Three Uchiha shinobi rushed swiftly into the prison cell, and then they beheld a scene that filled them with immense relief... "Nameless" was still bound there, just as always.
"Good, that's a relief, but... what the hell is going on?"
The leading Uchiha shinobi felt his pounding heart finally settle back into its usual rhythm. He signaled to one of the men behind him, who nodded in understanding and turned to leave the area.
This shinobi was preparing to report upward that Nameless remained in custody.
"Immediately send someone to repair the barrier."
At this command, another shinobi followed suit and departed.
But herein lay the problem: if "Nameless" was still here, then who was the person who had just caused massive chaos in the village?
It wasn't just one person who had nearly pissed themselves in fear—surely they couldn't all have been mistaken?
"Transformation Jutsu, huh... Transformation Jutsu. Pulling a cheap trick like that—it's just too damn twisted."
It seemed the only possibility was Transformation Jutsu. The infiltrator had used such a petty ploy to throw the Uchiha shinobi guarding this place into complete disarray. Though this indirectly highlighted Nameless's intimidating presence, it still made the lead Uchiha grit his teeth in fury.
Being played for a fool was humiliating, but setting aside the rage, the information revealed here was far too much.
First, the intruder could precisely destroy the barrier; second, the intruder could use Uchiha Fire Release ninjutsu; third, the intruder knew Nameless's build and appearance well enough to replicate it perfectly...
What did this imply?
If it were just one of these, it could be chalked up to coincidence or deliberate disguise by the infiltrator. But all three together could only mean one thing: there was a traitor within the Uchiha.
Moreover, there was one more suspicious point... That infiltrator had likely gotten close to "Nameless"—so why hadn't they killed her?
Under those confinement conditions, she couldn't possibly have put up any resistance.
Could it be that their goal wasn't just the Sharingan, but to try whisking "Nameless" away intact? Honestly, wasn't this taking the Uchiha clan far too lightly?
"Nameless, what exactly happened here?" With these thoughts in mind, he immediately spoke up.
As expected, though, Nameless had no intention of opening her mouth. After all, even if she stayed silent, what could the Uchiha really do to her?
The sole remaining Uchiha shinobi furrowed his brow. He couldn't help but feel Nameless was being a bit unreasonable. With the village under invasion, shouldn't every Uchiha shinobi prioritize the clan's interests above all? What did petty personal matters count for in the face of the clan's overall well-being?
It was easy to talk when you weren't the one suffering—that's standing and speaking without a sore back. If their positions were swapped and he was the one tied up, would he still think that way?
Oh, sorry, he didn't have the qualifications or strength to warrant the higher-ups' wariness, so how could he ever end up bound like that? And besides...
Wasn't there already an invisible dog collar around his own neck?
White Zetsu also sensed something off. Since all the individuals assigned to surveillance had been wiped out, they hadn't even temporarily received any messages like "Nameless has broken through the barrier."
White Zetsu dying from being caught in area-of-effect ninjutsu was perfectly normal—they'd been used to it for a thousand years, after all. But for an entire cluster to be eradicated at once, with not a single one surviving... was that really reasonable?
No matter how you looked at it, it was too coincidental. This didn't seem like an accident; it felt more like they were silenced.
Just as the White Zetsu leader grew suspicious and prepared to thoroughly investigate the two cluster exterminations over the past couple of days, one White Zetsu excitedly brought an extremely critical piece of news, completely diverting the leader's attention.
Silencing or whatever—this minor issue could wait.
When that White Zetsu whispered the news to the leader, he nearly burst with excitement on the spot.
"You're certain?"
"Positive. The one who just returned to the Uchiha—based on our prior intelligence, she's suspected of possessing a pair of Mangekyo Sharingan. And now we've confirmed her identity..."
Nanami had a pair of Mangekyo Sharingan—there was no issue with that. It couldn't change the fact that her importance to White Zetsu paled in comparison to Nameless's. But...
By sheer coincidence, her younger brother was named Uchiha Tajima.
And even more coincidentally, Uchiha Tajima also possessed a pair of Mangekyo Sharingan.
"I need to report this upward and immediately dispatch two individuals to the main body to explain this in person."
The news was too vital; the White Zetsu leader decided to use multiple channels for transmission.
