Uchiha Shin's Trial

Chapter 8: The Trial of Uchiha Shin

After that night, Uchiha Shin finally witnessed the cruelty inherent to the ninja world.

Uchiha Shin knew that the time for him to fully step into the ninja world probably wouldn't be long in coming.

Therefore, ever since that night, Uchiha Shin's training became increasingly diligent and grueling; aside from time spent eating and resting, he devoted almost every remaining moment to his cultivation.

As the saying goes, the more you sweat in practice, the less you bleed in battle—no matter how the world changes, this principle remains the same.

For Uchiha Shin, immersed in his training, time seemed to fly by; half a year passed in the blink of an eye, almost without him noticing.

During this period, the Uchiha Clan remained relatively calm—well, aside from a large-scale local war that had broken out against the Hamura Clan, it could be considered peaceful.

However, during this phase, the Uchiha Clan was truly lacking in combat power.

Lately, Uchiha Tajima returned home every night with a stony expression on his face.

Uchiha Shin understood why: because the clan's combat strength was severely depleted while the demand for manpower was everywhere, Uchiha Tajima was so stressed his hair was nearly turning white.

What to do when the clan is short on combatants?

The only option was to fast-track the selection of a batch of genin to meet the emergency.

Although Uchiha Tajima knew this wasn't ideal, and that few of these hastily selected genin would likely survive the battlefield, he had no choice.

For the Uchiha Clan, currently suffering from a critical shortage of strength, this method was nothing more than drinking poison to quench one's thirst.

Yet, manpower was needed to execute missions commissioned by other families, to guard and patrol the clan's territory, and even more so to scout intelligence on hostile ninja clans.

With no other options, Uchiha Tajima consulted with the clan elders and decided to move the annual clan trial for selecting genin up by half a year.

When news spread through the clan that the annual trial was being advanced by six months, Uchiha Shin knew he would inevitably be on the list of children participating in this trial.

Although the news caught Uchiha Shin slightly off guard, he wasn't particularly afraid; after all, even if he didn't encounter this trial now, he would still have to participate in half a year's time.

Uchiha Shin knew his current strength was already far superior to the average genin who only knew the Three Body Technique.

Even if he encountered an average chunin, while he might not be able to win, he had enough trump cards to ensure he could retreat unscathed.

Therefore, as long as he didn't draw the short straw and run into a powerful enemy like a jonin or an elite chunin during the trial, this mission should be manageable.

Sure enough, when Uchiha Shin returned from the training grounds that evening, he pushed the door open to find Uchiha Tajima sitting silently by the low table.

His mother, Uchiha Aoi, was not there to welcome him home as usual; instead, she sat with her back to Uchiha Tajima, wiping away tears in secret.

"I'm home."

Uchiha Shin greeted Uchiha Tajima and Uchiha Aoi with a smile.

"Shin..."

Hearing Uchiha Shin's voice, Uchiha Aoi turned around, her eyes brimming with tears, her expression one of sorrow and worry.

"What happened, Mother?"

Although Uchiha Shin understood what was going on, he still feigned ignorance and asked Uchiha Aoi.

"Husband, since you were able to put Shin's name on the list for this clan trial..."

"Then say something now!"

"That is your own biological son!"

"As the head of the Uchiha Clan, do you not understand the implications of this trial?"

"Even knowing that, you still added Shin's name to the list..."

Hearing Uchiha Shin's question, tears welled up in Uchiha Aoi's eyes as she turned to look at Uchiha Tajima, complaining incessantly.

Watching his parents, Uchiha Shin felt incredibly awkward...

It seems that in any era or any world, women may be soft, but mothers are strong!

Uchiha Tajima looked at his eldest son, forcing a rather strained smile.

"Shin, you are the son of Uchiha Tajima."

"And I, Uchiha Tajima, am the head of the Uchiha Clan..."

"Therefore, the burdens you carry are naturally heavier than those of other children your age."

"That is why I added you to the list for this trial, do you understand?"

Uchiha Tajima said to Uchiha Shin in a grave and earnest tone.

Hearing Uchiha Tajima's words, Uchiha Shin nodded slowly.

In the past, Uchiha Shin had always thought Uchiha Tajima was a very utilitarian man—someone who would cast aside his wife, son, love, and family ties for the sake of the Uchiha Clan.

Though Uchiha Tajima was often stern, rarely smiled, and handled affairs with iron-fisted decisiveness—the very definition of a ruthless ninja—the situation today revealed that deep down, this man possessed a surprisingly gentle, fatherly side.

Otherwise, the matter of having Uchiha Shin participate in the trial would have been stated as a firm command, rather than an attempt to explain himself to his son.

"I understand, Father!"

"I will certainly complete every part of this clan trial with excellence, rest assured, Father!"

Uchiha Shin assured Uchiha Tajima, his face full of confidence.

"Mother, regarding this cruel ninja world..."

"Isn't all a parent can do to raise their child into an independent ninja?"

"Since I was born into the Uchiha Clan, and since I am the son of the Uchiha Clan head, this is the path I was meant to walk."

"As a ninja, I cannot escape it."

"Better sooner than later... I have already prepared myself for this."

A gentle smile appeared on Uchiha Shin's face as he slowly walked over to sit beside Uchiha Aoi, beginning to comfort his mother, who was still worried about his safety.

Early the next morning, Uchiha Shin received the intelligence scroll for his clan trial mission from Uchiha Tajima.

Uchiha Shin returned to his room, opened the scroll, and carefully read the information recorded within.

A quarter of an hour later, Uchiha Shin had committed all the intelligence recorded in the scroll to memory.

The content of Uchiha Shin's clan trial was quite simple; one could say he had drawn the best possible lot.

The clan trial mission given by the scroll was to wipe out a group of bandits entrenched on a mountain called Yixian, located on the border between the Hagoromo Clan and the Uzuki Clan.

Eliminating bandits is simple; after all, bandits are merely ordinary people. To a ninja, ordinary people are nothing to fear, even if that ninja is only a genin.

The difficulty of this mission lies in how to safely and accurately traverse the border between the Hagoromo Clan and the Uzuki Clan.

After all, both the Hagoromo Clan and the Uzuki Clan dispatch their own ninjas to patrol this border line.

If one were to accidentally run straight into the patrol teams of the Hagoromo or Uzuki clans, the situation would become quite dire.

Thinking of this, Uchiha Shin decided to gather intelligence first.

After all, the intelligence in the scroll only provided a detailed introduction to the location of Yixian, the number of bandits, and their strength.

It did not mention the patrol teams from the Hagoromo and Uzuki clans that might appear along the border at all.

After all, success favors the prepared, while failure awaits those who are not...

After putting away the mission scroll, Uchiha Shin stood up, pushed open the door, left his room, and headed toward the Uchiha Clan's mission briefing room.

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