I, Uchiha, will not be whitewashed!

The envoys from Kumogakure arrived in Konoha on a sunny day.

A banner hung on the gateposts at the village entrance, which read "Welcome to the Cloud Hidden Envoys".

Minato stood at the entrance to greet them, with Sakumo Hatake and several Jonin standing behind him.

Shuoge stood at the back of the crowd, his knife behind him, his hands hanging at his sides.

He saw the envoys from Kumogakure—leading the procession was a tall, muscular man with a scar on his face and a deep, brooding gaze. Behind him were several individuals with considerable chakra fluctuations, but they were all hidden beneath cloaks, their faces obscured.

Shuimen stepped forward and shook hands with the leader. Both men had smiles on their faces, but Shuoge could tell that the smiles didn't reach their eyes.

"hypocritical."

---

At night, Shuoge was practicing with his knife on the training ground outside the village.

Shisui stood to the side, a kunai in his hand, his three-tomoe Sharingan slowly rotating in the moonlight. He had been practicing for two hours, his forehead covered in sweat, but he didn't call for a stop.

"Take a break." Shuoge sheathed his sword.

Shisui put down the kunai and sat on the ground, panting heavily.

Shuoge leaned against the tree trunk and closed his eyes. His left eye vision became even more blurred—things appeared as if seen through a thin mist. He didn't tell anyone.

A fluctuation of chakra could be heard from afar.

It's not the training ground, it's in the direction of the village.

Shuoge opened his eyes, and his three-tomoe Sharingan automatically activated. He sensed something—someone was fighting, the clash of chakra was intense, and one of them was very familiar to him; it was the Gentle Fist of the Hyuga clan.

"Go home." Shuoge stood up and formed a hand seal. A shadow clone appeared beside him. "Go back with him."

The clone nodded and led Shisui toward the Uchiha compound.

Sakugo's main body sped off in the direction of the chakra fluctuations.

---

The back gate of the Hyuga residence, under the moonlight.

Hiashi Hyuga stood on the steps, covered in blood—not his, but that of his enemy.

Two corpses lay at his feet, both ninjas from the Hidden Cloud Village, their cloud-shaped headbands gleaming coldly in the moonlight.

His Byakugan pierced through the darkness, and there was another person, carrying Hinata, running towards the edge of the village.

Hiashi Hyuga caught up. He was fast, but without the child in his arms, he ran even faster than usual. The Cloud Ninja ahead were also fast and knew the route well, deliberately choosing to go through shadows and narrow alleys.

Hiashi Hyuga chased him to the edge of the village wall, where a Cloud Ninja scaled the wall. He followed, and when he landed, he saw someone already standing there.

Shuoge.

As soon as the Cloud Ninja landed with Hinata in his arms, they saw a person wearing a white mask with a red scar on it standing in front of them.

His hand rested on the hilt of the sword, and his three-tomoe Sharingan slowly rotated behind the mask.

"Get out of the way!" Yunren's voice was hoarse.

Shuoge did not allow it.

Yunren rushed forward, his kunai aimed at Shuoge's throat.

Shuoge dodged to the side, without drawing his sword, and struck Yunren's wrist with his left hand.

Without being able to release his grip, Shuoge's knee rammed into the abdomen of a Yunren.

The Cloud Ninja bent down, and Hinata slipped from his arms—Shuoge reached out and caught her.

The Cloud Ninja turned to run, but Hiashi Hyuga's Gentle Fist had already arrived. A palm struck the Cloud Ninja in the back, sending him flying. He crashed into the wall, slid down, and lay motionless.

Hiashi Hyuga finished his stance and looked at Sakugo. Sakugo handed Hinata over; Hinata was still asleep and unaware of what had happened.

"The sword... Uchiha Sakugo." Hyuga Hiashi took the child and nodded.

Shuoge didn't answer, and turned to leave.

---

The next day, in the Hokage's office.

The leader of the Cloud Village delegation—the tall, strong man named Buto, a Jonin from Cloud Village—stood before Minato, his face ashen.

"Lord Hokage, last night, Kumogakure's diplomats were murdered. Three ninjas died at the Hyuga residence. We demand an explanation."

Minato sat behind the table, pen in hand, without looking up.

