Rising Shadows: Uchiha's Wrath

After absorbing the origin of One-Tail, Kaito went to his final destination—the Land of Earth! His target was the last remaining Four-Tails and Five-Tails, whose Jinchūriki were both in Iwagakure.

However, Kaito did not head directly to Iwagakure. Instead, he made his way toward the border between the Land of Earth and the Land of Fire. At this time, Iwagakure was preparing to attack Konoha.

Most of the Iwa-nin, including Ōnoki and the two Jinchūriki, had already gathered at the border. To test Konoha's strength, Iwagakure had already begun launching small-scale attacks. Even Sunagakure, which Kaito had just left, had also begun amassing its forces.

Now, even with support from the major clans, Konoha had only managed to assemble a 2,500-strong reinforcement unit. No matter where they deployed these troops, it wouldn't be enough to make a decisive impact—especially with two battlefronts already active!

Meanwhile, Danzo's Root division, which was handling the battle at Takigakure, needed at least a month to finish their operation. Konoha had reached a true moment of life and death.

Kaito murmured, "I hope that old fool Ōnoki knows what's good for him. Otherwise… if I indirectly weaken Iwagakure to help Konoha, I won't be happy about it."

If not for the lingering concern of the Sage of Six Paths, the old schemer hiding in the shadows, Kaito would have already conquered the entire Shinobi World by now.

"There's only about a year left…" he thought to himself as he approached Iwagakure's front lines.

At the same time, the Iwa-nin on watch duty noticed the lone figure approaching their camp.

Inside the Iwagakure War Tent

"We've been launching probing attacks for four or five days now, and Konoha still hasn't reacted!"

"They've only deployed about a thousand troops at this border!"

"It looks like Konoha is truly at its limit!"

Inside a large military tent, Ōnoki and the senior commanders of Iwagakure were gathered, discussing the battle situation.

After pondering for a moment, Ōnoki spoke cautiously: "Even so, we should remain careful. Let's probe for a few more days…"

"What's the point of waiting!?"

A rough, deep voice interrupted Ōnoki. The speaker had fiery red hair and a red beard and wore a purple coat—Rōshi, the Jinchūriki of Four-Tails.

Rōshi shouted angrily, "Isn't the situation clear already?! Kumo has tied down 5,000 Konoha troops! Takigakure has another 1,000! Sunagakure is keeping another 1,000 occupied!"

"With 1,000 more here at our border, that means Konoha has only 2,000 to 3,000 troops left!"

"We have 5,000 soldiers and three Kage-level powerhouses! If we apply enough pressure, we can break Konoha's defenses in one or two months!"

"What are we still hesitating for!?"

Ōnoki immediately shot back, "Rōshi, stop throwing tantrums!"

"You know our village's current situation. These 5,000 troops are everything we have left!"

"If we waste two months in battle, and Konoha manages to stabilize its other war fronts, we'll have no reinforcements!"

"If we go all-in now and something goes wrong, what will we do then!?"

"We need to keep grinding them down—wait for the right moment—then attack together!"

Rōshi snorted in disdain. "Hmph! You're getting older, and your courage is shrinking!"

"If you're this cowardly, we might as well withdraw our troops altogether!"

"You…!"

Ōnoki trembled with anger, his hand shaking as he pointed at Rōshi. Rōshi, however, refused to back down.

Meanwhile, Han, the Jinchūriki of Five-Tails, sighed. He had seen this argument play out too many times before.

At that moment, a rock ninja suddenly barged into the tent, gasping for breath.

"Lord Tsuchikage! A man has entered our camp… he's demanding that you come out and meet him personally!"

Ōnoki's anger flared. "I'm the Tsuchikage! Why should I go out to meet anyone?! Make him come in and see me!"

"But…!"

The Iwa-nin hesitated.

Ōnoki snapped, "But what?!"

The Iwa-nin nearly cried. "We can't do anything against him… And Miss Kurotsuchi… She…"

"You better come and see for yourself!"

Ōnoki's face darkened. "What happened to Kurotsuchi?!"

