Early the next morning.
News from the previous night gradually arrived at the Red Guard camp.
After taking over the intelligence duties for the latter half of the night, Uchiha Hazuki finished organizing the most important reports and placed them prominently on the table.
She extinguished the candle beside the desk and stretched lazily.
Just as she was about to eat some emergency rations she carried with her, a relaxed voice sounded.
"Hazuki, why eat rations? At this hour, Da Ju and the others should already have breakfast ready. Hot food tastes much better."
The Red Guard's logistics officers were members of the ninja cat clan.
They could be summoned whenever needed and dismissed when not, making them extremely convenient.
As for loyalty—
A single Sharingan genjutsu was enough to ensure that the cats remained indispensable allies of the Uchiha.
Sunlight streamed through the window.
Uchiha Mikoto slowly sat up.
Several strands of hair fell across her pale neck.
Her eyes still held the haze of sleep, but within a moment they cleared.
Sharpness and gentleness blended in her gaze like polished jade reflecting the morning light.
Hazuki turned and smiled.
She picked up the special rations.
"These clan-issued rations taste great and are very nutritious. Much better than the ones Konoha distributes."
Her late husband had once served in Konoha's forces, so she knew the standard military rations well.
While praising the clan's generosity, she added,
"I'll just eat a little and go to sleep. The important reports are already on the table."
"You can review them."
"Alright. Thank you for your hard work."
Mikoto nodded.
She brushed aside the loose strands of hair near her ear and stepped toward the desk.
After quickly scanning the intelligence reports and understanding the situation, she dressed in her equipment and left the tent.
Morning sunlight poured over her.
Clad in crimson armor, her dark hair fluttered in the breeze.
Her appearance was both heroic and radiant.
"Lady Mikoto."
Clan members greeted her respectfully along the way.
Her gaze shifted until she spotted Anlan sitting in the temporary dining area.
Beside him sat Da Ju, the fat orange cat.
The cat was staring intently at a strange egg.
"Anlan, what is that?"
"It's… the egg of a powerful ninja beast."
"It requires a special condition to hatch."
Seeing Mikoto approach, Anlan wiped his mouth and casually pushed Da Ju aside.
The cat's eyes were shining like a chef discovering a rare ingredient.
"Don't get any ideas about cooking it."
"And bring another breakfast."
Soon Uchiha Fugaku, Yashiro, Yakumi, and others arrived.
As everyone ate, Mikoto reported the important news from the previous night.
Holding the Digimon Egg, Anlan summarized:
"Danzo's northeastern army was beaten badly by the Raikage, who broke through their lines again and again."
"Konoha's losses were severe. Their request for reinforcements probably reached the Hokage this morning."
"The northwest front remains locked in a stalemate with Iwagakure."
"In this situation, Minato Namikaze will have to act sooner or later."
"As for the weakest opponent—Sunagakure—Konoha dealt them a heavy blow. They abandoned their camp overnight."
"But they're still lingering in the Land of Rivers."
"They're waiting for an opportunity."
The clan members thought about it briefly and nodded.
Then Mikoto added,
"Inabi and Hizashi discovered movement from the Mist ninja forces."
"Other reconnaissance teams reported the same thing."
"This time the Mist commander is one of the Seven Ninja Swordsmen—"
"Fuguki Suikazan and Jūzō Biwa."
Anlan remembered the Seven Swordsmen.
They once fought Might Duy, who opened the Eight Gates.
The elite unit had debuted dramatically—
Only to have four members killed by a Konoha genin.
The survivors were:
Fuguki Suikazan
Jūzō Biwa
Raiga Kurosuki
According to the fanfics Anlan had read, their strength was roughly pseudo-Kage level, perhaps slightly stronger.
Fuguki Suikazan might be stronger due to wielding Samehada.
Anlan gave an order.
"Tell Inabi to stay cautious."
"No unnecessary risks."
