Dusk settled, and smoke rose into the sky.
Only a little over an hour had passed since the war ended, and the nameless island had returned to its former tranquility. Perhaps because the war ended so quickly and suddenly, the reactions of the Mist Shinobi weren't very intense. Extreme loyalists like Zabuza Momochi were clearly in the minority. Most of the Mist Shinobi didn't seem too emotional about the war's conclusion.
To be more precise, many of them were already numb.
Life in the village wasn't much better than life on the battlefield. The constant internal strife was even more brutal than external wars. Walking down the streets, they wished they had eyes on the backs of their heads to avoid being stabbed in the back. Living in such an environment had long since made their emotions numb and cold.
Few felt the so-called shame of defeat.
Especially the low- and mid-level shinobi, who were treated like cannon fodder. Whether they won or lost, what mattered most to them was that the war was over. It meant they wouldn't have to die anytime soon. If they were lucky, they might live a little longer. As for how long, they could only leave it to fate.
"Is the war... really over?"
Shisui Uchiha stood at the entrance of the camp, looking at the Mist Shinobi camp not far away. He couldn't help but feel a strange sense of absurdity. The war had ended just like that. It had been less than a month since the Mist Village formally declared war, and now it was over.
In his understanding, wars were supposed to be like the Third Great Ninja War—a drawn-out, years-long conflict with thousands of shinobi clashing on the battlefield.
"What's wrong, Shisui? Not satisfied and feeling nostalgic for the glory days of the Third War?" Sougen strolled over, teasing him.
"Don't joke about that. The sooner wars end, the better. I know you probably think I'm naïve and foolish, but I've never liked war. On the battlefield, people's lives turn into cold, lifeless numbers, and I hate that feeling."
"Well, at least you know you're naïve and dumb."
Sougen sneered.
Shisui couldn't argue with him. After reading Danzo's memories, he didn't have much confidence to defend his past self. Back then, he truly had been foolish, but fortunately, Sougen had been there to stop him from acting on those stupid ideas, guiding the clan toward a new path.
"How long will we stay here? When do we return to the village?" Shisui tried to change the subject.
Though he acknowledged his past foolishness, Sougen's sharp tongue still stung.
"Return?"
Sougen shot him a sidelong glance.
"What kind of nonsense is that? Just because the war is over doesn't mean we're heading home. Don't forget, the Mist Village still owes us compensation! Leaving now would give some of them the wrong idea. We need to strike while the iron is hot. If we don't squeeze the Mist Shinobi for everything they've got, it would dishonor our fallen comrades."
Behind them lay the camp, built with the help of the Mist Shinobi.
The original Mist Shinobi camp had been wiped out by a single Giant Water Shockwave from their Mizukage, but fortunately, many supplies remained. With the Mist Shinobi's quick actions, rebuilding the camp wasn't difficult, especially since there were fewer than forty Leaf Shinobi left.
During this assassination mission, 23 Leaf Jonin had perished.
Their bodies now rested in three tents in the camp. Four of them were from the Uchiha clan. The oldest was 27, and the youngest was just 19.
The reason so many had died was due to their recklessness.
The proud Uchiha charged at the front, drawing the Mist Shinobi's attention. Even though each of them could take on two shinobi of equal strength, they were overwhelmed when faced with three, four, or even more enemies. If they couldn't rise to the occasion, they perished. The fact that only four Uchiha died, given their recklessness, was a testament to their strength.
Shisui himself had been surrounded by Mist Village elites like Mangetsu Hozuki, Zabuza Momochi, and Kisame Hoshigaki. Almost every Uchiha Jonin was outnumbered by at least two Mist Shinobi.
In this battle, the Uchiha clan lost four members.
In exchange, the Mist Shinobi suffered over ten Jonin casualties. If you included the lower-ranked shinobi, that number was close to a hundred. Uchiha Akio alone claimed over 20 lives, while Shisui—labeled as "useless"—had only taken out a few weaker enemies and had no significant kills. This was the main reason for Sougen's mockery.
As for why Sougen hadn't used his Susanoo to sweep the battlefield... the Uchiha Jonin weren't helpless children needing their leader to spoon-feed them. Death was a natural part of war. If the Uchiha Jonin required Sougen's constant protection, the clan would be better off destroyed!
