Yuu naturally declined Kurenai's request.
He simply told her to remain at the stronghold and train properly. If she had any questions about genjutsu, she could seek guidance from Uchiha Fugaku.
"…Alright."
Kurenai nodded somewhat dejectedly, then deliberately spoke in a relaxed tone.
"Make sure you come back safely. When you do, you have to let us see that majestic giant eagle."
"Alright. I will."
Yuu smiled and nodded.
In the blink of an eye, morning arrived the following day.
While the mist still hung faintly in the air,
Yuu left behind a communication shadow clone containing ten percent of his chakra, then departed the camp and headed toward Eagle Peak's marked location.
Not long after Yuu's figure disappeared into the sea of trees,
outside the Shakuka Town stronghold, beneath the concealed shadow of a tree, space rippled faintly like water.
Two Root ninja wearing animal masks appeared silently, their presences nearly blending completely with the shadows.
"Mikami Yuu actually left the stronghold at a time like this… Does this count as abandoning his post without permission?"
"It should."
The Root ninja codenamed Otsu paused before continuing,
"However, this is good news for us. Lord Danzō's order was to push Konoha and Kirigakure into further conflict. If he remained inside the stronghold, carrying it out would have been difficult.
"But now… this is the perfect opportunity to muddy the waters.
"Shin, follow him and observe his movements after leaving the stronghold. I'll go to the bounty exchange and spread the intelligence."
The "bounty exchange" was essentially the ninja world's black market.
Besides exchanging the corpses of famous ninja for money, other things such as ninja tools and intelligence could also be traded there.
The transactions were anonymous and left no official records.
Each of the Five Great Ninja Villages had designated intelligence agents operating there to obtain various forms of information.
Therefore, using them to spread intelligence about Konoha's defensive arrangements along the southeastern border and the movements of the Uchiha clan was ideal.
Even if someone investigated the matter afterward, they would only trace it back to the intelligence brokers, not Root.
After exchanging glances, the two Root ninja disappeared from their positions.
Shin followed in the direction Yuu had departed.
Otsu headed toward the bounty exchange.
…
"…This should be the place."
The location was two hundred kilometers away.
The mist-shrouded Eagle Peak had already become faintly visible within Yuu's field of vision.
It was shortly after noon.
Around half a day had passed since Yuu left the stronghold. For someone like him, who now possessed strength approaching Kage level, this was a fairly normal traveling speed—neither especially fast nor slow.
During his journey,
Yuu passed through several towns and villages of varying sizes.
He also saw a large area of ruined walls and collapsed structures. Judging by their scale, they might once have been a stronghold constructed by Uzushiogakure.
However, following the destruction of the Uzumaki clan, it had been completely abandoned, leaving only desolation behind.
"Speaking of which…"
"The Uzumaki clan's Mask Storage Temple should be somewhere around here, right?"
Yuu suddenly remembered this matter.
The original story had not described many of the Uzumaki clan's other possessions, but the Mask Storage Temple had been mentioned separately.
Many masks were stored there, including the Shinigami mask related to the Dead Demon Consuming Seal.
Logically speaking, if there was a mask symbolizing the Shinigami, then there were probably others representing different deities or sealing techniques.
Since the Uzumaki clan had deliberately established such a location, it was unlikely to exist solely for ceremonial worship.
Perhaps…
after completing this trip, Yuu could explore the ruins of Uzushiogakure and see whether he could gather anything useful.
Even if he found nothing, it would not matter. He could simply treat the journey as sightseeing and relaxation.
With those thoughts in mind,
Yuu began climbing the mountain, rapidly ascending toward its highest peak.
…
"…You're saying that white-haired Konoha brat left Shakuka Town alone?"
The location was a hidden cavern near the Land of Waves.
Several ninja dressed in Kirigakure clothing sat around a long table, listening to the verbal report delivered by a subordinate.
They looked at one another in confusion.
Only after a long while
did a member of the Hōzuki clan finally break the silence. His voice carried uncertainty.
"Could this… be a trick by Konoha? Perhaps they're pretending to withdraw and showing weakness to lure us into launching an attack, only to circle around and ambush us from behind?"
"That possibility cannot be dismissed."
A Kirigakure jōnin beside him nodded.
"Those Konoha brats are inherently evil and treacherously cunning. Clan Head Kaguya fell victim to that brat's scheme. Now he may be attempting to repeat the same trick. We cannot lower our guard."
Mm… "scheme."
In reality, Yuu had defeated Kaguya Hiromitsu during a chance encounter and killed him directly with Fire Release in a frontal battle.
However, adding an element of conspiracy allowed everyone to feel slightly better about the defeat.
~~~
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