Chapter 53: War on the Horizon – A Gift from the Uchiha

As Samui ran for her life, Kazuya watched with mild amusement. He had no intention of following her. Better to let her go, he thought. That mark will come in handy.

With the fight over, Kazuya took a deep breath, reflecting on his journey. Somewhere along the line, ordinary Jonin had ceased to pose any challenge. Now, only the elite, like Sharingan-wielding Kakashi, might push him to try.

The battlefield fell silent, and the Leaf Anbu, their spirits rekindled, gathered around him. Victory felt good.

Kazuya's timely arrival had saved the day. The ambushed Anbu squad, battered and bruised, managed to survive, though barely. Each member was injured, and Red's chakra reserves were nearly depleted.

The squad members slumped against trees, exhausted but alive.

"Captain, you were incredible!"

"If it weren't for you, I don't even want to think about what might've happened!"

"Captain, you're a lifesaver!"

"Long live Captain Kazuya!"

The relieved Anbu members couldn't stop celebrating their narrow escape.

Suddenly, Red's face turned worried. "Captain, wait! What about Kakashi?"

"Kakashi?" Kazuya looked up.

"He stayed behind to cover our escape! If he's still fighting…"

Before she could finish, Kazuya interrupted. "Which direction?"

"Nine o'clock."

"Got it."

The next instant, he disappeared in a blur.

A few minutes later, Kazuya arrived at the scene to find several bodies strewn across the ground. In the clearing, Kakashi was still fending off three Cloud ninjas.

"Wind Release: Great Breakthrough!"

"Lightning Release: Thunderball!"

"Lightning Release: Black Panther!"

A black lightning leopard hurtled toward Kakashi, teeth bared.

"Damn it!" Kakashi muttered, out of breath. He had taken out several enemies already, but the ones left were all Jonin-level. Even for him, this was a tough fight.

"Chidori!"

With a surge of chakra, Kakashi thrust his hand forward, the Chidori crackling with electricity.

KRAK! The lightning tore through the air, but his attack narrowly missed, hitting a nearby tree instead. Breathing heavily, his vision began to blur.

Too much… I can barely hold on…

In the shadows, Kazuya observed with an amused sigh. [You received 300 points of Chidori skill experience][You received 200 points of Chidori skill experience]

[Your Chidori has leveled up to Level 2 (0/10,000)]

[You received 50 Lightning Affinity Points]

[You received 50 Lightning Affinity Points]

Kazuya sighed. "Finally got an upgrade." Chidori was tough to farm—practically no one knew it besides Kakashi. And Kakashi could only use it so many times, thanks to his notorious stamina issues.

Guess it's time to step in. Five-five or not, Kakashi's about to get clobbered.

With a flash, Kazuya appeared behind the Cloud ninjas. Before they could react, his kunai had already done its job, landing lethal blows.

BAM! BAM!

Thanks to Kazuya's enhanced strength, the three Cloud ninjas were dispatched without a chance to counter.

[You received 400 chakra points]

[You received 300 chakra points]

[You received 500 chakra points]

The golden orbs of experience flowed toward Kazuya.

Nothing like live experience packs, he thought with satisfaction, turning his attention to the unconscious Kakashi.

"Kazuya…senpai?" Kakashi's dazed eyes barely registered Kazuya's form before passing out.

"Rest easy," Kazuya murmured with a grin. "I've got your back."

He looked down at Kakashi's Sharingan, considering. Nah, not worth taking just yet. Better to wait for a fully loaded Uchiha pack to drop in.

Back with the other Anbu members, the stench of blood lingered in the air as they gathered, tending to their wounds. Kazuya glanced at Red.

"So, Red, you said the battle's already started in Frost Country?"

She nodded, "Yes. Our forces are intercepting a two-hundred-strong Cloud ninja unit there, and they've sent in their Jinchuriki as backup."

"Who'd they send from the village?"

"It's mostly Uchiha, Akimichi, and Aburame clans on our side," she replied.

"Uchiha?" Kazuya's eyes sparked with excitement.

So the Uchiha are on the move. And with Cloud's Jinchuriki there… I'll be rolling in rare loot in no time!

It was like Christmas had come early. A field packed with Uchiha to farm, complete with enemy Jinchuriki? This was jackpot territory.

His voice was steady, but his excitement was unmistakable. "Red, you and Yugao are coming with me to the frontlines. Everyone else, get the wounded back to the village safely."

"Yes, Captain!"

In the shinobi world, strength meant respect. The stronger you were, the more admiration you commanded.

…

The Anbu unit quickly split up, with Kazuya leading Red and Yugao to the frontline, while the others returned to Fire Country's outpost for rest and recovery.

The trio moved swiftly, darting through the trees.

"Sending the Uchiha clan to the frontlines—is it because of the Jinchuriki?" Kazuya mused beneath his mask, his expression thoughtful.

Or could it be that the Konoha higher-ups, including the Third Hokage, were trying to gauge if the Uchiha could handle a tailed beast? It was exactly the kind of ploy one would expect from Konoha's crafty inner circle.

"Figures… In Konoha, the Uchiha never really had a place to call their own," he thought quietly. The Uchiha were forced to endure endless suspicion and mistrust, as Konoha was founded on a shaky alliance between the Senju and the Uchiha clans—an alliance held together only by Hashirama's formidable strength and charisma. Once he was gone, the alliance's foundation crumbled.

From Tobirama onward, Konoha's leadership began systematically suppressing the Uchiha. Third Hokage Sarutobi, alongside Danzo, Homura, and Koharu, had continued Tobirama's policies of intense surveillance and political isolation.

Honestly, Kazuya thought, it was a miracle the Uchiha had survived until the events of the main storyline.

…

A day later, under a bright midday sun:

"Kazuya, the Konoha encampment is just ahead!" Yugao pointed toward a large camp in the distance.

"Got it," Kazuya nodded.

The three picked up their pace, heading towards the camp's entrance.

At the gate, a few guards halted them. Red stepped forward, showing her credentials, and they were quickly allowed through.

"That's… Captain Kazuya, right?" one of the guards asked, eyes wide with excitement.

"Yeah, it's him!" replied a nearby Jonin, equally thrilled. "I can't believe Captain Kazuya's here. Our odds just shot up!"

"He's the guy who wounded Orochimaru. We've got this in the bag now!"

The guards watched Kazuya's retreating figure with admiration. For frontline shinobi, a renowned figure like Kazuya was a godsend.