Accepting a New Mission and Sen's Relationship with His Clansmen

After speaking, Sen cast the murmurs of the people behind him to the wind and disappeared into the shadows of the camp without looking back.

The Uchiha clansmen left behind looked at each other, their faces full of confusion and hesitation. Finally, more than a dozen gazes focused uniformly on the captain, Uchiha Chizuru.

"Captain, are we really going to listen to a kid?" a young ninja couldn't help but ask. "He said the village was going to make a move against us, and he doesn't even have any evidence..."

Uchiha Chizuru looked at Sen's departing back, his eyes complex.

After a long silence, he slowly loosened his clenched fist, finally making up his mind.

"I will go and talk to him. If he truly cares for the clansmen, we will listen to him. If he wants to use us as cannon fodder..." A hint of killing intent flashed in his eyes, and he said coldly, "I will kill him with my own hands!"

Early the next morning, just as the sky began to show the color of fish belly, the camp tents were still shrouded in a hazy mist.

Sen and the other two were woken up by Jiraiya: "The mission is moved up! Pack your gear and assemble immediately!"

When the three arrived with their ninja tool bags, ninjas were already gathered around the tents, fully equipped and ready to depart. The air was filled with a tense atmosphere.

Orochimaru's eyes glinted coldly. He pointed a kunai at two bound ninjas and addressed the crowd:

"These two are traitors to the village." He looked at the two trembling ninjas, seemingly contemplating what methods to use to torture them, then turned to the crowd and said:

"However, traitors are useful in my eyes. The attack time we discussed yesterday has already been passed on to the Mist Ninja by them, so the mission time has been changed to now."

Orochimaru's eyes flickered with fanaticism: "Everyone, a surprise attack on them, no problem, right?!"

Everyone heard this and their fighting spirit soared, shouting:

"Kill the traitors! Attack Kirigakure!"

"Kill the traitors! Attack Kirigakure..."

"War!" Orochimaru licked his lips excitedly and waved his hand to give the order.

At his command, hundreds of ninjas surged out like a tide.

"Jiraiya, what's our squad's mission?" Sen asked as he ran.

"Raid the outer affiliated islands, clear out all Mist Ninja strongholds, and finally rendezvous with the main force at Lookout Island," Jiraiya replied, then suddenly gestured towards the rear. "Those Uchiha people behind us, they're with you, right?"

Sen looked back and indeed saw Uchiha Chizuru leading his squad members closely behind—

They had made their choice after all.

"Let them come," Sen said, asking directly as Uchiha Chizuru approached, "What is your mission objective?"

Uchiha Chizuru first bowed to Jiraiya before replying, "Lord Orochimaru ordered us to clear out the six islands south of Lookout Island, and then support the main island battlefield."

Sen quickly took out a waterproof map and spread it on his knees, his finger tracing the paper to compare the mission areas of both sides, discovering that the islands were closely adjacent.

He suggested to Jiraiya, "Since our mission objectives are similar, why don't we act together? It'll be safer. Many of them have awakened the Sharingan, which will be of great use in fighting in the fog."

Jiraiya hesitated, "But this way, the battle line will be extended, and it will waste a lot of Chakra to provide support back and forth..."

"It's fine," Sen took Samehada from his back. "We'll capture a few alive then. Samehada can absorb their Chakra and transfer it to those who need it.

Moreover, with so many people, a swift victory is the best strategy. Most importantly, most of them are newcomers, and I don't want to see any unnecessary casualties among the clansmen."

Hearing this, Jiraiya no longer objected and took out a sealing scroll, handing it to him. "Alright, I agree. But your sword is too conspicuous, seal it up first, lest the Mist Ninja recognize it and retaliate desperately."

Seeing Jiraiya agree, Sen had everyone stop and turned to the eleven clansmen. "Come here, I'll reassign the mission."

Those people didn't move until Uchiha Chizuru said in a deep voice, "From now on, all actions will be under the command of Uchiha Sen!"

The Uchiha clansmen then slowly gathered, but their eyes still held doubt.

Sen didn't pay much attention to their lack of respect, after all, he was only ten years old, and it was normal for people in the clan not to be convinced by him.

"Everyone, led by those who have awakened their eyes, split into two teams. Most of you are newcomers with weak combat experience, and you may not understand the horror of geographical advantages and attribute suppression.

Also, we need to capture the islands quickly this time. It would be best if you capture some enemies alive afterward."

Sen raised his Samehada and said, "This sword can help you recover Chakra, and I also know medical ninjutsu. If you get injured, come to me immediately. If you have any questions, speak up now. We're about to start traveling."

No one responded, and the doubt in their eyes did not fade. After all, most of them were twelve or thirteen-year-old newcomers, some of whom had probably never even experienced a B-rank mission.

"If there are no problems, let's go! The first island is still a few hours away!" Sen didn't waste any more words. Some things, they would only understand when they got on the battlefield and saw blood.

Several hours later, a wooden boat quietly approached the shallow waters of the target island.

Sen stopped his restless clansmen and infiltrated the island to scout the situation. After confirming there were only three enemies, he brought everyone ashore.

"The intelligence is correct, there are only three enemies on this island," Sen instructed. "This is a good opportunity for training. First squad, the five of you go and deal with them all. If you can leave any alive, do so.

If there's any danger, I and the others will support you immediately. Be aware, time is tight, you only have twenty minutes. After twenty minutes, we will make our move!"

Seeing that Jiraiya and Uchiha Chizuru had agreed to the plan, the four men and one woman in the first squad looked somewhat excited upon hearing this.

"Yes, Captain, Chiyu guarantees the mission will be completed!"

With that, the five quietly crept forward, while Sen and the others followed behind, constantly observing their teammates' safety.

"Sen, it seems you've learned a lot from me," Jiraiya chuckled softly from the side. "You protect the newcomers while also allowing them to gain experience."

"It's all thanks to your good teaching, Jiraiya," Sen replied casually, his attention fully on the battlefield ahead.

He didn't have the energy to care about Jiraiya's self-praise. His Sharingan slowly spun, constantly observing the five for any danger.

If it were before, these people would have just been clansmen, but now it was different.

He already knew the names of the team members and had assigned them missions.

People are strange. Once you give them a name and establish a connection, it's as if their fate is tied together.