Drake put away the shovel—
the well had been completely dug through.
"Do you feel safer now?" he asked as he stood up.
"Mhm… a lot safer," Rin replied, her face flushed pink.
"In that case, I'll be leaving," Drake said, turning around.
"Can't you protect me for the whole night?"
Rin tugged gently at his sleeve.
"I already have an appointment with the Uchiha clan head," Drake shook his head.
"I see…" Rin said softly, letting go with understanding.
Leaving the room, Drake began mentally sorting things out.
"First Yūgao, then Anko, then Rin.
Next is the Uchiha clan head's banquet."
He stroked his chin.
"Seems fine."
The order was important—
it determined whether he could land safely at the end of the night.
Uchiha Residence
Drake pushed open the door to Uchiha Fugaku's room and walked in.
"Haha, you're not late at all," Fugaku greeted him warmly, standing up.
Uchiha Mikoto also rose and nodded.
"Clan Head Fugaku, sorry to keep you waiting," Drake replied.
He truly wasn't late—
it wasn't even that late into the night yet.
The dinner was lavish.
But eating clearly wasn't the main purpose.
"Drake, do you know?" Fugaku said mysteriously after taking a sip of wine.
"You're famous now."
"…Oh?" Drake was slightly surprised.
"Just look at your face—I can tell you haven't heard yet," Fugaku said, motioning for Mikoto to refill his cup.
"This afternoon, the Third Hokage convened an emergency jōnin meeting and announced that you alone wiped out over a thousand Iwagakure elites."
"So that's what it was," Drake nodded in realization.
No wonder Hyūga Suzune had invited him to the Hyūga clan.
"No one imagined your Wood Release would be this terrifying," Fugaku sighed.
"That was over a thousand Iwa ninjas."
This time, Fugaku truly reassessed Drake's strength.
One man annihilating an elite force—
That level of power was already enough to stand at the peak of the ninja world.
Even if Minato Namikaze was present, it still proved one thing:
Drake's Wood Release stood above all others.
"Clan Head Fugaku, it's really nothing," Drake said modestly.
"…That's nothing?" Fugaku stared at him.
"Honestly, you could've done it too," Drake added politely.
"Me? Hahaha—no chance," Fugaku shook his head.
If he really had that level of strength, his name would've shaken the world long ago.
He wouldn't still be confined to the Police Force.
They chatted while drinking wine—then tea—
from Drake's strength to Uchiha Obito's abilities.
The moment Obito was mentioned, Fugaku sighed.
Both had Wood Release, yet the gap between them was enormous.
Fugaku had personally tested Obito—
His Wood Release was… frankly, terrible.
Half an Hour Later
True to schedule, Fugaku got drunk.
Thud!
His head hit the table again as he collapsed.
"Fugaku?"
"Wake up, Fugaku!"
Mikoto began shaking him.
Seeing that her husband was truly out cold, she leaned closer to Drake.
"Lady Mikoto, you're getting more and more skilled at this," Drake couldn't help saying.
"What are you talking about?" Mikoto's face reddened as she leaned into his chest.
"Oh?" Drake chuckled.
"Then why are your hands starting to wander?"
"…You tell me," Mikoto shifted slightly.
"Just hands won't do."
Drake stood up.
Next—
Mikoto was forced to become a faucet repair technician, carefully checking and polishing every part.
"Why isn't it flowing yet?"
After a long time, she was already sweating.
"Looks like your technique isn't good enough," Drake shook his head.
"Forget fixing pipes—let's dig a well instead."
"…Mm."
Late Night
Drake stepped out of the Uchiha residence.
Looking up at the night sky, he felt deeply emotional.
"As expected—ladies of great clans adapt fast."
From initial reserve to can't-wait-any-longer—
it truly broadened his horizons.
"Next… only Mainese remains."
Sand Ninja Frontline Command
Standing before a map of the Land of Fire,
the Fourth Kazekage Rasa studied it carefully.
Beside him, Chiyo drew a line with her pen.
"The unit sent to flank from the rear—Fūrakon's group—has definitely been wiped out," Rasa said suddenly.
"That's normal," Chiyo replied calmly.
"The invasion intelligence was fake. We were played."
She already knew—
The Sand weren't the only ones fooled.
Cloud and Stone were deceived as well.
"Who could've planned such false intelligence?" Rasa murmured.
"Rather than obsessing over that," Chiyo tapped the table,
"think about how to break through Konoha's defenses."
Then she added,
"Rasa, any village could've done this—Rain, Mist, or someone else entirely.
Forging a Kage seal isn't that hard. Don't dwell on it."
"You're right," Rasa nodded.
In the ninja world, villages were intertwined in countless ways.
Faking such things was far from impossible.
Tap, tap, tap.
Suddenly, hurried footsteps approached.
A Sand intelligence ninja rushed in.
"Urgent intelligence from the Land of Grass!"
He handed over a scroll.
"Oh?"
Rasa and Chiyo exchanged glances and opened it.
"…What?!"
"Wood Release Drake wiped out Huang Tu's elite force?!"
They were shocked.
According to the report—
Drake had single-handedly annihilated over a thousand Iwa ninjas.
"How is that possible?"
Rasa couldn't believe it.
He knew the name "Wood Release Drake."
But the boy was only twelve.
At twelve years old, his Wood Release could wipe out an elite army?
"And Iwagakure's best, at that."
"This brat… is terrifying," Chiyo said gravely.
She then turned to Rasa.
"Withdraw the frontline troops back to the Land of Rivers."
◇ I'll be dropping one bonus (KH)Chapters for every 10 reviews. comment
◇ One bonus (KH)Chapter will be released for every 100 Power Stones.
◇ You can read 60 (KH)Chapter ahead on P@treon if you're interested: patreon.com/SwipeSage