Boom——
Two explosions sounded almost simultaneously, followed by a massive detonation that shook the underground black market.
The red metal arms of the two cyborg ninjas exploded like powerful bombs, tearing their bodies into pieces and leaving half of the underground hall in ruins.
The flying shards of iron pierced through the walls and floor, leaving behind gaping holes that bore witness to the destruction.
If Uchiha Fugaku and his companions hadn't dodged in time, they would have been riddled with those shards and severely injured—or worse.
"That was close…"
Uchiha Kana and Uchiha Takehiko wiped the cold sweat from their foreheads, their faces pale with lingering fear.
If not for Fugaku grabbing and pulling them away at the last moment, they would have been caught in the blast and gravely injured, if not killed.
"Clan Leader, what just happened?" Kana asked, her voice tinged with unease.
"Their modified arms appear to have a built-in self-destruction mechanism," Fugaku replied, frowning slightly.
The metal arms were clearly rigged to explode when tampered with, preventing anyone from uncovering their secrets. It was an ingenious, albeit ruthless, measure to protect the interests of the underground black market and its backers.
"Self-destructing arms…?" Takehiko asked, his voice filled with a mix of curiosity and horror.
"These modifications represent advanced human body alteration technology," Fugaku explained. "The forces behind the underground black market have clearly mastered techniques far beyond what we've encountered before."
The arms were not the product of puppetry but something far more sophisticated—a blend of mechanics and chakra engineering.
"This level of modification… It's not Orochimaru's style," Fugaku mused. Orochimaru was known for his expertise in biological experiments, not mechanical engineering.
The three thoroughly searched the underground black market's remnants but found little of value, save for the millions of ryo used for daily bounties.
Having found nothing further, they exited the ruined hall and returned to the casino above.
The once-bustling establishment was now deserted. The explosions had scared off every patron and employee.
Seeing no reason to linger, Fugaku and his team left the town.
A day later, Fugaku and his team returned to Konoha.
Reports soon came in from the other six Uchiha teams dispatched to underground black market locations within the Land of Fire.
Two of those teams also encountered modified ninjas, and the explosions from their self-destruction injured three Uchiha clan members seriously—though fortunately, there were no fatalities.
The remaining underground black market operatives, though unmodified, carried mental seals that triggered upon interrogation, destroying their brains before they could reveal any information.
"The forces behind the underground black market are truly shrouded in mystery," Fugaku remarked, his tone grave.
Despite wiping out all seven known underground black markets in the Land of Fire, the Uchiha Clan had failed to uncover anything substantial about the organization that controlled them.
The more he investigated, the more elusive the organization seemed, cloaked in secrecy and protected by layers of security.
"No wonder even the five great ninja villages have failed to eradicate the underground black market," Fugaku admitted. "Its roots run deeper than we imagined."
He recognized the sheer scale and complexity of the network, as well as the potential danger of delving too deeply.
"The operation against the underground black market ends here," Fugaku declared. It was unwise to push further, given the risks.
But his expression darkened.
"Now, we'll focus on striking back against the forces that issued the bounty!"
"Seven underground black markets in the Land of Fire were attacked?"
The Third Hokage raised his eyebrows in surprise upon receiving the report.
He had not anticipated that the Uchiha Clan's target would be the underground black market.
After pondering for a moment, he turned to the silver-haired ANBU ninja before him.
"Investigate whether the underground black market recently issued any bounties targeting the Uchiha Clan," he ordered.
There was no way the Uchiha Clan would attack the underground black market without provocation. The Hokage suspected that the black market had angered them, likely by issuing bounties on their members.
The ANBU operative returned shortly after.
"Hokage-sama, we've confirmed that several bounties were issued targeting the Uchiha Clan. The bounty on Uchiha Fugaku alone has reached 50 million ryo."
The Third Hokage's eyes narrowed. "As expected."
The bounty explained the Uchiha Clan's sudden aggression.
But the amount surprised him. "Fifty million? That's the kind of bounty reserved for shadow-level ninjas…"
It was a testament to Fugaku's power and reputation.
"Were there any bounties targeting other Konoha clans?"
"No, Hokage-sama."
"It seems the Uchiha Clan alone was targeted. This must be the work of a hostile force," the Hokage concluded, smirking slightly.
The idea of a force targeting the Uchiha Clan exclusively brought him some satisfaction.
"Only one family harbors such animosity toward the Uchiha…" the Hokage thought. His smile deepened as he realized which family was responsible.Advisor
"Clan leader! This is bad!" Shimura Atsushi burst into the room, his face pale with panic.
"What's happened?" Shimura Naoya, the head of the Shimura Clan, looked up sharply.
"The Uchiha Clan attacked several underground black markets in the Land of Fire!"
"What?!" Naoya's face darkened, and his hands clenched the armrests of his chair.
He understood immediately why the Uchiha Clan had acted. They must have discovered the bounties targeting their members.
"Clan leader, could the Uchiha Clan trace the bounties back to us through the underground black market?" Atsushi asked, his voice trembling.
"Impossible," Naoya said firmly, though his tone betrayed a hint of unease.
"We used a concealed identity when issuing the bounties. Even the underground black market doesn't know it was us. The Uchiha Clan has no way of finding out."
"But…"
"There are no buts!" Naoya interrupted, his voice rising.
"The Uchiha Clan can't uncover the truth. The funds used for the bounties were sourced from the hidden assets of Advisor Danzo's Root organization, not from the Shimura family's official accounts."
Despite his words, a sliver of doubt crept into Naoya's mind.
(End of Chapter)
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