"What's he doing here so late?"
Uchiha Qiongyue paused with the scroll raised in his hand, looking confused. Then his eyes flashed. "Could it be...?"
He'd promised Kagami Uchiha that he wouldn't keep pressuring the kid to take the mission. But if the kid came to him on his own...
"Then I can't be blamed!"
"Clan Head!"
Uchiha Setsuna was also delighted. He leaned forward and asked for his opinion. "The kid must be here to take that mission. Let him in."
"Mm."
Uchiha Qiongyue nodded.
Uchiha Setsuna hurried over to open the door and ushered in Uchiha Ao, who was carrying a Beer Bottle and was a little tipsy.
"Brother Setsuna, why are you being so formal? We're buddies. We can talk just as well outside."
Uchiha Ao slung an arm around Setsuna's shoulder and chatted warmly, then glanced out of the corner of his eye.
"Holy crap, why is that old bastard Clan Head... Why is the elder here too?"
He cleared his throat a few times and bowed.
"Clan Head."
A vein twitched at Uchiha Qiongyue's temple. He held back his anger and asked in a low voice:
"It's so late. What are you doing here?"
As the head of his clan, he had his own ways of managing his subordinates. Even if he wanted someone to do something, he wouldn't show it on his face.
Uchiha Ao glanced at Setsuna, who looked anxious beside him, and immediately understood. He pretended to be troubled.
"I'd planned to tell you about this tomorrow, Clan Head, but since you're here, I might as well say it now.
"About that scouting mission—I don't think I'm capable enough, so I'd like to withdraw from it. I wanted to ask you and Brother Setsuna."
He'd spent the past two days asking around the village, and there really was a sense that a storm was coming. Considering the Butterfly Effect, he had indeed thought about abandoning the mission to be safe.
After all, no matter how tempting the reward was, he needed to be alive to enjoy it.
But since someone else was more anxious than he was, he might as well use the opportunity to squeeze out some benefits.
Even if he accepted the mission, should the border really prove dangerous, he had plenty of ways to drag his feet there, then rely on some memories from his previous life and pass them off as intelligence.
Sure enough, when Uchiha Qiongyue heard this, he looked as if he'd eaten shit.
He was about to lose his temper, but then remembered that, as Clan Head, he couldn't spend all his time worrying about one B-Rank Mission. He held his patience and tried to persuade him.
"I know this mission isn't easy, but as a mission to get you into the Police Force, it couldn't be more suitable.
"If you agree, then once you complete it, I'll see to it that the Police Force drops its requirement that you awaken the Sharingan before you can join! What do you think? This is a privilege our clan has never granted before!"
"That's right, Ao. Joining the clan's Police Force is a dream for many members of the Uchiha Clan. If you miss this chance, you might not get another one this good."
Setsuna chimed in to persuade him. After all, getting rid of the troublesome mission in his hands as soon as possible would take one worry off his mind.
"Actually, I do want to go..."
Uchiha Ao feigned embarrassment.
"But... I'm too weak. I'm afraid some rogue Ninja will ambush and kill me before I even reach the border, so I've been hesitating..."
"(¬_¬)."
Uchiha Qiongyue shot him a look. He knew exactly what the kid was up to. He pulled a Ninjutsu scroll from his robes and tossed it to him, grumbling:
"This is the Fire Release: Dust Concealment Technique. It's one of the few A-rank Ninjutsu our clan has. Normally, even members of the Police Force would have to complete several missions to earn the right to exchange for it. You're getting a bargain."
He was being so generous because he believed Uchiha Ao had no chance of returning from the border alive. He might as well toss him a few benefits.
The village had assigned them a scouting mission, and they'd accepted it. If someone died as a result, the village leadership wouldn't be able to say much about it.
Uchiha Ao caught the scroll and hurriedly bowed in thanks. "Thank you, Clan Head. I'll come see Brother Setsuna first thing tomorrow morning to take the mission."
He'd heard of this technique. It seemed to be a signature Fire Release technique used by Madara in the original story. He hadn't expected this big shot to have it too.
It looked like Madara had left the clan some things before leaving the Uchiha Clan.
As far as he knew, this technique was excellent for keeping its user alive!
"You may leave."
