I, Uchiha, will not be whitewashed!

The Hokage Building, high-level conference room.

The long table was filled with people on both sides.

Minato sat in the main seat, with the Hokage hat beside him.

Koharu and Homura sat to his right, while Hiashi Hyuga sat opposite him.

Yamanaka Inoichi, Nara Shikaku, and Akimichi Choza represent the Ino-Shika-Cho trio and sit next to the Hyuga.

Fugaku Uchiha didn't come; instead, Sakugo did. He sat at the end of the long table, his mask tucked into his waistband, and his sword resting against the side of his chair.

Minato pushed a piece of intelligence onto the center of the table. "The Hidden Rain Village has changed hands. Hanzo of the Salamander is dead. An organization called 'Akatsuki' has taken control of the Land of Rain."

Nara Shikaku picked up the intelligence report, glanced at it, and handed it to Yamanaka Inoichi beside him. "Akatsuki? That peace-oriented organization that emerged at the end of World War III?"

"What they're doing isn't 'peaceful'," Yamanaka Inoichi said in a deep voice.

"Yes." Minato's voice was calm. "Hanzo ambushed and killed their leader, thinking the organization had fallen apart. But instead of falling apart, they killed Hanzo and seized Amegakure."

"What's the composition of the membership?" Hiashi Hyuga asked.

"The only ones we can confirm so far are Orochimaru," Minato paused. "And Sasori, the rogue ninja from Sunagakure."

There was a moment of silence in the conference room.

Orochimaru. One of the Legendary Sannin of Konoha, he took a large amount of research data on forbidden techniques with him when he defected.

Sasori, a genius puppeteer from Sunagakure, assassinated the Third Kazekage. These two together are enough to give any village a headache.

"Where are the others?" Yamanaka Inoichi asked.

"I don't know." Minato shook his head. "Akatsuki is very isolated from the outside world. Our spies dare not approach Amegakure; they have a sensory barrier, and they'll be detected as soon as they get close."

Nara Shikaku leaned back in his chair, tapping his fingers twice on the table. "The organization Orochimaru joined isn't small-time. They've taken control of the Land of Rain; what will they do next?"

"I don't know," Minato said softly. "But we need to be prepared."

Koharu Utatane frowned. "You mean, Akatsuki will attack Konoha?"

"Not necessarily now. But in the future, very likely."

Minato looked at everyone present. "Orochimaru understands Konoha. He knows our weaknesses. If Akatsuki's target is Konoha, he won't let this opportunity pass him by."

"Then strengthen vigilance." Mitokado Homura's voice was deep. "Increase manpower at border outposts, and double the patrol density towards the Land of Rain."

Minato nodded. "Also, continue gathering intelligence on Akatsuki. I need to know exactly what they're up to."

The meeting adjourned. People gradually left the meeting room.

Shuoge remained seated without moving.

Shuimen didn't leave either.

"Do you have anything else to say?" Minato looked at him.

Sakugo stood up and walked to the window. Outside the window was Konoha Village, and the setting sun had turned the Hokage Rock golden.

Orochimaru is not the leader of Akatsuki.

Minato's brow twitched slightly. "How did you know?"

—Shuoge could not possibly claim to know everything.

"A gut feeling," Shogo replied ambiguously. "He holds a certain position within Akatsuki, but he's not the one who calls the shots."

Minato was silent for a moment. "Who else?"

"I don't know." Shuoge didn't turn around. "But there are definitely people stronger than him."

Minato walked to his side, looking out at the sunset. "How much of a threat do you think Akatsuki poses?"

"It's huge." Sakugo turned around and looked at Minato. "Bigger than you think."

Minato didn't ask any more questions. He knew Sakugo; this man didn't speak without evidence. "I understand."

Shuoge nodded, turned and left.

He walked out of the Hokage Building and stood on the steps.

The setting sun shone warmly on his face.

But his heart was cold.

He recalled the ending of the original story, where Akatsuki collected the Tailed Beasts and triggered the Fourth Shinobi World War.

He changed the fate of the Uchiha clan, killing Danzo and the Third Hokage, and allowing Minato to live.

But Akatsuki is still here. Obito is still here. Madara's plan is still in place. Black Zetsu is still here. Just how much of everything he did actually changed?

He descended the steps and walked towards the Uchiha compound. His sword was behind him, his hands hung at his sides. His pace was neither fast nor slow.

Behind me, the sun had set. Only a dark red glow remained on the horizon.

It looked like fresh blood!

……

……

……

The Land of Fire, a border town.

Kakuzu stood at the entrance of a dilapidated tavern, his straw hat pulled low, obscuring most of his face.

He had just received a bounty from the black market—a three million taels of silver for a runaway merchant hiding in this small town.

This kind of minor role isn't worth him making a special trip for, but it's convenient for him to do it on the way and collect money along the way.

He pushed open the door and went inside.

The tavern was dark, with only a few oil lamps lit, their glow spreading through the smoke.

Kakuzu glanced at the corner, where the merchant was huddled in the shadows, his hand trembling as he held a wine glass.