"Kumakure's diplomats infiltrated the Hyuga clan head's residence in the dead of night, attempting to kidnap the Hyuga main family's youngest daughter." He looked up at Buto. "Is this your diplomacy?"

Bhutto's expression changed. "We didn't—"

"Should I show you the Cloud Hidden Headband from the corpse?"

Minato's voice was calm, but every word was delivered firmly. "Do you still need me to show you your infiltration route, the sentries you had sent to meet you, and the map of the Hyuga clan's territory hidden in your residence?"

Bhutto remained silent.

"Go back and tell the Fourth Raikage." Minato put down his pen. "Konoha will not hand over anyone. If Kumogakure wants war, Konoha will fight back."

"Furthermore, Kumogakure must give Konoha an explanation for this!"

Bhutto's lips moved as if he wanted to say something, but he swallowed it back. He turned and walked out of the office.

---

When the news reached Kumogakure, the Fourth Raikage, A, was furious.

He smashed the desk with his fist, his roar echoing throughout the entire Raikage Building. "Konoha has gone too far! Assemble the troops, I'm going personally!"

Tu Tai stood to the side, silent for a while.

"Lord Raikage, the Yellow Flash of Konoha is not the Third Hokage. If he dares to say he's ready, then he's truly prepared. We just finished the Third Shinobi World War, and our national strength hasn't recovered yet. If war breaks out now, Iwagakure and Kirigakure won't let the opportunity pass."

Ai's fists clenched so tightly they cracked, but he didn't continue punching. He sat back in his chair, his chest heaving.

"We can't just let this go! Our people died in Konoha!" Ai's voice was forced out through clenched teeth. "We have to let Konoha know that Kumogakure is not to be trifled with."

---

The intelligence from the border was delivered on a cloudy day.

Shuoge was organizing mission reports at the secret base when a messenger pushed open the door and placed a scroll on the table.

"The Hokage summons you."

He unrolled the scroll, which contained only one line of text: "Yunyin is gathering at the border; come quickly."

Several people were already standing in the Hokage's office.

Sakumo Hatake leaned against the window, a sword at his waist, his eyes closed.

Nara Shikaku stood in front of the table, holding an intelligence scroll in his hand, his brows furrowed.

Yamanaka Inoichi sat on the chair next to him, his hands crossed, his eyes closed as he rested.

Minato stood in front of the map, pointing his finger at the border between the Land of Fire and the Land of Lightning.

"The Hidden Cloud Village has gathered about a hundred people at the border, led by the Fourth Raikage, A, with the two Jinchuriki of the Two-Tails accompanied by Kito." Minato's voice was not loud, but every word was clear.

"Hatake, you take the Anbu. Sakugo, pick a few men from the Anbu to go with them."

Sakumo Hatake opened his eyes and nodded.

Shuoge didn't say anything, and turned to leave.

He returned to the Dark Side base and wrote a list on the mission board.

All four men were veterans of the Dark Division, had worked with him on missions, and knew how to cooperate.

He glanced at the list, folded it, and stuffed it into his pocket.

---

The border, the evening of the second day.

Konoha's camp was set up on a high ground on the side of the Land of Fire, less than ten miles from the border.

There were only about twenty tents, housing fifty people.

Sakumo Hatake's sword hung at the tent entrance, its scabbard bearing a fresh scratch left from cutting tree branches along the way.

Shuoge stood at the edge of the camp with four ANBU, looking in the opposite direction. The Cloud Village's camp was on the other side of the river, and the light of the campfire could be faintly seen, flickering in the twilight.

"How many of them are there?" asked the member of the secret service standing behind Shuoge. His codename was Eagle, and he was the second-in-command of the team.

"Around one hundred," Shuoge said softly. "Twice as much as us."

The eagle remained silent for a moment. "Can you win?"

Shuoge did not answer.

Sakumo Hatake emerged from the tent and stood beside Sakugo. "Ai won't have to wait long. He's short-tempered; he won't last more than three days."

Sakugo glanced at him. "You know the Raikage very well?"

"No." Hatake Sakumo's voice was flat. "But I've heard of him. The Third Raikage's son, his temper is bigger than his strength."

The two men silently watched the campfire on the opposite bank.

---

On the first day, nothing happened. Both sides were observing.

Konoha's scouts rotate every two hours, patrolling along the riverbank and never crossing the border.