"Yes."
Having gotten what he wanted, Uchiha Ao turned and headed out.
Setsuna, however, eagerly walked him to the door and said warmly:
"Ao, it'll be tough traveling all the way to the border to gather intelligence...
As he spoke, Setsuna pulled a scroll from his robes and handed it over. "This contains some notes on the Puppet Shuriken Technique, which I'm good at. Take a look when you have time; it should help."
Uchiha Ao glanced at him in surprise. Hadn't this bastard always looked down on the original owner? Why was he acting like this now...?
Whatever. If there were benefits, he'd take them!
With that thought, he reached out to take the scroll, but couldn't pull it free. He tried again, but still couldn't get it...
He looked up and saw Uchiha Setsuna smiling as he held out the scroll for that B-Rank Mission too.
Now he understood. The bastard was afraid he'd change his mind again tomorrow morning.
Uchiha Ao's mouth twitched. He took both scrolls with both hands, then turned and left.
"Have a safe trip~"
Uchiha Setsuna waved enthusiastically behind him.
Uchiha Ao's grip tightened around the Beer Bottle.
Damn it, did every last one of them really think he was going to the border to die?
When he got back, he'd use the mission scroll to slap them all in the face!
At the Land of Fire's border, inside a village.
"Ah..."
A gaunt man wearing a Cloud Village Forehead Protector stood up from a disheveled, dazed woman and let out a satisfied breath.
"Women from the Land of Fire are so soft. Squeeze them once, and they're practically dripping."
As he spoke, he gripped the woman's chin hard. "I wonder what the Raikage is thinking. Hashirama Senju is already dead, and Konoha is at its weakest. Why hasn't he given the order to attack?"
Another hulking, dark-skinned accomplice slowly released a woman who had already stopped breathing and said coldly, "I heard they're testing Uzumaki Mito's condition. After all, she's the Nine-Tails Jinchuriki in perfect condition. In terms of combat strength, she's no weaker than a Kage Level Ninja. That's why the leadership still hasn't made a decision."
"I hope that day comes soon!"
The gaunt accomplice leered. "I hear the women Ninjas of Konoha are even more delectable, especially those of the Kurama Clan. The double pleasure of genjutsu and the body—it's just..."
Tap, tap...
"Who's there?!"
Hearing footsteps, the two men raised their Kunai and looked around.
Whoosh!
A silver flash of blade-light streaked through the dusk. Only afterward came the shrill whistle of the blade cutting through the air.
The two men had no time to react before a thin Blood Line appeared across each of their necks. They collapsed to the ground.
"Kagami Uchiha, you're still a step too late!"
Shimura Danzō, wearing armor and carrying a long sword on his back, leaped down from a tree and spoke with a mocking edge.
Kagami Uchiha ignored him. He sheathed his sword and walked over to the disheveled woman, wrapping her clothes around her and speaking gently.
"It's all right now. The enemy is dead."
As he spoke, the three Tomoe in his eyes spun once. The woman, whose face showed that she'd been violated, fell asleep in his arms.
Danzō stood behind him, a trace of envy flashing in his eyes.
"The Sharingan's ocular technique... If I had that too, the Hokage would surely take me more seriously!"
Kagami Uchiha picked up the sleeping woman.
Whoosh! Whoosh!
Hiruzen Sarutobi and Utatane Koharu arrived at the scene, both with bloodstains on their faces.
Kagami Uchiha handed the woman to Koharu and asked her to take her to a village not far behind them, then turned to Hiruzen Sarutobi.
"Hiruzen, how are things on your end?"
Hiruzen Sarutobi looked at the dead civilians around them, anger flashing in his eyes. He said gravely:
"Most of the Cloud Village Ninjas who invaded the border have been eliminated. This invasion was probably just a probe; they may attack again later.
"The village's scouting Ninjas should arrive in a few days. By then, we should have more comprehensive intelligence."
"Mm. Thanks for your hard work."
After helping a woman whose eyes had been left open in death to close them, Kagami Uchiha looked grave.
He'd seen more than ten cases of the same horror over the past few days.
The cruelty of war far exceeded the battles between Ninjas.
Why did the Clan Head and the others still want to start a war?
Before you continue