I, Uchiha: Split Konoha

Chapter 132 Come out, Orochimaru-sensei!

The base of the Mist Ninja.

The surprise attack failed to achieve the expected results, leaving the Kirigakure ninjas filled with resentment. Suigetsu Hobuki, the commander, sat in his tent with a grim expression.

"Kisame, what are the intelligence agencies doing? Didn't they say Konoha's reinforcements wouldn't arrive for at least three more days? Damn it, all our efforts have been in vain!"

Suigetsu Hozuki slammed his fist on the table in frustration. Almost everyone in the tent was his trusted confidant, especially Kisame, who had a shark-like face. Kisame said in a deep voice, "My lord, the Konoha reinforcements must have arrived ahead of schedule due to a forced march. The scouts have already found out that Konoha does not have any more reinforcements."

Kisame Hoshigaki is his confidant, especially in terms of his ability to get things done. He is the one he trusts the most so far. This subordinate is a pure ninja and the most useful tool in his hands.

Seeing Kisame Hoshigaki's reply, Suigetsu Hozuki's expression softened a bit, and he secretly breathed a sigh of relief, nodding and saying in a deep voice, "It seems that Konoha doesn't want to escalate the conflict."

The elite ninjas in the camp, under the iron-fisted policies of the Blood Mist Village, were all skilled killers, but they were lacking in the overall direction.

The eyes of the crowd were filled with bloodlust, showing no fear of war whatsoever, only excitement. This sight made Sushiyama Fuguki frown and feel a headache coming on.

Suigetsu Hozuki shook his head inwardly, realizing he would have to put in more effort. He then explained to the crowd in a deep voice, "Konoha doesn't want to escalate the conflict, and neither does the village. If the conflict escalates, and even leads to a battle involving thousands of ninjas, it will no longer be a conflict, but a war! A direct conflict between Kirigakure and Konoha could even become the fuse for the Fourth Shinobi World War."

"Therefore, the village and Konoha have almost unanimously chosen to engage in a game of mutual restraint, which is to conduct a scaled-down version of the war between the two countries here, which is a small-scale skirmish. So although we and Konoha will have reinforcements, there will definitely not be many."

Suigetsu Hobuki is one of the leaders of Kirigakure, and some things are clear. Konoha doesn't want to start a war between the two countries, and neither does Kirigakure, after all, the losses from the Third Shinobi World War were too great, and they haven't recovered yet.

"The skirmishes between Konoha and us here will be contained to a certain extent, so we can forget about sending a large number of reinforcements. However, since Konoha has sent this elite force, I will also request the Fourth Mizukage of the village to send elite members of the Anbu to assist in the battle."

The Hidden Mist's Anbu? Upon hearing this, everyone showed expressions of fear. The iron-fisted policies of the Blood Mist had made the Hidden Mist's Anbu an absolutely terrifying force.

Not to mention that the Anbu gathered the village's elites, the important thing is that Kirigakure had a lot of rogue ninja. Kirigakure's Anbu even formed a special pursuit team to relentlessly hunt down rogue Kirigakure ninja. It can be said that the number of Kirigakure ninja who died at the hands of the Anbu is absolutely countless, which is the source of their fear.

Suigetsu Hozuki and Kisame Hoshigaki were from the Anbu, and everyone immediately showed a look of fear. Although they had not defected, who knew what tomorrow would bring!

Seemingly sensing the villagers' fear of the village's secret service, Suigetsu Hobuki revealed a ferocious smile. He enjoyed this feeling of threat, and the expressions on the villagers' faces were somewhat intoxicating to him, the expressions that reassured him the most.

"Hehe, our surprise attack on Konoha's base today caused Konoha a great loss, but many of Konoha's reinforcements are members of the Hyuga clan, so our people must be on high alert. This place has become a battlefield!"

"yes!"

……

As friction arose between Konoha and Kirigakure, a strange atmosphere permeated the huge island of Uzushiogakure.

In the forest and mining area, various battles have already broken out between Konoha and Kirigakure, with sneak attacks, ambushes, and harassment tactics emerging one after another. It can be said that the air is thick with the smell of gunpowder from war. However, on the other side of this island, which is also the only city here, there is an air of decadence and debauchery amidst the war.

The war between the ninja of Konoha and the ninja of Kirigakure did not affect them; in fact, it aroused the greed of countless merchants. Although it was not a large-scale war, even small local skirmishes were full of endless profits.

As war raged in the Land of Whirlpools, countless survivors lived in fear and unease. Merchants seized the opportunity to inflate prices and reap huge profits, attracting a large number of mercenaries and ronin. The gathering of numerous ninjas represented enormous profits, turning the land into a veritable den of iniquity.