Kakuzu walked over and sat down opposite him.

The merchant looked up, saw Kakuzu's face, and his pupils contracted. He wanted to run, but his legs went weak.

"Three million taels," Kakuzu said calmly. "You're worth that price."

The merchant's lips trembled. "I...I can pay you double...no, triple..."

The horn remained silent. His hand emerged from his sleeve, and black tentacles silently wrapped around the merchant's neck.

The merchant struggled twice, then stopped moving.

Kakuzu withdrew his tentacles, took a money pouch from the merchant's pocket, weighed it in his hand, and stuffed it into his robes. He stood up, preparing to leave.

In a corner of the tavern, a wanted poster was pasted on the wall, its surface yellowed from the smoke of the oil lamp.

Kakuzu's gaze swept over and then stopped.

The wanted poster featured a portrait—black hair, black eyes, and a long knife hanging on his back.

Below the portrait was written: "Uchiha Sakugo, codename Blade, Konoha Jonin, member of the Anbu. Bounty: 50 million taels."

Kakuzu's lips twitched slightly.

Fifty million taels.

He remembered the name.

During the three wars, they fought from the western front to the northern front, repelled the Seven Ninja Swordsmen of the Mist, and held off the Fourth Raikage.

The strongest of Konoha's younger generation. The heart of someone like that must be very valuable. He reached out, tore the wanted poster off the wall, folded it, and stuffed it into his pocket.

-

Two days later, on the southeastern border of the Land of Fire.

Shogo led a team on an escort mission—to transport a secret envoy from the Land of Fire to a coastal city.

The task is simple and the risk is low.

Logically speaking, there should be no need for the secret service team to be dispatched.

But Minato said, "Just in case," so Sakugo's team accepted the mission anyway. The team consisted of four people: Sakugo, Kakashi, and two ANBU members, wearing masks and codenamed Crow and Tanuki.

In the evening, the team set up camp in a grove of trees.

The envoy sat by the fire drinking water, while crows and raccoons stood guard around him. Kakashi sat leaning against a tree, his headband pulled low.

Shuoge stood at the edge of the camp, his sword at his side, his mask tucked into his waistband. His three-tomoe Sharingan slowly rotated behind the mask, scanning the surrounding woods.

He sensed something. It wasn't a sound, nor a smell, but chakra. Two streams of chakra pressed down from the depths of the forest, one intense and bloody, the other slightly weaker, but still powerful.

He gripped the hilt of the knife.

"come out."

Two people emerged from the woods.

Leading the way was Kakuzu, dressed in a black robe and a straw hat, with stitches on his face and cat-like green eyes.

Behind him followed a man, also dressed in a long robe with black background and red clouds, wearing a mask so his face was obscured. The man was thin and carried two short swords on his back.

Kakuzu looked at Sakugo, his gaze lingering for a moment on the sword behind him. "Blade, Uchiha Sakugo. Fifty million ryo."

His voice was cold. "I'll take your heart."

Shuoge didn't speak. He drew his sword.

Kakashi stood up, and a kunai slid out of his sleeve.

Crows and raccoons flanked them from both sides.

Kakuzu's teammates charged in from the side. The short sword drew a cross in the air, heading straight for the crow's throat.

Crow raised his kunai to block, but was knocked back two steps. Tanuki followed from behind, unleashing a flurry of shuriken. Kakuzu's teammate dodged to the side and slashed Tanuki's arm with a backhand strike.

Blood spurted out, and the raccoon took a few steps back, clutching its wound.

Kakuzu's teammates didn't stop; the short sword was thrust out again, this time even faster, piercing through Karasu's chest.

The crow fell down, its mask shattered, revealing a young face with its eyes still open.

Tanuki roared and pounced, only to be kicked away by Kakuzu's teammate. He fell to the ground, struggled for a moment, and then lay still.

Kakashi's kunai flew from the side, heading straight for the back of Kakuzu's teammate's head. The man ducked to dodge, then turned to face Kakashi. The two clashed, their blades flashing.

Kakuzu stared at Sakugo, his green eyes devoid of emotion. "These are the ninjas of Konoha? Compared to that guy… utterly pathetic!"

Shuoge held his sword horizontally in front of him, his three-tomoe Sharingan slowly rotating behind his mask.

"Naturally, I can't compare to the skills of my seniors."

—Kakuto was a “strong” who was able to survive the First Hokage’s attacks, but in reality, he just threw a kunai at a distance and ran away. The First Hokage didn’t pay any attention to him at all.

Shuoge's words were grating to hear.

Kakuzu's eyes darkened, and he made a move.

His speed is fast, not the kind of speed achieved through teleportation, but the kind of speed that comes from experience and doesn't waste any effort.

He formed a hand seal, the Earth Escape Seal.

His skin turned grayish-black and hardened like rock.

A punch was aimed at Sakugo's face, but Sakugo dodged to the side. He then slashed upwards with his sword, aiming for Kakuzu's arm. The sound of metal clashing was jarring, but the blade didn't cut through.

