*Boom!!!*
A dark figure descended from the sky, kicking through a thick tree branch and crashing into the ground like a meteor.
The sudden noise interrupted the battle between the Mist and Leaf ninjas.
"Who's there?"
The Mist ninjas halted their advance, turning their blades and cautiously watching the billowing dust.
*Clang! Clang!*
The sound of armor clashing echoed through the forest.
Sōgen waved his hand, dispersing the dust in front of him, revealing himself to the Mist ninjas.
Dressed in black battle gear and red layered armor, his old-fashioned attire puzzled the Mist ninjas. They couldn't see a Leaf forehead protector, leaving them wondering who this person was. Was he a Leaf ninja? Or some strange individual?
Just then, someone shouted:
"Careful, it's a Uchiha. Don't look at his eyes."
From his vantage point in the trees, one of the Mist ninjas noticed the small flame-fan crest on Sōgen's collar.
At those words, even though Sōgen hadn't activated his Sharingan, the Mist ninjas quickly lowered their heads, moving in unison as if trained to avoid eye contact with him. Instead, they focused on his hands and feet, slowly inching forward, preparing to strike first.
Kunai laced with explosive tags and a rain of shuriken flew towards Sōgen in a probing attack.
"So, you don't recognize me? After only five years, you've forgotten my name?" Sōgen sighed, somewhat disappointed, just before the Mist ninjas attacked. He let go of the two young captives' necks and made a simple "tiger" hand sign.
Then—
**Fire Style: Great Fire Annihilation**
He gathered a massive amount of chakra in his throat, releasing it in a tsunami of flames. The blazing firestorm blew away the shuriken, and the explosive tags were detonated prematurely, their flames and shockwaves instantly consumed by the overwhelming blaze.
From above, it looked like a red ocean had swallowed half the forest.
"Water Style, quick, use water...!"
"No, it's no use, it won't stop it...!"
"Run, everyone run! I remember now, it's the Flame Demon! He's the Flame Demon!!!"
The screams of the Mist ninjas proved they couldn't escape the colossal fire jutsu. Some tried to counter with Water Style, but before they could finish their hand signs, the flames had already engulfed them.
This terrifying Fire Style finally jolted the Mist ninjas' memories awake.
**Flame Demon—Uchiha Sōgen.**
**Body Flicker—Uchiha Shisui.**
These two young Uchiha had humiliated the Mist ninjas repeatedly during the Third War, building their fearsome reputations atop countless bones. Sōgen, in particular, had used his unparalleled mastery of Fire Style to defy the elemental disadvantage, suppressing the Mist ninjas' Water Style and leaving them with deep psychological scars.
Even the Mist ninjas who managed to escape the firestorm weren't spared from the swift, deadly white blade that followed.
Sōgen's landing had been so disruptive that the Mist ninjas didn't even notice the arrival of Uchiha Chisaya. By the time they realized a blade was behind them, it was too late. They were effortlessly cut down.
The battle ended in an instant.
Actually, calling it a battle would be an overstatement; it was more like a one-sided massacre.
Sixteen Mist ninjas, not a single proper Jonin among them. Four Special Jonin, but in the face of a real Jonin, they were useless. They had been bullying Konoha's patrol teams, who lacked Jonin-level fighters, but today, they were unlucky enough to run into Sōgen and Uchiha Chisaya.
Even without Sōgen, Uchiha Chisaya alone, with his fully matured Sharingan, mastery of Wind and Fire Styles, and swordsmanship, would have been enough to deal with these Mist ninjas.
"Ugh—"
Seeing the bodies falling one after another in the sea of fire and smelling the nauseating stench of burning flesh, Yakumo Kurama couldn't hold it in any longer. She leaned against a tree and vomited, expelling the remains of her breakfast.
The pampered young lady had never witnessed such a brutal scene.
"It smells awful!" Uchiha Fujika's face was pale.
Though she didn't throw up like Yakumo, she was visibly shaken, standing there silently, watching the burning sea of fire and the silhouettes of the fallen bodies.
Through the flickering flames, the disfigured corpses could be seen burning. If the fire lasted any longer, it would turn them into ashes on the spot.
"Excuse me, are you from the Uchiha clan?" a middle-aged man cautiously approached, maintaining what he believed was a safe distance as he inquired about Sōgen and the others' identities.
"I am Uchiha Sōgen, current head of the Uchiha clan and commander of the Konoha Police Force."
Sōgen took a step forward.
The armor on his body clanked loudly.
He opened his crimson Sharingan, staring at the middle-aged man.
"The head of the Uchiha clan?" The man looked at Sōgen in shock, as if he had seen a ghost. A clan head this young? What kind of joke was this? Wait, he vaguely recalled hearing Uchiha Akifusa mention that the Uchiha clan had recently appointed a new leader.
At the time, Uchiha Akifusa had smiled with an excitement rare for a man his age.
The Border Guard Unit was a highly isolated group. To ensure its members weren't tempted by the outside world, they operated under strict, enclosed management, including control over information. As a result, many in the unit hadn't yet learned about the Uchiha clan's leadership change.
However, the appointment of Akimichi Torifu as the acting Fifth Hokage was well-known.
"Forgive my rudeness, I am..."
"Is this Akifusa?"
Sōgen walked over to the unconscious Uchiha Akifusa.
"Yes, yes, that's Akifusa!" responded Kagemiya nervously, failing to realize that Sōgen hadn't been asking him.
Sōgen didn't mind. He inspected the unconscious Uchiha Akifusa and, confirming that his clan brother wasn't in any mortal danger, finally relaxed.
Uchiha Akifusa was one of Sōgen's peers.
Unlike Sōgen, who had returned to the village after the Third War, the less talented Akifusa had chosen to stay with the Border Guard Unit to sharpen himself in battle, hoping to awaken his Sharingan. His hard work had paid off, earning him a two-tomoe Sharingan after much blood and sweat.
"Tell me, what happened? How did a simple patrol squad end up being hunted by four elite Mist ninja squads?" Sōgen interrupted the man's self-introduction, his attention now focused on the secret this group was carrying.
"The Mist's assault unit broke through the defenses at Okawa Point," the man explained, worried that Sōgen might not understand the location. "Okawa Point is only seven kilometers from the Black Tide Mountain command post. If the Mist launches a surprise attack, the command post's defense might not hold."
Sōgen understood.
The Mist was executing a decapitation strategy, aiming to cripple the defense along the long coastline by taking out the command center.
Without the command post's coordination, the defense line would fall into chaos.
"They figured out the location of the command post so precisely..." Sōgen murmured softly. If Uchiha Obito and Zetsu weren't involved in this, he wouldn't believe it. Only Zetsu's unmatched infiltration skills could uncover the location of the Border Guard Unit's command post without being detected.
Now, the question was:
What were Uchiha Obito and Zetsu really up to?
Could they really be trying to lead the Mist to victory over the Leaf?
Sōgen frowned slightly. His instincts told him something was very wrong.
(End of the chapter)