Countless illicit goods are traded here.

The trees in this world grow exceptionally tall, as if from an ancient world, and the dense jungle hides endless dangers.

Shasha~

Amidst the rustling leaves, a figure concealed among the trees calmly gazed at the mining lands occupied by the Hidden Mist Village in the distance.

"Lord Ye, there are ten watchtowers ahead. All of these watchtowers are built one kilometer away from the mine. If we go any further, we will probably be discovered by the Kirigakure's sensory ninjas."

A Hyuga ninja spoke solemnly, his eyes filled with admiration as he looked at Uchiha Yoru. Ninjas admire strong individuals, especially those in the ninja world (Xiao Rizi), and this admiration is ingrained in their very bones.

"It seems the Kirigakure ninjas are very experienced; judging from their setup, it's entirely to guard against our village's Byakugan."

Upon hearing the Hyuga ninja's reply, Uchiha Yoru calmly nodded. The Hyuga clan's reconnaissance abilities were well-known throughout the ninja world; once the Byakugan was activated, they could observe things within a one-kilometer radius.

Therefore, each of the major ninja villages has its own methods for guarding against the Byakugan of the Hyuga clan of Konoha. The simplest and most effective method is to build enough watchtowers one kilometer away from the camp.

Since your white eyes can't observe the scene within a kilometer, then I will build a watchtower a kilometer away. Your white eyes can only observe the situation of the watchtower, but cannot detect the camp protected by the watchtower.

Although it's a clumsy method, it's also the most effective. Otherwise, you'd be completely under Hyuga's nose when facing his Byakugan.

Moreover, the Byakugan's abilities in war go far beyond these. Ninjas habitually set up various traps during battles, and almost nothing can escape the Byakugan's detection.

"Record the locations of these ten watchtowers and the number of ninjas there, and scout them at least once a day."

Under Uchiha Yoru's instructions, the Hyuga Chunin naturally understood what he meant and immediately nodded respectfully, saying in a deep voice, "Rest assured, sir, the Mist Ninja will have absolutely nowhere to hide under the Byakugan of the Hyuga clan."

"Alright, remember to report any changes to the Mist Ninja's watchtowers promptly."

"yes!"

The moment the voice faded, the two figures on the towering tree had vanished.

After quickly traversing the jungle and getting far away from the area, Uchiha Yoru stopped on a large tree. After secretly checking that no one was around, he began to form hand seals.

Hai-Xu-You-Shen-Wei, the art of spiritual communication!

After the white smoke from the summoning spell dissipated, a brown eagle with flapping wings appeared. After being summoned, the eagle said very respectfully, "Lord Ye."

Some of the weaker summoning beasts were quite polite. Faced with the respectful tone of the summoning beast, Uchiha Yoru smiled and nodded, "Thank you for your hard work. I need you to take my shadow clones to scout out the enemy."

With his index and middle fingers together and his hands crossed in a cross shape, Uchiha Yoru circulated his chakra. In an instant, with a bang, a puff of white smoke dissipated, revealing a shadow clone that looked exactly like him.

The two identical Uchiha Yoru exchanged a glance and then smiled. Even after so many years in this world, the wonder of ninjutsu still filled him with a sense of novelty.

"Master Ye."

The eagle lowered its body very respectfully to let the shadow clone ride on its back before respectfully flapping its wings and taking off.

Uchiha Yoru narrowed his eyes as he watched the shadow clone fly into the sky. Flying ninja beasts were rare indeed. Although their combat power was not high, their ability to fly was already quite unique.

The shadow clone stood firmly on the eagle's back, its clothes fluttering in the strong wind. The chakra beneath its feet allowed it to stand firmly on the eagle's back as if rooted to the ground. As it flew into the air, the three-tomoe jades in its eyes spun wildly, until the three-tomoe jades in one eye merged into one.

kaleidoscope!

With a bloodline limit exceeding the level of three tomoe, he stared intently down from thousands of meters in the air as eagles soared overhead, seemingly taking in everything below.

"As expected, although the Kaleidoscope is on par with the third-level Tomoe, the enhancement in its normal state is still in the eye power. My observation skills have been greatly improved, and I can barely see the general outline."

A kaleidoscope swept across the sky, its powerful vision revealing, if not everything, some things it wanted to see.

The Mist Ninja below, especially those who had reached the Jonin level, had all come from blood and fire, and their five senses were extremely strong. Under a strange sense of being watched, some of the sensitive Mist Ninja instantly raised their heads in tension.

