THE EVIL OF UCHIHA BYAKUYA

Chapter 56: CHAPTER 56



After being publicly humiliated, Jiraiya was imprisoned in a holding cell under the watch of the Konoha Military Police Force, which was run by the Uchiha Clan.

Late at night, a figure with bright blond hair stealthily approached the Uchiha district under the cover of darkness. It was none other than Minato Namikaze.

That afternoon, he had been forced to watch helplessly as his mentor, Jiraiya, was paraded through the streets. Now, under the moonlight, he intended to break Jiraiya out while the village slept.

Using the Flying Thunder God Technique—his signature space-time ninjutsu—Minato instantly teleported to a kunai he had previously marked near the Uchiha guard station. Silently, he navigated through the shadows, slipping into the underground cells without alerting the guards.

The jail was dimly lit, torches flickering along the stone walls. Minato's footsteps were quiet as he crept forward, finally stopping before one of the reinforced cells.

"Sensei," he whispered urgently. "Jiraiya-sensei, are you alright?"

Inside, Jiraiya sat cross-legged, his chakra sealed and body bruised. He looked up in shock.

"Minato?! What are you doing here?" Jiraiya hissed. "This place is crawling with Uchiha patrols. Get out before—"

"Relax. I used Flying Thunder God to get in. No one noticed," Minato replied confidently, already crouching to inspect the lock.

But before he could act, the cell block was suddenly flooded with light.

A sharp voice rang out, "Namikaze Minato. Attempting a jailbreak? So you've chosen the path of a traitor."

From the shadows, several Uchiha officers emerged, their Sharingan spinning with vigilance. They had been lying in wait.

"Tch—it's a trap!"

Minato immediately reached for his marked kunai to teleport out, but nothing happened. He gritted his teeth—his technique wasn't activating.

Looking around quickly, he noticed the markings: sealing formulae had been inscribed all around the corridor—space-time barriers designed to suppress the Flying Thunder God Technique.

They had anticipated his arrival.

Before he could mount a counterattack, the Uchiha surrounded him. Overwhelmed and unable to escape, Minato was subdued. His chakra was sealed, and he was dragged into a nearby cell next to Jiraiya.

"Tch. First I get caught trying to help Kushina, now you get caught trying to help me?" Jiraiya muttered dryly. "You're too damn loyal for your own good."

One Uchiha guard sneered, "Hokage's star student? Hah. Nothing but a thief in the night."

The Next Morning

Byakuya stepped out of Kushina's residence with a pleased expression. During the night, he had once again invaded Kushina's inner world, agitating the Nine-Tails to harvest more negative energy and attribute enhancements. The sealed chakra beast proved to be a wellspring of power.

Kushina Uzumaki... truly a hidden trove, he mused.

Moments later, Uchiha En arrived and bowed respectfully.

"Lord Byakuya, as you predicted, Namikaze Minato attempted to break into the prison last night."

"We activated the spatial sealing barrier as planned. Minato has been captured. His chakra is sealed, and he's being held alongside Jiraiya."

Byakuya nodded, unsurprised.

"Good. Go inform Sarutobi Hiruzen. Let's see if he still values his apprentice."

"If he doesn't make a move... well, we've got plenty of time."

"Understood," Uchiha En replied. "I will handle the negotiations discreetly."

He then leaned in with another report.

"Also, regarding the information you ordered me to pursue—the genius puppeteer from Sunagakure, Sasori of the Red Sand, has reportedly defected. Our sources place him in a remote cave near the Wind Country border."

Byakuya took the scroll from En's hand and scanned the contents.

"...Excellent. That means the Third Ninja War isn't far off. If Sasori has already assassinated the Third Kazekage, Suna will soon spiral into chaos."

As a traveler with foreknowledge, Byakuya knew well—this was only the beginning.

The sudden disappearance of the Third Kazekage plunged Sunagakure into crisis. As their strongest Kazekage—renowned for his unique Magnet Release—his vanishing act was enough to ignite suspicion among the other Great Nations. Tensions escalated rapidly, and not long after, the Third Great Ninja War broke out.

Byakuya, already aware of the Third Kazekage's fate from his intel, knew this was an ideal opportunity to stir chaos—and harvest negative energy. His plan was simple: collaborate with the one responsible for the Kazekage's eventual death—Sasori of the Red Sand—and ensure the assassination happened sooner.

Driven by this, Byakuya quickly wrapped up affairs concerning the Uchiha clan. Then, cloaked in a ripple of space-time distortion, he activated Kamui and vanished without a trace.

When Byakuya reappeared, he was already deep within the Wind Country's arid desert.

A harsh sandstorm howled across the barren land.

"So this is the Wind Country… What a hostile place," Byakuya muttered, shielding his eyes from the sand. The air was bone-dry, and the sun blazed fiercely above. "It's no wonder Sunagakure repeatedly turned to war to secure resources."

Unfolding a scroll filled with intelligence, he murmured, "According to the data, Sasori should be hiding in a cavern not far from here."

Meanwhile, in a secluded cave carved into a cliff wall...

The cave was dimly lit by flickering torches. Inside, Sasori, the prodigious puppet master of Sunagakure and defector of the Puppet Brigade, worked meticulously on a human puppet. The lifeless shell before him was once a shinobi—now hollowed and reinforced with hidden weapons.

His craftsmanship was unparalleled. Through forbidden techniques, Sasori preserved the physical power, chakra traits, and even kekkei genkai of his human puppets.

Suddenly, Sasori's sharp senses flared. Without hesitation, a chakra-threaded kunai snapped into his hand.

"Who's there?"

From the shadows, Byakuya stepped forward silently.

"You must be Sasori of the Red Sand," he said, unfazed by the hostile atmosphere. His gaze swept the chamber. "These puppets… fascinating work."

Sasori narrowed his eyes. The man before him was a complete unknown, yet somehow had entered his hideout undetected. That alone meant he was no ordinary shinobi.

Without a word, Sasori flicked his fingers. Several puppets around the room sprang to life, blades gleaming as they lunged toward the intruder.

Yet Byakuya didn't move.

The blades pierced through his body—only for his form to distort and reform, revealing it was an intangible projection.

"A genjutsu? No… a space-time technique?" Sasori muttered, alarmed.

"Relax," Byakuya said coolly. "I didn't come to fight. I came to propose a partnership."

Sasori paused, but remained wary. "A partnership? With me? What do you want?"

Byakuya's expression turned razor-sharp.

"I want to help you… kill the Third Kazekage."

The silence in the cave thickened like desert heat.

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