Without undergoing tempering, iron cannot become a sharp blade.
Even Shisui only mourned his fallen comrades briefly before shifting his focus to what Sougen had said.
"Are we really going to the Mist Village?" Shisui asked tentatively.
"You finally caught on." Sougen looked toward the Mist Shinobi camp in the distance. "The situation in the Mist Village is complicated. The Fourth Mizukage, Yagura, has been controlled for years by someone claiming to be Madara Uchiha. The real power now lies with their 'Elder Master.'
"For the contracts we signed with Yagura to be enforced, we'll need to personally visit the Mist Village and meet this Elder Master. He's said to be from the same era as the First Hokage. There's also the Hyuga's Byakugan to recover. I promised to help the Hyuga Clan get it back, and we must also investigate any clues Madara might have left behind."
At the mention of "Madara Uchiha," Shisui's expression became serious. This was the man responsible for the Nine-Tails Incident, the manipulation of the Fourth Mizukage, and the instigation of this war. He was the person Shisui most wanted to eliminate—someone who disrupted the peace of the world for his own ambition.
"Sougen, did you find anything earlier?" Shisui asked softly.
Unlike Yagura, who didn't want to dig too deep, Shisui knew Sougen's personality well. He didn't believe for a second that the so-called imposter had self-destructed using explosive tags without leaving any traces.
"That guy wasn't Madara Uchiha, but he was closely linked to him. As I told you before, he was proficient in space-time ninjutsu. I've got a new piece of intel for you: his partner is the best at transformation and stealth in the ninja world."
Sougen didn't admit to finding anything but took the opportunity to give Shisui some new intel.
"They can perfectly disguise themselves, fooling even the Fourth Mizukage. None of the Mist Shinobi saw through it. Shisui, be cautious. Don't let your guard down, even with people you think you know. The dagger from behind is deadlier than the fireball in front of you!"
"An unbeatable transformation jutsu?" Shisui frowned.
It was a pity there wasn't a sample to study; he would have loved to examine this transformation technique Sougen called the strongest in the ninja world. One of Shisui's hobbies was developing new jutsu, and he had greatly enriched the Uchiha clan's kenjutsu techniques on his own.
"As for the stealth technique, they can blend into the earth and plants, severing all ties to the outside world while using it. I don't know how to detect them yet, so be careful when you're out alone. If you see someone entirely white or half black and half white, don't take them lightly."
Shisui nodded.
That sounded like a dangerous ability. Definitely something to be cautious about… Wait? Out alone? Was this advice for when he was on solo missions, or was there another meaning?
"I have a favor to ask."
"...What is it?"
Shisui sighed internally. As expected, there was more to this.
"Before that, let me ask you something, Shisui: have you heard of the Six Paths Tools?" Sougen asked a seemingly strange question. Shisui couldn't figure out what Sougen was getting at, so he focused on the question.
Six Paths Tools?
Weren't those mythical objects from the legend of the Sage of Six Paths, said to possess various wondrous powers? Whether the Sage of Six Paths actually existed was hard to confirm, but there were indeed a few items in the ninja world known as the Six Paths Tools. That being said, very few people knew about them nowadays. Since the First Great Ninja War, when most of the Six Paths Tools were lost by the Cloud Village, even the younger generation of Cloud Shinobi probably didn't know the name.
Shisui had come across the name while researching new jutsu. He frequently visited the Uchiha clan's library, where he found mention of the Six Paths Tools in the chaotic notes left by their ancestors. Most of the notes were filled with boasting about their "glorious achievements."
For example, one of the top warriors of his era wrote, "The Six Paths Red Gourd is useless." Another note, after a major victory, said, "The Bashōsen is far inferior to the Flame Fan.' There are quite a few such records like this.
'Sougen, are you referring to those ninja tools from the Hidden Cloud Village?' Shisui asked.
'That's right.'
Sougen nodded. 'Since you know about them, that saves me the trouble of explaining. At this point, I think you've guessed it—I'm asking you to help me with something related to the Six Paths Ninja Tools. I hope you can help me find them.' He looked at Shisui and said very seriously.