Each tent housed six people. Sharing a tent with Uchiha Yuan's group of three was a team of Genin around thirteen years old.
"Hello, I'm Senju Gen. These are my teammates, Uchiha Yuan and Aida Kai."
Looking at the three standing on the other side of the tent, Senju Gen introduced them with a bright smile.
"Qian Konghe."
"Yitao."
"Yamazaki Tu."
After that, the three said nothing more.
Aida Kai looked at one of the ninjas across the tent, who was missing part of his lower leg. His little face was pale, and his eyes were filled with fear and unease.
Uchiha Yuan noticed his fear and nervousness. He reached out and patted his shoulder. "Aida, don't panic. The more flustered you are on the battlefield, the more likely something will go wrong. Start taking deep breaths now and slowly relax."
Under Uchiha Yuan's guidance, Aida Kai took several slow, deep breaths, and his anxiety gradually eased.
"You're not afraid?" someone asked.
Uchiha Yuan looked over. It was the boy named Qian Konghe who had spoken.
His expression remained calm as he said, "Only the weak fear the battlefield. I'm strong. On the battlefield, it's the enemy who should be afraid."
Yitao, the boy with the severed lower leg, revealed a mocking smile.
"Just what one would expect from an Uchiha. I hope you won't panic once you get onto the battlefield."
Uchiha Yuan said, "Don't worry. I'll soon make Sunagakure remember my name."
At that moment, in the large tent at the center of the camp, Orochimaru was reading an intelligence report.
A thumb-thick Little White Snake covered in smooth skin crawled out of Orochimaru's sleeve and hissed at him.
Orochimaru's expression shifted slightly. "You said you smelled the scent of that Uchiha from the Death Forest that day?