An Uchiha ninja moved swiftly through the forest.
Suddenly.
Whoosh!
A sharp whistling sound cut through the air.
Faced with an incoming kunai, the Uchiha was forced to skid to a halt. He leaped backward, landing defensively as he stared down the two figures that had appeared before him.
Two ninja from the Hidden Stone Village.
"An Uchiha?"
The two Stone ninja seemed to realize something simultaneously and burst out laughing.
"I didn't think you Uchiha were still so loyal to Konoha. Truly impressive."
"So, how does it feel to work yourself to death for a village that sells you out?"
"Tobirama Senju sold out Kagami Uchiha back in the day. Now, you're probably being sold out by Konoha too, aren't you? Otherwise, why would you be alone out here? Think about it."
These Stone ninja didn't care if the rumors were true or false.
They only knew that this rumor was a perfect weapon to mock the Uchiha.
Sure enough, hearing these words, the Uchiha ninja's face darkened instantly.
The two Stone ninja continued their taunting.
"I actually feel sorry for you Uchiha."
"You have such a powerful clan, such a unique Kekkei Genkai, yet Konoha doesn't even treat you like their own people. You do the most dangerous missions and get the worst reputation."
"If it were me, I would have quit long ago."
"Why not join us in the Hidden Stone?"
"We don't treat our own like that."
"Marry into the Stone Village, and I'll personally vouch for you!"
The Uchiha ninja's eyes turned bloodshot.
"You have a death wish!"
He could tell clearly that the Stone ninja weren't genuinely inviting him. They were just using words to humiliate him.
Originally, this Uchiha had been skeptical about the rumors regarding Kagami.
He hadn't joined the strike like those dozen other clansmen.
But doubt had taken root. He wanted to know the truth of what happened back then.
Now, the mockery of these two Stone ninja poked at that open wound.
In an instant, he completed his hand seals.
"Fire Style: Fireball Jutsu!"
The Stone ninja were prepared.
"Earth Style: Earth Wall!"
A wall of earth rose up, completely blocking the massive fireball.
Seizing the opportunity, the other Stone ninja launched a sneak attack from the flank.
One against two. He was already at a disadvantage in numbers.
And amidst the Stone ninja's taunts, the Uchiha's emotions were spiraling out of control. Rage had clouded his judgment, preventing him from making the best tactical decisions.
Shluck!
A kunai plunged into the back of the Uchiha ninja's neck.
It was ripped out.
Blood sprayed into the air.
The Stone ninja didn't dodge. He wiped the blood from his face with his sleeve, looked down at the collapsing Uchiha, and grinned.
"They say Uchiha ninja are fearsome. Looks like they're nothing special!"
Hearing this as he clung to his last breath, the Uchiha felt his rage intensify. But as death approached and he could no longer move even a finger, that rage turned into bitter despair.
Why is my clan like this?
We have such a special Kekkei Genkai.
We were supposed to be the chosen ones.
Where did it all go wrong?
---
Elsewhere.
Another Uchiha ninja watched with his own eyes as his Konoha teammate—who should have been fighting by his side—suddenly retreated the moment the Stone ninja attacked.
And the incoming Stone ninja showed zero interest in pursuing the retreating teammate.
It was as if the two sides had reached a tacit agreement.
The Konoha ninja, his supposed comrade, had hand-delivered him to the enemy.
"Shameless! Absolutely shameless!"
"This is a battlefield! Konoha and the Stone are at war! And these people are collaborating with the enemy just to kill me?"
"Does Konoha want us dead that badly?"
"Damn it! Damn it all!"
"But the more they want me dead, the more I refuse to die!"
The Uchiha ninja erupted with an unprecedented fighting spirit.
"KILL!"
He poured 100% of his focus and energy into the slaughter. It wasn't until there was no one left standing in front of him that he slowly came back to his senses, staring at the corpses on the ground.
They were the bodies of the Stone ninja who had come to kill him.
Heaving for breath, the Uchiha turned and looked in the direction of Konoha, now far in the distance.
"I survived."
"Konoha... are you disappointed?"
"This time, I see you clearly."
"This isn't over."
After the Uchiha ninja limped away, two figures emerged from the shadows, both wearing animal masks.
"Looks like the operation was a success. Let's head back and report to Lord Ebizo. Hopefully, our mission helps the village."
"Our village's position in the ninja world right now is even more precarious than the Uchiha's position in Konoha."
"But we will never give up."
---
Land of Lightning.
Kumogakure (Hidden Cloud Village).
A young ninja was organizing his grandfather's belongings.
Suddenly, a suicide note fell out.
After finishing his cleaning, the young ninja took the note to the courtyard, tore open the envelope, and began to read the letter inside, word for word.
As he read, his expression turned strange.
"I need to see the Raikage."
The young ninja arrived at the Raikage Building.
"Let him in."
Soon, he went upstairs, knocked on the door of the Raikage's office, and entered.
The Fourth Raikage sat boldly behind his massive desk.
His rugged, muscular appearance seemed out of place in an office setting.
But the image was just surface level.
Whether it was the Third or the Fourth Raikage, they appeared brash and reckless on the outside, but in reality, they were meticulous thinkers. Their appearance was a perfect camouflage.
"What is it?"
"Lord Raikage, I found this suicide note while sorting through my grandfather's effects today. I think the contents might be helpful to the village."
The Fourth Raikage raised an eyebrow.
"Let me see."
"Yes, Lord Raikage."
It didn't take long for the Raikage's eyes to lock onto a specific sentence.
—I saw with my own eyes that Tobirama Senju and Hiruzen Sarutobi sold out Kagami Uchiha.
The Fourth Raikage immediately connected this to the recent rumors circulating in the Land of Fire.
The Hidden Stone wasn't the only village at war with Konoha.
In fact, the Third Great Ninja War was a chaotic free-for-all.
Konoha had fought the Stone, the Sand, the Mist, and the Cloud.
Naturally, the Fourth Raikage kept a close eye on Konoha's situation.
And the Uchiha were a particularly unique element within Konoha.
"This note isn't forged. The contents must be genuine."
"So that means... the rumors in the Land of Fire are true?"