The same thing happened on the Cloud Village side. The scouts they sent out walked on the other side of the river, occasionally stopping to look this way, and then continuing on their way.

Inside the tent, Sakumo Hatake was looking at a map, tracing several crossing points with his finger. Shikaku Nara stood beside him, holding a pen and drawing a few lines on the map.

"If the Cloud Village is crossing the river, they'll most likely take these three routes," Shikaku pointed. "Here, the river is narrow and the current is slow. Here, there are rocks to step on. Here, it's closest to our camp; we can rush straight here after crossing."

Sakumo Hatake looked at the map without saying a word.

Shuoge stood outside the tent, Dao beside him, his eyes closed.

He was listening.

The sound of the river flowing, the sound of the wind passing through the trees, the sound of birds singing.

It was very quiet, quieter than the calm before a storm.

---

The next day, there was still no movement.

The scouts changed shifts twice, and the patrol route was adjusted three times. There was an extra tent on the Cloud Village side, and the campfire was brighter than last night. Hatake Sakumo walked around the camp, checking the sentry posts and supplies. Sakugo followed behind, saying nothing.

"Where do you think Ai will cross the river?" Hatake Sakumo suddenly asked.

Shuoge was silent for a moment. "The least likely place."

Sakumo Hatake glanced at him. "Why?"

"Although the Raikage is impulsive and prone to rage, there are also many shrewd and resourceful individuals in Kumogakure," Sakugo said softly. "He won't choose the easiest path. He'll choose the path that best proves his courage."

Sakumo Hatake did not ask any further questions.

---

The third day, evening.

As the sun was about to set, the clouds began to move.

It wasn't a river crossing, but a feint. The Cloud Village's troops were arrayed on the opposite bank, with Lightning Release ninjas at the front, their shuriken and kunai gleaming in the setting sun. Hatake Sakumo stood in his camp, watching the other side, his sword already drawn.

"They're not really going to war," Shikaku said, standing beside him. "They're testing the waters."

Sakumo Hatake didn't move. He waited.

A quarter of an hour later, the Cloud Village troops withdrew. The campfire was brighter than the night before, and laughter drifted from across the river, though it was difficult to hear clearly through the water.

"They're letting their guard down," Shuoge's voice came from behind.

Sakumo Hatake turned to look at him. "Are you sure?"

"If we don't act tonight, we definitely will tomorrow," Shuoge said calmly. "Ai's patience will reach its limit tomorrow."

Sakumo Hatake was silent for a moment, then turned and walked back to his tent. "Increase vigilance tonight. Everyone must remain fully clothed and keep their knives at all times."

---

Day four, early morning.

Fog rose over the river. It wasn't thick, but enough to obscure visibility. Shuoge stood at the edge of the camp, his three-tomoe Sharingan slowly rotating behind his mask. He stared at the opposite bank, at the light of the campfires—they had gone out.

"Here you are." His voice was very soft.

The vulture burst from the tent, a kunai already in his hand. The other three ANBU followed behind him. The people in the camp gradually awoke; no one spoke, no one shouted. The sound of the sword being drawn was soft, like the wind rustling through leaves.

Sakumo Hatake stood in the center of the camp, a sword in his hand, its white blade gleaming coldly in the mist.

"Form ranks."

The Konoha troops lined up in three rows in front of the camp. The first row consisted of taijutsu and close-combat ninjas, the second row was ninjutsu support, and the third row was the reserve force.

Shuoge, with four members of the secret service, stood on the flank, responsible for flanking and cutting off their retreat.

On the opposite bank of the river, the Cloud Village troops began to cross.

Leading the way was a Lightning Release ninja, his body crackling with blue lightning that illuminated the river. A walked in the middle, his short golden hair blazing like fire in the electric light. Yugito Nii followed behind him, not yet transformed into her tailed beast form, but their chakra was already surging.

The moment the first Cloud Ninja stepped onto the opposite bank, Hatake Sakumo's sword fell.

"kill."

Konoha's Fire Release and Wind Release were released simultaneously.

Fireballs and wind blades intertwined, hurtling towards the Cloud Village troops crossing the river. Cloud Village's Lightning Release ninjas took the hit head-on; lightning and flames collided, and the explosion illuminated the entire river.

……