It wasn't until everyone headed home to find their families that the situation spiraled out of control. Clan ninjas sought out their respective leaders to weep about their ordeals, furiously denouncing Orochimaru and Danzo for being inhumane. They spilled everything they had seen and heard at the base.
Back then, the ninjas at the base never imagined these test subjects would ever return to the village. They had spoken without restraint, revealing many horrifying secrets.
Naturally, the parts regarding Danzo were mostly shared by ninjas loyal to Orochimaru. After all, the Root ninjas bore cursed seals that prevented them from speaking about Danzo. Their conversations had mostly revolved around Orochimaru and the experiments.
Those who couldn't find their clan leaders turned to respected elders to vent. This was because some minor clan heads, in an effort to flatter Hiruzen Sarutobi, had eagerly rushed to the frontlines themselves to risk their lives.
Among those unable to find their clan leader were members of the Uchiha. Several mutated Uchiha discovered that both the Clan Head and the Great Elder were absent, leaving them with no choice but to cry out to the Second Elder.
The Second Elder was an ancient man nearing the end of his years, peacefully enjoying time with his grandchildren at home. Suddenly, several bizarrely shaped creatures burst in wailing and shouting, terrifying his precious grandson.
If it weren't for the Sharingan in their eyes and their familiar faces, the Second Elder might have thought the batch of seafood the clan's merchant caravan brought back yesterday had mutated and come to seek revenge.
His hand, covered in age spots, reached down to quietly move an octopus tentacle off his pant leg. The Second Elder looked at the clansman before him—half of whose body had transformed into an octopus—and his fury began to boil.
"Rest easy, children. The clan will see justice done for you!" the Second Elder said in a low, heavy voice.
With that, he turned and went inside to write secret letters. He wrote four in total, addressed to Clan Head Fugaku, Great Elder Setsuna,
The Mangekyo wielder Shisui, and the massive-chakra Fire Style genius, Makiya.
Watching the ninja cat depart with the secret letters, the Second Elder let out a long sigh. He dispatched scouts to gauge the reactions of other clans while simultaneously summoning the clansmen to heighten their guard.
The civilian ninjas who lacked clans reached out to all their friends and relatives. Everyone had graduated from the Ninja Academy; who didn't have classmates or friends? They organized reunions, and without needing a single word, simply showed off their mutated boar hooves to say everything that needed to be said.
By the time Hiruzen Sarutobi sensed the approaching crisis, it was already too late.
The various clans didn't care about the 'Will of Fire' he kept preaching. To hell with the Will of Fire! When they originally agreed to join Konoha, it was partly because they were weary of war, but mostly because they wanted to cling to the Senju clan's legs. After all, it's easier to rest under a big tree. Who would dare provoke the village of the God of Shinobi?
Now, the clans only knew that the Hokage's disciple, Orochimaru, had collaborated with Danzo Shimura to persecute their own. They were being shot in the back while fighting desperately for the village, subjected to cruel human experiments using their comrades' bodies. Under these circumstances, only an idiot would continue to risk their life for Konoha.
Consequently, the clan heads wrote secret letters, directly recalling their clan ninjas fighting on the frontlines. Since the Sarutobi clan consumed so many of Konoha's resources, it was only right for them to take the battlefield. Then there was Danzo's Root and the two domineering Hokage Advisors. For a rare moment, everyone was united, concentrating their strength to demand an explanation from Hiruzen Sarutobi.
The Hyuga clan watched coldly from the sidelines. They believed their Byakugan was an indispensable strategic resource, allowing them to sleep soundly through any storm. They felt Konoha needed them more than they needed Konoha. As long as they didn't actively meddle in anything, no one could shake the Hyuga's status in the village.
On the tenth day of negotiations, Konoha and Sunagakure were locked in a war of words. Everyone was in a state of mind where they wanted to spit right into the other's mouth, slamming the table and delivering impassioned speeches. Because Konoha held the military advantage, the think tank led by Jiraiya held the upper hand at the negotiating table.
During a break, a piece of intelligence arrived via ninja hawk, traveling day and night at top speed to reach Jiraiya's hands. Simultaneously, secret letters from various clans began to arrive one after another; even the civilian ninjas received messages from their friends.
