Speak nonsense again, and I'll kill you.

After the encounter with the Fuma Clan, the remainder of the escort journey became simple and straightforward.

Whether it was because Arata's reputation had spread through this small town, or because the subsequent small bands of bandits had developed some discernment, they realized that a small merchant group capable of crossing the Land of Fields without the slightest sign of distress must have some form of backing.

In any case, the mission was completed successfully.

"Thank you. It is thanks to you that we were able to reach the Land of Lightning safely."

Standing at the border, Kujo Sho bowed slightly.

He was truly impressed by the young man before him.

It was not just because of the other's strength, but also his extreme self-discipline!

Even when camping in the wilderness or enduring the bumps of the road, this little guy never forgot to train or absorb new knowledge.

"Mm, we each got what we needed."

Arata shook his head and replied concisely.

Throughout the journey, he had learned a great deal of insider information from the man.

For instance, which routes led to the Land of Lightning the fastest; which city's daimyo was easy to communicate with, and which daimyo was difficult to deal with, and so on.

These things might prove useful in future missions.

"Here, this is your commission. I hope we have the chance to cooperate again in the future."

Kujo Sho naturally did not forget the most important part and handed over the payment directly. As for what Konoha might think, that was not within his scope of concern.

In any case, the young man before him was very much to his liking; at worst, he would just entrust all future missions to the Uchiha.

"Alright, goodbye."

Arata nodded slightly and turned to leave.

He did not follow them into the territory of the Land of Lightning. After all, this power was blatantly collecting various special secret techniques. The Byakugan of the Hyuga Clan was one of the things they coveted most; for this reason, that clan had once lost an elite Jonin for no reason.

The [Stage Mission: First Trial] was naturally completed as expected.

It is worth mentioning that the difficulty of this mission was rated as A-rank!

Mission Rewards: [Intermediate Contract Talisman *1, Skill Point *3]

Such a rating left Arata feeling somewhat puzzled.

Because although Kagerou was revered as the strongest Jonin within his clan and acted as the deputy clan leader, he did not seem to have displayed his true strength.

The Fuma Clan was indeed a small ninja force, but their overall strength was still too weak.

The entire A-rank mission really had not been difficult at all.

Of course, this might just be a loophole in the evaluation process. If the ninjas blocking the path had come from the Five Great Ninja Villages, it would certainly have been a completely different story.

The sense of threat from that Root ninja last time was still vivid in his mind.

Upon returning to Konoha, Arata did not go directly back to the clan grounds, but instead went to the commercial district in the main city of Konoha.

This was his first time completing a mission, and he wanted to buy some things to bring back for Izumi, Shisui, and Yuki-onna.

Three-colored dango was pushed to the top of his list.

Next was...

"Hey, have you heard? The genius of the Uchiha Clan, Shisui Uchiha, has committed suicide!"

Just as Arata was wandering aimlessly, such a voice suddenly reached his ears.

This information was so direct that it left Arata Uchiha frozen in place.

"Yeah, I heard the Uchiha Clan refuses to accept the facts and is searching for the murderer like madmen!"

A voice of agreement followed.

"Tsk, who told them to be so arrogant all the time? Hmph, they've finally tasted the bitter fruit."

The responding voice even held a hint of schadenfreude.

"Shut up!"

Arata suddenly roared toward the source of the sound.

Coming into his line of sight were two men wearing Konoha headbands and light green ninja armor.

"Lies!"

"It's all a lie!"

"How could Shisui die?"

"He is so strong, he is Body Flicker Shisui!!"

"Besides, he promised me personally that he would absolutely, absolutely be careful of Danzo."

"He even said he would always, always protect the little brother he had just accepted."

"He wouldn't lie to me!!"

Being scolded in public, especially by someone who was clearly just an underage brat, left the two Chunin turning shades of green and white.

If it had been an expert from the Uchiha clan, they would have endured it!

But a mere junior, what did he think he was?

Did he really think this was a village belonging to the Uchiha?

"Shisui Uchiha is indeed dead; his body was discovered in the Naka River, right within your own clan's territory."

"You don't actually believe that someone could kill within the heart of the Uchiha clan, do you?"

"Especially not Shisui, who earned the title of 'Body Flicker'."

Uehara Munetomo spoke with a mocking tone, his brown pupils filled with a hint of satisfaction.

Although bullying a child was not exactly something worth praising.

But, if that child happened to be from the Uchiha clan, or perhaps that fox demon, then that was a different matter entirely.

"I said, shut your mouth. Did you not hear me?"

Arata Uchiha said, each word enunciated through suppressed emotion, his scarlet Sharingan activating without the slightest warning.

"Demonic Illusion: Ignis Fatuus!"

Anyone who dared to gossip about his older brother was unforgivable!!

"Ah!"

A shrill, miserable scream erupted from the two Konoha Chunin; the sensation of being burned by flames instantly stripped them of all the composure befitting a Chunin.

Passersby retreated in haste, terrified of provoking the boy whose eyes were filled with such intense hatred.

During the commotion, members of the Military Police Force arrived, but upon seeing the scene, they collectively fell silent, instead subtly blocking the simultaneously arriving Anbu from entering the circle.

Without a word, they understood the cause of the incident.

They also felt the boy's pain as if it were their own.

"You!"

"You all!"

"The Hokage will demand an explanation from you!"

Uehara Munetomo growled while bearing the inhuman torture, his eye sockets already webbed with blood vessels, resentment spreading wildly—damned Uchiha!

However, Arata remained completely indifferent to such threats.

Clear Mirror, Still Water activated silently, an invisible pressure pushing outward, and unlike the last time in the mission hall, this time the momentum carried a trace of the scent of blood.

"If you speak nonsense again, I will kill you."

Arata said softly.

As his words fell, he turned and began walking toward the direction of the clan grounds.

"Brother Shisui, I have already punished the bastards spreading rumors for you."

"I also bought three-colored dango with the money I earned from my first mission~"

"I'm heading back now, let's eat them together."

Two lines of silent tears slid down from Arata Uchiha's eye sockets.

Yet, he seemed completely unaware.

"Thud."

Released from the genjutsu and the pressure, Uehara Munetomo collapsed to the ground in a daze.

The resentment in his eyes had vanished at some point, replaced entirely by fear!

"That guy!"

"That guy!!"

"He really would have killed me!!"

An inexplicable certainty roared in his heart; that genuine scent of blood was clearly the best proof of hands stained with slaughter!

One had to know, even he, having promoted to Chunin, had never truly killed a single person!

"Madman!"

"Madman!!"

"The people of the Uchiha clan are all madmen!!"