The heavy rain continued to pour as the Suna shinobi reached the last known location of the SOS flare. Moving cautiously through the soaked forest, their eyes swept the area, there was no sign of their comrade.
Hidden in the shadow of a nearby tree, Kadoya watched them arrive. His gaze was cold and calculating. The group wasn't massive, about twenty-seven shinobi, a mix of Jonin, Chunin, and a handful of Genin.
"Don't worry!" an injured Suna Jonin called out, dragging an unconscious body behind him. "We were ambushed, but I managed to defeat him!"
"Jonin Ikari!" one of the Jonin demanded, eyes narrowing as he took in the scene: the battered forest, the unconscious captive. "What happened here?"
"This is the current head of the Uzumaki Clan," Ikari declared, his voice steady. "I've subdued him. We can use him to threaten Konoha."
The Suna Jonin's eyes widened, a smirk curving his lips. "Very good, Jonin Ikari. The Kazekage will be most pleased."
With that, he ordered the group to return to the Suna stronghold. Ikari followed, a victorious gleam in his eyes that soon faded to an unsettling red before returning to black.
They reached the Suna encampment, and 'Ikari' personally chained up the unconscious Uzumaki in a cell, locking the door with a satisfying click.
At least, that's what everyone saw.
The real Kadoya locked the cage shut around the headless corpse, his expression calm and unhurried. His incomplete version of Kyoka Suigetsu didn't need him to hold his blade high and shout "Shatter!", it only required his target to look at him. From that moment, the illusion was absolute.
With a Transformation Jutsu and Kyoka Suigetsu layered together, he walked unnoticed among the enemy ranks as Jonin Ikari, blending seamlessly into the Suna forces.
"Flower Style: Illusion Clone Replacement Jutsu,"
A perfect clone took his place, allowing Kadoya to slip deeper into the heart of the camp.
Like a phantom, he wandered the Suna stronghold: eating their food by day, pickpocketing their resources by noon, and haunting them by night.
A living nightmare in the rain-soaked shadows.
The Suna's camp soon had rumors about the camp being haunted by ghosts.
Days passed in this grim routine. One day, Kadoya's gaze fell on a weary Suna guard, dark circles under his eyes, dozing off where he stood. Kadoya placed a hand gently on the man's head, using the Yamanaka's Mind Reading Jutsu to extract information from him.
Umu. That Nara clanman Danzo sent over was indeed very useful. 3.5 Stars.
A wicked smile tugged at his lips as he sifted through the guard's memories. "Ah… finally, a Puppet Master," he murmured, his excitement barely contained. Even if he didn't need Suna's puppet techniques, he wanted them in his growing arsenal.
He gave the drowsy guard a thumbs up before slipping away, activating Dream Eater and Aria From Beyond.
"AHHHHHHHHH!"
Kadoya hadn't even made it far when the Suna ninja woke with a scream, heart hammering in terror. The rain swallowed the echoes of his nightmare, but Kadoya was already gone, like a ghost in the storm.
While Kadoya continued to amuse himself looting Suna's supplies and resources, back at Konoha's main camp, tension was at an all-time high.
"Damn it!" Tsunade slammed her fist onto the table, the force rattling the scrolls. Her eyes blazed as she glared at the document spread out before her.
"Dan, you complete waste of space! I told you to watch him, not let him waltz right into an enemy stronghold!" she roared, and the young Jonin's head sank lower into his vest, as if trying to vanish.
"Tsunade, calm down. I know this looks bad, bu-" Jiraiya started, but before he could finish, Tsunade's fist slammed into his face, sending him flying out of the tent.
"Kadoya isn't just the Clan Head of the Uzumaki," she snapped, turning back to Dan, her eyes wild. "He's also the only Uchiha in this damn war! Plus, he is one of our best counters against the Tailed Beasts! Do you know how valuable he is!?"
"Tsunade, please, calm yourself," Orochimaru interjected, though he was already backing away, slipping behind Dan for cover.
Dan: "…"
Orochimaru's hoarse voice continued. "Think about it, this is Kadoya we're talking about. The same boy who bullied the Four-Tails into submission. Do you really believe a handful of Suna Jonin could take him down?"
Tsunade paused, her breath ragged as she processed his words. She knew Kadoya wasn't weak, no, he was probably even stronger than some of the Jonin here. And knowing his nature, she found it hard to imagine him being truly captured.
Yet Sunagakure had sent a demand to the Third Hokage: either Konoha paid up, or they'd execute the head of the Uzumaki Clan. Even Iwagakure had offered an alliance with Suna, on the condition that they deliver Kadoya's head to Iwa as a trophy. That political maneuvering had put enormous pressure on the Hokage and the higher-ups, at least, according to what Sarutobi claimed.
Tsunade didn't buy it for a second. She knew those old men in the council had wanted Kadoya dead for a long time, this was just another excuse to get rid of him. The fact that they'd sent Team 7 into the war early in the first place was enough for Tsunade to see their true intent.
Her little brother had even complained that their mission's intel was somehow leaked before they'd set foot in the Land of Rain. Just thinking about it now made her blood boil.
Leaking their own shinobi's mission details to the enemy… What were they trying to say? That Konoha didn't care about the lives of its own shinobi anymore? If that rumor spread, what shinobi would be willing to fight for the village again?
Letting out a long, slow breath, Tsunade massaged her temple. "Let's just hope you're right," she murmured.
Reaching for her bottle of sake to calm her nerves, she found it empty. Annoyed, she hurled it out of the tent.
"OW!!"
Jiraiya's loud yelp echoed back inside.