"With the Hyuga's Byakugan, the chance of his squad falling into a Mist ambush is extremely low."
Fugaku added a comment before turning to Mikoto.
"Some bounty ninja accepted the 'Kill the Mist' order and left Infinite City."
"Could they affect our operations?"
To be honest, everyone present except Anlan and Mikoto looked confused about this so-called order.
"It's a bounty mission issued through the merchant guild."
"It's just a spare move."
"No need to worry about it."
Mikoto's explanation cleared their confusion.
Anlan continued,
"I'll send a shadow clone to Infinite City."
"Everyone else continue your duties."
"Very soon…"
"The real war will begin."
Infinite City
Outside Infinite City, on a wide road built with Earth Release techniques—
A massive merchant convoy moved forward.
The wagons were filled with goods.
The Ginza Merchant Guild emblem gleamed brightly under the sun.
After spending the night in the forest, Tsunade and Shizune had just emerged from the woods.
They watched the scene.
Tsunade crossed her arms.
Her gaze moved across the endless convoy, the sealed cargo crates, and the armed escorts.
The Uchiha really intend to bring their own supplies and fight the Mist head-on.
Those red-eyed bastards aren't bad.
Her mood improved slightly.
She had no intention of interfering in Konoha's problems.
And right now—
She wasn't capable of doing so anyway.
But seeing that the Uchiha weren't exploiting the chaos to cause internal conflict—
Her mood lifted just a little.
That was all.
Shizune noticed Tsunade's raised eyebrow.
Taking advantage of her teacher's good mood, she spoke.
"I heard Infinite City sells everything."
"From daily necessities to ninja weapons."
"The merchant guild monopolizes the entire market."
"Even nobles and daimyo pride themselves on using Ginza products."
"If we could connect with someone in charge of the guild…"
"Our living expenses might be solved."
"Hmph."
Tsunade glanced sideways.
"I would rather starve to death than have anything to do with the Uchiha."
She raised her fist.
Shizune immediately shrank back.
"Come on."
"Let's go inside."
"Watch me clean out the Uchiha's territory."
"I'll win back everything!"
"Hahaha!"
Behind her, Shizune stuck out her tongue quietly.
Please let us at least eat dinner tonight…
"Big! Big! Big!"
"Open big!"
"This round I bet small! All on small!"
"Here's the property deed—bet it!"
When Shizune finally regained her senses—
She and Tsunade were already standing outside a casino.
Their pockets were emptier than empty.
"Lady Tsunade…"
"Are we still eating lunch today?"
Shizune asked weakly.
She hugged Tonton tightly.
"Tonton seems hungry too."
Tsunade glanced downward.
Tonton froze in terror.
The gambling addict narrowed her eyes.
"Shizune…"
"Do you think the Uchiha, with all that wealth…"
"might be doing some shady business?"
"Huh?"
The innocent girl blinked in confusion.
"I've decided."
"Twelve hours from now—"
"We launch a surprise strike on the Uchiha."
On a nearby rooftop, a harmless-looking little cat licked its paw.
Its green eyes reflected everything happening below.
Noble Mansion — Infinite City
Inside a luxurious noble mansion.
Anlan sat on the main seat.
At his feet lay a fat noble who had mastered the art of corruption without doing any real work.
Heavy breathing echoed through the hall.
The noble was trapped inside a Sharingan genjutsu.
In the illusion—
He had become a pig in a pig farm.
Joyfully devouring feed from a trough.
Drool dripped from his mouth onto the polished floor.
Occasionally he raised his pig-like face happily.
The nobles of Infinite City had all fallen recently.
With the cats monitoring the city, Anlan had no reason to hold back.
Besides—
With his current genjutsu ability, controlling a few weak-willed nobles was easy.
"Everything has been counted, Young Master."
The silver-spotted cat Ayan walked elegantly into the hall.
She ignored the human garbage on the floor and jumped into Anlan's lap.
"This noble stole enormous amounts of money from the merchant guild."
