Map

The climate in the Land of Water was damp. Even the heavy snow from the north turned into dense rain when it reached here, falling day and night until everything in the world turned gray.

"This damned place is really oppressive." Kusama Shigeo grumbled. He was already soaked through like a drowned rat, while I only pulled my cloak tighter and said nothing.

This place lacked the prosperity of the Land of Fire. It looked more like scattered villages clustered together. Looking out, the sparse settlements were cradled by mountains, while vast terraced fields flickered in and out of sight behind the mountain mist.

"Stay clear of people. Head up the mountain."

Hyuga Makoto led us around every sign of habitation, weaving through the mountain forest. Aside from the rustle of leaves and the chirping of insects and birds, nothing else could be heard.

That meant safety.

We had faced far too many crises along the way. Now that we finally had a moment of quiet, it felt unreal.

"Stay alert. We're not far from Kirigakure now."

"Yes, senpai."

I watched the figure ahead, unable to name the feeling in my chest.

Without Hyuga-senpai, Kusama Shigeo and I would never have made it here. I even suspected that if he hadn't been burdened with the two of us, he would have finished the mission long ago.

Jonin and genin really were on completely different levels.

Wait—had Shisui become a jonin too?

The thought of that grinning, punchable face made my vision darken. No matter how I looked at it, I couldn't accept it. A small flame of resentment flared up inside me.

How the hell did someone like that become a jonin!!!

Hmph. Just wait. Genin, chunin, jonin—hell, even the Kage level. I'll reach it all someday!

We traveled another half day before we began to notice the change around us. The mountains and wilds were no longer peaceful and serene; a faint aura of death now clung to them.

This place was nothing like Konoha.

Sunlight filtered through Konoha's forests.

Here, the mountains and woods were filled with killing intent.

As expected, the closer we drew to Kirigakure, the tighter the defenses and the more obstacles we faced. The remaining third of the journey took even longer than everything before it.

As we pressed deeper, we began to see remains and bones, along with villages that stood nine-tenths empty.

Some places resembled ghost towns, utterly silent.

We walked for a long time. When we crested a ridge, Kusama Shigeo suddenly stopped. Following his gaze, I saw a small child lying dead beneath a tree... Her hair was long, her body caked in mud. A red scarf slid down with the rain, its color indistinguishable from blood.

I had a scarf just like it, woven by my mother's own hands.

A dull pain struck my chest. My mouth opened, but no words came out.

"We're almost there."

In the endless silence, Hyuga Makoto was the first to speak, his voice blending into the fine rain so that no tone could be read.

"The Bloody Mist Village... we're almost there?" Kusama Shigeo's voice was heavy too.

I said nothing. I only stepped forward, knelt carefully beside the child, and reached out, unsure what to do. In the end I only brushed her hair back, wiped away the mud, and revealed the girl's original face—pale and small, as if she were merely sleeping.

"So small..." I heard Kusama Shigeo murmur behind me, and the weight in my chest grew heavier.

The child looked only three or four years old, an age when she should still have been acting spoiled in her parents' arms. Instead she had been killed and left in the wilderness.

We had seen far too many scenes like this along the way.

While Kusama Shigeo and I were still grieving, a hand reached out and, without hesitation, yanked open the girl's upper garments, exposing her horribly ravaged torso.

"Hey, what the hell are you doing!" Kusama Shigeo snapped, grabbing the girl's clothes to cover her again, while I stood frozen in shock.

"She was killed by a shuriken. At this age, the only way a shinobi would kill her is if it was part of Kirigakure's internal strife."

"Her death was no more than two days ago. The enemy may still be nearby. Stay on guard."

Hearing that, I looked up at Hyuga Makoto. His eyes remained fixed on the marks of violation on the girl's body, still indifferent. No pity, no sorrow, not a single visible emotion—everything blurred and soaked in the downpour.

Then he stepped past us and walked on, mud and water splashing beneath his feet.

"Keep moving."

"Hey, you saw that, right?"

The moment Hyuga Makoto was gone, Kusama Shigeo leaned in at once.

"You still want to trust someone with no mercy to protect us? The second the mission conflicts with us, he'll choose the mission and abandon us without a second thought!"

"..."

This time I didn't answer. I only glanced at Kusama Shigeo, then turned and followed after Hyuga Makoto.

"Let's go."

Heading further north, the weather grew increasingly frigid. The rain gradually turned into driving snow, stinging our faces like needles.

I shivered, pulling my scarf tighter. The wind and snow ahead intensified, making it nearly impossible to see the path or distinguish any direction.

"Senior, where exactly are we?" I stopped at a gentle slope. The road ahead had vanished completely, replaced by nothing but vast, snow-covered terrain.

"We are already on the outskirts of Kirigakure." Hyuga Makoto activated his Byakugan to scan the surroundings, though his brow furrowed deeper with every passing second.

"Based on past experience, there should be numerous hidden sentries here." A rare look of gravity crossed his eyes.

"But now, there isn't a single one."

"None? That's just because you can't see them." Kusama Shigeo had been suppressed throughout the journey, and now that we were in his element, he saw a chance to shine.

"Move aside, let me handle this!"

He pushed past Hyuga Makoto, climbed the slope, and crouched down.

"See this? It's called Rustle Grass." He pulled a vine from his pocket to show us, a faint, smug smile tugging at the corner of his mouth. "It's a secret treasure of our Kusama Clan; it can eavesdrop on any sound hitting the ground within a three-mile radius."

