A Ninja's Execution Threshold

Uchiha Hono's Two-Tomoe Sharingan, the dark Tomoe slowly rotating.

Behind him were ninjas from the Inuzuka Family and the Aburame Clan.

Their names are Inuzuka Ten and Aburame Shiki.

The three of them were in a "pin"-shaped formation, and the distance was kept very appropriate. They would not be attacked by the enemy with large-scale ninjutsu at the same time, and they could maintain timely communication.

This is a reflection of Uchiha Hono's experience; the painful lessons of the Warring States period left him with indelible memories.

He used to be known for forming a group with his clansmen that was too close together.

Vines formed from water grabbed the ankles of everyone in the team, and then several kunai flew over.

The ending, of course, goes without saying.

"Is there any movement?" Uchiha Hono asked in a deep voice.

"His scent was present in multiple locations simultaneously, making it impossible to pinpoint the exact location—"

"No bugs stepped on, no intelligence."

"How strange, could this brat's agility be comparable to Izuna's?" Uchiha Hono muttered under his breath, "Otherwise, how could he not even distinguish between the dogs of the Inuzuka Clan-- "

"Are you sure you're not mistaken?" Inuzuka Ten scratched his head. "Perhaps you've been here before; the smell dissipates over time, causing similar situations—"

Aburame Shiki whispered, "Unless his perception is exceptionally strong, it will be difficult for him to avoid the insect trap."

Their teamwork is among the best in the entire Patrol Force.

Uchiha Hono led the team. Although the two Chunin from the Inuzuka Family and Aburame were not particularly talented, they greatly respected him as a veteran and carefully and diligently learned from and followed his instructions.

Therefore, they are the team that has discovered Namikaze Minato's whereabouts the most times.

After receiving orders to inspect and repair any weaknesses in the defenses, Namikaze Minato treated this as part of his training, frequently taking a stroll along the front lines.

This was supposed to be a job that incited hatred.

Interestingly, Namikaze Minato, with his Little Sun smile, would earnestly communicate with the Patrol Force after discovering any oversights, rather than simply nitpicking.

Even when caught, they don't get angry; instead, they praise the other person's abilities and ask themselves where they fall short.

This approach, ironically, makes him less unlikeable; instead, people admire his keen observation skills.

Therefore, the Patrol Force, which had been repeatedly trained by Namikaze Minato, was able to discover the presence of Kusagakure's elite spies very quickly and sound the alarm when they infiltrated the area.

Together with the Anbu and Konoha Military Police Force, they swiftly captured them as a unit.

Among them Uchiha Hono was the most impressive.

Namikaze Minato kept challenging him to sparring matches, which helped his aging body regain its fighting spirit.

In a moment of youthful exuberance, this old man single-handedly captured two bandits!

Therefore, although Uchiha Hono constantly called him "Yellow-Hair brat," he often used a critical tone to teach Namikaze Minato some battlefield tips.

For example, observe the wind direction and the orientation of haystacks, the degree of soil compaction, and the frequency of insect and bird calls.

These details contain a silent message.

Namikaze Minato always smiled and nodded, playing the straight man, completely swayed by the old Uchiha's sweet talk.

Both Inuzuka Ten and Aburame Shiki could see this.

That boy, as radiant as Little Sun, could practically be tricked out of his Uchiha Hono Patrol Force salary with just a bit more coaxing.

"Impossible! With my Sharingan, I definitely saw a flash of Golden Flash— "

Uchiha Hono said in a deep voice, "I'm not old yet!"

Inuzuka Family Ten Aburame Shiki were somewhat helpless.

Uncle Hono is a good man, that's just his personality.

Indeed, some aspects of them conform to the public's stereotypical image of the Uchiha.

Strong, resistant to gentle persuasion but not to force, possessing a strong sense of pride in combat and unwilling to yield.

"Go higher!"

"The Hokage gave us this job, not so we could just slack off."

"Strive for perfection!"

"Kids, do you know how rare this opportunity is? The village is paying you to experience the battlefield early. In the Warring States Period, this would be a dream come true—" Uchiha Hono shouted, "If you don't take this seriously now, don't blame the enemy for being ruthless when you bleed on the battlefield later!"

It wasn't that he wanted to speak up for Hiruzen Sarutobi, but rather that he was a very proud person.

