Late at night,
On a steep seaside cliff, faint lights flickered in the distance. These were carried by a squad of Konoha ninja responsible for night patrol. Braving the icy, cutting sea wind, they slowly approached the cliff's edge, raising their lanterns to illuminate the darkness below. However, this feeble light was incapable of piercing the deep abyss at the base of the cliff.
That said,
Their true "eyes" were not the lanterns, but a Chunin from the Hyuga branch family, who was protected in the center of the team.
The lanterns were merely a decoy. If an ambush occurred, the one holding the lantern would almost certainly be the first target, protecting the "eyes" of the squad. Due to the high risk of holding the lantern, everyone except for the "eyes" took turns carrying it.
"Let's hope for a peaceful night," the middle-aged man holding the lantern muttered, peering over the dark cliff face as the waves crashed below.
Unfortunately,
People in different places could not enjoy the same moonlit night. Thick clouds blocked the moonlight, making the darkness deeper than usual. The middle-aged man squinted, trying to make out anything below as he extended the lantern farther down.
Behind him,
The Hyuga Chunin activated the Byakugan.
Suddenly,
Through the sound of crashing waves, there was the faint noise of something slicing through the air.
"Careful! Enemy attack!!"
In that moment, the Hyuga ninja saw a bright, torch-like figure of chakra below the cliff. The unfamiliar chakra indicated intruders. But his warning came too late—a kunai coated in anti-reflective material had already slit the throat of the man holding the lantern.
Blood spurted from the deep wound, the red droplets blooming in the night.
The lifeless body, along with the lantern, toppled over the cliff and vanished into the darkness below. The light of the lantern extinguished, leaving the cliff shrouded in complete darkness once again. But the fallen man had served his purpose: he had taken the first, most dangerous strike for the team's "eyes."
A specialized flare shot into the sky, signaling the onset of war!
The Mist Ninja had arrived!
————
News of the battle swiftly reached Konoha. The village's top officials quickly gathered in the Hokage's office. Acting Fifth Hokage, Akimichi Torifu, sat behind his wide desk, reviewing the report from the Eastern Border Defense Unit.
The report was simple, stating only that Mist Ninja had appeared on the eastern coast of the Land of Fire and requesting reinforcements from the village.
It was concise to an almost extreme degree.
"Shikaku, is everyone here?"
Akimichi Torifu looked up at Nara Shikaku, who stood beside the desk.
"Everyone except for Uchiha Sōgen," Shikaku replied respectfully.
Indeed,
All the heads of departments and clan leaders had rushed to the Hokage building after receiving the urgent summons from the Anbu. However, the main figure of this meeting, Uchiha Sōgen, was notably absent.
After all,
It had been decided that Uchiha Sōgen would serve as the chief commander of the Konoha forces in this battle against the Mist. Yet, the protagonist of this critical meeting was nowhere to be seen.
Akimichi Torifu frowned slightly, feeling a bit displeased.
But he wasn't angry—Uchiha Sōgen's immense personal power and the Uchiha clan's strength were enough to excuse this tardiness. Nonetheless, it was still an unpleasant situation.
"This isn't the first time Uchiha Sōgen has been late!"
Nara Shikaku, standing beside the desk, couldn't help but recall previous instances of Uchiha Sōgen's tardiness. Whether it was during Sarutobi Hiruzen's era or Torifu's current term as acting Hokage, Uchiha Sōgen had a history of showing up late to meetings.
"——Clang!——Clang!"
A strange sound came from the hallway outside.
"Apologies, Lord Hokage. Please forgive my tardiness; packing took a bit longer than expected." The partially open door of the office swung silently wider, and a fully armored Uchiha Sōgen stepped inside.
Then—
"Uchiha Madara!!!"
Akimichi Torifu abruptly stood, knocking over his chair, his large frame causing the desk to slide two inches forward.
This sudden shift caused Hyuga Hiashi and others waiting in the room to look around in confusion.
Had they misheard?
Uchiha Madara?
Why would that long-buried name be mentioned now?
