The conference room had fallen silent. Of the many Grass-nin who had filled it moments ago, only their leader, Windwa Ōno, remained alive.
He stood rigid, body locked by the Binding Illusion: Golden Paralysis. The stench of blood grew thick around him as one body after another hit the floor.
"You… you bastards!" Ōno roared, panic twisting his face. "We're allies! What do you think you're doing?!"
Uchiha Yuan rose slowly from his seat and stepped closer with measured calm. "Since you refuse to cooperate," he said, his tone flat and cold, "we'll simply make sure you do."
Ōno's eyes widened as Yuan's gaze met his.
"Don't worry," Yuan added quietly. "I'm not going to kill you—yet."
Forming a seal with both hands, Yuan murmured, "Enlightened Delusion Technique."
It was a genjutsu of his own design, developed after studying the Mind Confusion Jutsu of the fox clan and the Yamanaka clan's Mind Transfer Technique.
Ōno's pupils glazed over, his expression flickering between resistance and surrender. Within seconds, the struggle vanished, replaced by a vacant calm. His eyes shut briefly—then reopened, filled with devotion.
"Binding Illusion—release."
As the paralysis faded, Ōno dropped to one knee, bowing deeply. "Windwa Ōno… pledges his life to serve you, my lord."
Yuan exhaled slowly. So it works.
This was the first time he had successfully used his new genjutsu in the field.
Behind him, the ten Konoha "shinobi" suddenly erupted into smoke—revealing ten identical Uchiha Yuan clones.
"Clean up the bodies," Yuan ordered. "Then transform into their likenesses."
"Understood," one clone said, grinning faintly.
"Leave it to us, boss."
"Finally, something entertaining," another chuckled.
Yuan left the room, his shadow stretching long in the dim corridor. Ōno followed half a step behind, expression blank, his will completely bound.
As they walked, Yuan inspected the village's key facilities, quietly committing every detail of Kusagakure's infrastructure to memory.
But when he reached the infirmary near the main tower, harsh voices and cruel laughter drifted from within.
Yuan frowned. A pack of savages.
He moved down the hallway, passing door after door—until one creaked open ahead of him.
A young woman stepped out.
Her hair was a striking crimson, her skin pale as snow. She moved weakly, one hand braced against the wall, her body trembling with exhaustion.
That must be her, Yuan thought. Karin's mother.
The one true treasure hidden within this forsaken village.
The woman's condition was dire—her wrists marred by fresh bite marks, her chakra faint. Yet even so, Yuan could feel it—the unmistakable vitality of the Uzumaki bloodline.
Stronger even than Kushina's, perhaps.
It was precisely because of this mother and daughter that Yuan had come alone.
If Root—or Orochimaru—ever learned of them, their lives would be over.
So, while the others believed he'd simply gone ahead to "scout," Yuan had entered Kusagakure by himself.
After all, no one truly believed this broken village could threaten a man who'd once repelled the Fourth Raikage.
Uzumaki Kana pressed her palm to the wall, forcing herself onward.
Thirteen new bite marks marred her arms.
Just a little longer, she told herself. Karin… Mommy's coming back soon.
Her head throbbed, her vision dimming as sweat rolled down her temples. Then her knees buckled.
But before she hit the cold floor, a steady hand caught her.
Her breath caught in her throat—someone caught her?
No one in Kusagakure ever helped her. To them, she was nothing but a living medicine pouch—a tool to be drained, beaten, and used.
"Thank you…" she whispered, her voice faint.
She turned—and froze.
The boy holding her had the forehead protector of Konoha tied around his arm.
A Leaf shinobi.
Her expression darkened. Konoha…
She remembered fire, screams, and the echo of her clan's fury.
The day Uzushiogakure fell—
When the alliance that had once bound the Whirlpool and the Leaf meant nothing.
Even as a child, she'd heard her kin cry out:
"Konoha betrayed us!"
Their allies had abandoned them.
Her clan—descendants of the First Hokage's own kin—had been wiped out. Kushina Uzumaki was taken away to be the Nine-Tails' host… and when their homeland burned, no help ever came.
"You're… from Konoha?" she asked quietly, steadying herself against the wall.
Yuan nodded. "Uchiha Yuan."
"Uchiha?" she murmured, startled. "I'm Uzumaki Kana… survivor of Uzushio."
Yuan's gaze softened slightly. "Of course. The Uzumaki—distant kin to the Senju clan. I'd recognize that red hair anywhere."
Kana bowed her head politely and turned to leave.
But before she could take a step, the far doors slammed open.
A group of Grass-nin staggered in, bloodied from battle.
The man leading them towered over the rest, nearly two meters tall, his body soaked in blood and reeking of iron. He leaned on a comrade's shoulder, his voice booming:
"Where is that woman?!"
"Find her! Bring her to me!"
"Hah! There you are!" he shouted, his face twisting into a cruel grin as he spotted Kana.
Kana flinched, her expression darkening. "I… I can't. I've treated too many already. I can't go on."
The man sneered. "This village took you in. You don't get to say no. If you're tired, then your daughter can take your place."
Kana's face went pale.
He shoved aside the man supporting him and lurched toward her, eyes gleaming with malice.
Resigned, Kana slowly rolled up her sleeve—revealing her arm, covered in fresh and faded bite marks.
The brute grabbed her wrist, bringing his teeth close to her skin.
But before he could bite—
A sharp crack split the air.
The man's body flew backward like a rag doll, slamming hard against the wall.
And in the echoing silence that followed, Uchiha Yuan lowered his arm—his eyes cold, a faint red glow flickering within them.
Some people die… but they're never truly gone.
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