Chapter 74

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"Hidden Mist."

Fugaku was reviewing the latest battle reports. The conflict in the Hidden Hot Water Village primarily involved various cults clashing with the village.

Previously, there were very few records of conflicts with the Hidden Mist Village, but each encounter had resulted in heavy losses for them, especially the Uchiha clan.

For instance, the parents of a certain genius who developed jutsu had perished here.

However, in the past few days, there had been signs of a large number of Hidden Mist ninjas mobilizing. According to the reports received by Konoha, a team of Uchiha encountered a squad of Hidden Mist Jonin and was completely wiped out. Their whereabouts had yet to be discovered.

"Fugaku, we need to find this team of ninjas immediately; otherwise, we'll be at a severe disadvantage," Yashiro said with a grave expression.

After all, the Hidden Hot Water Village wasn't the Land of Fire. If the Hidden Mist ninjas circled around to the rear, they could deliver a devastating blow at a critical moment. This outpost not only held Konoha's strength but also a large portion of the Uchiha clan's power.

The elders of the clan hoped that Fugaku would take control here. As long as Fugaku demonstrated the skills of an elite Jonin, he would naturally be selected for promotion.

Unlike Jonin, who required examinations, elite Jonin were chosen based on their merits in battle.

"Let's go take on the mission," Fugaku nodded, indicating his understanding. However, since he had not yet been officially recognized as an elite Jonin, only the Uchiha clan members were under his command at this outpost.

Apart from the Uchiha, there were also members of the Sarutobi and Shimura clans, as well as a small number of civilian ninjas.

The three individuals Fugaku mentioned were naturally Yashiro, himself, and the silent man who always followed him—Uchiha Shin.

Fugaku led the two to the mission tent, located at the center of the outpost. Inside, it was bustling with activity, with ninjas constantly submitting intelligence or taking on new tasks. It was a well-oiled machine, with the primary objective being to collect relevant intelligence.

All missions at the outpost were issued directly by the village, with no outside commissions. Konoha's missions were to be completed by its own ninjas, while the outpost focused on gathering intelligence and serving as a base for warfare.

Despite Fugaku's significant influence within the Uchiha clan, there were many ninjas at the outpost who didn't care much for the Uchiha's affairs. The three had no choice but to queue up, but fortunately, the process was quick.

Soon, it was their turn. An elderly man was meticulously organizing the intelligence.

"Senpai."

This was Sarutobi Tō, a Jonin of the Sarutobi clan who had once been an elite Jonin during the First Great Ninja War.

Unfortunately, age had taken its toll, and his remaining combat strength was uncertain. Nevertheless, he was the leader of this outpost.

Although he should have retired, the village's limited resources meant that older ninjas like him were still deployed to the frontlines.

Fugaku approached Tō directly and stated his request, "Sarutobi-senpai, I would like to access the mission report from five days ago."

"Five days ago?" Tō frowned in thought. He quickly retrieved the mission scroll related to that task. "That mission hasn't been completed yet. We've already dispatched several ninja squads to track the enemy, and many have perished."

Allowing a squad of Jonin from the Hidden Mist Village to infiltrate the Land of Hot Water was a pressing concern that Tō was well aware of. However, the forces here were quite limited, which was why the village had sent the Uchiha clan.

"Leave it to us," Fugaku said confidently.

"You're Uchiha Fugaku, right? A promising young man. Very well, I'll leave it to you." Tō handed the mission scroll to Fugaku.

He knew of the Uchiha clan's young leader, though Fugaku's reputation wasn't particularly prominent. While Fugaku had participated in many missions, they were generally of low risk.

The Uchiha were very protective of their future clan leader. Now that they had sent him to this outpost, it was likely because they believed his strength had reached an elite level.

"I hope you find them quickly. The Hidden Mist seems poised to participate in this Second Great Ninja War," Tō said with a frown. The recent large-scale mobilization of Hidden Mist ninjas was an ominous sign. If war broke out, Konoha had no additional forces to send, and the Uchiha would have to bear the brunt of it.

Although the village leader intended to exhaust the Uchiha clan's strength, if the Land of Hot Water were to collapse entirely, it would be disastrous for Konoha.

Fugaku nodded in agreement. The three of them accepted the mission and set off immediately.

The location where the squad was annihilated was near a natural hot spring. The subsequent pursuit and sacrifices occurred not far from there.

The three arrived at the first site. There were no signs of battle, and the surrounding environment was undisturbed. In a place like this, where a battle had taken place, no one would have come to clean up the aftermath. Five days wasn't long enough to erase all traces.

"The intelligence didn't provide the exact time of the battle. It was only discovered two hours later when the outpost ninjas noticed something was wrong," Fugaku noted, examining the dried bloodstains on the ground. The three of them simultaneously activated their Sharingan.

"There are no traces of ninjutsu left," Fugaku observed.

"Then it wasn't the work of the Seven Ninja Swordsmen of the Mist," Yashiro added. This was the only piece of good news. The Seven Ninja Swordsmen of the Mist were capable of killing even elite Jonin. However, after five days, the information they could gather was still limited.

"On to the next location," Fugaku decided. Yashiro glanced at the nearby hot spring inn.

"That's where the following ninja squad was killed."

"Such a close distance—provocation, perhaps?" Fugaku pondered, becoming more cautious as the situation became more critical. A mistake now could lead to disaster.

"There's no point in overthinking it now. We need to gather more intelligence first," Shin advised.

Fugaku nodded. The three of them proceeded directly to the hot spring inn, finding the door tightly shut. But such things were never a problem for ninjas. They jumped inside and began searching the inn.

They soon converged in the inn's storeroom, where seven bodies were hanging. The three fell silent.

"They were all silenced," Fugaku said grimly.

But the mission report hadn't mentioned this, which could only mean one thing.

"These Mist ninjas came back," Yashiro concluded.

Fugaku could not yet decipher what the Mist ninjas were planning.

"The Mist ninjas are known for their reckless brutality," Yashiro remarked, not finding it surprising. He had fought against Mist ninjas before and was well aware of their cruel behavior.

"Let's head to the third location," Fugaku said, his expression heavy. He had yet to fully experience the horrors of war, and the reality of it weighed on him.

The third location was also where Konoha's ninjas had last searched. In these three places, Konoha had lost three entire squads.

(End of Chapter)