"I bet none of you have ever seen this before."

I truly hadn't, and my eyes widened in genuine surprise!

He chuckled, dug a hole in the ground, planted the vine, and formed hand seals. "Grass Style: Rustling Movement!"

The moment the vine touched the soil, it began to grow rapidly, extending in all directions. The portion above ground began to twist and elongate, eventually coiling together until it slowly transformed into a spiral shape!

Kusama Shigeo leaned down, studying the shape of the vine with intense focus.

This... this is a bit like the radar from my past life!

He's actually got some skill!

I watched it all in silence, feeling a mix of surprise and a deep-seated sense of frustration.

Even though I was a genius of the Uchiha Clan, I currently lacked the Sharingan—the very eye famed for its insight—let alone the ability to scout for enemies. Instead, it was Kusama Shigeo and Hyuga Makoto who were proving indispensable on this mission.

I sighed, feeling an even greater longing for my own Kekkei Genkai.

That power belonged solely to the Uchiha, and it belonged to me!

The Sharingan, one of the Three Great Dojutsu!

If I had the Sharingan, even if it were only one tomoe, I would finally be a ninja capable of standing on my own.

I will definitely awaken it; after all, I am a genius!

I remember in the original story, Itachi awakened his eyes at eight years old. With my talent, I should be able to do it at least a few days earlier than him! I nodded to myself.

After all, I am the older brother; how could I lose to my younger brother!

"Well? Did you find anything?"

Kusama Shigeo probed for a long time before standing up with an air of certainty. "My vines didn't detect any enemy presence; there are definitely no enemies here." He brushed the snow off his clothes and held his head high. "Follow me!"

However, no one followed.

"This is the only path into the Kirigakure region. If we want to bypass it, we would have to cross the mountain range."

Hyuga Makoto was a man of few words, but what he said always hit the mark, sending a chill down my spine.

"If they aren't here, then where could they be?"

"What is that supposed to mean?" Kusama Shigeo's brow furrowed instantly. I could tell he was intimidated by Hyuga Makoto, but he refused to back down. "Do you think there's something wrong with my vines, or are you implying I'm lying?"

"Hey, the captain didn't mean it like that!"

Fearing they might start an argument, I quickly said to Kusama Shigeo, "The senior means that the enemies here might not be so simple, so we should be cautious and observe a bit longer before taking action!"

As I spoke, I looked up at the sky. It was overcast and heavy, with a biting wind blowing—the precursor to a blizzard.

"Still observing?" Kusama Shigeo looked at me, then at Hyuga Makoto standing beside me, and suddenly lost his temper.

"What kind of secret code are you two speaking? How much more time do you want to waste? This is already the fourth day. The teacher only gave us ten days, which means we must find that child today!"

"Otherwise, we are failures, understand?"

"Do you want our first mission to be a failure!"

My heart began to race, and I fell into a state of anxiety. I didn't dare speak, yet I didn't want to give up just like that.

"Why are you acting like mutes?" Kusama Shigeo clenched his fists tightly. "Have you forgotten Orochimaru-sensei's words? Or is it..." He let out a cold snort, his chin lifted in arrogance. "Are you just afraid, and too scared to move forward?"

A provocation. I knew this was a provocation.

But a fire still burned in my heart!

I stood where I was, instinctively looking toward the captain, who remained motionless, his gaze fixed on the distance with growing coldness.

"Hmph, so none of you are going."

Kusama Shigeo watched us, as if he had suddenly made up his mind. Before we could react, he formed hand seals.

"Then, you can go back and see Orochimaru-sensei like this, and tell him—"

"I will absolutely not be teammates with cowards!"

The next moment, a puff of smoke exploded with a "bang," and the figure of Kusama Shigeo vanished from the spot!

"Hey, you!" I wanted to chase after him, but my wrist was grabbed by someone.

"Senior, he went over there alone!" I was extremely anxious, yet Hyuga Makoto shifted his gaze toward me and asked an inconceivable question:

"Have you kept the map safe?"

"The, the map?" I suddenly realized: "Senior, are you trying to confirm the route?" As I spoke, I touched the hard scroll inside my robes and nodded hurriedly, about to take it out, but was stopped by Hyuga Makoto again.

"Keep the map safe, let's move out."

"Eh? We can move out now? But... but isn't there danger ahead?"

"He has already entered the territory of Kirigakure." Hyuga Makoto stood up and stepped into the mountain mist first.

"Now, there is no longer any need to consider so much."

We caught up to Kusama Shigeo at a river channel.

His tracks were concealed far too poorly; if we hadn't found him first, his next step would surely have been to be hunted down by the Anbu of Kirigakure!

"Yo, the two cowards have arrived." He gave an arrogant smirk. "Have you figured it out? Do you want to act with me?"

Seeing that neither of us spoke, he grew smug: "But I have to tell you first, if you want to act with me, you have to acknowledge that I am the captain of this team, got it?"

"Don't you feel ashamed saying that?" I was about to speak, but Hyuga Makoto pressed down on my shoulder and stepped forward first.

"Let's go."

At these words, Kusama Shigeo was overjoyed.

"Wouldn't it have been better to be like this from the start?" He shook his head and followed the team. "Hey, remember to tell Master Orochimaru after we complete the mission that I deserve the most credit, got it?"