Haruto Saito moved cautiously, never daring to walk in a straight line. He needed to avoid any potential dangers. At the slightest unfamiliar sound, he would change his course immediately.
However, no enemies were tracking him, nor had any discovered him.
After navigating through a complex detour, he gradually emerged from the dense, fog-covered forest.
The sounds of battle were now far behind him. His surroundings became clear—no longer obscured by fog. Moonlight illuminated the forest, allowing Haruto Saito to see far into the distance.
Now that he was away from danger, he clenched his teeth and increased his speed despite his severe injuries.
He needed to put as much distance as possible between himself and the battlefield before finding a place to tend to his wounds. His travel pack contained medicine, bandages, and other basic supplies. While these wouldn't fully heal him, they would at least keep him alive.
He ran several kilometers without stopping!
He moved swiftly through the undergrowth, leapt between trees, vaulted over boulders, and jumped across fallen logs. Then—suddenly! Just as he had taken his second leap across the tree branches, his body came to an abrupt halt. A flicker of joy crossed his face.
On the tree was a diamond-shaped mark, freshly carved. It was a secret communication symbol used within the Uchiha clan, frequently changed for security purposes.
There were Uchiha shinobi nearby!
It was likely Uchiha Iwa and Uchiha Mikoto! Before leaving the fog-covered battlefield, Haruto Saito had observed his surroundings for quite some time and had not seen either of them. That was why he had decided to escape.
Following the direction indicated by the mark, Haruto Saito ran several hundred more meters before lowering his voice and calling out cautiously, "Miss Mikoto, Iwa, is that you?"
Silence.
Haruto Saito waited briefly. When no response came, he was about to call again.
"Saito!" A voice came from a hundred meters ahead. Though not loud, Haruto Saito recognized it immediately—it was Uchiha Iwa's voice.
"Iwa!" Haruto Saito quickened his pace, cutting through the dark forest. After making a turn, he reached a small hill. Below, a narrow stream flowed through a trench-like depression in the land. The water gurgled as it meandered through the terrain.
The location was well hidden, almost as if the earth had split apart to create a deep ravine. Trees and vegetation surrounded the area. Uchiha Iwa was seated near the stream, his back against a rock, tending to his wounds.
Seeing Haruto Saito approach, Uchiha Iwa forced a smile despite his pale, blood-drained face, looking somewhat relieved.
"Where is Miss Mikoto?" Haruto Saito asked urgently as he landed beside Uchiha Iwa.
"I'm here! I'm fine." Before Iwa could respond, a quiet voice came from above.
Haruto Saito looked up. There, crouched on a thick tree branch dozens of meters high, was Uchiha Mikoto—the same massive tree he had passed earlier before descending.
"Miss Mikoto is unharmed. She's keeping watch for us," Uchiha Iwa explained before immediately asking, "How are your injuries?"
"I can manage!" Knowing that both of them were alive, Haruto Saito finally relaxed. He let out a small grin, untied the pack he had been carrying, and threw it to the side. Then, without hesitation, he stepped into the stream and began washing his wounds.
Cleansing, applying medicine, and bandaging!
It was inevitable for shinobi to sustain injuries, but medical-nin were scarce, unable to tend to every wounded ninja. Thus, experienced shinobi generally possessed basic medical knowledge, allowing them to treat themselves if necessary. For elite jonin like Uchiha Iwa and Haruto Saito, this process was second nature.
"Miss Mikoto wasn't injured, was she?" Haruto Saito asked as he cleaned his wounds.
"Just some scrapes—nothing serious," Uchiha Iwa responded, not even looking up as he sprinkled medicinal powder on his leg. "She showed remarkable resilience."
"That's good to hear." Haruto Saito nodded, though the pain from cleaning his wounds caused his lips to twitch. His voice trembled slightly as he continued, "If only Rihito were still alive. With his Palm Healing Technique, he could have healed us instantly."
"Are you sure he's dead?" Uchiha Iwa's gaze sharpened as he looked up. "That kid had at least the strength of a special jonin, and he was incredibly cunning. At the start of the battle, he was being hunted by two enemies but survived. Later, I saw him again—he even helped me by luring away a Sand Village jonin."
"Oh? When was that?" Haruto Saito asked quickly.
"About an hour ago," Uchiha Iwa estimated.
"An hour ago…" Haruto Saito thought back to when he had last seen Rihito. He glanced up at the moon's position and said, "Then you saw him first. I encountered him about half an hour ago. He told me to run while he stayed behind to cover my retreat."
"He covered your retreat?" Uchiha Iwa's tone rose slightly, his expression turning strange.
He had seen firsthand how adept Rihito was at escaping. Someone like that willingly staying behind to fight?
"That's what happened!" Haruto Saito nodded firmly. "Not only that, but he also pointed me in the right direction. At that time…" He quickly recounted what had happened, including his discovery that the Hyuga clan was hunting down a Sand Village ninja.
Uchiha Iwa's frown deepened.
Based on Haruto Saito's description, Uchiha Iwa confirmed that the Sand Village jonin being pursued by the Hyuga clan was the same one Rihito had lured away earlier. Furthermore, Rihito had correctly guided Haruto Saito, leading to an encounter between the Sand shinobi and the Hyuga clan.
Piecing it all together, a complex and highly dangerous plan emerged in Uchiha Iwa's mind.
"Did Rihito orchestrate all of this?" Uchiha Iwa spoke slowly, his mind working through the details. "It seems impossible for a twelve-year-old shinobi."
"Orchestrated?" Haruto Saito was puzzled by Iwa's conclusion.
"Listen, before Rihito sought you out, he…" Uchiha Iwa recounted how Rihito had diverted Agakura and what had transpired next. "The Hyuga clan must have been targeting Rihito. They wouldn't have assisted us otherwise. The ninja they were originally pursuing—the one you saw—was the same one Rihito led away. Then, Rihito directed you to the Hyuga, ensuring your pursuers followed… meaning this was all planned!"
"That means… Rihito must have spotted the Hyuga first… but no… this…" Haruto Saito trailed off, his mind struggling to process it.
It was too unbelievable!
This was an extraordinarily complex plan!
It wasn't just highly dangerous—it was nearly impossible. In a fog-covered forest, Rihito had managed to run back and forth over ten kilometers, precisely locating different groups and bringing them together. The difficulty of such an endeavor was staggering!
A heavy silence fell.
Both men were lost in thought, reconstructing the events in their minds. But no matter how they analyzed it, there was only one possible conclusion—this was all orchestrated by Rihito. There was no room for coincidence.
"If all of this is true, then Rihito is a genius beyond compare!" Uchiha Iwa declared, his expression grim. "A prodigy, an anomaly! He possessed not only immense talent but also strategic brilliance, sharp battlefield awareness, meticulous planning, and an extraordinary level of courage for his age!"
A long silence followed.
"What a pity…" Haruto Saito sighed.
"Are you absolutely certain he's dead?" Uchiha Iwa asked again.
Haruto Saito remained silent. If Rihito had survived, it would have been nothing short of a miracle.
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