In the Land of Fire, a squad of Konoha shinobi was on the road, returning from a completed mission.
The team consisted of three young ninja—two men and one woman.
Suddenly—
The ground beneath their feet softened, transforming into a swamp. Their legs sank as their bodies were dragged down into the mire.
"Not good—we're under attack! "
Their faces paled. This was no ordinary terrain—it was an Earth Release jutsu that created swamps. They had walked right into an ambush.
One of the young men gritted his teeth, seizing his two companions by the arms.
While they hadn't sunk too deep yet, he wrenched them free and hurled them beyond the swamp's reach.
But he himself sank faster, pulled down into the mud.
"Ishii, hold on! We'll get you out! "
The two who had been thrown clear landed clumsily but scrambled up at once. Pulling out rope, they tried to rescue their comrade, who was already waist-deep.
"Don't! Run—now! "
The young man named Ishii refused their help, shouting in desperation.
He had already spotted them—more than a dozen enemy shinobi. Each radiated power is greater than any of the three could match.
Among them was one in crimson armor, whose mere presence sent a shiver through Ishii's entire body.
Knowing the truth—that these were enemies they could never defeat—Ishii abandoned hope of survival. He urged his comrades to flee.
The other two also saw the approaching group.
The sheer menace rolling off them made the choice clear: if they stayed, all three would die.
After a moment of hesitation, they broke toward one direction in a desperate bid to escape.
But they hadn't gone far when a man suddenly appeared, blocking their path.
"I'll hold him off! You run! "
The young man made his choice.
He launched a Wind Release jutsu at the enemy, locking him in combat and buying precious time for the young woman to escape.
"Kazuki—!"
Her face twisted with sorrow, but she obeyed. She veered off, sprinting away.
She couldn't let her comrade's sacrifice be in vain. Someone had to make it back with word of the attack.
But she hadn't gone far when a kunoichi appeared at her side, moving at a speed far beyond hers.
Before she could react, the kunoichi's hand struck her neck.
Her vision swam, and she collapsed unconscious.
The other two young men were swiftly taken down as well.
"Seal their chakra and bind them."
The order came from the man in crimson armor.
"Yes, sir."
A kunoichi stepped forward, weaving hand signs. She sealed the unconscious trio's chakra and bound them with rope.
The armored man was none other than Han, jinchūriki of the Five-Tails.
This squad was from Iwagakure, infiltrating the Land of Fire.
After erasing the traces of battle, they withdrew to a hidden location.
"Sensor-nin, continue the search. Three captives aren't nearly enough."
Han's command was curt.
"Understood."
The insect user replied, releasing a cloud of bees that scattered in every direction.
She was not from the Aburame clan but from another insect-wielding lineage—the Kamizuru clan of Iwagakure.
Once, the Kamizuru had rivaled the Aburame in strength. But after a crushing defeat in battle against them, they declined until their name had nearly vanished from shinobi memory.
An hour later, one bee returned, circling in a pattern.
The kunoichi read the signal, her face lighting up.
"Target found! "
"How many? " Han asked.
"Four in total. Judging from chakra, one of them may be jōnin level."
"That's fine. Even an elite jōnin can't escape me."
Han's voice was calm, his confidence absolute. With the power of a Kage-level jinchūriki, there was little difference between jōnin and elite jōnin.
"Leave three here to guard the captives. The rest, come with me."
Led by the insect-user's bees, Han and the others moved out.
Half an hour later, they reached their targets: two young girls, one boy, and a middle-aged woman.
"The jōnin-level chakra is hers," the insect-user whispered, nodding at the woman.
Han acknowledged with a nod, then gave the signal.
"Move."
At once, the Iwa-nin melted into the earth with stealth techniques, silently closing in.
But before they could strike, the woman stiffened, instantly alert.
"Who's there? "
Her eyes turned crimson. Twin tomoe spun in each.
She was an Uchiha.
Among the three youths, one girl's eyes also flared scarlet, a single tomoe spinning.
They too were Uchiha.
All four belonged to the Uchiha clan—the woman their jōnin instructor, the three her students.
Battle erupted in an instant.
With her two-tomoe Sharingan, the instructor's strength pushed close to elite jōnin.
But against so many Iwa-nin—against Han himself—victory was impossible.
Within moments, the four were subdued.
"Four Uchiha… not a bad catch."
One of the Iwa shinobi smirked as they cleaned up the battlefield.
With the earlier three captives and now these four Uchiha, their mission was complete.
They gathered the prisoners and swiftly withdrew, heading to regroup and leave the Land of Fire.
But none of them noticed—
High in the trees, a pair of eyes opened.
It was a spore clone of Uchiha Fugaku.
Day after day, Fugaku had been producing more of them, scattering his spores across the land.
He put them to work, watching over his clan from the shadows.
Almost every Uchiha who left Konoha had a spore clone silently trailing them.