In Hanzo’s view, Kakashi and his team were already incredibly powerful. Even with all their intel completely leaked, they still managed to crush their opponents in a one-sided victory.
With results like that—
There was absolutely no reason to make them train harder in the rain.
And yet...
This was exactly how outrageous Konoha’s thods of education were.
From his high vantage point, watching Kakashi and the others, Hanzo suddenly understood why both Yahiko and Konan had said that the atmosphere in Agakure was problematic.
Compared to Konoha...
Their village really did seem a little too lax.
But still—
Shouldn’t it be the smaller hidden villages that were striving to improve and catch up to the big five?
Why did it feel completely reversed?
This world was getting more and more baffling. It was becoming increasingly difficult to make sense of it.
All Hanzo could say was—Kanda Kyoichi’s teaching thods were truly magical. He could turn the rotten into the subli. Even these natural-born geniuses were neither arrogant in victory nor disheartened in defeat. It was terrifying.
That’s right—
Kakashi and the others had indeed been punished.
Even though they won...
That didn’t stop Kyoichi from disciplining them. If he wanted to punish them, he could co up with a dozen reasons on the spot.
For instance—
"Just a bunch of lowly Agakure chūnin were enough to put you in this state? This is the teamwork you’re so proud of?"
"So this is what ’Konoha genius’ ans these days?"
Every line was pure mockery.
Especially toward Kakashi.
He had absolutely no idea that the reason they’d been caught off guard so badly was because soone from their own side had sold out all their tactics—going so far as to secretly coach Konan on how to counter them.
Absolutely despicable.
Minato watched it all unfold and could only sigh—he wasn’t ruthless enough. Nor shaless enough.
If he had even half of Kyoichi’s gall and cruelty...
Kakashi and the others wouldn’t have turned out the way they did under his lead.
Of course...
As much as he admired it, he had no desire to emulate it.
Not just Kakashi and Shisui—even soone like Kurenai got the exact sa treatnt. No favoritism whatsoever.
That kind of teaching thod?
Way too brutal.
Not his style.
Still, Kyoichi truly did have their best interests at heart.
Enemies wouldn’t take a break just because it was raining. If they couldn’t adapt to harsh weather, they’d suffer greatly on missions in the future.
---
Back at the inn, Kyoichi had been planning to brainstorm a new excuse to tornt Kakashi’s team tomorrow—but then, a ssage arrived, relayed via Slug Summoning.
"Kyoichi-sama, with help from Orochimaru and Kazamatsuri Toshiki, we’ve tracked the trail of Root’s hidden Hashirama cell test subjects. However, it appears Danzo is relocating his base, and we lost track of them shortly after."
They’d found it...
But not completely.
As Kyoichi read through the report in detail, he imdiately understood why.
Kazamatsuri Toshiki’s Wood Release was just too weak.
While he had learned from Kyoichi the secret technique of using plants as "sensory eyes," his control over the jutsu wasn’t refined enough. He couldn’t achieve full-range surveillance and tracking.
Still—
As long as they had a rough area, Kyoichi wasn’t afraid of losing them again.
At the sa ti...
The report also detailed the current state of the Uchiha.
The elders had returned to the clan compound and seed to be lying low—but Kyoichi could already tell sothing was wrong. Madara and Black Zetsu would never pass up a golden opportunity like this.
And right now—
Kyoichi needed to quietly return to the ANBU.
An internal Uchiha conflict could erupt at any mont, and no one knew how big it might get. In this state of total uncertainty, he had to prepare in advance.
He secretly called Minato over.
"Minato, I need you to teleport back to the ANBU headquarters in Konoha. As for here... transform into and hold the fort for the ti being."
"Understood. Be careful."
Minato’s expression turned serious.
The distance from the Land of Rain to Konoha was long. Even for him, his chakra was only enough to send Kyoichi back—he couldn’t afford to go with him.
Besides...
Kakashi and the others still needed soone watching over them.
Sure, Konan and Nagato wouldn’t harm them—but what if a spy or assassin from another village made a move?
It wouldn’t be the first ti sothing like that happened.
Fishing for Danzo was important, but protecting Kakashi and the others was just as vital.
---
This was Kyoichi’s first ti experiencing long-range Flying Thunder God teleportation.
And to be honest—
It felt awful. The spatial distortion was jarring and disorienting. The chaotic twisting and pulling sensation made airplane turbulence seem like a gentle breeze.
Thankfully...
It was just uncomfortable.
Compared to the Third Raikage’s Heaven Transfer Technique to launch himself to the front lines, Flying Thunder God long-range teleportation was far safer. It was actually quite reliable.
He put on his mask and stepped through.
"Tora-sama, welco back."
Kyoichi’s ANBU mask and temporary codena was Tora—Tiger. He’d discussed it in advance with Gekkō Hayate, so the mont the tiger mask appeared, the operative instantly understood—
Kyoichi was back.
He instantly let out a breath of relief.
To be honest...
These past few days, Gekkō Hayate had barely gotten any sleep.
Kyoichi had gone off on his own and dumped such a massive operation in his lap. If he made a single misstep and ruined the setup, it would be entirely his fault—and the consequences would be catastrophic.
Now, at last, that weight was off his shoulders.
"How’s the situation?"
"Tora-sama, there’s no visible movent within the Uchiha for now. Mukai and a Hyūga operative are standing by nearby. If anything happens, they’ll report imdiately."
"Let’s go take a look..."
Kyoichi fell silent for a mont, clearly uneasy.
