#
Six in the morning.
Before the alarm could ring, Uchiha Ci slapped the alarm clock that had annoyed him for a whole year to pieces.
By then, he had already put on his full set of protective gear.
His forehead protector, knee pads, shuriken holster strapped to his leg, gloves, foot wraps, Scroll Storage Bag tied around his waist, and Ninja Tool Pouch at his lower back.
He draped a high-collared black robe bearing the Uchiha Clan Crest over himself, stood before the mirror, swept up his hair, pulled down his lower eyelids, and gave a sinister chuckle.
"Now, I can already see the look of death on your face!"
(Storm Sasuke KO Akatsuki Itachi Ougi Image.jpg)
After admiring himself for a moment, at exactly six o'clock, Uchiha Ci flipped out the window and jumped down, only to run into Obito Uchiha next door doing the exact same thing.
"Ci, are you heading out on a mission too?"
Uchiha Ci gave a cool nod and reminded him, "Don't be late again."
"What are you talking about? I, Obito Uchiha, am going to become Hokage—aaah!"
As he spoke, Obito Uchiha patted his chest, stepped into empty air, and plunged headfirst from the second-floor window.
Uchiha Ci shook his head slightly. As expected of you, Late Obito.
That fall had sprained his ankle and knocked his head. Anyone who did not know better would have thought he had just returned from the Battlefield of the Land of Rain with a full set of battle injuries.
By the time he went around Konoha Hospital for treatment and reached Minato Squad, he would be at least an hour late.
But Uchiha Ci had long grown used to scenes like this. He ignored the guy below and simply left him with a smile.
"Tsuchiko, let's meet at the Memorial Stone next time. Don't forget to burn paper offerings for your big brother."
With that, Uchiha Ci kicked off the eaves, flexed the arch of his foot, leaped into the air, and charged toward the Rally Point.
His steps carried an impatient, eager excitement.
Obito Uchiha: ???
#
Uchiha Clan Compound, inside a towering residence.
"That is the situation, Senior Fugaku." Shisui Uchiha respectfully bowed to the young man before him and explained his purpose.
"Uchiha Ci?" Uchiha Fugaku's expression remained calm and unruffled as he gave a slight nod, committing the name to memory.
"I believe he will definitely become a bridge between the clan and the village. Senior Fugaku, once you reach the Land of Hot Water, please keep an eye on my friend!"
"I would be deeply grateful!"
Uchiha Fugaku crossed his arms and spoke evenly.
"Go, Shisui. I will leave for the Land of Hot Water half a day after Elder Setsuna. I will keep an eye on your friend."
"As for you, once you arrive in the Land of Rain, remember to contact the clan members at the camp immediately."
"Also, you should watch out for a newly risen local organization in the Land of Rain."
Shisui Uchiha froze for a moment, raising his head slightly in confusion.
"A newly risen organization?"
Uchiha Fugaku frowned faintly.
"An organization called Akatsuki. Their ideals are naive, but you may try to make contact with them."
"After all, the organization's three leaders are disciples of Lord Jiraiya, one of the Sannin."
"They are naturally inclined toward Konoha."
Shisui Uchiha nodded slightly. After thinking for a moment, he murmured to himself.
"Akatsuki..."
#
Eight in the morning.
Konoha Gate.
Two squads composed entirely of Uchiha had assembled.
Great Elder Uchiha Setsuna glanced at the sky, then swept his gaze over the members present before speaking indifferently.
"Since everyone has arrived, the mission begins immediately!"
"Once we reach the designated location, each squad captain will unseal the Mission Scroll, explain the mission, and assign tasks."
"That is all. Move out!"
With that, Uchiha Setsuna took the lead. He lightly beckoned to Uchiha Ci and Uchiha Seiichiro beside him, then set off down the road out of the village.
Under such circumstances, the six members of the two squads had no time to catch up.
Shisui Uchiha smiled at Uchiha Ci, clenched his right hand into a fist and tapped it against his chest, then followed the group.
Uchiha Ci was left utterly bewildered.
He shook his head and did not pay it much mind.
Although Shisui Uchiha had developed some misunderstanding about him, the missions they had taken could not have been more unrelated.
One was headed northwest from the Land of Fire to the Land of Rain, while the other would travel straight east across the long Hills to reach the Land of Hot Water.
Ci refused to believe that Shisui Uchiha, all the way in the Land of Rain, could somehow drag him back from the Land of Hot Water and stop him from throwing his life away.
This time, the greatest source of danger had already been eliminated!
The advantage was mine!
Uchiha Ci's squad departed from Konoha and advanced rapidly toward the Land of Hot Water at a steady pace.
A ninja's speed was comparable to a Mud Truck. Crossing the long stretches of hills in the Land of Fire from Konoha to the Land of Hot Water took only a single day.
None of the three in the squad were particularly talkative. They traveled in silence, and after leaving Konoha and moving far from the prosperous regions of the Land of Fire,
the scenery before them suddenly changed.
Border refugees heading south from the Land of Hot Water and Refugees of the Land of Hot Water gradually filled their sight, while the vibrant spring green along the road faded into bleak gray decay.
Withered branches, Debarked Tree Trunks, and helpless, exhausted gazes leaning against them were what Uchiha Ci encountered most often along the way.
At this point, they had only reached the halfway mark.
There were already quite a few traces of ninjas nearby.
Scattered remnants of campfires, Alert Traps around them, and watchful gazes occasionally cast from the shadows made all three members of the squad more cautious.
On the eve of the Third Shinobi World War, the small nations wedged between the great powers were the most chaotic regions.
Yugakure Ninja could not protect the Land of Hot Water, nor could they bear the punishment for failing missions. A great many would become rogue ninjas and blend into the Land of Fire among the refugees.
In the end, they would become bandits ruling their own territories and end up posted on mission bounty lists.
#
As the light over the earth gradually faded.
The sun sank, the crimson clouds at the horizon dimmed, and darkness was about to descend.
Uchiha Setsuna called the advancing squad to a halt.
He drew out the Mission Scroll and spread it over a stone, his voice cold.
"Come here. We will go over the mission now."
Uchiha Ci's expression sharpened. He knew the main event had arrived.
Whether he could complete the Death Upon Leaving Village achievement today depended on this.
"This mission's objective is to reach Valley of Hell in the Land of Hot Water and reinforce the Uchiha Clan members stationed there."
"What do you think is the greatest danger?"
Uchiha Setsuna fell silent for a moment before suddenly asking the two of them.
Uchiha Seiichiro curled his lip. "Other than what is written in the Ninja Survival Rules, the main concern should be dealing with the Chinoike Clan's counterattack, right?"
"Those lunatics are more dangerous than the last."
Uchiha Ci said nothing, merely nodding in agreement. He shared Seiichiro's view.
And he also knew—
Above lunatics, there were true experts!
Blood Pond Oya Castle—or rather, Oya Castle En!
This predecessor of that filial son Itachi had, with his own strength and without any outside aid, gone berserk and slaughtered his entire clan, erasing every member of the Chinoike Clan except his daughter from the shinobi world.
It was hard to imagine what level his Ketsuryūgan had evolved to.
Chino of the Blood Pond, who appeared in Sasuke's Story in the Original Work, was not even qualified to carry this man's shoes.
This was the true heavyweight!
However,
Uchiha Setsuna shook his head, sighed, closed his eyes, and spoke with great gravity.
"You are wrong."
"The true danger does not lie with Blood Pond, but above Blood Pond!"
"What?" Uchiha Ci froze.
What the hell, above experts, there are even greater experts?
Before you continue