Meanwhile, back in Konoha, at the Hokage Tower.
The Third Hokage stood at his office window, pipe in hand, his eyes narrowed as he gazed in the direction of the Uchiha District. His mind was deep in thought.
News of Kadoya Uchiha, the current head of the Uzumaki Clan, being captured by Sunagakure had reached him. The Suna now demanded a ransom in exchange for Kadoya's life, threatening to ally with Iwagakure if Konoha refused.
"I say we ignore them," Danzo declared bluntly, his voice cold and decisive as he addressed the council.
"I agree with Danzo on this," Koharu said, her voice carrying a hint of disdain. "Suna's demand is outrageous."
Danzo crossed his arms, his tone filled with scorn. "Twenty million ryo for a single Uchiha brat? Who would pay that?"
Homura's brow furrowed. "If we refuse to pay, Sunagakure will definitely ally with Iwagakure. That would mean facing two Great Shinobi Villages at once."
Hiruzen took a slow drag from his pipe before exhaling. "I will attempt to negotiate with Sunagakure."
Danzo snorted dismissively. "And what good will that do? We'd be squandering resources on an Uchiha who's more trouble than he's worth."
Silence fell in the room as the Third Hokage weighed Danzo's words.
Danzo leaned forward, his voice low and sharp. "How long will you hesitate, Hiruzen? Will you wait until they strike us directly?"
"Danzo." Hiruzen's voice was calm but firm. "The Uchiha are a part of Konoha. They are our comrades. We cannot turn our backs on them, especially during wartime."
Danzo's eyes narrowed, his mouth twisting into a sneer. "Comrades? The Uchiha should be grateful we haven't driven them out of Konoha altogether!"
"Danzo, that's enough." The Third Hokage's tone hardened, his eyes unwavering. "The Uchiha are a powerful clan. Their loyalty might be questionable. But with Kadoya Uchiha's early deployment, the Uchiha have already grown restless. I suggest you tell your Root to stop stirring up more trouble."
Danzo's smile was chilling. "Of course, I know the power of the evil Uchiha, just as well as you do. But let's not pretend their relations with the village haven't been strained for years. A little more 'trouble' won't change much."
Hiruzen's expression turned grim as he took another drag from his pipe, exhaling slowly. He knew full well about Danzo's covert operations, Root agents causing disruptions in the village, provoking the Military Police, then turning around and framing the Uchiha as overly aggressive. It was all calculated to isolate the Uchiha from the rest of the village.
Even with all of Kadoya's achievements on the battlefield, the seeds of distrust had already been planted. The idea of an Uchiha Hokage was unthinkable to many in the village.
Hiruzen was aware of Danzo's ambitions and schemes, yet he'd chosen not to act against them. For both of them, the goal was clear: to ensure that Kadoya Uchiha, Kagami's son, would never claim the Hokage's seat.
But in the end, it was all wasted effort, because Kadoya Senju never had any interest in the Hokage title.
The one who truly sought that seat was Minato Uchiha.
Back at the Suna stronghold in the Land of Rain, the exhausted Suna shinobi were growing increasingly restless, haunted by nightmares and unsettling whispers.
"Damn it! What the hell is going on here!?" one of them snapped, hurling his bowl to the ground and spilling soup everywhere.
"Pfah! What the hell!? Who put sand in the soup!?" another choked, spitting out his meal in disgust.
The entire camp was in chaos. Their morale was already at the breaking point after nights of sleepless torment, and though no attack had come, the echoes of fallen comrades were driving them mad.
Amidst the chaos, a figure could be seen slipping away from the camp, hauling a bag easily five times his size. Kadoya had stripped the Suna stronghold of everything valuable and was now leaving with his loot.
He wore a satisfied grin. A week-long camping trip with the Suna had done wonders for him: he had refined his Kyoka Suigetsu's range, and now he could manipulate touch as well. Almost perfect. All that remained was smell and taste, and then his Kyoka Suigetsu would completely master the five senses.
"Now that I'm done here," he murmured, stuffing the massive bag into his Ender Rift. He raised his left hand high and snapped his fingers.
Instantly, the explosive seals he'd carefully hidden throughout the Suna stronghold erupted in a colossal blast. The shockwave tore through the trees, sending them bending and nearly uprooted from the force.
Kadoya didn't bother to look back. He walked away in that classic, cinematic style, cool guys don't look at explosions.
As he strolled through the forest, he noticed a large flying device trailing him in the sky. It reminded him of those Sky Ninja's Flying Destruction Machines from that movie he'd watched.
A sudden laser beam lanced down from the flying contraption, piercing his chest with deadly precision. A large, smoldering hole burned through him creating an explosion behind him.
The Sky Ninja pilot stared in disbelief, watching as the flames crackled inside the hole in Kadoya's chest. The realization dawned on him too late: their weapon, while packing a hell of a punch, only produced real flames after impact, never during the strike.
Kadoya glanced at the hole in his chest as if it were a mild inconvenience. "Oh, right. I forgot about you," he said calmly, his tone cold and unhurried. The flaming wound began to heal, the fire knitting together until it was as if nothing had happened.
The Sky Ninja's eyes widened in horror. Before he could even consider retreat, a massive flaming fist slammed into his flying machine, melting the metal instantly. The machine exploded in a fiery burst, taking the Sky Ninjas with it.
"Hm… should I go hunt them down and burn the Land of Sky to ashes?" Kadoya mused, tilting his head thoughtfully. Then he shrugged. "Nah. I'll just ask Tsunade for their location later. Why wander around searching when you can have someone else do the work?"
With that, he calmly continued his journey back toward Konoha's main camp.