Especially Zabuza Momochi, known as the Demon among the Hidden Mist Ninja, immediately frowned and said in a deep voice the moment he looked up and noticed the eagle soaring across the sky. "Something's not right. This eagle seems to be a summoning beast. Tell our people to keep an eye on the sky."

"Yes."

Uchiha Yoru was unaware that his sudden urge to see the terrain of Kirigakure's base had caused the Kirigakure ninja to be on high alert for several days.

……

Konoha base.

Surrounded by tall watchtowers, the base built against the mountain was more like a camp, with countless local laborers inside, since mining and refining both required miners.

After the destruction of the Land of Whirlpools, this place became a chaotic land without a master, and the local people lived a precarious life, willing to do anything for a bite to eat.

Slavery?

Uchiha Yoru was already numb to this scene, his eyes showing only indifference. Relatively speaking, if it weren't for them, the common people here wouldn't even have the meager wages. At least they could support their families by working as miners here.

The towering forest rushed past, and Uchiha Yoru, who was flying through the trees, suddenly stopped on a large tree.

The dense trees blocked out the sunlight, and the dark jungle was damp and stuffy. The sounds of countless snakes, insects, and rodents gnawing and chirping echoed in the silent air. This place was fraught with danger for ordinary people, and it was no exaggeration to call it a death forest.

"Come out."

Standing atop a thick tree trunk, Uchiha Yoru spoke calmly to the deserted forest, but no one responded except for the sounds of snakes, insects, and rodents. At that moment, a smile slowly crept onto his lips.

"Orochimaru-sensei, since you're here, come out."

After Uchiha Yoru spoke again, a white snake emerged from the bushes and suddenly opened its mouth wide when it reached the opposite side of the thick tree trunk.

vomit~

Amidst the sounds of rumination and gagging, accompanied by a sticky, gurgling noise, a white snake, no bigger than a fingertip, suddenly spat out an arm. Then, the arm supported the ground as a head of sticky, wet, black hair emerged, followed by a pale-faced human figure.

Long black hair, long golden pupils, purple eyeshadow extending to the sides of her nose, pale skin, and blue magatama-shaped earrings. Her former Konoha Jonin vest has been abandoned in favor of a beige outfit, along with the iconic purple thick hemp rope (shimenawa) around her waist.

Shimenawa represents the boundary of sacred items. When it was tied to Orochimaru, it signified his status. The Sannin are now considered top-tier ninjas in the ninja world, so they naturally deserved it.

When they met again after parting ways with Konoha, Orochimaru's former cold demeanor had taken on a sinister edge, as if he had completely severed his ties with Konoha.

"Hehe, Night Lord's strength is indeed something that even the teacher marvels at. It seems that you are now qualified to show your ambition for that position."

Orochimaru's unique, hoarse laughter echoed through the dark forest. It was the first time the two, master and disciple, had met. If it were an unfamiliar ninja, they would probably have been terrified and shown a fearful expression. After all, Orochimaru's entrance and smile could easily cause misunderstandings.

"Orochimaru-sensei, you flatter me. I am aware of the gap between myself and a Kage."

Faced with Orochimaru's praise, Uchiha Yoru did not become proud. Instead, he smiled knowingly. Without considering the Mangekyou Sharingan, his current strength was only at the level of an elite Jonin, at most a quasi-Kage.

His overall strength is similar to that of Sasuke (Hawk). For example, when Sasuke Uchiha was beaten to the point of questioning his life by Killer Bee, his strength, which far exceeded that of an average elite Jonin, could easily give rise to a strange sense of confidence, making people think that only they are at the Kage level.

However, when they actually encountered a Kage-level powerhouse, such as Sasuke Hawk who was soundly beaten by Killer Bee, the gap was still significant. This stage can be called the Quasi-Kage level.

Moreover, the kaleidoscope he activated in one eye is very powerful, but it is also contradictory. It is a pupil technique with unlimited potential that he is quite satisfied with, and its power increases as his strength increases.

However, at this stage, his kaleidoscope eye technique can at most enhance him, but it is not some kind of ultimate killing technique.

Therefore, he was still self-aware enough to know that he was still not as strong as a true Kage-level expert.

"Hehe, it seems you're still as level-headed as ever, Night. You know, even I, your teacher, had a blind confidence at this stage back then, but I was awakened by the battlefield in the Land of Rain."

Orochimaru's hoarse laughter echoed through the dark forest. Looking at Uchiha Yoru's calm mind, his eyes revealed admiration.

It's safe to say that very few ninjas can earn Orochimaru's praise, and those who do must possess extraordinary abilities.

Brothers who have monthly passes can wait to vote again, as there will be a double monthly pass event at the end of the month.

(End of this chapter)