Night's curtain descended. A bright full moon rose into the sky, stars reflected across the river's surface, and several egrets occasionally took flight in alarm.
Yūhi Kurenai crouched halfway within the riverside bushes.
Asuma and the others stood on tree branches.
Five people and one dog—disciplined and motionless—closely observed the upstream section of the river, which was not particularly wide.
The cold river wind stirred the softly curled waves of hair falling over Kurenai's forehead.
Her graceful figure floated upon the water beneath her snow-white feet, her elegant silhouette rippling with the shimmering current.
Just minutes earlier, Asuma had led the team in laying explosive tag traps across the river. Any ordinary ninja— even a jōnin—who entered the danger zone without vigilance would be blown to pieces without a trace left behind.
Kurenai's almond eyes revealed worry. She feared Yinyue might come—yet also feared that he wouldn't.
Her breathing quickened. Her heart pounded wildly.
If Yinyue really came…
She had to save him immediately. As for the other Uchiha, they didn't matter.
Her pupils trembled slightly as she made her decision. Kurenai had never been the type to hesitate—once she chose a path, she followed it through without delay.
This heroic temperament had its roots in the Night of the Nine-Tails' Rampage.
Her father, Yūhi Shinku, a Konoha chūnin and instructor for genin, had been tasked with protecting and evacuating newly graduated ninja from Kurenai's class during the Nine-Tails incident.
Treated like a child by her father back then, Kurenai nevertheless stood against his authority and declared that even if they couldn't fight, as Konoha ninja they should at least participate in rescue operations.
That night, she shared her thoughts with her peers—Might Guy, Kakashi, and others.
She earned her father's approval and was entrusted with the Will of Fire.
Yet what no one knew was this—
The person who encouraged Kurenai to speak bravely, who stood beside her offering constant reassurance, was Uchiha Yinyue.
During her moment of hesitation, Yinyue had pushed her forward.
And it was that very night—
That Kurenai witnessed her father and other jōnin perish beneath the claws of the Nine-Tails.
If not for Yinyue urging her to speak up, her fellow genin might have been evacuated and protected…
But she would never again have the chance to remain by her father's side as he lay gravely wounded, calling her name in his final moments.
"Red, what are you thinking about?"
Seeing Kurenai's gaze go unfocused, Asuma jumped down from the tree and asked curiously.
Kurenai snapped back to reality, took half a step back to deliberately widen the distance between them, and shook her head.
"Nothing."
Asuma frowned, forced a bitter smile, then leapt back into the tree.
At the waist of Kikyō Mountain—
Dense forest surrounded the Uchiha rogue squad as they entered the mountain route. To the east lay Kikyō City, glowing with thousands of lights, and the river flowing like a ribbon of liquid mercury.
"Achoo—"
Yinyue sneezed, raised a hand to wipe his nose, his cold and proud expression quickly returning to normal as he continued leading the team through the treetops.
His gaze was sharp. Even at night, with only faint moonlight, he could still determine direction clearly.
As they traveled, Yinyue continuously analyzed his defection plan—patching loopholes and assessing the current state of the ninja world.
Before and after the night of the massacre—
The ninja world appeared calm on the surface, with no undercurrents beneath. No major events had occurred.
"If nothing's happening, then I'll make something happen."
Yinyue thought coldly.
The more chaotic the ninja world became, the safer it would be for him—and the easier it would be to move unnoticed.
Otherwise, all Five Great Villages would keep their eyes fixed on this Uchiha rogue squad.
Even with Eight Thousand Spears and Kotoamatsukami, survival would be impossible under that level of scrutiny.
Fortunately, he already had a plan to stir the waters—and their escape was part of it.
After his battle with Danzō, Yinyue had tested the limits of his Eight Thousand Spears Mangekyō.
At full capacity—100% Yin Release Mangekyō chakra—he could control around 120 elite mid-to-high-level Root operatives in a surprise strike.
This limitation stemmed from his still-weak ocular power.