Akimichi Torifu stood there, staring at Uchiha Sōgen standing at the door, his vision seemingly blurred. The memory of a ghostly figure overlapped with the real person in front of him. The blood-red armor, the black battle robe like that of a grim reaper, and the massive, bandage-wrapped blade on his back—Sōgen's appearance resembled that of Uchiha Madara to an uncanny degree.
"Hah…"
"Old age is getting to me," Akimichi Torifu muttered under his breath as he exhaled deeply.
Upon closer inspection, Uchiha Sōgen wasn't exactly the same as the legendary Madara. His hair was shorter, and the large sword on his back wasn't the iconic Uchiha fan. His facial features were also softer and more refined.
Shaking his head, Torifu dismissed the strange mirage from his mind.
"Are you all right, Lord Hokage?" Hyuga Hiashi asked, slightly concerned.
"It's nothing, just an old man's momentary lapse," Torifu waved off the concern. After all, most of the younger people like Hiashi and Aburame Shibi had never seen Uchiha Madara, so they couldn't understand the awe and fear that their generation felt towards him.
In his youth, Torifu had been lucky enough to fight alongside Madara against foreign enemies, witnessing Madara's god-like power firsthand—a memory that had left an indelible mark on him.
"Sōgen, I didn't expect you to be so fond of such nostalgic things!" Torifu said, his large hand easily lifting the fallen chair with his partial expansion technique.
"This is tradition!" Sōgen tapped the red armor on his chest, the overlapping plates clinking with a metallic ring.
Although this type of armor had excellent defensive properties, its weight and the noise it made when moving caused it to fall out of favor in recent decades. Modern ninjas preferred lighter, quieter gear for stealth and mobility, sacrificing the defense of iron armor.
"The clan elders prepared this for me. It was hard to refuse their hopeful gazes," Sōgen explained, though he didn't mention the other reason: he personally liked this style of armor. Compared to the standard green vests, he much preferred the traditional red armor. Besides, his technique, **"A Knight Does Not Die Weaponless"**, allowed him to add D-rank defense to the armor.
It was both stylish and practical, so why not wear it instead of a green vest?
As for whether the elders were reminiscing about Uchiha Madara, that didn't matter.
What mattered was that Sōgen was now the head of the Uchiha clan. One day, he would completely surpass the influence that Madara, the clan's previous leader, had left behind. Old ghosts should stay in the afterlife and not steal the spotlight from the living.
Being an elder had its limits; this was no longer the era of the old legends!
"I see," Akimichi Torifu nodded, no longer pressing the issue.
What gear Uchiha Sōgen wore was his own business. Although seeing him in such attire did stir some unease, Torifu realized it was unnecessary to worry about it—he was just a temporary Hokage, after all. Once this war with the Mist was over and Jiraiya and Tsunade were found, it would be time for him to step down. There was no need to create unnecessary conflict with the Uchiha.
"Enough small talk!" Torifu's eyes sharpened as he straightened up and picked up the report from the desk. "This message arrived early this morning. The Mist Ninja appeared on the eastern coast last night, attacking a patrol squad. The war... has begun!"
War had begun.
The weight of those words struck Hiashi and the others, filling the room with a tense pressure.
Even if they were confident in defeating the Mist Ninja, the looming presence of war could not be ignored. The battlefield was unpredictable, and while it might seem that victory was assured, history was full of examples of expected victories turning into catastrophic defeats.
War was a black box full of uncertainty.
Until the moment it was opened, no one could predict the outcome.
At that moment—
"Since that's the case, may I set out now?" Sōgen asked, eager, his expression brimming with a bloodthirsty smile that made Torifu's eye twitch. That eerie smile—why did it overlap with the phantoms of the past? Were all Uchiha like this?
Did they really love war that much?
"Uchiha Clan Head, may your battles be victorious. I will await your triumphant return to the village," Akimichi Torifu stood and solemnly handed over the battlefield command to Uchiha Sōgen, passing the official appointment to Nara Shikaku, who then delivered it to Sōgen. With that document in hand, Sōgen became the rightful supreme commander of the eastern front.
"This battle will be won! Rest assured, Lord Hokage," Sōgen said, his smile growing brighter as the murderous intent in his eyes intensified.