"With interest added…"
"He has repaid ten times over."
She spoke softly.
"These people are exactly what you once described as grain warehouses."
"They have no strength yet crave what they should never possess."
The black cat circled the noble and looked up.
"The guild's staff are waiting in the back courtyard to move the wealth."
"What should we do with this mansion?"
"Keep it or abandon it?"
Over the years, Anlan had three main ninja cats:
Da Ju — managing household logistics
Ayan — overseeing guild finances
Chief Black Cat — commanding security forces
All three had helped him greatly.
Anlan absentmindedly stroked Ayan's fur.
"No need to keep it."
"This estate sits beside the warehouses."
"If a fire starts, it could spread."
"Let this place—and these troublesome nobles—"
"die in an attack blamed on the Mist Village."
"It saves us the trouble."
The black cat nodded.
"What about the children imprisoned by the nobles?"
"Follow the usual rules?"
A trace of pity flashed in its eyes.
Sometimes those elegant-looking humans were worse than beasts.
"Yes."
"Follow the usual rules."
"Yes, Young Master."
The black cat's tail swayed.
"Also, the ten captains of the guild security forces are waiting outside."
"Would you like to meet them?"
"Yes."
Outside the hall, ten figures knelt.
They wore the Ginza guild uniform.
All were under twenty.
Their eyes were sharp.
Their bodies carried the aura of intense training.
The black cat stood upright.
"Listen carefully!"
"This is your first meeting with the boss!"
"Don't embarrass me!"
"First one—enter!"
The young man stepped forward.
"Raise your head."
A pair of magnificent Sharingan eyes bloomed like crimson flowers.
When the final man exited the hall—
The black cat sat on the stone steps proudly.
Ten children rescued from death and raised by the guild.
Not one had betrayed their new home.
"Not bad."
"My training wasn't wasted."
Just then—
A gray cat rushed through the corridor.
"Meow! Meow!"
"Hm?"
"Understood."
"Continue monitoring."
The black cat ran inside.
"Ayan, where is the Young Master?"
"He used too much chakra and dismissed the shadow clone after finishing the job."
"Why?"
"Because Tsunade, one of the Legendary Sannin…"
"has arrived in Infinite City."
Red Guard Camp
Back at the Red Guard camp—
After hearing the news from Ayan—
Anlan immediately thought of something.
Not Tsunade's famous chest.
But the corpse still stored in his consciousness space.
In the ninja world—
Bloodline was everything.
Without the blood of the Ōtsutsuki, the peak of power remained figures like the Raikage or Onoki.
Reaching Six Paths level was impossible for normal natives.
The evolution of the Sharingan—
From three tomoe → Mangekyō → Rinnegan—
Was essentially a return to ancestral bloodline.
If the corpse could reveal clues about bloodline purification—
The entire Uchiha clan could evolve.
Perhaps one day—
They could replicate Indra's feats, awakening Perfect Susanoo with only three tomoe.
Those disgusting nobles shouldn't be killed casually.
They're excellent test subjects.
Anlan thought for a moment and created two shadow clones to head to Infinite City.
Right now, Tsunade—with her hemophobia—was like meat on a cutting board.
He could deal with her easily.
Shizune was even less of a problem.
The only question was—
How to convince Tsunade to join the Uchiha faction.
Revive your lover?
The thought appeared in his mind.
But he didn't know Edo Tensei.
Or persuade her with justice and love like Naruto?
He snorted.
He wasn't that kind of hero.
Forget it.
I'll just imprison Tsunade first.
A woman with weaknesses is easy to handle.
Later, she'll have no choice.
Anlan stroked the Digimon Egg in his arms.
Another thought surfaced.
In the original story—
Fuguki Suikazan secretly sold information to neighboring countries.
Eventually he was killed by Kisame, who took Samehada.
If handled correctly—
Perhaps the Uchiha could reach a mutually beneficial deal with the original owner of Samehada.
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