The Mission Begins!

Unlike Kusama Shigeo, who strutted at the very front of the line, I followed the group and kept walking toward the rear.

As I walked, I could see several broad, muscular shoulders whenever I turned my head. The streamlined muscles on their arms rippled beneath their black clothes. Their bodies looked lean, yet held tremendous strength.

I looked down at my own scrawny frame and felt my fighting spirit soar!

One day, I'd become just like them! Little Moon, the muscle-bound hunk!

At the very back of the line, the crowd blocked my view completely. In the solemn, shadowy gloom, cold gazes occasionally swept over me from head to toe.

Unlike the students, whose eyes were full of malice and mockery, these ninjas had spent years fighting and risking their lives on the battlefield. They'd long since learned to keep their emotions in check. Even the youngest among them had blood on their hands.

To them, I was nothing more than a name: "Uchiha Akatsuki." Genius, eldest son, top of the class—none of that meant a damn thing.

They hadn't accepted me. They wouldn't treat me as one of their own.

Who would trust a six-year-old with their back when they were part of a unit that walked the knife's edge every moment of every day?

I stood motionless, letting their glares cut into me.

I had enough self-control to handle that much.

Just then, a thick cloud drifted overhead. Its heavy shadow fell over the entire unit, obscuring everyone's faces in darkness. Then, with a roar like thunder, came the order: "Move out!" The unit sprang into action, scattering like a flock of black swallows sweeping through the forest. They were impossibly fast!

Luckily, my daily morning runs kept me from falling behind. I trailed at the very back, giving it everything I had to keep up.

And so, amid the hurried rush and gloomy shadows, my life at Military Headquarters began.

"Shisui? Uchiha Shisui?"

A squad of elite shinobi raced across rocky terrain near the border of the Land of Lightning, having crossed the Land of Rice Fields. Their mission was to support Konoha's main force in carrying out an assassination. The stakes were high, and there was no room for carelessness.

But one of the squad's key members was clearly distracted today. For the first time, the captain reprimanded him.

"Uchiha Shisui!"

"...Bloodstains to the northwest, scattered like sand. An injured person passed through about fifteen minutes ago. I left a marker and contacted the unit to split off and intercept." The absent look in Shisui's eyes vanished in an instant. He calmly and methodically reported the details.

His observation was accurate, his report precise, and he'd even predicted the captain's anger.

Faced with a genius like that, the captain had little else to say. He only furrowed his brow and barked, "We're about to enter enemy territory. Listen for my orders and don't let your guard down for a moment. This mission must succeed. Failure is not an option!"

"Yes!"

"Shisui, are you all right?"

Zi Luochun had only been promoted to jonin this year. Thanks to her outstanding Medical Ninjutsu, she'd been assigned to the elite border squad.

Facing this talented young man, a year younger than her yet so calm and capable, Zi Luochun felt not only admiration but also a hint of affection stirring in her heart.

Admiring the strong was instinctive. No one was immune.

"Shisui?"

"What is it?" Uchiha Shisui looked at the girl.

"Is... something on your mind? I-I mean, I'm a medical ninja, so looking out for the squad is part of my job..." Zi Luochun spoke quickly, and her excuse was a good one. Unfortunately, the coyness and blush were practically spilling across her face, and her steps grew unsteady, drawing a few curious glances.

"Sorry, this is my own problem. You can't help me with it."

Shisui's voice was flat as he slowly shut the door on the girl's heart.

If Uchiha Akatsuki had been there, he would have been surprised to see that Uchiha Shisui, who was always smiling gently, could act like this.

So the kid could change his face after all!

Zi Luochun's heart tightened. "Sorry... I just wanted to..."

"Focus on the mission."

At that, Zi Luochun's eyes dimmed.

"Yes..."

Her voice grew timid, and at last she fell silent.

The sun was shining brightly, yet Shisui felt cold.

Akatsuki was going to Military Headquarters today...

He looked up at the rugged rocky terrain ahead, imagining the child running and fighting across it. His brow slowly furrowed.

But that person was at Military Headquarters, too.

I'd thought my first mission would be easy for a rookie, but the whole day passed without us even reaching our destination, and I was already exhausted!

The squad was moving way too fast!

Kusama Shigeo, who'd been at the front earlier, had fallen back until he was beside me, panting like a dead dog.

But even while panting like a dead dog, he refused to fall any farther back. As if he were competing with me, he gritted his teeth and ran alongside me.

Just as I was reaching my limit, someone up ahead shouted, "Halt!" My nerves relaxed, and I dropped straight into the grass by the side of the road, gasping for breath, dizzy and seeing stars.

"Y-you really are... useless. You're... exhausted after such a short run... You should go back to school... and repeat the year!" Kusama Shigeo's face was pale, but he kept taunting me, his voice buzzing like a mosquito.

I ignored him, wiped away my sweat, and took out my canteen. I carefully sipped some water, trying to make the most of our break.

But when I looked around, none of the senior shinobi seemed tired, and not one of them was drinking. They were all crouched in a state of readiness. My face fell, and I silently put my canteen away.

It seemed we'd stopped because Teacher Orochimaru was studying the route.

"Hey, do you know what this mission is?" Kusama Shigeo kept buzzing away. When I didn't answer, he suddenly leaned closer and lowered his voice as if trying to scare me. "It's a mission to—kill people!"

My heart jolted, but my expression stayed calm. My hand tightened around Murasame, and my palm was slick with sweat.

"Have you ever killed anyone?"

He was almost pressed against my face, staring straight into my eyes.

For the first time, I looked away.

Having been born in a peaceful era, I instinctively avoided the subject.

But no matter how much I tried to avoid it, from the day I became a ninja, I couldn't escape that day.

Those words kept echoing in my mind as the squad approached the mission site, growing heavier and heavier, sinking deeper and deeper.

It wasn't until the chilly rain struck my face that I came back to my senses. The squad had stopped!

After a grueling journey that lasted day and night, we'd arrived at—

the border of the Land of Fire!

With the Land of Rain nearby, mist shrouded the area and torrential rain poured down. Beyond the hazy curtain of rain stretched endless mountain ranges.

Our squad had gathered halfway up the mountainside, crouching in the forest as we watched the plain below.

"Remember, the orders from above are to kill everyone who enters the Land of Fire from here. Leave no survivors."

Teacher Orochimaru's hoarse voice came from up ahead. I froze and looked around in confusion, but everyone else seemed completely unfazed.

What was he saying?

Everyone... who crossed the border?

Even civilians?

Lightning split the sky. I watched as the senior shinobi around me entered the forest one by one, vanishing into the ink-dark curtain of rain in an instant. Even Kusama Shigeo had left.

I was the only one still standing there.

After screams rang out and the stench of blood began to spread, I wiped the rain from my eyes and walked over to Teacher Orochimaru. I reached out and gently tugged at his sleeve.

"Teacher."

"What is it, Akatsuki?" He turned his gaze from the battlefield and its slaughter to me. His voice was gentle, his snake-like pupils narrowing and widening in the rain.

"Teacher, do we have to kill everyone? Even civilians?" I swallowed, then looked up at him with a stiff smile.

Orochimaru seemed to pause. Then his eyes and brows relaxed, and a smile I couldn't understand bloomed across his face in the rain.

As if my question had amused him.

"Akatsuki, you have to understand: anyone who appears here at a time like this isn't a civilian."

He came closer, stroked my head as if he were my mother, and spoke to me softly.

But his words held not the slightest hesitation. Every one of them cut deep.

"Carry out the mission."

My heart began to pound.