Chapter Sixty-Seven: First Encounter with the Dawn Members

Late at night, the land was shrouded in darkness.

Within the thick undergrowth, two figures arrived almost simultaneously at a mountain stream deep in the forest.

Looking toward the merchant caravan’s encampment ahead, Shisui whispered, “Rin, is it them?”

Uchiha Rin nodded and replied, “It should be. The so-called people of the wandering tribe.”

“I don’t sense any chakra fluctuations from ninjas—they seem to be ordinary people,” Shisui asked. “What should we do?”

If their opponents were ninjas, there would be no need for discussion; they would simply storm in and finish the job. But these were just ordinary people; there was no need for senseless slaughter, and Shisui was unwilling to commit such an act.

Uchiha Rin had already considered this. “We’ll sneak in directly and seek out their elder. Then you can use your genjutsu to interrogate him.”

Such merchant caravans, formed from entire villages, were led by their elders, the oldest among them.

If memory served, the elder of this caravan was named He Yan, the sole keeper of the secret location of the Grell Stone mine. He had guarded this secret for years.

But even if He Yan was a keeper of secrets, he was still just an ordinary person. When it came to extracting information from ordinary people, genjutsu was the simplest and most effective method.

“Understood,” Shisui murmured in response.

No longer hesitating, the two began to infiltrate the caravan’s camp.

Though the merchant caravan had set traps and other defensive measures around the perimeter, and even fielded sentries to patrol, such precautions were useless against ninjas. Uchiha Rin and Shisui slipped into the heart of the camp with ease.

They made their way straight to the central tent and lifted the curtain to step inside.

An elderly man, his face wrinkled and worn, saw them enter; realizing they were strangers, he immediately tried to cry out.

But Shisui had already activated his Sharingan. Genjutsu struck instantly, and He Yan’s eyes lost their focus.

After a moment, Shisui released the technique and said, “It’s done. I’ve obtained the exact location of the Grell mine.”

At his words, Uchiha Rin glanced at the now slumbering He Yan. “Let’s go. Once we secure the Grell Stone, we’ll cancel the bounty. After that, no one will disturb them again.”

Shisui nodded, and the two quickly slipped out of the camp.

But as they prepared to continue on, both sensed a powerful chakra presence closing in.

“A formidable chakra—who are these two?”

The distance between the parties was not far; Shisui could already make out the newcomers’ attire, clearly members of an organized group.

Uchiha Rin gazed at their cloud-patterned cloaks and spoke quietly, “Members of the Akatsuki. All of them are strong—be careful if we encounter them in the future.”

Shisui nodded, then asked again, “What should we do now?”

Seeing the proximity of both sides, Uchiha Rin shook his head. “There’s no avoiding it. Let’s see how it plays out, but it will likely come to a fight.”

He had already caught sight of one of the approaching figures. With him present, there was little chance of avoiding conflict.

Shisui didn’t dwell on it, and simply waited as Uchiha Rin had said.

Soon, the two Akatsuki members, clad in their cloud-patterned robes, halted, confronting Shisui and Uchiha Rin in their black cloaks.

The atmosphere was tense and silent; neither side spoke.

Uchiha Rin sized up the two, feeling a twinge of emotion.

Among the Akatsuki pair, one was familiar to him: Kakuzu, the legendary ninja who once fought the First Hokage across eight hundred miles.

The other, a nondescript man, was unknown to Uchiha Rin—not any Akatsuki member he recognized.

Though encountering Akatsuki here was unexpected, Uchiha Rin was not surprised.

After all, the wandering tribe’s bounty was thirty million. With Kakuzu’s temperament, he would never let such a prize slip by; his presence here was only logical.

And with Kakuzu, a battle was almost inevitable. The man was obsessed with bounty missions in a way few could understand.

Then, the unknown Akatsuki member broke the silence first. “Who are you two?”

Uchiha Rin gave no answer, shaking out his cloak. Even at night, the word “Terra” stood out boldly.

Kakuzu frowned at the sight and spoke in a low voice, “Terra? Never heard of it. Do you have a bounty on your heads?”

At Kakuzu’s question, even Uchiha Rin, usually unfazed, was momentarily caught off guard.

Kakuzu was brazen enough to ask others about their bounty in person.

Yet, considering Kakuzu’s strength, Uchiha Rin let it go.

He fingered his mask, thought for a moment, then replied, “No, but I imagine you do.”

Hearing this, Kakuzu’s expression darkened with murderous intent. “You’re courting death!”

He was used to killing others for their bounties, never expecting these two from Terra to turn their sights on him.

How could he tolerate this? He gave his companion a look and immediately launched his attack.

Uchiha Rin quickly called to Shisui, “Take care of the other one first, then help me deal with him.”

Shisui acknowledged and charged directly at the unknown Akatsuki member.

Uchiha Rin activated his Sharingan, then swiftly formed hand seals, calling out, “Fire Style: Grand Fireball Jutsu!”

In an instant, a huge fireball erupted from Uchiha Rin’s mouth, hurtling straight at Kakuzu.

Feeling the heat of the approaching fireball, Kakuzu leapt aside, evading the jutsu.

Boom! Boom! Boom!

Though Kakuzu was not struck, the massive fireball melted a swath of trees behind him, and the blazing light pierced the night.

With the corner of his eye, Kakuzu caught a glimpse of Uchiha Rin’s three-tomoe Sharingan and was momentarily surprised.

He hadn’t expected that this unknown Terra member encountered tonight would be from the Uchiha clan.

Moreover, the force behind Uchiha Rin’s supposedly standard Grand Fireball Jutsu was extraordinary—far beyond what a C-rank jutsu should possess.

This made Kakuzu realize his opponent was no ordinary foe; the enemy before him would not be easily defeated.

But that mattered little. Others might fear the three-tomoe Sharingan, but he did not.

Without hesitation, Kakuzu loosened one corner of his cloud cloak. With a low, plaintive howl, a mask-faced creature, white-bodied with red markings, burst from Kakuzu’s body.

“So this is the Earth Grudge Fear technique. But what does it mean?”

Seeing Kakuzu unleash his signature move, Uchiha Rin was unsurprised.

Yet, noticing that Kakuzu was only using one heart, Uchiha Rin was puzzled.

Did Kakuzu believe that one heart’s power was enough to defeat him, or was there a deeper plan?

Unable to make sense of it, Uchiha Rin simply stopped thinking about it and began forming seals once more.

This time, he cast a ninjutsu far more powerful than the Grand Fireball.

“Fire Style: Grand Dragon Fire Jutsu!”