Early in the morning, the Uchiha clan's ninja troops preparing for deployment had already gathered at the entrance of Konoha Village.
The originally appointed team leader had initially been Uchiha Fugaku, then changed to Uchiha Ryun, and then at the last minute, switched back to Fugaku...
The sudden change in leadership overnight left many clansmen puzzled.
In the hearts of the clan members, Fugaku simply couldn't compare to Ryun. One had earned his reputation through sheer strength, while the other had been propped up by family connections...
Going to the battlefield meant risking their lives. In such a situation, anyone with a brain would choose a strong, experienced commander who had been through war before.
Fugaku had never been on the battlefield, lacked war experience, and his strength wasn't top-tier. Many clansmen didn't voice their dissatisfaction openly, but deep down, they didn't respect him. However, due to the clan's and Konoha's orders, lower-ranked ninjas had no choice but to obey.
'This battle, I will prove that I am no weaker than him. I will lead the clan to victory!'
Fugaku silently swore to himself.
He desperately wanted to prove himself through achievements. When he first heard that Ryun had replaced him as the leader, he felt his future had turned bleak, and resentment filled his heart.
But when news arrived in the early morning that Ryun had encountered trouble, he knew his chance had come again!
As the leader of this mission, if he could successfully lead the clan to victory, the merits from this battle, combined with his influence within the clan, would solidify his position as the next Uchiha clan head. Even if Ryun's reputation grew in the future, it wouldn't affect him anymore.
"Move out!"
With a wave of Fugaku's hand, the Uchiha ninja troops began marching in an orderly fashion toward the Wind-Fire battlefield.
The two incidents from last night seemed to have no impact on Konoha's "war machine." Reinforcements for the Wind-Fire battlefield were not delayed, and the war continued as usual.
Today, all sensory-type ninjas in the ANBU received the same order: to search for a missing purple-haired young woman who had disappeared for nearly half a day...
The Third Hokage issued a strict command, demanding that everyone find Asuka by the end of the day.
Unfortunately, despite repeated searches by the sensory ninjas, not a single trace of her was found. It was as if Asuka had vanished into thin air.
"Has my mother still not been found?"
This was Ryun's sixth time asking the question inside the confinement room.
Since being placed under restricted movement, he had been asking the ANBU captain guarding him every hour or two if there was any news about his mother. Each time, the answer left him disappointed. Even with Konoha's full efforts, they couldn't locate her.
"No, I can't stay here. I need to search for her myself..."
Ryun's face was filled with anxiety and worry. He felt he couldn't afford to waste any more time here. At the very least, he needed to join the search—it was the only way to ease the torment in his heart.
Back when he was on the battlefield for over half a year, he hadn't felt any particular longing even when separated from Asuka. But now, after just half a day of her disappearance, it felt like the sky was collapsing.
Only when faced with such a situation did he realize just how important Asuka was to him. His entire mind was consumed by panic and fear, leaving no room for other thoughts.
"You can't leave! Last night, you promised the Hokage that you would follow orders!"
The ANBU captain stared sternly at the young man in the confinement room.
"He also promised to help me find my mother. If he can't do it, then I'll do it myself." Ryun's eyes were bloodshot as he spoke coldly.
As his words fell, terrifying lightning began crackling around his body.
"Calm down. It's only been half a day. We will find your mother. At least have some faith in the Hokage!"
The ANBU captain hurriedly tried to dissuade him.
While speaking, he subtly signaled to the two other jonin nearby, preparing for a possible fight.
Seeing that the lightning showed no signs of fading, the ANBU captain had no choice but to continue persuading him:
"Konoha is doing everything it can to find your mother. Everyone is helping you. Don't make things harder for the Hokage now!"
"The Hokage ordered us to guard you. If you insist on leaving, we'll have no choice but to fight. Maybe we can't defeat you, but we can definitely stall you...
By the time reinforcements arrive, you'll have to face the Hokage again. In the end, you still won't be able to go search for her, right?"
Hearing this, the lightning around Ryun gradually dimmed. The man's words made sense and had indeed calmed him down—for now.
"If she isn't found by nightfall, I hope you won't stop me again. Otherwise, I won't hesitate to kill you." Ryun sat back down on the floor, lowering his head as he spoke softly.
Hearing this, the three ANBU members felt a chill run down their spines.
No one would mistake this for a joke. The murderous intent barely suppressed in the young man's voice made all three of them tense up in alarm.
Seeing the prodigy regain his composure, the three sighed in relief.
There were still about four hours until nightfall. There was still hope of finding Asuka...
If it really came down to it, they would report to the Third Hokage an hour before sunset and let him handle this troublesome situation himself...
While Ryun remained confined, the Kumo-nin had successfully relayed all the information from last night back to Kumogakure.
Inside the Raikage's office, the Third Raikage's face darkened as he read the messenger team's report. Without delay, he called for a high-level meeting.
After a brief hour-long discussion, Kumo's leadership reached a consensus.
Since their plan to sabotage Konoha's Nine-Tails Jinchūriki had failed, they might as well take this opportunity to force Konoha into "cutting off one of its own limbs"—eliminating the "most threatening young prodigy in the entire ninja world" themselves!
Kumo's leadership decided to employ their usual tactic of threatening war to pressure Konoha. They were convinced Konoha wouldn't dare to fight Kumogakure at this time.
Fighting two major nations simultaneously, with a bandit nation eyeing them greedily—Kumo didn't believe Konoha had the capability or the courage for such a war.
Moreover, messenger team leader Saki's report emphasized this point. He believed intimidation would work and urged Kumogakure to adopt his suggestion.
With their leadership united, Kumo swiftly drafted an extremely harsh and threatening letter, which was promptly sent to Konoha.
When the Third Hokage finished reading the Raikage's personal letter, his face twisted in fury, turning an ugly shade of red.
Once the letter reached the two Hokage Advisors, their fear and wariness of Kumo got the better of them. They bluntly suggested to Hiruzen that they "sacrifice Uchiha Ryun to avoid conflict with Kumogakure"—a cold-blooded proposal!
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