Path Of War-Chapter 323: Uchiha

The connection between Kaito's senses and the mark was faint, but it was still strong enough for Kaito to accurately determine exactly where the location was and what was around it.

Now all Kaito had to do was be patient to relay this news to Arthur.

It wasn't long until the Akatsuki duo arrived at an undisclosed castle. Kaito planted a finger on the ground to determine that it was heavily guarded.

"Pain only wanted an assassination, right?" he asked, slowly rising.

"Yeah..."

"I'll handle this then."

Kaito soon vanished and found himself inside. He silently moved through hallways and blended perfectly in the shadows until he approached a chamber where the politician was having dinner with his advisers.

They were all laughing and clinking their cups. With a sword drawn, Kaito slipped into the room.

Outside, Sasori remained hidden among the trees. It wasn't long until he finally heard cries punctuating through the castle walls.

"That was fast..."

Back inside, Kaito was already moving toward the back entrance. He had slain only the politician and left the advisers to bear witness.

Of course, he had done so without making himself known. And while he hadn't stayed long enough to see the politician die, a stab through the heart was not going to be healed by their doctors.

Once he reached the back, he activated the Flying raijin and teleported to a familiar place: Sun Stream Plaza.

He appeared right in the throne room where Arthur awaited him. Arthur himself was relaxed, and the depth of his gaze conveyed his knowledge of everything Kaito had experienced.

"I've planted the mark successfully," Kaito directly stated. He then moved toward the throne and placed his palm against Arthur's forehead. 'Eye Mind Reading jutsu...'

All the details he had about the Mountains' Graveyard were relayed.

Arthur remained stoic as always after absorbing the information. Even though Kaito had made a significant advancement, both understood that the mark placed on Obito wouldn't be very helpful afterwards.

That mark was placed on a piece of fabric, of which the wearer was known to alter his appearance frequently.

Nonetheless, Arthur's cognition remained calm about the situation.

"Good work," he finally spoke.

Then, with a tap on his armchair, Kaito was transported back. With another tap, Hoshikaze was summoned.

"We've located the Mountains' Graveyard..." he stated. Even Hoshikaze slightly flinched upon hearing the news. After Arthur gave its mental whereabouts, he commanded, "Head northwest and collect what we need."

Without even waiting for a response, Arthur promptly tapped his armchair once more, and Hoshikaze vanished.

When he arrived, it was in the Waterfall Village. Immediately, he soared high above the clouds and ventured northward as instructed.

He soared near the boundaries of the country. Proximity to the Land of Grass was inevitable; it was the same area where Madara had ultimately discovered Obito long ago.

As Hoshikaze pressed on, he determined that planting a Flying raijin mark here at the borders would safeguard against any setbacks.

When he was done, he continued onward.

It only took thirty minutes of scouting until he finally arrived at an area blotted out from his senses. It appeared odd and strikingly quiet.

To think that even his Tamashii couldn't fully breach the area.

He descended after confirming that this location aligned with mental instructions.

Already, he could sense a myriad of traps and alarms that lay dormant. They were carefully arranged to ward off intruders—likely by Zetsu.

Out of everything Hoshikaze discovered, it was the absence of Madara Uchiha's corpse. Perhaps it was concealed deeper.

Either way, this was a foreboding territory to be treading lightly in.

Hoshikaze calmly placed another secret mark in the vicinity for later use. Afterwards, he shifted into smoke to narrowly avoid most of the traps. He then navigated toward what appeared to be Obito's secret laboratory.

Inside, he was met with an encompassing range of experiments. Although he knew what was inside, he was still caught off guard at the sight of hundreds of Sharingan suspended in jars adorning the walls like morbid trophies.

As such, he steered his focus towards his purpose: gather as many cells as possible without being noted or traced.

Through his expertise, he began methodically collecting them—approximately hundreds—without leaving any trace behind. He used stealth to scrape what he needed and instantly healed the damaged portions.

By the time he finished, he didn't hesitate to depart via the Flying raijin.

Arthur, from his throne room, had watched carefully. Hoshikaze had done well, but the cells his clone had collected were still not enough.

From what Arthur understood, Itachi and Obito were confirmed to have killed almost all of the Uchiha clan. While the exact number of victims was not specified, estimates suggest that they executed a significant number of Uchihas over the course of about an hour.

It's believed that they may have killed over two thousand Uchiha during the massacre—an alarming number considering the clan's size and their ambition to lead a coup against the village.

In terms of cells that Hoshikaze collected, it was around two hundred. As for Rin, it was more than one thousand.

Arthur stood motionless, observing Hoshikaze in action while the latter worked methodically.

He moved cell samples in frost-filled drawers within the freezing containment. Each container had a tiny fragment of an identity. Just to catalog each sample took several hours.

Not a single time had the clone left the icy chambers. He continually whispered the numbers to confirm what he had gathered was correct.

