"Lord Fugaku, someone left the Iwa camp late last night."
"It's suspected that the Four-Tails Jinchūriki has defected."
A ninja from the Hyūga Clan bowed and reported what he had seen to Fugaku.
"What do you mean 'suspected'?"
Fugaku frowned. Such vague information was irritating.
"It was a bit far, so I couldn't see clearly," the Hyūga ninja admitted. "But it looked about 70 to 80 percent like him."
Fugaku trusted the Byakugan's vision. Since the Uchiha had integrated into the village, their cooperation with the Hyūga had been seamless, and the Byakugan had never been wrong.
"Seventy to eighty percent is enough. Where is he now?"
"I had someone follow him. He may have already left the Land of Earth."
The Hyūga were always thorough, which was why Fugaku didn't question why he hadn't been informed sooner.
"Good. Let me know as soon as you confirm his location."
"Understood."
The Hyūga ninja took his leave. As he departed, Duy, who had been quietly sitting nearby, finally spoke.
"Didn't expect this kind of surprise."
Not just Duy—Fugaku himself hadn't anticipated Rōshi's defection. His plan had simply been to throw Iwa into disarray, but he hadn't expected Rōshi to act so decisively.
"Yeah, a welcome surprise."
Fugaku's smile was genuine. With Rōshi gone, dealing with Iwa would be much easier. Losing the Four-Tails Jinchūriki further weakened their combat strength.
A perfect outcome—he'd barely lifted a finger and already gained so much.
"Then there's no rush to start the battle here."
"Not until you take the Four-Tails Jinchūriki."
Duy knew this wasn't something he could handle—Fugaku would have to take action himself.
Fugaku nodded. The two of them waited for further news...
Meanwhile, Iwa was in chaos. The entire camp had been turned upside down, but there was no sign of Rōshi.
Ōnoki was furious. Rōshi's sudden disappearance had completely blindsided him—he hadn't even considered the possibility of defection.
"Could Rōshi have... defected?"
An Iwa ninja hesitantly voiced his suspicion, sneaking a glance at Ōnoki's face before quickly lowering his head.
"What good is saying that now?!"
"Find him—now!"
"There are so many of us in this camp. No one saw where he went?"
Ōnoki's voice grew sharper with every word, his expression dark.
"I asked all the sentries," another ninja responded nervously.
"None of them saw Rōshi leave."
The one in charge of the sentries felt a chill run down his spine. He knew all too well—this mess was about to land squarely on him.
"Trash!"
"You're all trash!"
"Don't show your face until you find Rōshi!"
Ōnoki could no longer suppress his fury and slammed his palm down, shattering the chair beneath him.
"Yes!"
The Iwa-nin in charge of the sentry post quickly obeyed and retreated, his back already drenched in cold sweat.
"If you hadn't made that letter public, Rōshi wouldn't have run!"
Recalling how Rōshi had invited them for drinks yesterday and his unusual behavior, Kitsuchi was certain—Rōshi had defected.
"Are you blaming me?!"
Ōnoki glared at his son. Right now, only Kitsuchi dared to push his patience.
"You already have your own answer."
"Now that Rōshi has left, he's in danger!"
"Fugaku Uchiha won't let him go. We have to find him before Konoha does!"
"Losing Rōshi would be a disaster for us!"
Kitsuchi saw the situation clearly—he realized that letter had been Fugaku's trap.
"Hmph!"
"Keep a close watch on Konoha's every move! Report anything suspicious immediately!"
Ōnoki knew his son was right and wasted no time taking action.
If Konoha knew Rōshi's whereabouts, they would send people after him, and by monitoring Konoha, he could gain the same information.
Of course, he wouldn't put all his hopes on that. If Konoha found Rōshi first, it would be a disaster.
Ōnoki dispatched a large number of shinobi, hoping someone would locate Rōshi before it was too late.
...
Amidst the chaos in Iwagakure, Rōshi had already crossed into the Land of Waterfalls.
Free from all constraints, he felt a surge of joy—his body and mind lighter than ever, as if he could take flight.
No more deception, no more schemes to weigh him down.
Yesterday's troubles had vanished like smoke in the wind.
As for the consequences of his departure? He couldn't care less.
Had anyone ever truly cared about him?
With light steps, Rōshi was blissfully unaware that he had been completely exposed under the watchful gaze of the Byakugan.
He thought he had hidden himself well, but he had already become a closely monitored target.
Lost in thoughts of his future freedom, his pace gradually slowed.
At some point, he finally stopped.
...
"Lord Fugaku! We've confirmed it—he's the Four-Tails Jinchūriki!"
"He's in the Land of Waterfalls, and our people are still tracking him!"
A Hyūga clan member delivered the latest report, and Fugaku immediately stood up, his excitement barely concealed.
"The Land of Waterfalls... not a bad place for a grave."
The smirk at the corner of his lips quickly faded, replaced by cold, murderous intent.
"Go! I'll handle things here."
Duy noticed Fugaku's impatience and spoke up.
"Alright, I'll leave this to you."
Fugaku didn't bother with formalities. He knew that with Rōshi missing, Iwagakure was unlikely to launch an attack.
Even if, by some chance, they did, he was confident that Duy could handle it.
"It's no trouble."
"You should be careful! He is a Jinchūriki, after all!"
"Don't get yourself knocked out!"
Duy teased, a trace of concern in his voice—though not much.
"Hah!"
"Who do you think I am?!"
"I'm off!"
Fugaku waved a hand, stepped out of the tent, and quickly set out with two trusted subordinates.
...
His movements immediately caught Iwagakure's attention, and the news swiftly reached Ōnoki.
"They got to him first...!"
"Are you certain the one who left was Fugaku Uchiha?!"
Ōnoki's furrowed brows hadn't relaxed for a second. Now, there was no avoiding a direct contest with Konoha.
He was determined—he would bring Rōshi back unharmed!
If Rōshi died at Konoha's hands, it would spell disaster for Iwagakure!
Now, Ōnoki saw the truth clearly: war with Konoha was inevitable.
The so-called three-day truce, the talks with Tsunade—nothing but a ruse!
Konoha had only ever had one goal—to seize the Land of Earth!
Without Rōshi, a crucial fighter, Ōnoki had no idea how he would withstand Konoha's future offensives.
"Yes, we're certain!"
The Iwa-nin delivering the report nodded without hesitation.
"Come with me!"
Ōnoki immediately selected a group of elite shinobi and set out, trailing closely behind Fugaku.
...
Fugaku led the way. Ōnoki followed.
Both sides entered the Land of Waterfalls, one after the other.
Meanwhile, Rōshi remained blissfully unaware, still resting in place, breathing in the air of freedom.