"About this mission?"
The old man looked at the mission in Shin's hand, his expression hesitant. He advised, "If I'm not mistaken, you're only at the Special Jonin level. Blood Blade has been a Jonin for years, and he's powerful. You're a genius of our clan; there's no need to prove yourself by taking such a risk. Choose another mission. There are a few gray missions that would suit you much better."
He thought Shin was young and hotheaded, trying to take on a difficult mission to prove himself.
Shin knew the old man meant well, but he knew his own abilities, and he couldn't accept the offer. He shook his head firmly.
In the later era of Konoha, taking missions above one's rank was unheard of. The village had a strict ranking system that was hard to bypass. But this was the Warring States Period, when there weren't so many rules. If you thought you could handle it, you could take on a mission like this one to hunt someone down.
The clans of the Warring States Period all followed the principle of survival of the fittest. If you couldn't even judge your own strength, you'd eventually die on the battlefield anyway. Such a person could never become a proper ninja.
Seeing that he couldn't persuade Shin, the old man said no more. He sighed, thinking, I hope Blood Ninja has already fled the Land of Fire, or been killed by a ninja from another clan. Anything, as long as Shin doesn't run into him.
Shin tucked the mission sheet into his robes and left the mission hall. It was already late morning, and the Uchiha Clan Compound was bustling. The atmosphere of preparation for war had grown even more intense.
Hmph. You lot can fight all you want. I'll grind solo in the jungle for thirty years, then come out fully geared and take on five at once. With that thought, he headed out of the compound. First, he had to make his way to the northwest of the Land of Fire.
"Well, fancy running into you, Shin!"
He had just passed a corner when he saw someone standing on the stone steps with his arms crossed, calling out to him.
Shin looked closely and saw that it was Uchiha Madara. He couldn't help giving him a strange look. "What are you doing here? And why are you standing on these unfinished steps? Trying to look cool?"
Madara coughed. "I went to your room this morning, but your little maid told me you'd gone to take a mission. I headed this way, and happened to run into you."
Shin's mouth twitched. That's what you call running into me? You obviously saw me coming and waited here. You even struck a pose.
Shin didn't want to tease him any further. "What do you want?"
Madara kept his pose. "Forget that for now. What made you decide to take a mission all of a sudden? Let me see what you picked."
Shin didn't hide it. He pulled out the sheet for the black mission and handed it over.
Uchiha Madara read it carefully. His expression changed, and he read it again before saying in an odd tone, "Are you trying to get yourself killed? You took on a mission that even a Jonin might not be able to complete."
This time, Shin didn't bother to be polite. "Mind your own business."
Madara shook with anger, but there was nothing he could do. He flung the mission sheet at Shin's face and snapped, "I don't care if you die!"
Shin caught it easily and tucked it back into his robes. "Say what you have to say. Don't waste my time."
Madara's face darkened. "After I was kept behind yesterday, my father and the others discussed the battle plan against the Hyuga Clan in detail. They're planning to send Uchiha Dou and his men to hold off the Senju Clan. But the Senju are powerful, and we've lost Kazama Valley. That means fighting on two fronts. I want your opinion. Can we win this time?"
Shin sighed and looked at him helplessly. "You came all this way just to ask me that?"
Madara clenched his fists. If looks could kill, Shin would have died at least ten times over.
"We can win. See you." Shin left him with that and turned to go.
"You son of a—" Uchiha Madara finally snapped. In a flash, he appeared in front of Shin, raising a fist and snarling, "If you want to fight, just say so. I'm game."
Shin thought it over. If he kept messing around, Madara might really pick a fight with him. "I already told you we can win. What more do you want to hear?"
Madara said, "If the Senju really get involved, I'm afraid our side won't be able to withstand the pressure. The last time we fought both clans at once, we held out for two years because of Kazama Valley's terrain. In reality, we committed most of our forces to fighting the Senju, while against the Hyuga we only sent an elite force to block them, relying on the terrain. Now we've lost that advantage, and fighting both clans at once is a terrible situation. And all you can do is tell me we'll win?"
"You've got it wrong."
"What?"
"We're only going to fight the Hyuga. We're not fighting the Senju too. There's a difference."
Madara stared straight at him, looking as if he were watching an idiot.
Shin understood the look and explained, "Don't think the people in our clan are fools. If this really meant fighting both clans at once, they wouldn't charge in like idiots. They're old hands who've been through countless battles. Don't underestimate them. You need to understand one thing: the Hyuga are the Hyuga, and the Senju are the Senju. They're two separate clans."
Madara furrowed his brow. "You mean the Senju might not come to their aid? But that doesn't make sense. The Hyuga have become their vassals. They have to help them."
"Fine, let me put it another way. Suppose the situation were reversed. You're the head of the Uchiha Clan, the Hyuga are our vassals, and the Senju are going to attack them. What would you do?"
"Obviously, I'd send troops to help the Hyuga..." Madara answered without hesitation. Then he suddenly stiffened, as if he understood. "No. In that situation, I'd wait for them to fight first, then watch from the sidelines. Once they were exhausted, I'd clean up the pieces. No, the Hyuga would already be our vassals, so doing nothing wouldn't make sense either. I'd send troops to support them, but not our main force. I'd just make it look like we were going to save them."
Uchiha Madara gradually got into the swing of things, and the answer suddenly became clear to him.
Shin nodded. "Exactly. The Hyuga Clan is no weakling. Becoming someone's vassal may be humiliating, but if your own strength is great enough, it's not that big a problem. The Senju might not want their vassals to become as powerful as the Hyuga are now. So whether the Uchiha weaken the Hyuga, or the Senju wait until the war is halfway over and swoop in to reap the benefits, it's a win for them either way. They'll think they control the course of the war and can end it whenever they want with their own strength. So the pressure from the Senju won't be too great—not until the Hyuga are driven back, at least."
Madara's eyes lit up. "So we have a chance?"
"Yes. The clan's elders aren't fools, especially when it comes to understanding their old rivals, the Senju. Don't worry. The Hyuga are the only ones who'll suffer in this war. We want revenge, and the Senju don't want the Hyuga to grow too strong. Both clans are scheming against them. They won't be wiped out, but they'll definitely lose a chunk of their strength. I'm going to take care of my mission now. See you."
Having explained everything to Madara, Shin started toward the edge of the compound.
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