Arthur's focus was also on this task.

More than just pieces of information, the Uchiha data had potential for power and manipulation. His thoughts were guided by his need for control.

The clan would not rise again, and their graves would not cry out for retribution without his guidance.

He was aware of the significance of the roles they played about six years ago. Because of their skills and past, they stood out as one of the most important families in the ninja world among those who were aware of it.

They were mainly known for their Sharingan, which gave them an advantage in battle by improving their genjutsu and perception skills. The clan also had a long-standing rivalry with the Senju clan, which dated back to Asura and Indra Ōtsutsuki.

To say that their blood wasn't valuable was an understatement.

The clan poured everything into the founding of the Leaf Village many years ago. But as time went on, they grew more and more cut off from the village's organization, which diminished their power.

They had even established the Leaf Village's Military Police Force, which was in charge of maintaining law and order in the community.

At first, this role was an act of trust, but it also isolated the Uchiha and put them in a position where they were not very powerful politically.

Fugaku Uchiha, the clan's late leader, was affected by this seclusion. He was a strict head of the police force, tasked with striking a balance between the demands of the village and the clan's pride.

Sasuke and Itachi were his two sons. As the defender of their heritage, he had high hopes for Itachi. And despite his love for Sasuke, he had started to worry about Itachi's growing distance from him, clinging to pressure that many clan members subtly sensed.

Itachi was talented, a prodigy who outperformed his classmates at a young age. He himself was aware of the growing dissatisfaction among the Uchiha clan, which was being stoked by animosity toward the village authorities.

Although Fugaku was unable to predict the disorder below, he saw Itachi's participation in the Anbu as a pledge to the village and the clan.

Not everyone in the Uchiha clan was so corrupt. Such as a man named Yashiro, who participated in the discussions about rebellion against the village but lacked the will to accept accountability for the required actions.

Despite the clan's icy exterior, members like Mikoto Uchiha, Fugaku's wife, personified its warmth. She comforted and supported her sons, concentrating her love on them.

She even made an effort to lessen the distance that developed between Itachi and Fugaku because she recognized the difficulties they both faced. All she wanted was for her sons to navigate their destinies freely from the burdens associated with their last name.

Fugaku planned a coup d'état because they felt cornered by how they were treated in the village and thought it was the only way to restore their position.

But when Danzō Shimura came up to Itachi and gave him an ultimatum that would either put an end to the clan or save his younger brother Sasuke, Itachi took a different route from his father's wishes.

The night Fugaku and Mikoto died, it was by the hands of their own son. The two died happily, insisting that their oldest son defend Sasuke and pursue his own interests.

Sasuke was devastated as Itachi bore the consequences of his deeds. He was overwhelmed by the massacre and only wanted to exact revenge on the brother who had taken everything from him.

Under the pretense of being loyal to the Leaf Village, Itachi turned into a rogue and was pressured to join the Akatsuki. In contrast, Sasuke pursued power and searched the world for the strength to exact revenge on his clan.

Even though they were separated, their paths were connected as both architects and victims of their tragic legacy.

Every member of the Uchiha clan had hopes and dreams, so what if Arthur could reestablish them?

It had only been about six years since their fall.

Would he return them to the Leaf Village and explain that it was truly Danzo Shimura who manipulated unnecessary events?

Of course not!

Doing so would only be following what the other players would want. Not to mention, the Uchiha clan would likely bear much resentment for the Leaf Village—to the point of starting a war with them.

Arthur would have no problem fueling their grudge.

The main issue, however, was their level of strength. For instance, they were taken down in one night by two of their own members.

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It simply did not make any sense. No matter how many times the creators explained this, it was highly improbable that such a prestigious clan could be defeated so easily.

And how much use would they be for Arthur? Not much, considering their battle prowess.

While a clan of Sharingan users might have sounded powerful on paper, not everyone in that clan was a ninja. Many, like Teyaki Uchiha and his wife, Uruchi Uchiha, were just average citizens.

There was only one member within the clan who had even awakened the Mangekyō Sharingan prior to the massacre: Fugaku.

Jada, who had foreknowledge of the story and actually liked the Uchiha clan, knew how they functioned. It was one thing that her character bore a lot of traits, but it was another for her to be capable of executing them and gaining enough power early on.

Not everyone was as talented as she was.

As for Itachi and Sasuke, what would they think of this sudden occurrence?

Arthur had the power of death and rebirth at his disposal. At any time he could have been resurrecting anyone he desired—so long as he had the correct requirements.

Why he hadn't been doing so was because everyone needed to be resurrected in a timely manner.

He was careful not to bring someone like Rin out in the open, knowing that the latter would be his most prized resurrected piece. She was going to be his queen on the board while the other pieces were still being crafted.

As for the roles of the Uchiha clan members, they would be one of his many pawns.