Jiraiya's expression shifted drastically, and his body tensed instantly. He realized that things had taken a disastrous turn. If this wasn't handled correctly, Konoha might even face the risk of internal strife.
The others in the think tank had strange expressions, hiding indignation and sorrow. Here they were, putting everything on the line to secure benefits for Konoha, only to find out the Hokage's disciple hadn't even treated their own friends and family like human beings. It was profoundly disheartening.
On the other side of the negotiating table, the Suna group sitting against the wall drinking tea was baffled, wondering what on earth had happened to the Konoha side.
Just as Chiyo and Ebizo were looking at each other in confusion, Suna's intelligence arrived a step late. After reading it, both showed looks of intense delight. Chiyo even burst into laughter, shouting toward the Konoha group, "Hahaha! Jiraiya, is this how your Konoha treats its own people? To everyone from Konoha, if you really can't stay there anymore, you're welcome to move your entire clans to our Sand Village. There's no need to stay in Konoha and wait for death."
"Shut up, you old hag!" Jiraiya roared in anger. Who would try to poach people right in front of him? Besides, Chiyo's words were purely meant to disgust them; Suna wouldn't actually accept any of Konoha's clans.
The Konoha side knew this just as well, but Chiyo's words were like rubbing salt into their wounds, making the pain even more unbearable.
Negotiations were suspended, and both sides returned to their camps to rest. The Suna side was jubilant; with Konoha facing internal problems, they could gain even more at the negotiating table.
Indeed, even with such a massive incident occurring within Konoha, Suna had no intention of continuing to fight. Regardless of the number of ninjas or the quality of high-end power, the two were not on the same level. Suna simply couldn't afford to fight anymore.
On the Konoha side, many ninjas began requesting Jiraiya to let them return to the village. Their loved ones had met with misfortune, and they needed to go back to see them.
Jiraiya had no choice but to agree. The hearts of the people had already scattered; they could not be forced to stay.
In the Land of Hot Water, within the Konoha camp.
Makiya sat in the empty field hospital, holding Orochimaru's scroll and reading it intently.
The fighting had slowed down, so the number of wounded was small. Furthermore, Makiya's medical ninjutsu had improved rapidly, and in a short time, he had risen to the position of hospital supervisor. Under his treatment, the recovery speed of the wounded was lightning-fast.
.
"Lord Makiya, this is bad! Lord Makiya, something terrible has happened!" Suddenly, a series of shouts rang out from outside, the voice urgent and strained to the limit.
Makiya frowned and put down the scroll to look toward the door.
Who is this? They don't even know how to pause. What do they mean by 'Lord Makiya is bad'? I'm doing perfectly fine!
A figure rushed in from outside. Upon closer inspection, it turned out to be Tekka Uchiha.
"Lord Makiya!" Tekka ran up to him, his face ashen. His chakra was surging irregularly, and his Sharingan had activated uncontrollably, the three tomoe spinning slowly.
"Catch your breath before you speak." Makiya put away the scroll and pulled Tekka down to sit. "What exactly happened?"
"The clan... the village... the Hokage... our clansmen were taken and tortured..." In his panic, a string of keywords tumbled out of Tekka's mouth. Makiya pieced them together and instantly understood the situation. It seemed the ninjas he had released were starting to make their impact felt.
Tekka still didn't know that the person in front of him was the mastermind behind this collective outcry. He looked around cautiously and leaned in to whisper into Makiya's ear, "Lord Makiya, the Great Elder plans to lead all the clansmen back to the village to demand an explanation from the Hokage. If they aren't satisfied..."
...Saying that, Tekka flattened his hand like a blade and made a slashing motion across his throat, hinting at the use of force.
Just then, a ninja cat walked out slowly from a corner, pacing with an elegant gait. It pulled a secret letter from its vest and waved it twice in front of Makiya. "Urgent secret letter for Makiya Uchiha."
Makiya nodded. "That's me."
Just as his hand reached out, the ninja cat grabbed the letter and stuffed it back into its vest, retreating a few steps. "That'll be one hundred thousand ryo. Money first, meow."