ANBU HQ was a fair distance from the Uchiha compound. If they waited for intel to co in and then deployed, the entire clan might already be in chaos by the ti they arrived.
Not that this was Hayate’s fault.
He was only a squad captain, and his strength was limited. Just maintaining the surveillance network was already a monuntal task—he couldn’t afford to get too close to the Uchiha compound.
"Should I gather the team?"
"No need. Just the few of us will be enough."
Kyoichi shook his head.
The situation with the Uchiha was still unclear. He needed to observe up close.
As for how...
Once they reached the vicinity of the Uchiha clan, Kyoichi ford hand seals, pressed his palm to the ground—and soon after, blades of grass began to sprout and creep forward slowly.
What is this?
At first, Hayate was confused. But monts later, his eyes widened in shock.
He watched as the grass grew steadily along the road, blending seamlessly into the surrounding weeds. If he hadn’t seen it growing with his own eyes, he wouldn’t have noticed it at all.
And on top of that...
It was nightti.
No one would ever pay attention to a few patches of grass in the dark.
Seeing this scene...
Gekkō Hayate was both surprised and unsurprised. Even Kazamatsuri Toshiki could do sothing like this—so of course Kyoichi-sama, who had taught him, could do even better. What he was showing now was likely just the tip of the iceberg.
He quietly observed the surroundings while Kyoichi extended his chakra through the plant network, sending the grass creeping into the Uchiha compound.
He could now roughly sense the status of the clan grounds.
"Where do the Uchiha elders live?"
"They’re all housed together, northeast corner of the compound—right by the lake. It’s the most desirable spot."
"Even better."
Kyoichi smiled. That area was all open grassland. He didn’t even need to tiptoe around; he could go straight through.
In no ti at all—
He had extended his sensory grass throughout the area.
Not just Uchiha Ki and Uchiha Kei, even the situation in Fugaku’s own ho was under his surveillance. Though he couldn’t hear their voices, he could sense...
Inside Fugaku’s house, aside from Fugaku, Mikoto, and Itachi—there was a fourth person.
That chakra signature...
Was it Uchiha Kei?
Kyoichi paused, then looked at Gekkō Hayate.
"The eldest elder of the Uchiha... his na’s Uchiha Kei, right? Did he attend the Naka Shrine eting?"
"Of course. He used to hold a lot of power—but now Fugaku’s stripped him of everything. If anyone’s harboring resentnt, it’s him."
Hayate explained.
Kyoichi thought for a mont, then chuckled.
"I’m sensing that old bastard inside Fugaku’s house. If I’m not wrong, he’s probably sold them out. No surprise there—he was the leader of the pro-surrender faction back in the day."
"Huh? So he’s not the ringleader?"
Gekkō Hayate was stunned.
He’d always viewed Uchiha Kei as the main antagonist. But from what Kyoichi was saying, the man didn’t plan to rebel—he just wanted to live out his days quietly.
That’s... odd. Then who is behind this?
"I suspect the Uchiha rebellion will start tonight. Gather the others."
"Yes, sir!"
Gekkō Hayate left at once.
anwhile, Kyoichi continued using the sensory grass to monitor the Uchiha compound. But just then, Uchiha Ki stepped out.
However... sothing was different.
Ki’s chakra now felt unstable and mixed.
Not just his own—
Kyoichi imdiately headed toward Mukai’s position.
Before long—
He found the cat-masked ANBU ninja lying in wait.
"Sir..."
"Co with ."
"Yes!"
Mukai didn’t ask questions. Although Kyoichi had disguised his hair and other features, he’d already told him beforehand: the "Tora" mask had never been used.
This was the first ti.
So, seeing the tiger mask—it had to be Kyoichi.
He followed silently, watching as Kyoichi circled around and slipped directly into the Uchiha compound from the far side, stopping at a relatively secluded spot.
"Sir... they’ve gathered. No... wait—one of their chakra signatures is strange! This power..."
Mukai was shaken.
One person’s chakra was massive—far beyond everyone else’s. And his eyes... they radiated an utterly terrifying force.
Could the Sharingan really be that powerful?
"Is his chakra singular?"
"I... can’t tell exactly. I just feel that it’s imnsely strong—and a little different from the others... Sir, maybe we should consult a Hyūga. With both eyes, they might get a clearer read."
Mukai sounded a bit ashad.
At such a crucial mont, his abilities were lacking—
He only had one Byakugan. Though it wasn’t sealed by the Caged Bird curse, its effectiveness was still limited. If he had both eyes, it might’ve been different.
Though of course...
That was just speculation.
Kyoichi shook his head.
There’s no ti.
Besides—
Even the Hyūga branch family might not be able to see through it.
If Madara had made a move, that ant he was absolutely confident in not being exposed by the Byakugan. So...
This probably wasn’t genjutsu.
It was likely so obscure ocular technique.
A realm no outsider truly understood.
"What should we do then?"
"Wait for the Uchiha to erupt into chaos," Kyoichi replied.
He could confirm that Madara was involved—but had no proof.
In the end...
They knew too little about the Sharingan.
Even with all the ani knowledge in his head, Kyoichi understood only the surface. The deeper mysteries of ocular power remained elusive.
At this mont—
He sensed that within the Uchiha compound, two factions had already begun to assemble.
Uchiha Ki was on the move!
anwhile, Fugaku had just finished his conversation with Uchiha Kei.
It was obvious now—
Black Zetsu had to be hiding sowhere nearby.
Otherwise, there was no way Uchiha Ki could’ve learned of the elder’s betrayal so quickly.
***************************
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