An Uchiha's dōjutsu strength was born from love turning into hatred—the stronger the hatred, the stronger the eyes—also tied to mental strength and chakra reserves.
For now, there was no shortcut. He could only temper his spirit over time and refine his chakra to perfection.
"It's been nearly three days since the massacre. My Eight Thousand Spears Mangekyō chakra has only recovered to thirty percent. Kotoamatsukami has finished cooling down, though… that's enough."
Yinyue felt reassured.
His original body had been a three-tomoe Uchiha Police Force captain, proficient in Uchiha kenjutsu, Fire Release, and close-quarters combat.
Even so—
If he had only Eight Thousand Spears without the supreme genjutsu Kotoamatsukami, the pressure of escape would have increased drastically.
As for Susanoo—
He was still exploring it.
That was precisely why Yinyue had taken the enormous risk to kill Danzō and seize Kotoamatsukami.
Just as the team crossed over a mountain ridge—
Swish—swish—swish—
Five pitch-black figures rose from waist-high shrubs, blocking the path ahead of the Uchiha rogue squad.
Under the moonlight, it was clear that all five wore forehead protectors and carried weapons.
Uchiha Yinyue halted first, crouching on a tree branch. His three-tomoe Sharingan activated as he surveyed the scene, then he raised his hand and gestured backward.
In that instant—
Except for Nanfeng, who carried Tamao on his back, and Izumi, who stayed beside Mikoto—
All the other Uchiha vanished into the darkness, scattering into concealed positions with flawless coordination.
Mikoto's beautiful dark eyes flickered with surprise.
The Uchiha truly possessed exceptional battlefield adaptability.
Yet as a three-tomoe wielder herself—and a former Konoha jōnin—Mikoto understood something clearly:
No matter how strong individuals were, without a central pillar, a team could never achieve such instant response and coordination.
"What did he do… to earn both your awe and your absolute trust?"
Mikoto wondered, glancing toward Izumi.
Izumi shot her an annoyed look, gripping her ninja blade tightly, ready for battle, and said nothing.
Izumi was still thinking about whether this old woman was even suitable for Captain Yinyue.
So what if she was Itachi's mother?
Did that mean she could eat tender grass?
Izumi puffed her cheeks angrily, clutching her blade. If she weren't stuck protecting this woman, she'd already be fighting alongside Captain Yinyue.
Mikoto misunderstood Izumi's hostility as continued rejection, her eyes filling with confusion.
She didn't know that on the night of the massacre—
While her eldest son slaughtered civilians—
Yinyue had led these very Uchiha in a surprise assassination of Konoha's core leadership, killing Shimura Danzō and avenging the clan.
Izumi suddenly sighed.
"Sigh… maybe Captain Yinyue's choice wasn't right after all. Choosing the mountain route led us straight into a pursuing ninja squad. If we'd taken the water route, things might've been different."
Mikoto ignored the muttering, maintaining her gentle composure, her eyes fixed on Yinyue's straight, unwavering back.
At the front of the formation—
"Hm?"
Yinyue narrowed his eyes. Instantly assessing the situation, he drew his ninja blade and flashed forward toward the five figures.
In a blink—
Mikoto's eyes widened. The world blurred—
And when she saw clearly again—
Not only Yinyue, but the Uchiha who had vanished moments earlier had reappeared.
They completely surrounded the five figures, blades crossed at their throats.
The five enemies were utterly caught off guard.
Silence fell.
Yinyue's blade pressed against one man's neck, the sharp edge biting into flesh, drawing a thin line of blood.
Under the moonlight, he tilted his head and saw the man's face clearly.
A young man—thin-faced—wearing a Kirigakure rogue-nin forehead protector. Sweat covered his brow, yet fierce resolve burned in his eyes as he tightly gripped a bow.
The thin youth stared at Yinyue—then suddenly his pupils shrank, joy bursting across his face as he cried out:
"Captain Yinyue!!! It's me!
Jaeger! You saved us before!"
(End of Chapter 16)