Northern Border

Arata Uchiha.

Konoha Genin.

ID: 012195.

Total missions completed: 71.

Of which, A-rank: 1, B-rank: 24, C-rank: 46.

Success rate: 100%!

Looking at the information in his hand, Hayama Shirakumo's gaze shifted slightly, settling on the boy before him.

The light blue ninja uniform bore the Uchiha Clan's fan crest. The Horizontal Blade strapped to his back carried a faint stench of blood. No other emotion could be seen on his clean, indifferent face, yet ripples occasionally stirred in his calm eyes, as though he had been suppressing something all along.

"Arata Uchiha, Blood Asura Arata."

"Tch."

A trace of difficulty appeared in Hayama Shirakumo's eyes.

He had not expected the genin sent by the village to be this kid.

He had heard that the conflict at the border between Mist and Konoha two months ago had been stirred up by him.

The Uchiha, who had always been at odds with the village, had unusually contributed both manpower and effort. They had nearly fought their way into the heart of the Land of Water. Even the warlike Kaguya Clan had been unable to stop those madmen!

And this time...

This little instigator, called the Blood Asura by the Bloody Mist, had actually joined his squad.

What a headache.

All he had wanted was a more experienced genin to replace the injured member of the team. Shouldn't Arata have been promoted to Chunin long ago?

Frustrated as he was, Hayama Shirakumo, an elite jonin, was naturally no ordinary person. In an instant, he completely reined in his emotions.

"For the next month, I'll be your captain. You must follow my arrangements in all matters. Understood?"

"Yes."

Arata's reply was concise.

Yet to Hayama Shirakumo's ears, that answer was far from pleasant.

It was too perfunctory.

And he had a feeling that their future cooperation would not go very smoothly.

There were two other people on the team.

Jonin Tekuno, skilled in using all kinds of ninja tools and setting traps. He had extensive garrison experience and was a nimble fat man.

Genin Kimura Kai, skilled in reconnaissance and somewhat experienced in missions. He was a young man who did not talk much.

"Since we have a new member, I'll reiterate this mission. We are stationed at the northern border to prevent Iwagakure ninja from launching a surprise attack while the eastern front is under pressure."

"Arata, introduce your abilities so we can coordinate better."

Having set aside his personal feelings, Hayama Shirakumo quickly entered the role of squad leader. After all, he was an elite jonin with abundant experience and considerable strength.

"Swordsmanship, Sharingan, Ice Release ninjutsu."

Arata spoke each word distinctly.

These were the abilities most widely known to the public and most often used by him on battlefields and missions.

"Then your role will be reconnaissance and combat."

Captain Shirakumo summed up.

"However, this mission is not focused on combat, but vigilance. The moment we encounter enemies, retreat immediately and light the signal to notify every outpost."

"Understood?"

He added, with that final question clearly directed at Arata.

"Understood!"

Tekuno and Kimura Kai answered in unison.

They had already been here for a month and had long grasped the essence of the mission.

"Mm."

Arata merely gave a soft grunt to show that he understood.

But another trace of worry surfaced in Hayama Shirakumo's eyes.

"Then, Arata, since you just arrived, you'll be paired with me for missions. Tekuno and Kimura Kai will form another group. Tomorrow, we'll continue advancing northward, but slow our pace."

"We're getting closer and closer to the Land of Earth's border. Be careful. Kushi was injured because he carelessly triggered an Iwagakure trap. I don't want that to happen again."

"Of course, things will be better now that we have the Sharingan. Arata, I'll need you to put in more effort."

Ordinary reconnaissance ninja mostly learned their trade through countless attempts and injuries. Better ones, such as members of the Yamanaka Clan, possessed powerful spiritual strength and could detect enemies in advance, though they were somewhat helpless against well-concealed traps.

This was where ocular techniques showed their value. The Kekkei Genkai with the strongest reconnaissance capability was naturally the Byakugan. Otherwise, Mist and Kumogakure would not have gone to such lengths to obtain it.

The Sharingan came second.

Moreover, unlike the Sharingan, the Byakugan could be freely used once acquired.

Only those with Uchiha blood could bring out the Sharingan's power to the fullest. If outsiders transplanted one, they would face an extremely awkward predicament: they could not turn it off!

It was like a faucet that had not been tightened, constantly draining the host's chakra.

That was why other forces did not covet the Sharingan as deeply as they did the Byakugan.

"I understand."

Arata unusually said a few more words.

When it came to the lives of his comrades, whether they were from the Uchiha Clan or not, he would protect them with meticulous care. That was also his promise to the Shikigami Terracotta Warrior.

That answer made the elite jonin Shirakumo raise his brows slightly, deepening his understanding of the boy.

Everything was normal for the first half of the month.

But as they pushed deeper, subtle changes began to occur around them.

The forest, which should have been filled with birdsong and insect calls, was exceptionally quiet.

For any seasoned ninja, such silence was never a good thing. It was like the calm before a storm.

"Captain Shirakumo."

Tekuno frowned and called out in a lowered voice.

Though he said nothing more, everything was conveyed through the exchange of their gazes.

Hayama Shirakumo immediately gestured for them to stop, then took out the map tucked in his clothes and examined it carefully.

The map was extremely crude, with only a few strokes marking several areas: forest, highland, and plain. It would not have been wrong to mistake it for a child's scribbling.

"We are here now. The nearest high ground is here, and it is also the best place to survey the entire area. However, if we want to reach it, we'll need to cross this stretch of wilderness."

As his finger moved across the map, even this cold-faced elite jonin could not help showing a troubled expression.

Traveling through the forest was difficult and made it easy to fall into enemy traps, but it was comparatively more suitable for individual combat.

But once they entered the wilderness, they would inevitably be fully exposed. Especially since there were only four of them, if Iwagakure's forces discovered them, it would practically be a dead end.

After all, the defining feature of that ninja village was large-scale group combat.

Put simply, they piled up lives!

Ridiculously, they even upheld such behavior as the Will of Stone.

That was what Hayama Shirakumo despised most.

Leaving the fire of life to the more promising younger generation was the correct ideal!

"Captain, you decide."

Tekuno said in a deep voice.

In a situation like this, unity of opinion was the most important thing.

Hayama Shirakumo remained silent, his gaze sweeping once more over Kimura Kai and Arata Uchiha, neither of whom had spoken. In the end, he gritted his teeth and made his decision. "The mission comes first."

"However, Tekuno, gather all the team's Explosive Tags and set a trap here. If we are attacked, this will be our only escape route."

"Yes!"

The plump Tekuno responded at once, his expression solemn.