Makiya's eyes twitched. Considering that Cat Granny had sold him quite a bit of chakra-conductive metal at a low price, he decided not to lower himself to this damn cat's level. He looked over at Tekka Uchiha.
Tekka: "???"
Under Makiya's gaze, Tekka was confused for a moment before looking at the money-grubbing ninja cat. Suddenly realizing, he quickly pulled out a small piggy bank wallet and handed a hundred thousand ryo in bills to the cat.
"Thank you for your business! Please come again." The ninja cat took the bills with glowing eyes, counted them, and then cautiously retreated to a safe distance with a grin. "Ninja Cat Express, mission accomplished! See you next time, meow!"
As soon as the words fell, the ninja cat's agile body sprinted through the field hospital, disappearing into a corner in a flash.
This fellow knew that charging both sides for the same delivery was bound to get it beaten, so its alertness was very high.
Makiya pulled out a scroll and handed it to Tekka, gesturing for him to take it.
"Lord Makiya, this is?" Tekka took the scroll, looking bewildered.
"This is the cultivation method for the Demonic Illusion: Shackling Stakes Technique. I've also recorded some of my own insights on it." Makiya smiled and patted Tekka's shoulder. "Your eyes have three tomoe as well, right? Practice hard; this genjutsu is very powerful."
Tekka was visibly moved, holding the scroll with a face full of surprise. "Thank you, Lord Makiya!"
Looking at the secret letter in Makiya's hand, he very sensibly left the field hospital, giving Makiya his own space.
Makiya had already guessed the contents of the letter. It was from the Second Elder, hoping he would ignore any war missions or hospital duties and return as soon as possible to help the Uchiha clan seek justice.
Makiya readily agreed. He could already see the scene of Danzo being abandoned by everyone and dying before his eyes.
The Great Elder had already packed his things. A large group of Uchiha clansmen stood in the clearing with their luggage, greeting Makiya one after another as he approached.
Looking across the entire camp, many clans were packing up. Of course, some clans still showed the Hokage some face, only recalling a few important members while leaving a portion to guard the camp.
Minato stood on a high vantage point with a complex expression. As the frontline commander, he should have stopped everyone's actions, but his own sense of morality forced him to simply watch as everyone left. If what those persecuted ninjas said was true, then Danzo and Orochimaru truly deserved to die.
It was a pity he had to stay here to guard against a surprise attack from Kumogakure; otherwise, he would have definitely gone back to demand a clear answer from the Third Hokage himself.
Returning to his quarters, Makiya was surprised to find Tsunade actually packing her things as well.
"You're planning to go back to the village too?" Makiya asked in surprise, then felt it made sense. "I suppose it's only right. With such a big incident in Konoha, you should go back and take a look."
"I have no interest in going back. Let the old man solve those messes himself. I plan to go somewhere else." Tsunade gave a lazy yawn, looking a bit drowsy after her recent soak in the hot springs.
Tsunade pulled out a massive scroll. It was damp, as if moistened by the steam of the hot springs. The surface of the scroll was covered in elegant, flowing strokes of ancient and mysterious inscriptions. The frame in the center of the scroll seemed to be made from the bones of some giant beast, emitting a wild and strange aura.
(...) Makiya frowned, having spotted a discrepancy.
Tsunade was currently wearing a yukata, and there were no cabinets or desks nearby to hide things. Her fair, long legs were still dotted with a few droplets of water.
So the question was: where on earth did she pull such a large scroll from?
Makiya narrowed his eyes and scanned her, his gaze focusing on Tsunade. A flash of inspiration hit him—'The Heart-Machine Frog is always touching your belly'—The Truth is Always One! Could it be...
Tsunade summoned it!
How else? It couldn't possibly be hidden on her body; it was too big, that would be fatal!
"Where are your eyes wandering?" Tsunade rolled her eyes. "Hurry up and sign your name."
"Alright."
With a flamboyant flourish, he signed his name. Makiya instantly felt a massive space in the void guiding him. Now, as long as Makiya performed the Summoning Jutsu, he could reverse-summon himself to the Shikkotsu Forest, the place where the legendary Slug Sage resided.
To think he'd hear the voice of Mamiko Noto calling him 'Lord Makiya'... just thinking about it made him a little excited.
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