The conflict between the Uchiha and the Hane—did it matter? It was lighter than a feather now.
Even Uchiha Madara himself seemed unimportant in this moment.
The two Hane clan shinobi secretly embedded within the Uchiha clan prepared to summon their companions hiding around the village, for they had located their target's position.
That towering Fire Release was so conspicuous—anyone not blind would notice it. A quick observation would reveal the rest.
Though they didn't know exactly what had transpired, the chaos had made surveillance and defenses within the Uchiha clan impenetrably tight. Even just considering the current situation, they had to act soon.
After all, they couldn't lurk indefinitely in unfamiliar territory.
Rewinding the clock a bit, Genma had scraped Earth-nature chakra transformation from the White Zetsu.
At that moment, he was utterly thrilled, even feeling an inexplicable sense of accomplishment.
Think about it: this was like wild fishing, where the fish in the river grew naturally. Doesn't the angler feel joy when reeling one in?
Though White Zetsu weren't raised by Genma, catching them still brought a sense of fulfillment.
They were all gifts from nature— the White Zetsu in Genma's hands were no different from the fish in an angler's.
After dealing with all the White Zetsu, he plunged into the shadows cast by buildings in the night, his entire form vanishing without a trace.
The pursuing Uchiha shinobi arrived sluggishly, and upon discovering the tracking target had disappeared, they searched aimlessly like headless flies while reporting the situation upward.
Thus, someone entered the barrier to check the prison. Upon inspection, they found the target hadn't escaped at all.
All in all, every side had reaped gains tonight, but when the next round of actions began, who would get their wish remained unknown.
More crucially, the flip side of every gain seemed to breed endless risks.
Though he'd temporarily mastered Earth-nature transformation, it couldn't serve as Genma's immediate combat power. The upcoming plan would proceed as originally intended.
He informed Nanami of Nameless's situation. Nanami likely felt the other's condition wasn't a big issue—or at least no worse than before—so she let out a sincere sigh of relief.
"Hm?" "So what do we do next? Wait for those infiltrators to make their move?"
"Yes, because of what just happened, they've lost any room for hesitation... They'll either act quickly now or abandon the plan entirely."
Genma's actions weren't just pressuring the Uchiha clan; they were also pressuring the infiltrators. Between the two, the weaker side naturally bore greater pressure and would be the first to crack.
"Understood. From here on, we'll keep a close eye on that location, ready to spring into action at any moment."
"Right. We'll conserve our strength and bide our time."
After dawn, Genma and Nanami refrained from any unnecessary moves. They held their ground, accumulating chakra to handle any sudden developments.
That day, the Uchiha village was calm, but an atmosphere of impending storm brewed relentlessly.
Another day passed, and the calm seemed to persist.
But when the second night's darkness fell once more, Genma and Nanami shifted positions, quietly approaching and concealing themselves near the destination.
Both had a feeling: the clash would erupt tonight.
They hid in the attic of a nearby home. The view was average, but it wouldn't miss any stir in the surroundings.
Boom!
Suddenly, a massive crash jolted Genma and Nanami awake. Nanami flipped out from a side window, circled a few steps, then leaped onto the roof tiles.
Genma's upper body "phased" through the roof a step ahead.
They looked toward the distance: a gigantic summoned beast had appeared in the Uchiha village. It resembled a mountain boar, yet boasted tusks disproportionately massive.
Nanami's brow furrowed instantly. The destructive power of such a large summoned beast was staggering—this was a scene she absolutely did not want to see.
Disregarding their prior plan, she formed hand seals with both hands, summoning Little Seven to her side.
"Little Seven, take it down."
Genma's face showed hesitation; he opened his mouth as if to speak, then stopped...
He wasn't sure whether to remind Nanami to stick to the plan or to point out that pitting a fox barely larger than a dog against such a colossal summoned beast was asking too much.
But next, Little Seven didn't slack off. It charged fearlessly toward the giant summoned beast.
Then, unsure if his eyes were playing tricks, Genma saw Little Seven sprinting at blinding speed before diving straight into the giant summoned beast's body.
Was the summoned beast's skin and fur just for show? No defensive power?
No, that wasn't diving in—could it be some kind of "fusion"?
By the time Little Seven burst straight out from the other side of the summoned beast's body, Genma felt its size had enlarged proportionally by a full circle.
