Mission (3)

Chapter 30: Mission ()

"Father, what do you think?"

Uchiha Shin looked at Uchiha Tajima with bright, eager eyes, waiting for his response.

This might actually work, right?

Uchiha Tajima lowered his head and considered it carefully...

Truthfully, he had never intended for the Uchiha Clan to take on the mission alone.

Although the mission commissioned by the Daimyo of the Land of Fire offered an extremely generous reward,

if the reward were nothing but money, there would be no reason for him to let the Uchiha Clan take such a risk.

If the Uchiha Clan took on this mission alone,

then to ensure its successful completion, they would have to commit half the clan's fighting force.

And standard-issue military equipment was something every shinobi clan coveted.

So if the escort mission failed, the resulting chain reaction could have the most dire consequences—even the extinction of the Uchiha Clan.

After all, the Senju Clan, the Uchiha Clan's enemy, had always had designs on them.

Uchiha Tajima believed that if the Uchiha Clan lost half its fighting force because the mission failed,

the Senju Clan would seize the opportunity, while the Uchiha Clan was at its weakest, and attack them directly.

After all, in the Land of Fire, the only clans whose strength rivaled the Senju Clan were the Hagoromo Clan and the Uchiha Clan.

But the Daimyo of the Land of Fire's representative had even added equipment worth one-tenth of the standard-issue military gear being transported to the mission's list of rewards.

Money, and equipment too.

That made it very difficult for Uchiha Tajima to refuse.

Having made up his mind, Uchiha Tajima smiled at Uchiha Shin.

It seemed his eldest son had never once disappointed him.

Seeing the lavish dinner laid out on the table, he hurriedly called Uchiha Shin over to eat.

"Let's eat, or it'll get cold."

"Mm-hm."

"Let's eat."

Seeing the confidence on Uchiha Tajima's face, Uchiha Shin smiled too, picked up his bowl, and began eating.

Three days passed in the blink of an eye.

During those three days, apart from teaching Madara, Izuna, and Hana to practice Water Walking, Uchiha Shin had nothing else to do for the time being.

Although Uchiha Shin had already passed the clan trial and become a qualified Genin of the Uchiha Clan,

he still hadn't accepted a mission from the Briefing Room.

But it seemed he would be required to take part in the escort mission commissioned by the Daimyo of the Land of Fire this time.

Uchiha Tajima had been very busy during those three days, coming home especially late every night.

Uchiha Shin suspected that Uchiha Tajima had been contacting other shinobi clans.

Although Uchiha Tajima had already decided to join forces with other clans to complete the commission, choosing which clans to ally with was a complicated matter.

First of all, the clans they joined forces with couldn't come in and take over.

From the beginning, Uchiha Tajima had established that the Uchiha Clan would lead this mission.

The clans they teamed up with also couldn't be too weak. Otherwise, they wouldn't be able to contribute and would only drag everyone down.

After all, the Uchiha Clan had already laid the groundwork. The rest should fall into place naturally. You couldn't expect to do nothing and still get a share of the spoils, could you?

Right?

Heh. That had never been how things worked.

Finally, the Uchiha Clan had to be able to punish the clans they allied with at any time.

That way, even if those clans wanted to betray them, they would have to consider whether their entire clan could withstand the Uchiha Clan's retaliation afterward.

After applying these criteria, there were only a handful of clans that could ally with the Uchiha Clan.

But these weren't things Uchiha Shin needed to worry about for now.

As far as those matters went, all he needed to do for the time being was keep them in mind.

The reason he was doing this was simple.

Uchiha Shin hadn't yet gained enough influence within the Uchiha Clan, so there were some things he understood but couldn't say.

It was just like working at a company: your position determined what you could say.

Don't assume that if the boss hasn't spoken up about something, it's because they haven't figured it out.

Then, once you see through it, you blurt it out, thinking you're so clever.

Stories about employees solving a huge company problem and being promoted straight to a high position by the chairman only happened on TV.

In real life, anyone who could reach the top of a company was a sly old fox. Did a rookie who had just entered the workplace really think they could play that game?

Heh.

Conversely, although the Ninja World was ruled by strength, things weren't all that different.

Alas, thinking of this, Uchiha Shin couldn't help sighing.

He guessed that tomorrow, the details of the mission would probably be announced.

So, while he still had time, he'd better prepare the ninja tools, Military Ration Pills, and Explosive Tags he would need on the trip.

That way, he wouldn't have to rush around in a panic later.

So Uchiha Shin, who had been about to head home, turned and walked toward the Briefing Room instead.

To get the ninja tools, Military Ration Pills, and Explosive Tags he needed, he still had to ask his father, Uchiha Tajima, for a requisition slip.

Hopefully Uchiha Tajima was still in the Briefing Room. Otherwise, he'd have made the trip for nothing.

Before long, Uchiha Shin reached the entrance to the Briefing Room.

He walked in as if he knew the place by heart, then went straight to the room where Uchiha Tajima worked.

Fortunately, his father, Uchiha Tajima, was still working there.

"Shin, you came at just the right time."

"I was just about to tell you..."

"You're on the personnel list for the escort mission the day after tomorrow."

"You've just passed the clan trial and become a Genin, but you haven't carried out a single mission yet."

"So if anything comes up during the operation the day after tomorrow, ask me whatever you need."

"I'll personally lead the clan members in completing this escort mission."

Uchiha Tajima was reading some documents. When he saw his eldest son arrive, he realized it was the perfect time to pass on some news to Uchiha Shin. He put down the documents, ready to tell him everything at once.

"By the way, here's the detailed battle plan for the escort mission the day after tomorrow. You can take a look now."

Uchiha Tajima didn't bother to hide it. He handed Uchiha Shin a scroll directly.

"Mm."

"I'll take a look."

Uchiha Shin understood what Uchiha Tajima meant. He took the scroll, unrolled it right in front of him, and skimmed through it.

A few minutes later, Uchiha Shin finished reading the plan.

"What do you think of it?"

"It's good..."

Uchiha Tajima watched Uchiha Shin with a smile.

Uchiha Shin lowered his head in thought, mentally running through the battle plan from beginning to end.

Whether it was the arrangements for handling unexpected situations or the plans for a safe withdrawal at the end, all in all, the battle plan was already quite thorough.

The only thing Uchiha Shin couldn't understand was why Uchiha Tajima wanted to contact the Hagoromo Clan.

After all, according to the rankings of the shinobi clans in the Land of Fire at present...

The Uchiha Clan and the Senju Clan were tied for first place. Their battles had gone both ways, and basically, neither could get the better of the other.

Although the Hagoromo Clan ranked second, it was still not to be underestimated.

Bringing the Hagoromo Clan into this would make the risks of the mission seem far less controllable.

Uchiha Shin couldn't figure it out.

"Father, why did you contact the Hagoromo Clan and invite them to join this alliance of shinobi clans?"

Uchiha Shin asked Uchiha Tajima directly, saying what was on his mind.

Hearing Uchiha Shin ask that, Uchiha Tajima chuckled. His face said, I knew you'd ask about this.

P.S. Please follow, recommend, vote, and support the novel. There should be two more chapters, but the author is slow, so they may take a while. Heh.