Naruto: I, Uchiha, Just Want to Die

Chapter 95: War Breaks Out, Orochimaru Takes a Disciple!

Hearing the voice, Uchiha Ci raised his eyebrows. He recognized it as his younger brother Hidan's voice.

But something felt off. Wasn't Hidan stabbed through the heart and killed by Hayato Tōgō?

Before Uchiha Ci could ponder further, Seijiro opened the wooden door and stepped out, veins slightly bulging on his forehead.

"This brat bit through the cloth in his mouth again?"

Hearing the racket coming from the room opposite, Seijiro cursed in frustration.

He quickly opened the door of the other room and pointed at the figure bound tightly to a wooden post in the center. Turning his head toward Uchiha Ci, he said:

"This is the first matter.

"This kid spouts nonsense, screaming every day about you being his 'Evil God brother' or some other nonsense. But according to the intelligence we extracted from other Hot Water Village ninjas, he was the disciple of that Jonin, Hayato Tōgō, who fought you.

"Hayato Tōgō is closely connected to the earlier ambush by the Hidden Cloud. We initially planned to execute this brat outright.

"But... his body is a bit unusual, and considering his connection to you, we'll leave his fate to you."

Seijiro pointed at Hidan, tied to the post, frowning as he explained.

Hearing this, Uchiha Ci quickly pieced everything together.

Hayato Tōgō intended to manipulate Hidan by killing everyone close to him, plunging him into despair. He would then reveal their master-disciple relationship, pushing Hidan to the brink of agony beyond death itself. Finally, Hayato planned to sacrifice Hidan to gain true immortality.

In the original storyline, this sacrificial ritual was interrupted when Shinno and Orochimaru clashed, leading to Hayato's failure. Hidan survived but went insane.

However, this time, Uchiha Ci had killed Hayato in advance, scattering even his ashes.

The reward from the ritual, which should have been granted by the Evil God, was redirected to Hidan's barely preserved body, granting him the immortality destined for him.

In summary, things didn't turn out too badly.

Uchiha Ci stroked his chin, chuckling softly.

At this moment, Hidan, noticing the commotion, began squirming on the wooden post and shouting loudly:

"Hey! Anybody there?

"What are you guys planning to do with me? Can you at least give me a straight answer?

"This is so terrifying!"

Seijiro glanced coldly at Uchiha Ci, raising his voice again:

"So, what's the decision? What do we do with him?"

Uchiha Ci looked at the wriggling Hidan, who resembled a caterpillar, and frowned.

"Kill him."

Such an annoying bond was far too dangerous and a major hindrance to his grand plans of insurance fraud.

Hearing this, Seijiro unsheathed the long blade on his back and stepped forward without hesitation.

Uchiha Ci sighed, stopping him.

"Forget it. Give him some food first, then send him back to the Hot Water Village. I don't want to see him for now."

Seijiro nodded, picked up the gag from the floor, and stuffed it back into Hidan's mouth.

He then shut the wooden door and led Uchiha Ci down the stairs to a private room on the second floor.

Once seated, Seijiro's expression turned serious.

"Now, onto the second matter.

"While you were unconscious for three days, war broke out."

Hearing this, Uchiha Ci raised his eyebrows. For him, this was actually good news.

Seijiro continued,

"Two days ago, the Sand Village resolved its conflict with the Mist Village and officially declared war on Konoha. A large-scale battle has already erupted in the Land of Rain.

"The Third Shinobi World War has officially begun.

"The Stone and Cloud Villages are also stirring. Both the Land of Fields and the Land of Grass are already in chaos."

Taking a deep breath, Uchiha Ci said, "For the Cloud Village, the Blood Pool Clan in Hell Valley is now a critical bargaining chip.

"Moreover, wasn't our original mission to assist our clan members in Hell Valley?"

Suppressing his excitement, Uchiha Ci declared righteously,

"What are we waiting for? We must hurry to Hell Valley!"

From the beginning, Hell Valley was Uchiha Ci's goal for leaving the village.

The current situation involved the Cloud Village, the Blood Pool Clan, and the Uchiha Clan, with top-tier experts converging.

The Jinchuriki of the Two-Tails, Cloud ninjas, and the Blood Pool Clan, who could counter his Sharingan, were all involved.

Moreover, there was the heavy-hitting figure—En Oyashiro.

Possessing Mangekyo-level Blood Dragon Eyes, Blood Dragon constructs, human bombs, and ultimate genjutsu, Homura was a powerhouse that Uchiha Ci couldn't even fathom.

Arriving there would eliminate any need for excuses or tricks; it would simply be a battle to the death.

However, Seijiro shook his head.

"No.

"Hell Valley no longer requires our involvement.

"Three days ago, Elder Uchiha Setsuna made contact with the clan and went to oversee Hell Valley. Captain Fugaku also led elite Uchiha ninja there.

"The Cloud's ambush failed to kill the Elder, completely ruining their plan.

"Now, the Cloud and the Blood Pool Clan are temporarily subdued."

"What?!" Uchiha Ci slammed the table, glaring at Seijiro.

The Cloud failed once and just backed off? Keep fighting, damn it!

Why else did I come to the Land of Hot Water? To sightsee?

Seijiro sighed, exasperated by Uchiha Ci's unrelenting thirst for combat.

"Calm down. The situation is only stable for now because the Cloud has shifted focus to the Land of Fields. But if they still covet the Blood Pool Clan, a battle is inevitable."

Uchiha Ci sat down, frowning. Seijiro's logic was sound.

Following the war's timeline, the Cloud would soon invade the Land of Fire from the Land of Fields.

This would mark Minato Namikaze's first battle against the Cloud's AB brothers, earning him the title of Yellow Flash.

Still, Uchiha Ci felt dissatisfied and asked, "Is there really no activity in Hell Valley?"

Seijiro rolled his eyes, sighing, "What kind of activity are you hoping for?"

Uchiha Ci pondered.

What kind of activity? Of course, it would involve En Oyashiro!

At this point in the timeline, his wife should be dead, prompting him to start slaughtering the Blood Pool Clan.

But then Uchiha Ci realized something—the butterfly effect caused by his arrival had changed everything.

The Blood Pool Clan was under Uchiha Clan supervision.

For Homura to kill his clan members and escape, he would first need to break through the Uchiha's defenses.

Now that Elder Setsuna had survived and strengthened Hell Valley's security, the Cloud's plans were thwarted.

Without the Cloud distracting the Uchiha, Homura had no way of escaping even if he killed the Blood Pool Clan.

Understanding this, Uchiha Ci sighed in relief. He just needed to wait.

Seijiro knocked on the table to get Uchiha Ci's attention and smirked.

"And finally, the third matter—"

"Uchiha Ci,

"After discussions within the clan, we've accepted the Third Hokage's proposal.

"You are no longer just a Uchiha clan ninja."

He placed a tray on the table containing a Leaf Village headband and a ninja ID.

"Congratulations. You're now a disciple of one of the Legendary Sannin!"

Uchiha Ci froze, dumbfounded.

A Sannin's disciple? Who accepted him?

Could it be that his charm had reached the point where Tsunade herself insisted on taking him as her apprentice?

"What's going on?" he asked.

Seijiro grinned, adding mysteriously, "At first, I didn't believe it either. But just as Shisui said, you truly are the bridge between the clan and the village!

"Master Orochimaru is such a kind person!

"Three days ago, he drained himself saving you, leaving pale-faced and staggering.

"Yet the very next day, he came with Root ninjas, negotiating with Captain Fugaku to take you as his disciple. He claimed he admired your talent."

Uchiha Ci froze, completely stunned by this unexpected turn of events.