The farther he got from Konoha, the lighter Uchiha Yoru's mood became.
His steps were relaxed and unhurried. Beside him, Miwa Masayo was in equally high spirits.
The calico cat bounced around like an ordinary kitten—pouncing on butterflies, chasing crickets, scaring off squirrels—having the time of her life.
She was so cheerful that even her owner couldn't help but ask, "You're unusually happy today, Miwa Masayo. Did something good happen that I don't know about?"
"Of course it's something good, meow! If I'm out on a mission with you, I don't have to deal with those idiots at the Cat Castle anymore!"
"I remember you liked teaching them. Why the sudden change?"
"That was before they could sense natural energy. I could call them idiots all I wanted, and no one dared talk back. Even Mao You wouldn't bare his teeth at me."
"That felt great, meow."
"But three days ago, Mao You was the first. Then suddenly, a bunch of ninja cats started sensing natural energy too."
"Those idiots didn't just sense it—they started absorbing it. But none of them could control the attributes. They just pulled in whatever they could, mixing everything together. Their bodies were on the verge of mutating at any moment."
"I had to go save every single one. So troublesome, meow."
"So getting a break to play makes you happy?"
"Yes, meow."
Yoru chuckled.
Ninja cats were naturally lively creatures. The fact that Miwa Masayo had worked nonstop for three days was already impressive.
And more importantly, this calico cat was a responsible Sage Cat. She wouldn't have followed him out unless she had stabilized the situation at the Cat Castle.
Still… judging by how her fur had thinned despite it being late autumn, those three days must have been anything but easy.
"Sage training is dangerous," Yoru said. "How did you deal with their natural energy problem, Lihua-chan?"
Miwa Masayo suddenly froze.
She hesitated for a moment before answering weakly, "I… didn't completely solve it, meow…"
"I drove out the natural energy inside their bodies and stopped the mutations. But for some reason… now they can sense it, but can't absorb it anymore."
"I've completely run out of ideas, meow."
Yoru fell silent.
Then, inwardly, he lit a cigarette for the poor ninja cats.
You've suffered.
"…Well. You interrupted their chance to adapt to natural energy."
"What else was I supposed to do? I couldn't just watch them turn into monsters. No matter what, being alive means more possibilities, meow!"
"Yoru, you have a way, right? Meow?"
"I have a direction," he replied calmly. "But even if it works, it won't turn every ninja cat into a Sage."
"Really?"
"Mm. Their situation is more urgent than our mission. We'll head to the Cat Castle first."
"Meow! I'll go ahead—wait for my reverse summoning!"
Miwa Masayo couldn't wait any longer. She spat out a fireball and leapt into it, vanishing instantly.
The next second, Yoru felt a strange force tug at him—an invisible connection linking directly to his soul.
He didn't resist.
Instead, he cooperated.
With a soft puff, his body turned into white smoke and disappeared.
…
A few minutes later, three Root shinobi wearing intricately patterned masks arrived at the scene.
They carefully examined the traces left behind.
"He used reverse summoning to leave."
"…Does that mean the Cat Castle has a Sage now?"
"Most likely. Only a Sage can reverse summon a person. Ordinary summoning techniques can only bring back small, lightweight objects."
"This intel must be reported to Lord Danzo immediately."
"Yes."
One of them took out paper and began writing.
"Also—recommend placing Uchiha Yoru under priority surveillance. His summon has mastered Sage techniques. He must be treated as a high-priority Uchiha target."
The report was quickly written in cipher.
The shinobi rolled it into a scroll, sealed it inside a small metal tube, and tied it to the leg of a messenger hawk before releasing it.
But the hawk never got far.
Just as it passed through the canopy, a large hand snatched it mid-flight.
In the next instant, Uchiha Yoru dropped down from the treetops, the hawk still in his grasp.
"Root really is impressive," he said casually. "I leave the village, and you're already on my tail. Truly persistent."
"Mind telling me something?"
"Did you follow me out from the village… or just happen to run into me while wandering outside?"
No answer.
The Root shinobi reacted instantly, weapons drawn.
They moved to strike while Yoru was still midair—taking advantage of his lack of footing.
But the moment they acted—
Their bodies froze.
Not a single limb responded.
They stood stiffly in place like wooden stakes.
They had taken too long inspecting the scene.
Long enough…
For Yoru to quietly plant suggestion after suggestion.
By the time they saw him, their bodies were already paralyzed. Only their eyes could still move.
As Yoru landed, their vision was filled with a pair of three-tomoe Sharingan.
"Three tomoe?!" the leading shinobi shouted in shock and anger. "You've awakened the three-tomoe Sharingan? As expected—you're a traitor to Konoha! The Uchiha truly can't be trusted!"
"…Huh?" Yoru tilted his head. "Isn't it normal for a shinobi to hide their strength? Why does it suddenly make me a traitor just because I'm an Uchiha?"
He sighed.
"Why am I even talking to brainwashed tools? Waste of breath."
He stepped forward, tore off the man's mask, and dislocated his jaw, exposing the limp tongue.
After a brief inspection, he smiled.
"No Tongue Eradication Seal yet. That makes things easier."
Fear flickered in the shinobi's eyes.
He couldn't understand it.
How could an unremarkable Uchiha chunin know about a sealing technique Root had only just completed?
This was top secret.
Unless…
There was a spy within Root?
[Hm. This one's got quite the imagination.]
Following that line of thought, Yoru carefully layered his genjutsu.
He couldn't fabricate true memories like the Yamanaka clan…
But he could amplify imagination.
Make the target believe that what they imagined had actually happened.
Enough to fool even Yamanaka-level soul techniques.
Once the "evidence" was convincingly constructed—pointing suspicion toward Sunagakure—
Yoru didn't hesitate.
He snapped the man's neck.
Evidence didn't need witnesses.
He then hypnotized the remaining two, confirming they hadn't been specifically targeting him.
Satisfied—
He killed them as well.
This time, he meticulously destroyed their heads.
One skull was crushed with hardened wood—simulating blunt-force impact from a puppet.
The other was corroded using venom extracted from desert scorpions—a poison commonly used by Sunagakure's puppet masters.
War between Sunagakure and Konoha was imminent.
Any attack disguised as a Sand puppet user would be drowned in countless real incidents.
No one would bother investigating further.
After finishing everything, Yoru clapped his hands.
His body turned into a puff of white smoke—
And vanished.
The powerful ocular force of his Sharingan dispersed into the surroundings, thinning rapidly.
Within seconds…
Every trace linking this scene to the Uchiha was gone.
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