Right is right, and wrong is wrong.

In Uchiha Hono's view, the Patrol Force's actions were a win-win situation.

This maintained village order, provided retired ninjas with decent jobs, and allowed the older ninjas to mentor the inexperienced younger ones.

Otherwise, we'll have to wait until the Shinobi World War begins...

Rushing in like a reckless fool might lead to stepping into an enemy trap, which would be a real shame.

Uchiha Hono also had a good impression of the two foreign youths under his command.

I'm willing to listen attentively to his conversation and treat him with respect.

Uchiha Hono sometimes thought to himself that he was probably getting old.

He felt the Uchiha Clan's arrogance was excessive, and that other Ninja Clan also had their merits.

"Yes, Captain Yan--" After being encouraged and scolded, Inuzuka Ten and Aburame Shiki perked up.

The three of them continued their investigation.

"Where is it hidden?"

Uchiha Hono adjusted his breathing and narrowed his eyes. "Could it be that I really have to tell Deputy Chief Sakumo to add a member of the Hyuga Clan to my side as well?"

"Although I hate to admit it, when it comes to spotting hidden enemies, Byakugan is truly exceptional."

After searching all around, they still couldn't find any trace of Namikaze Minato.

But what was frustrating was that Uchiha Hono could always see a faint Golden Flash flickering in the distance—

"Am I under too much pressure? Or is it just that age is catching up with me—" Uchiha Hono sighed, waved his hand, and signaled Aburame Shiki and Inuzuka Ten to stop.

"Alright, let's wait for the next squad to hand over their shift. Our time is up."

"I saw them coming—"

Uchiha Hono pulled out a metal box, took out a cigarette from it, lit it, and started smoking.

"Uncle Hono, you haven't finished the box that the Lord Hokage gave you yet?" Inuzuka Ten said with a grin.

"Hmph, I finished smoking it a long time ago!"

"This cigarette case is made of iron, so I'll keep it—you kids have no idea what thrift is!"

Uchiha Hono said, his beard bristling and eyes wide.

"Ninjas are actually very poor! At first glance, they may seem to make some money, but the subsequent expenses for Ninja Tool, physical maintenance, and research into Ninjutsu will shock you if you calculate it carefully—"

"If we don't have some reserves on hand, what if something unexpected happens and we can't take on any more missions?"

"That's equivalent to being killed in this Shinobi World!"

Uchiha Hono exhaled a puff of smoke. "Even with the help of two or three close friends and clan members, ultimately you still have to rely on yourself."

"Relying on others will always have its limits—they also have their own things to do!"

Inuzuka Family Ten and Aburame Shiki nodded, seemingly understanding but not quite.

In fact, the adults in their family have said similar things.

But for some reason, it just doesn't taste the same when my own family says it.

Uncle Hono's words were quite Warning! Perhaps it was because of his one arm?

However, it's not to say that all expenses can be saved--

"Like this cigarette, I only smoke the same brand as Hokage ones--"

Uchiha Hono cleared his throat lightly. "Of course, not smoking is even better. Don't follow my example."

"The same brand as Hokage? Uncle Hono, you're really rich!" Inuzuka Ten exclaimed.

These seemingly nonsensical words elicited a slight smile from Uchiha Hono.

This is exactly the effect he wanted! The Uchiha Clan always wants to save face when they're out in public.

In reality, Uchiha Hono was the most shrewd.

After smoking half of the cigarette that Hiruzen Sarutobi had given him, he didn't really want to smoke anymore.

After all, it was a cigarette given by the Hokage.

Although the Uchiha and Konoha had a bad relationship, it still holds commemorative significance.

So, Uchiha Hono bought other brands of regular cigarettes, took them out, and put them back into this cigarette case.

This made him appear wealthy and extravagant, and allowed him to occasionally display the iron cigarette case given to him by Hiruzen Sarutobi.

That's an old-fashioned way of playing, killing two birds with one stone.

"You should smoke less, Uncle Hono."

At that moment, atop the tree branch above his head, Namikaze Minato chuckled and said, "But if you can't quit, you might as well smoke some better stuff—"

Namikaze Minato waved the two packs of cigarettes in his hand.

It was the same style that Uchiha Hono had always boasted about drawing, just like the one Hiruzen Sarutobi!