You're Evil and Afraid to Die, Right?

Seigetsu Senju hurried back to camp, but the battle was already over.

She heard that the fighting had gone very well at first. They had attacked from both flanks and nearly surrounded the Cloud Ninja. Given a little more time, Konoha could have wiped them all out.

But then Kumogakure deployed a Jinchūriki, turning the tide in an instant.

The Commander-in-Chief, Hatake Sakumo, had driven back the Cloud Ninja, but the deputy commander, Ken Senju, had fallen.

Seigetsu Senju stumbled over the wall, nearly losing her balance when she tripped.

A figure caught her in midair. She turned and saw Kawadera Uchiha.

Kawadera Uchiha had been kept behind by the squad leader, Kazu Hyuga, and had taken part in the battle.

She saw a gash on Kawadera Uchiha's shoulder where a Ninja Blade had struck. His clothes were torn, and he was covered in dirt, as if he'd rolled around in it.

"Captain Seigetsu, I'll take you over..."

They made their way to the center of camp, where they saw body after body lying beneath white cloths.

At the front of the crowd stood two Senju Ninja, all alone.

Seigetsu Senju saw her brother, Seiei Senju, and another Jonin named Kiyo Senju.

There were no other members of her clan.

"Brother? Father—where's Father?"

Seiei Senju turned at the sound of his sister's voice. Meeting her gaze, he looked at her with unbearable sorrow and said,

"To protect us, Father stood in front of the Tailed Beast Bomb. Father... Father didn't even leave a body behind..."

Just then, Kawadera Uchiha took out a fragment of armor. "Captain Seigetsu, I found this on the battlefield. I'm not sure..."

Seiei Senju and Seigetsu Senju both looked at the familiar shoulder guard and the familiar Senju crest.

Seiei Senju stood dazed for a moment. Then he stared at Kawadera Uchiha, unable to believe that the messenger ninja he'd met briefly on the battlefield had found his father's keepsake.

At least now, his father hadn't vanished without a trace.

Seigetsu Senju didn't cry out. She simply kept weeping.

Kawadera Uchiha had fought near her father, while she had gone in the wrong direction on a reconnaissance mission and missed her father's final battle.

Inside the Sea of Consciousness, Kawadera Uchiha said to Tobirama Senju,

"Second, forty-four Senju Ninja went into battle, and forty-one died in a single fight.

"As far as I know, the Senju Clan has a little over eight hundred ninja now.

"Twenty more battles like this, and the Senju Clan will be finished. Completely wiped out.

"And in the wars to come, there'll be far more than twenty battles like this.

"Should I find a way to pass along some warnings, so the Senju Clan doesn't keep throwing its lives away?

"The glory of founding the village has become a curse for the Senju Clan."

"Shut up, naturally evil Uchiha! You don't understand the Will of Fire!"

"Fine, fine. I try to help, and you throw it back in my face. I hope your whole clan upholds the Will of Fire!"

Kawadera Uchiha angrily shut off the Sea of Consciousness. He'd only brought this on himself.

After wiping her tears, Seigetsu Senju took her team to find the Commander-in-Chief, Hatake Sakumo.

A sheen of sweat glistened on Hatake Sakumo's forehead. His thoughts were in turmoil.

He hadn't expected Konoha to lose so many ninja in its very first battle.

The Senju Ninja in particular had suffered devastating losses.

Everyone in Konoha knew that the Senju Clan carried the honor of founding the village. They never allowed anyone to charge into battle faster than they did.

When Hatake Sakumo saw Seigetsu Senju approach, he assumed she wanted to ask about the details of Ken Senju's final battle.

But he had been on the other side of the pincer attack. He had no idea why Kumogakure's Jinchūriki had appeared near Ken Senju.

"Commander-in-Chief, I'd like to join the communications team and report the situation here to Mitokado Homura, the Commander-in-Chief on the Land of Grass front.

"I'm not a deserter. My father gave me a mission. I'm sorry, but I can't tell you what it is yet."

"Seigetsu, you bear the Senju name. No one will think you're a deserter. Go ahead. I'll have the staff write up a mission Scroll. You can stay on the Land of Grass front and carry out your father's mission."

Seigetsu Senju's eyes were bloodshot, her eyelids red as well. She quietly followed a staff officer away.

Hatake Sakumo continued to look at the white cloths and the bodies beneath them. These were Konoha's purest ninja. A true Konoha ninja would never hesitate to sacrifice himself for his comrades.

After receiving her mission Scroll, Seigetsu Senju went to say goodbye to her brother.

The bodies of the Konoha Ninja had been sealed into Scrolls, and a squad would take them back to the village.

Seiei Senju had just finished giving the squad leader his instructions.

When he turned and saw Seigetsu, he learned that she was heading to the Land of Grass front.

"I..." Seiei Senju hesitated before saying,

"I wanted to ask you to stay here. At least I could look out for you.

"But after Father's death, I have to take up the mantle of the Senju Clan.

"I'll be fighting in the most dangerous places. I won't be able to protect you."

Seigetsu Senju shook her head. "Brother, I'm an adult now. I'm a Special Jonin of Konoha. I don't need anyone to protect me. Konoha needs me to protect it."

A pang of pain showed in Seiei Senju's eyes.

The honor of a founding clan had truly become a curse, and the Senju Clan had suffered heavy losses in recent years.

In peacetime, the Senju Clan took on the most dangerous missions.

In wartime, the Senju Clan charged at the very front of the battle lines.

He suddenly wanted to tell his sister to take her time on the journey.

Spending longer on the road would be safer than going to the battlefield.

If he were going himself, he'd head straight for the Land of Grass front without a moment's hesitation. But his sister...

Seiei Senju looked at his sister's three teammates: Kureya Inuzuka and Ken Aburame were both completely trustworthy, but there was also an Uchiha in the group.

"I want a private word with that Uchiha."

Seigetsu Senju was puzzled. She didn't know why her brother wanted to speak with Kawadera alone.

Taking Kawadera Uchiha aside, Seiei Senju said, "You're an Uchiha, right?"

Kawadera Uchiha glanced at the Gunbai crest on his upper arm. "Obviously."

"Then you're evil and afraid to die, right?"

"Uh..." Kawadera Uchiha felt his heart sink. Were Senju really that good at reading people?

Was it that obvious? Did I have the words "missing-nin" written on my face?

"I'm not that evil, and I'm not that afraid to die."

"The Uchiha Clan feared extinction in the war against the Senju Clan, so they surrendered to us. That proves you're afraid to die.

"After surrendering, you were still half-hearted about it. You kept secrets from Konoha and plotted against us.

"Your arrogance made you too proud to hide your schemes. That proves you're evil."

Hearing Seiei Senju's analysis made Kawadera Uchiha feel a little better.

So it wasn't just him. It was in his genes, in his blood.

Seiei Senju suddenly leaned closer and whispered, "If you're afraid to die, you can make trouble along the way and slow the journey down."

"Do I... need to be that afraid to die?"

"Don't you?"

"If you need me to, I can be afraid to die."

Kawadera Uchiha looked over Seiei Senju's shoulder at Seigetsu Senju, then said, "For your sister's sake, I really can be afraid to die."

Seiei Senju patted Kawadera Uchiha on the shoulder. "I admit I was biased before. An evil, cowardly Uchiha can still be useful in certain situations."

"Thank you so much for the compliment."