————
Half an hour later, under the command of Supreme Commander Uchiha Sōgen, the army that had been ready for days finally set off, marching toward the eastern coastal region of the Land of Fire. This was a massive army of nearly 4,000 soldiers, not only depleting Konoha's readily available forces but also drawing 1,500 clansmen from the Sarutobi, Shimura, and four other clans.
Of course, this was by no means the entirety of Konoha's reserves.
Konoha's resources ran deep! If the village really needed to, it wouldn't be difficult to muster another 5,000 soldiers by recruiting from clans like the Uchiha, Hyuga, Aburame, and the Ino-Shika-Cho alliance.
However, unless it was absolutely necessary, not even the Hokage would dare to make such a drastic decision lightly.
"Sōgen, don't underestimate the situation! The Mist Village is still one of the Five Great Shinobi Villages. This time, you're not just responsible for your own life but for the survival of the thousands under your command as well."
At the main gate of Konoha Village, Uchiha Genshi, along with several elders, was seeing off the young clan leader.
"Clan Leader Sōgen! When you get to the battlefield, make sure to take a few more heads off those Mist-nin. Show those fools soaked in seawater the true power of the Uchiha!" Elder Homaru, as always, was blunt and direct.
"The only good Mist-nin is a dead one!" said Uchiha An, the only female elder present.
"Take care of Chihaya!" Elder Ryūji reminded him.
"Shisui's mental state hasn't been well lately. Clan Leader, please keep an eye on him on the battlefield," Elder Uchiha Jun said, his face filled with concern for Shisui's condition.
"… You're doing well!" When it was Elder Uchiha Kōhei's turn, all the meaningful advice had already been given, so he could only offer a sincere compliment to Sōgen.
"I will return victorious! Grandfather, Elders, please wait at home for the news of our triumph!" Sōgen said with a smile. His calm demeanor eased some of the tension in Uchiha Tōka, who had been nervously clutching the hem of his cloak. She finally let go of his garment.
Hearing his grandson's bold words, Uchiha Genshi could only shake his head with a smile, though in truth, he wasn't too worried. His grandson had already surpassed him in many ways. What concerned him more was the safety of his five-year-old granddaughter.
Glancing at the small figure of Uchiha Tōka, the old man felt a twinge of pity.
"Sōgen, about Tōka..."
"She's already five. That's not too young," Sōgen said, cutting off his grandfather's words with a smile. "Grandfather, you took me to the battlefield when I was five. You can't be playing favorites now!"
Uchiha Genshi gave him a stern look. What did he mean by playing favorites? He was just worried about his granddaughter. But he quickly realized that Sōgen was determined to take Tōka to the battlefield for some real experience.
He gave up on the idea of keeping his granddaughter behind. His eyes drifted over to another small figure sitting in a wheelchair nearby. "Taking Tōka is one thing, but why are you bringing Yakumo as well? Is her health okay? Just traveling will be hard on her."
This time, it wasn't just elite Uchiha troops heading to the eastern front—Sōgen was also bringing along Kurama Yakumo and Uchiha Tōka, two young girls.
Kurama Yakumo, as Sōgen's disciple, had been living with him recently. Both Uchiha Shinshi and Uchiha Saki treated her like an adopted daughter, and even Uchiha Genshi admired her extraordinary talent in genjutsu, often marveling at the power of the Kurama clan's unique bloodline limit.
"This is a rare opportunity. If they miss this chance to witness a real war with the Mist-nin, who knows when the next opportunity will come? Life in the village is far too comfortable. Letting them see the harsh reality of the world early on will be good for them."
Sōgen looked up at the walled village of Konoha, his smile fading.
This world is anything but kind. Konoha's peaceful prosperity is an exception, not the rule. Even the richest nation, the Land of Fire, is far from being a land of peace. Just a glance at the endless stream of requests to eliminate bandits at the mission office reveals a small glimpse of the harsh reality of this world.
Sōgen himself had crawled out of heaps of corpses, his experiences of dancing on the edge of death countless times having erased any traces of naivety.
Everything he had gone through made him deeply aware of one truth:
Living well in this brutal world is no easy feat.
(End of the chapter)