Before things could escalate further, Han spoke up, "Lord Tsuchikage, no matter what, we should at least go check the situation."

Ōnoki took a deep breath and calmed down. After thinking for a moment, he said, "Fine. Let's go take a look."

He used his Flight Technique and floated out of the tent.

Rōshi followed, muttering sarcastically, "The great Tsuchikage, forced to meet some random stranger in his territory…"

Han shot him a glare. "Just shut up."

Rōshi grumbled but stopped talking.

At the Camp's Entrance

Hundreds of Iwa-nin stood on high alert, nervously staring at the lone figure standing outside the camp.

---

Kaito was standing just beyond the camp gate, his figure silhouetted against the pale light of the moon. His grip was firm on the arm of a short-haired girl who thrashed against him with all her might. Her movements were fierce but futile, like a wild animal caught in a trap.

Around them, the ground was littered with the unconscious bodies of Iwagakure shinobi—Jonin and Chunin alike—strewn about like discarded puppets. Their weapons lay scattered, glinting faintly in the dim light, a testament to the one-sided battle that had just unfolded.

"You brats didn't even bother to ask why I'm here before attacking me with your whole squad," Kaito said, his voice dripping with disdain. His gaze shifted to the girl in his grasp, a mocking smile playing on his lips. He had recognized her instantly—Kurotsuchi, the granddaughter of the Third Tsuchikage.

"You're that brat," Kurotsuchi snarled, her voice laced with defiance. She twisted and kicked, but Kaito's hold was unyielding. "Let go of me! My grandfather is the Third Tsuchikage! He'll make you regret this!"

Kaito's smirk widened. "Oh? Now you're calling for backup? That's not the same bravado you had earlier. Weren't you acting like you'd rather die than surrender?"

Kurotsuchi's face flushed with anger, but she refused to answer. Instead, she redoubled her efforts to break free, her movements growing more desperate. Yet, no matter how hard she struggled, she couldn't escape his grip. Worse still, she realized with a sinking feeling that her chakra was completely sealed. Panic flickered in her eyes, but she quickly masked it with a glare.

"Stay quiet," Kaito said, his tone casual as if he were dealing with an unruly child rather than a kunoichi of Iwagakure. "Wait until your grandfather gets here. Then I'll let you go."

Kurotsuchi, barely eleven years old, was still a child—only a year or two older than Naruto. Kaito had no intention of harming her. This was merely a means to an end.

"Who are you?" she demanded, her voice sharp despite the fear creeping into her chest.

"Me?" Kaito's lips curled into a playful smile. "Uchiha Kaito. Heard of me?"

He expected her to recoil in fear or at least show some sign of recognition. Instead, her eyes widened, and to his surprise, they sparkled with excitement.

"YOU'RE UCHIHA KAITO?!" she exclaimed, her earlier defiance replaced by sheer curiosity.

Kaito blinked, momentarily caught off guard, but nodded. "Yeah."

At his confirmation, Kurotsuchi's excitement exploded like a firework. "Did you destroy all of Konoha by yourself?!" she asked, her voice rising with each word. "They say you fought multiple Kage-level opponents alone! Is that true? And do you have a Mangekyō Sharingan?! Show me! And—"

Her questions came rapid-fire, one after another, her initial fear completely forgotten. It was as if she had momentarily forgotten that she was supposed to be in danger.

Kaito raised an eyebrow, amused by her sudden shift in demeanor. Ever since she had heard the rumors of Kaito's defection and the destruction of Konoha two years ago, Kurotsuchi had been obsessed with learning everything about him. Her grandfather, Ōnoki, had even regaled her with tales of Uchiha Madara and his legendary Mangekyō Sharingan, further fueling her fascination.

Despite being a kunoichi, Kurotsuchi was still a young girl at heart. Growing up in a relatively peaceful era, she had temporarily forgotten the gravity of her situation. Her curiosity had overtaken her fear, and for a moment, she was just a fan meeting her idol.

Luckily for her, Kaito had no plans to harm a child. He watched her with a mixture of amusement and mild exasperation, wondering how someone so young could be so bold—and so naive.