Little Seven wheeled back, digging in again to attack the giant summoned beast.
The infiltrators who had summoned the beast were already assaulting the surface structures above the prison, pinning down large numbers of Uchiha shinobi.
Seeing this, Nanami knew priorities mattered. She said to Genma:
"Let's go. It's time for us to move."
Genma nodded, merging into the wall once more. Nanami leaped down, dashing toward a certain building.
The two had planned to replicate Genma's prior infiltration method. The barrier had just been repaired—destroying it again wouldn't be difficult.
But as they approached a barrier technique node, Nanami suddenly spotted a Uchiha shinobi who looked about forty emerging from the building.
She had no time to explain, shouting loudly: "Hold on—control this guy!"
The shinobi across from them visibly startled, thinking Nanami was addressing him. In that split-second distraction, an arm suddenly extended from a pillar beside him, clamping tightly around his neck.
"You—you're..."
Nanami Shunshined to his side, her crimson Sharingan opening wide. Complex patterns emerged in the depths of her pupils, blood vessels soon threading her eyeballs as tears of blood streamed unending from the corners of her eyes... The situation was urgent; she unleashed the Mangekyo Sharingan's power without restraint.
Even as a Uchiha clansman, without eyes of equal caliber, resisting this ocular power was nearly impossible. The unlucky shinobi fell under Nanami's control in an instant.
"He's the one in charge here—at least he was."
After straining to cast the genjutsu, Nanami panted as she explained why she'd targeted this shinobi.
"Since he's here now, that means he's in charge currently—or at least one of them."
Next, Genma tried issuing orders to the shinobi: "We're going to see Nameless. Lead the way."
"Understood."
The man nodded dazedly in compliance, then turned and headed back into the building.
Once inside, he led alone until the barrier blocked their path.
He formed hand seals, opening the standard passage through the barrier, and the trio began descending into the underground space.
A few minutes later, they arrived before Nameless.
"Can you release the restraints on her?" Nanami asked.
This time differed from the last. When Genma had come before, Nameless was bound but fully lucid. Now, she seemed sunk in some kind of comatose state.
"I can only remove the restraints on her body. I don't have authority to lift the seal on the Sharingan."
"Fine. Remove every restraint you can right now."
"Yes."
Like a puppet on strings, the shinobi obeyed Nanami's command. He formed seals repeatedly, undoing layer after layer of bindings on Nameless's limbs and torso.
"Is... that you, Big Sis Nanami?"
With the restraints lifted, Nameless stirred awake. She realized she could move again, but when she tried struggling to rise, she found herself utterly unable...
She was still far too weak.
"It's me. We'll talk once we're out of here."
Nanami hoisted her onto her back, ignoring the genjutsu-controlled shinobi entirely, ready to leave.
Genma stopped her, though. He yanked over the unlucky fellow's clothes, draping them over Nameless for cover, then transformed himself into her likeness.
"I'll go first. You follow."
Though the seal on Nameless's eyes remained, she still turned her head toward Genma, sensing her own chakra signature there.
"Got it."
Nanami didn't argue. Having Genma draw off the Uchiha guards before she escaped with Nameless was undeniably more logical.
The infiltrators were locked in fierce combat with Uchiha shinobi, while more Uchiha reinforcements hurried from afar.
Three young shinobi escorted a clan elder swiftly forward. The youths seemed dutiful, but the elder prattled on incessantly.
"From here on, prioritize protecting Nameless. But if she falls into enemy hands... remember, don't hesitate—kill her on the spot. Try to retrieve her eyes or destroy them. Understood?"
The three young shinobi exchanged glances, but none responded.
What they'd heard didn't sound like words a human would utter, so there was no need to reply.
The elder paid no mind to whether his words were acknowledged—the youths wouldn't dare disobey, would they?
He remained lost in his own world, issuing orders nonstop.
The shinobi leading upfront silently nodded to the other two, then subtly began adjusting their path.
Soon, quite conveniently, they encountered a group of infiltrators.
"Damn it! Quick—eliminate these enemies!"
The elder bellowed his command, only to suddenly realize his escort shinobi had turned and fled.
In a blink, the enemies surrounded him. By then, escape was impossible.
Next, the esteemed elder could freely "commune" with the enemies' kunai and shuriken.
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