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Chapter 184: Is There a Feathered Moonlit Night?
Chapter 184: Is There a Feathered Moonlit Night?
"Uchiha?!"
In the Hokage's office, Tsunade narrowed her eyes slightly as she listened to Shikamaru's rapid account of his team's completion of the diplomatic mission and their sharp discovery of Kamizuki Izumo and Kozuki Tetsuo falling under a genjutsu upon their return to the village.
"Are you sure it was the Uchiha?" Tsunade asked, looking at the two guards whose minds were still recovering from the genjutsu.
Kamizuki Izumo nodded firmly, his voice weak, "There were more than ten people in the group, and each of them had the Uchiha clan emblem printed on their cloaks. They activated their Sharingan and cast a genjutsu on us. Now that I think back, I recognize one of them as Uchiha Sasuke!"
"Uchiha Sasuke and more than ten other Uchiha ninjas."
Tsunade's expression turned grave as she received this new intelligence.
During their trip to Fuyugakure, she had learned from Yamato about the presence of other Uchiha survivors.
She had assumed their numbers wouldn't be too large, given the Uchiha death registry in Konoha.
But now, with this new development, there were at least ten Uchiha members.
Such a number was already considerable for a small ninja clan.
'Just how many Uchiha were sent away back then?' Tsunade wondered.
Her anger grew as she thought of the Third Hokage and Danzo Shimura, who were largely responsible for the Uchiha's current situation.
If they hadn't already passed away, she would have liked to give them a piece of her mind.
'Look at the mess you've left me with!'
At that moment, Shikamaru, who had already learned from Shizune about the battle at the Nanakimi Shrine and the loss of several Konoha squads, quickly analyzed the situation, "As expected, Sasuke and his group are currently inside the Nanakimi Shrine. The possibility of infighting among them is minuscule, and there weren't any Konoha ninjas there initially. Their enemy must be someone else."
"An enemy capable of making Sasuke and these Uchiha ninjas expose themselves and disregard Konoha's proximity, someone they would fight at the Nanakimi Shrine. I can only think of one person."
Shikamaru looked up at Tsunade as he said this.
Tsunade continued, her voice steady, "Uchiha Itachi."
"So, the situation now is that there are two groups of Uchiha fighting within the Nanakimi Shrine. Sasuke and the others are seeking revenge. But why would Uchiha Itachi come to Konoha?" Shizune asked, her brow furrowed in confusion after her analysis.
At that moment, a new voice piped in, "For the Sharingan."
Jiraiya, with his white hair reaching his waist and the character "Oil" on his forehead protector, walked in with a solemn expression.
"Jiraiya-sama," Shizune, Shikamaru, and Kamizuki Izumo greeted him respectfully.
Jiraiya nodded casually and continued the conversation, "For a Mangekyo Sharingan to evolve further, it must merge with the Sharingan of a close relative. I believe that the reason Uchiha Itachi spared Uchiha Sasuke in the past was because of their brotherly bond."
Due to the reappearance of the legendary Feathered Moonlit Night, Jiraiya had spent the last two years collecting and studying information from the Warring States period, hoping to gain a deeper understanding of this phenomenon.
On one occasion, he stumbled upon a hidden secret about the Uchiha clan in an old book that had nothing to do with Feathered Moonlit Night.
The author seemed to have a deep understanding of the Uchiha.
In the book, he narrated the story of Uchiha Madara plucking out his younger brother Uchiha Izuna's eyes for the evolution of his Sharingan.
Whether the author had heard a misinterpreted version or deliberately slandered Uchiha Madara was unclear.
Nevertheless, after reading this, Jiraiya immediately thought of Uchiha Itachi and Uchiha Sasuke.
Shikamaru found it hard to believe that the Uchiha clan's method of gaining strength involved killing each other, a brother's blood fueling their power.
Now was not the time to dwell on this matter, however.
"We must not let Uchiha Itachi take Sasuke's eyes, nor let Sasuke obtain Itachi's!" Shikamaru exclaimed.
If taking a brother's eyes could lead to evolution, then the reverse should hold true as well.
Both Uchiha Itachi and Uchiha Sasuke were now S-rank missing-nin of Konoha.
Unlike Naruto, Shikamaru was not one to let his emotions get the better of him, and he quickly offered a suggestion to Tsunade, "Hokage-sama, we must dispatch a large force immediately to seal off the Nanakimi Shrine and capture Uchiha Itachi, Sasuke, and the others in one fell swoop."
Tsunade nodded, adding, "There's one more thing."
She turned to Kamizuki Izumo and Kozuki Tetsuo, her eyes sharp as she asked, "In the Uchiha group, was there any sign of Hagoromo Gengetsu?"
As soon as the name "Hagoromo Gengetsu" left her lips, the room fell silent.
While most in the ninja world had only heard tales of Hagoromo Gengetsu in stories and rumors, the leaf ninjas present, especially those from the Root division, had a more profound impression of him, having witnessed the annihilation of the Root division.
Kamizuki Izumo and Kozuki Tetsuo swallowed nervously, their faces tense as they tried to recall. After a moment, they shook their heads, their voices shaking slightly, "We're not sure. Uchiha Sasuke moved too fast, and we were caught in the genjutsu before we could get a clear look at everyone."
Tsunade frowned, her brow furrowing at the lack of concrete intelligence.
She quickly pondered the situation and made a decision.
"Asuma, Shizune, gather all the available jonin and chunin in the village immediately. I will lead this mission personally!" Tsunade ordered, her voice firm and resolute.
While the Uchiha ninjas were powerful, Tsunade found it bold, even reckless, for a group of merely a dozen or so to act so brazenly under Konoha's watchful eye.
Unless, of course, they had some other assurance.
The only explanation Tsunade could fathom was the presence of another Mangekyo Sharingan user from Sasuke's time at the Fire Temple and Mount Katabami, or perhaps even Hagoromo Gengetsu himself.
Add to that the presence of Uchiha Itachi, Uchiha Sasuke, and the others, and it became clear why Tsunade felt the need to lead this mission personally instead of sitting idly in her office like the Third Hokage had done in the past.
"Yes, Hokage-sama!" Asuma and Shizune acknowledged the order and sprang into action.
"I'll come too," Jiraiya said, his face grave as he thought of his previous encounter with the individual he had brushed shoulders with while evading pursuit after his failed attempt at spying.
Tsunade did not refuse.
Soon, a force comprising all the available jonin and chunin in the village assembled, and Tsunade, accompanied by Jiraiya, led the group toward the long-abandoned Uchiha clan territory.
Kamizuki Izumo and Kozuki Tetsuo, still recovering from the genjutsu, were left behind.
The two men exchanged glances, each reading the other's thoughts.
If Hagoromo Gengetsu had indeed been among the Uchiha group, it meant they had survived an encounter with the legendary figure, said to be on par with the gods themselves.
No, that wasn't quite right.
They had faced Hagoromo Gengetsu, a figure of legend, and lived to tell the tale.
However, as their thoughts turned to their comrades now heading toward the Nanakimi Shrine, Kamizuki Izumo and Kozuki Tetsuo couldn't help but feel that their own survival wasn't necessarily a good thing.
(End of Chapter)
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