Not long after Uchiha Shin left the Briefing Room, Uchiha Tajima ordered his subordinates to post the list of ninjas assigned to the escort mission on the Briefing Room's bulletin board.
Uchiha Hana happened to be on the list.
Uchiha Hana's reasoning was simple. Since Uchiha Shin was taking part in the mission, and the lead ninja was none other than Shin's father, Uchiha Tajima...
How was that any different from getting credit for free?
All she had to do was stick close to Uchiha Shin. Whether they earned merit or ended up fleeing after the mission failed, it wouldn't make much difference.
Her safety, Uchiha Hana's safety, was sure to be guaranteed.
Heh. Sometimes, you really had to admire the way Uchiha Hana's mind worked. She always managed to make the best choice by accident.
At the clan head's command, the Uchiha Clan's war machine immediately sprang into action.
They had only one day to prepare before gathering.
So early the next morning, the ninjas on the list received their mission orders and hurried off to the equipment depot without wasting a moment.
Uchiha Shin had already collected the necessary supplies from the equipment depot, including ninja tools, Explosive Tags, and Military Ration Pills...
So early that morning, Uchiha Shin didn't have to suffer through the queue at the equipment depot.
"I'm back..."
It was nearly noon when Uchiha Hana finally returned from the equipment depot, carrying a cloth bag.
As soon as she entered, she saw Uchiha Shin lounging on the living room tatami, propping his head up with one hand. A teapot and some simple snacks sat in front of him.
Life couldn't get much more comfortable.
"Honestly, Lord Shin, all you do is slack off here..."
"You didn't even let me know I should go pick up my equipment."
"Lord Shin, you're so sneaky."
"When I went to the equipment depot this morning, it was packed, and there was only one senior Chunin in charge."
"I had no choice but to stand there like an idiot all morning..."
As soon as she entered the living room, Uchiha Hana tossed her cloth bag aside, sat down in front of Uchiha Shin, and began complaining without end.
Aside from her unusual way of thinking, Uchiha Hana was also rather forward.
After spending some time with Uchiha Shin, she had gradually let go of the caution she'd shown at first and become much more easygoing.
Uchiha Shin actually quite liked her casual attitude.
"Was that Kenichi, then?"
"Given how things were this morning, he really couldn't handle it all by himself."
Uchiha Shin smiled as he humored Uchiha Hana's complaints.
"Here, try one of these snacks. See if you like them."
Uchiha Shin saw Uchiha Hana pout. Smiling, he pushed the snacks in front of her.
"Snacks?"
Looking at the treats in front of her, Uchiha Hana opened her mouth without thinking, grabbed one in each hand, and sat there eating.
"These are pretty good."
As she ate, Uchiha Hana cheerfully gave her verdict on the snacks.
"Here, have some tea so you don't choke."
Seeing Uchiha Hana's cheeks bulging with food, Uchiha Shin smiled again, poured her a cup of tea, and handed it over.
"Here, drink up..."
Rather than argue with Uchiha Hana about her complaints, Uchiha Shin simply changed the subject and pushed the snacks toward her.
Uchiha Shin had lived for thirty years in his previous life and had learned one thing: never try to reason with a woman...
Women always had the strangest things on their minds.
For example, your girlfriend might tell you the water heater was broken and wouldn't give her hot water, so she couldn't take a bath.
You might try to talk it through with her, asking her to check whether the gas valve had tripped or whether the gas meter was empty.
But she'd tune all that out. In her mind, everything had been fine when she showered yesterday, so why had it broken right after you showered?
Had you broken it?
Women were always focused on figuring out why something had happened. When it came to how to fix it, they'd turn a deaf ear.
Heh. That was why Uchiha Shin, whether in his previous life or now, never tried to reason with women.
Otherwise, by the end of the argument, the man was always the one at fault.
So the best solution was to change the subject right away. Heh.
Sure enough, Uchiha Shin's prediction was right...
Once Uchiha Hana had taken the snacks and tea, she stopped dwelling on why Uchiha Shin hadn't told her about the mission the day before.
Instead, she started discussing the different kinds of snacks with Uchiha Shin, and which ones tasted best. Haha.
So, men with girlfriends: if your girlfriend gets angry, haha, try changing the subject.
The next day came quickly.
As soon as the sun rose, Uchiha Shin and Uchiha Hana left home.
By the time they reached the entrance to the Uchiha Clan's compound, some of the other ninjas were already waiting there.
A little while later, Uchiha Tajima arrived too.
Then Uchiha Tajima began calling out names from the list in his hand.
"Uchiha Kaori!"
"Here!"
"Uchiha Sarina!"
"Here!"
"Uchiha Edako!"
"Here!"
"Uchiha Shin!"
"Here!"
"Uchiha Hana!"
"Here!"
"Uchiha Atsushi!"
"Here!"
After calling out everyone on the list and confirming no one was missing, Uchiha Tajima ordered the ninja guarding the entrance to open the compound gates...
There was no pre-battle speech, nor any rousing pep talk.
Uchiha Shin looked around at the expressions of those taking part in the mission.
There was no surprise or panic. Their eyes were full of determination, as if this were only natural.
From their resolute gazes, Uchiha Shin could tell that everyone going on this mission except him and Uchiha Hana was an experienced hand.
Even the Genin among them had surely been to the battlefield many times. They were the cream of the crop among Genin.
It seemed his father, Uchiha Tajima, was determined to win this time.
Uchiha Shin and Uchiha Hana set out with the group, heading toward the mission's gathering point—the capital of the Land of Fire, Pingjing City—as the sun rose before them.
As for their allies, the Hagoromo Clan, the Nara Clan, the Akimichi Clan, and the Yamanaka Clan, Uchiha Tajima had privately told Uchiha Shin that all four clans would meet up with the Uchiha Clan in Pingjing City.
The number of ninjas taking part in the commission was sixty from the Uchiha Clan, fifty from the Hagoromo Clan, twenty from the Nara Clan, twenty from the Akimichi Clan, and twenty from the Yamanaka Clan.
That made a total of 170 ninjas. A force that size was sure to intimidate most troublemakers.
And that didn't even include the Daimyo of the Land of Fire's own forces among the escort team: the ninja monks of the Fire Temple.
Hearing the numbers, Uchiha Shin couldn't help but marvel.
This was sure to be a grand affair. He'd also get to see the other clans' signature techniques, and perhaps even the Fire Temple's secret technique, Talent of the Immortal Clan.
At the thought, Uchiha Shin couldn't help feeling eager.
This was the kind of life a ninja was meant to lead!
Haha!
Before you continue