Chapter 29: The Mission
"We're home!" ×4
Uchiha Shin, Madara, Izuna, and Hana had spent the whole way home chatting and laughing. They made it back just before curfew.
"Welcome home!"
"Dinner's ready. Go wash your hands; we'll eat in a moment."
After greeting Uchiha Shin, Madara, Izuna, and Hana, Uchiha Aoi turned and went back inside to carry dinner over to the low table.
After washing up, Uchiha Shin, Madara, Izuna, and Hana hurried to their usual seats around the table.
"Wow, dinner looks amazing tonight!"
"Is there something to celebrate?"
Uchiha Shin glanced down at the lavish spread, then turned to Uchiha Aoi, looking puzzled.
Uchiha Aoi gazed warmly at Uchiha Tajima, thinking it would be better for the head of the family to share the good news.
As everyone looked on expectantly, Uchiha Tajima sat at the head of the table, his face alight with joy.
He fell silent for a moment, then explained the whole story in detail.
"At noon today, a representative of the Daimyo of the Land of Fire visited the Uchiha Clan."
"He offered us a mission: escort a shipment of standard military supplies to the Land of Iron."
"The representative said outright that many people would try to get their hands on those supplies along the way..."
"So the Daimyo of the Land of Fire needs the strongest shinobi clan in the Land of Fire to escort them."
"He also made it clear that the Uchiha Clan was his first choice."
"If we can't take the job, he'll approach the Senju Clan and the Hagoromo Clan."
"The reward for this mission is too generous to pass up. If we miss this chance and the Senju Clan takes the job..."
"Our days will become very difficult for a long time."
"So the Uchiha Clan accepted the Daimyo's mission."
Uchiha Tajima looked at Uchiha Shin, Madara, Izuna, and Hana as he spoke.
Madara, Izuna, and Hana didn't give it much thought...
After all, it was only natural for a shinobi clan to accept a mission, complete it, and collect the reward.
"Father, how many shinobi will we need to send for this escort mission?"
But Uchiha Shin couldn't shake the feeling that the representative of the Daimyo of the Land of Fire had arrived at a suspiciously convenient time.
After all, the reason Uchiha Shin had been assigned his clan trial six months early was that the Uchiha Clan had taken painful losses in Uchiha Kawasuke's operation.
They had rushed a new batch of Genin into service to make up for those losses.
And now, before much time had passed, the Daimyo of the Land of Fire had handed the Uchiha Clan such a lucrative contract?
Wasn't that a little too convenient?
The representative had even said that if the Uchiha Clan didn't take the job, he would go to the Senju Clan or the Hagoromo Clan.
No matter how Uchiha Shin looked at it, the representative seemed to be using both threats and temptation to pressure the Uchiha Clan into accepting the contract.
What was the Daimyo of the Land of Fire really after?
Uchiha Shin couldn't help suspecting there was more to it.
In his previous life, Uchiha Shin had heard the saying that warriors broke the law through force, while scholars disrupted it through their words.
As the official representative of the Land of Fire, hadn't the daimyo considered the same possibility?
And could anyone who had risen to the seat of Daimyo of the Land of Fire really be an innocent fool?
The shinobi clans of this world that had survived since the Mythic Era and remained powerful...
Had all risen through bloody battles, trampling the bones of defeated clans beneath their feet.
They were all ruthless, bloodthirsty people who would drain their enemies dry. Could anyone really expect them to feel reverence for authority?
For thousands of years, had the daimyo simply watched these clans and let them rule their countries?
And yet the daimyo of the Five Great Nations still ruled their countries in such peace. It seemed that, when it came to strategy, the daimyo of the Five Great Nations had the upper hand.
That was why Uchiha Shin was so wary of whatever lay behind this mission.
Besides, Uchiha Shin didn't believe Uchiha Tajima, the head of the Uchiha Clan, was some naïve fool.
Hadn't he considered these things?
Uchiha Shin looked at Uchiha Tajima with worry, hoping for an answer that would put him at ease.
After all, if the Uchiha Clan fell, everyone beneath its roof would fall with it. What would become of Uchiha Shin's future?
Besides, Uchiha Shin had never believed in anything as convenient as a windfall. What if the Daimyo of the Land of Fire had joined forces with another clan to set a trap?
"For this escort mission, we may have to send half the clan's fighting force."
Uchiha Tajima watched Madara and Izuna wolfing down their food, then looked at his eldest son, who was gazing at him with concern. He sighed inwardly before answering.
The difference between Madara, Izuna, and Uchiha Shin was plain to see.
Uchiha Shin knew Uchiha Tajima must have had his reasons for accepting the mission.
But until Uchiha Tajima passed the clan leadership to him...
He had to show Uchiha Tajima how valuable he was to the Uchiha Clan.
With Uchiha Madara growing stronger by the day, Uchiha Shin had to compete. He needed to earn Uchiha Tajima's complete trust in advance.
Becoming head of the Uchiha Clan was nonnegotiable for him. Even if his rival was Uchiha Madara, even if Madara was Indra's reincarnation...
He would never hand the position over willingly.
"What if the Senju Clan takes this opportunity to attack our compound?"
"Taking the whole mission on ourselves is too risky, Father."
Uchiha Shin raised his concerns in response to Uchiha Tajima's answer.
Hearing Uchiha Shin's questions, Uchiha Tajima was pleased.
The fact that he could ask such questions showed that Uchiha Shin was already looking at matters from the perspective of the entire Uchiha Clan.
That was good. It was the kind of vision and generosity a future clan head should have.
But to keep testing Uchiha Shin, Uchiha Tajima didn't immediately share his own thoughts.
Instead, he asked, "Then, Shin, what do you think?"
"Taking the whole reward for ourselves won't end well, Father. We need to bring a few other clans into an alliance."
"As long as we make sure the Uchiha Clan remains in control, we can afford to give up part of the profit."
"That may look like a loss for our clan..."
"But it would spread the risks of this mission across the other clans."
Uchiha Shin laid out his reasoning first.
"That gives us two advantages."
"First, the fighting force left at the Uchiha Clan's compound won't be weakened too much."
"Then the Senju Clan definitely won't dare to attack our compound outright."
"After all, that would be like killing a thousand enemies at the cost of eight hundred of their own. I don't think the Senju Clan's leader would be foolish enough to do that."
"When two clams fight, the fisherman profits."
Uchiha Shin rapidly refined his plan.
"Second, it's not the thief you need to fear, but the one who covets what you have. Since the Daimyo of the Land of Fire approached our clan..."
"Whatever the reason behind this, we have to get to the bottom of it."
"An enemy's enemy is a friend. I'm sure the Daimyo of the Land of Fire has enemies of his own."
"Then we can decide how to act based on what we learn."
Uchiha Shin paused, as if struck by another thought, then added, "Even if the Daimyo of the Land of Fire has teamed up with the Senju Clan to set us up, it won't matter."
"With these allied clans serving as cannon fodder, our escort force should be able to return safely to the Uchiha Clan's compound."
"In short, as long as we keep our strength intact, anyone who wants to cause us trouble will have to be ready to pay a heavy price."
Uchiha Shin let out a cold laugh, then continued, "There are plenty of shinobi clans in the Land of Fire."
"If the Senju Clan becomes the Daimyo's dog and tries to take us on..."
"Hmph!"
"The idea that when one's lips are gone, one's teeth will feel the cold, and that others will mourn the rabbit once the fox is dead..."
"I'm sure the leaders of the other clans in the Land of Fire understand that."
"Then we'll have justice on our side."
"Maybe we can even use this chance to form an alliance of shinobi clans in the Land of Fire, led by the Uchiha Clan."
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