Only a faint white mark remained on Kakuzu's arm.

Shuoge's pupils contracted slightly. His knife couldn't cut through it.

"This guy's Earth Release technique has already achieved the nature transformation of Earth Release chakra!"

Kakuzu's second punch was already coming.

Shuoge parried with the blade, but was knocked back three steps, his hand going numb.

Kakuzu didn't stop. The third, fourth, and fifth punches—each punch was accompanied by an explosion of chakra, and the speed was so fast that Sakugo could only barely parry.

Sakugo's Sharingan caught Kakuzu's movements, but his body couldn't keep up.

It's not that he's slow, it's that Kakuzu's power is too great.

Even when he parried with his knife, the impact still made his arm feel sore and numb.

It's like being hit by a giant iron hammer while wearing armor.

"Fire Release: Head Carving".

Kakuzu spewed out a sea of ​​fire from his sleeve, and the flames swept towards Shuoge.

Shuoge stepped back and formed a hand seal.

"Wind Release: Great Breakthrough"

A gust of wind blew out, scattering the flames.

But Kakuzu's next move has already arrived—Lightning Release: False Darkness.

A bolt of lightning shot out from Kakuzu's palm at incredible speed. Sakugo had no time to dodge and blocked it with the blade of his sword. The electric current traveled along the blade, paralyzing his arm.

Kakuzu's tentacles emerged from his sleeve, wrapped around Sakugo's waist, and pulled him over.

Shuoge struggled, but the tentacles tightened their grip. He still held the knife, but he could no longer lift his arm.

Kakuzu reached for his chest with his other hand, the black tentacles ready to pierce his heart.

"Fifty million taels, we've got it."

Sakugo stared at Kakuzu's indifferent face. He knew perfectly well Kakuzu's abilities—five hearts, Earth Grudge Fear, and five chakra natures.

Knowing is one thing, but when you actually face a situation, that knowledge is useless.

His sword couldn't cut through his hardened skin, his Wind and Fire Release techniques were suppressed by Lightning and Earth Release techniques, and his Sharingan could predict his movements but couldn't dodge them.

All skills, tactics, and experience are a joke in the face of absolute power.

He practiced his sword for ten years, killed so many people, and changed so many things.

Now, an old monster who has lived for nearly a hundred years can be crushed to death with a single tentacle.

What is the name of Blade, what is the number one genius of the Uchiha clan, what is the strongest of the younger generation in Konoha—in the face of a true monster, they are still so vulnerable.

I'm not reconciled. Not angry, not sad, just reconciled.

His eyes began to burn. The three tomoe swirled violently in his eye sockets, spinning faster and faster until they merged into one.

A new pattern emerges in the pupil—the Mangekyou Sharingan.

Kakuzu paused for a moment. He saw those eyes. Not ordinary three-tomoe eyes, but deeper, more complex patterns. The tentacles tightened, preparing to pierce—

Shuoge gritted his teeth, loosened his grip on the hilt of the knife with his left hand, and formed a hand seal.

"Wind Release: Great Breakthrough"

It's not an attack on Kakuzu, it's an attack on the ground.

A fierce wind whipped up a cloud of sand and gravel, obscuring Kakuzu's vision. The tentacles slid off Sakugo's body, and he used the recoil to retreat, creating distance.

"Let's go!" Shuoge's voice was low.

Kakashi has already severed ties with Kakuzu's teammates and is carrying the secret envoy on his back.

After Shuoge finished speaking, the three people retreated into the depths of the forest.

Kakuzu stood there, watching the sandstorm slowly settle. His teammates walked back to his side.

"Should we pursue them?"

Kakuzu's voice was calm and steady. "Fifty million taels, no way."

He turned and walked in another direction. His teammates followed behind him.

The two disappeared into the darkness.

-

Sakugo led Kakashi and the secret envoy on a journey that lasted all night, only stopping at dawn.

Kakashi put the envoy down, who collapsed to the ground, panting heavily. Sakugo sat down against a tree, his sword across his lap, his Mangekyou Sharingan still in place.

"Your eyes—" Kakashi looked at him.

"fine."

Shuoge closed his eyes, then opened them again. The kaleidoscope vanished, and his pupils returned to black. He stood up, sheathing his sword. "Keep going. Reach our destination before nightfall."

Kakashi said nothing more. He carried the secret envoy on his back and continued walking with Sakugo.

Shuoge walked at the front, his knife behind his back and his hands hanging at his sides.

His steps were steady, and his breathing was even.

His mind was still racing—Kakuzu's tentacles, hardened skin, lightning, fire, and earth release techniques, and those Mangekyou Sharingan.

He opened his eyes, but he still lost.

We lost completely.

It wasn't a tactical problem, nor an experience problem; it was a lack of strength. His sword couldn't cut through, his ninjutsu couldn't match, and his speed couldn't keep up. All techniques were a joke in the face of absolute power.

He gripped the knife handle tightly, then loosened his grip.

That's not enough. It needs to be even stronger.