Executing the Mission, Rain Ninja Ambush!

The next morning.

Tobirama Uchiha arrived on time.

The two teammates who had been knocked out yesterday, Jiro Tanaka and Ai Suzuki, had arrived long ago. They were carrying packs nearly as large as their own bodies, their legs trembling nervously.

This was a ninja war.

And they were headed to the Land of Rain, where it supposedly rained every day and corpses littered the ground.

"Everyone here?"

Tsunade's voice came from overhead.

She leaped down from the top of the gate and landed without a sound.

Today, she wore a lightweight mesh combat uniform that made her look even more capable, though her chest was still so magnificent it was impossible to look away.

Besides Team 7, there were two other squads.

Six Genin and two Jonin squad leaders.

Twelve people in total.

"This is a B-rank mission. We'll be escorting a shipment of Explosive Tags and medical supplies to the frontline camp."

Tsunade swept her gaze over the group, pausing briefly on Tobirama before waving a hand.

"Enough talk. Move out!"

Beyond Konoha Gate lay dense forest.

To make up time, everyone used chakra to travel, leaping and weaving between the branches.

Tsunade deliberately slowed down to accommodate the rookie Genin.

Tobirama, however, was completely at ease. He followed half a step behind Tsunade, his breathing not even disturbed.

"Catch."

Tsunade suddenly flicked her wrist, sending a scroll flying toward Tobirama.

Tobirama raised a hand and caught it.

He opened it and found [Wind Style: Vacuum Sphere].

"The old man gave it to you."

Without looking back, Tsunade's voice drifted back on the wind.

"He said it was the reward for graduating first. It's an A-rank ninjutsu developed by the Second Hokage."

Tobirama toyed with the scroll in his hand, a teasing smile curling across his lips.

That old Monkey moved fast.

He was already baiting the hook?

First a favor, then a high-order ninjutsu. He was clearly afraid Tobirama would be led astray by those lunatics from the Uchiha Clan.

Well, sugar-coated bullets were easy enough. Eat the sugar, then fire the bullet back.

"Please thank Lord Hokage for me."

Tobirama tucked the scroll into his ninja tool pouch, then hurried forward two steps and walked beside Tsunade.

"Teacher Tsunade, there's something I'd like to ask of you."

"Go ahead." Tsunade was brief.

"I want to learn Medical Ninjutsu."

Tsunade, who had been racing forward, abruptly stumbled and nearly missed her footing.

She stopped on a tree trunk, turned around, and stared at Tobirama as though she had seen a ghost.

"You? Learn Medical Ninjutsu?"

"You're an Uchiha, born battle maniacs. Instead of learning proper ninjutsu and genjutsu, you want to learn Medical Ninjutsu?"

In her mind, the Uchiha Clan wanted to pour every last skill point into offense. Asking them to heal people was harder than making pigs climb trees.

But Tobirama dropped his playful grin, his expression becoming exceptionally serious.

"Battle maniacs need to stay alive before they can deal damage."

He glanced at Jiro and Ai, who were panting as they struggled to catch up behind them.

"Besides, Teacher, you're the strongest medical ninja in the Ninja World."

"As your student, wouldn't it embarrass you if I couldn't even use Medical Ninjutsu?"

"And besides..."

Tobirama paused, lowering his voice.

"Blades have no eyes on the battlefield. If you get hurt, or if these two idiot teammates are about to die, I can lend a hand instead of just watching helplessly."

The wind swept through the forest, rustling the leaves.

Tsunade looked at the twelve-year-old boy before her.

Those black eyes held none of the Uchiha's usual arrogance and coldness. Instead, there was a gentleness that stirred something in her heart.

This kid.

Did he coat his mouth in honey?

Tsunade felt something soft within her being poked.

She thought of her younger brother Nawaki, who had also worn that silly expression when he said he wanted to protect his sister.

"Hmph."

Tsunade turned her head away, concealing the flicker in her eyes.

"Medical Ninjutsu is far harder than killing people. It requires extremely precise chakra control."

"If you can't learn it, don't blame me for hitting you."

Tobirama grinned, revealing a mouthful of white teeth. "Don't worry. I'm thick-skinned. I can take a beating."

"Enough. Keep moving! Once we reach the camp, I'll teach you Chakra Scalpel!"

The corners of Tsunade's lips lifted despite herself.

This student seemed like a pretty good catch after all.

Two days later.

The surrounding scenery changed.

The lush forest gave way to yellowed, rotting mud. The air was damp, and the sky looked as if someone had punched a hole through it, with endless drizzling rain.

They had reached the Land of Rain.

Rain hammered against their straw hats with endless pitter-patter, irritating everyone's nerves.

The newly graduated Genin had long lost the excitement they had shown when leaving the village. One by one, they trudged through the mud with their heads hanging low.

"Stay alert!"

Tsunade suddenly shouted.

Before her voice had even faded.

The surrounding mud exploded.

"Water Release: Water Colliding Wave!"

More than a dozen high-pressure streams shot in from every direction like white pythons, instantly tearing through the curtain of rain.

"Enemy attack!!"

The other two Jonin leaders reacted quickly as well, immediately forming hand seals to defend.

"Earth Flow Wall!"

Boom! Boom!

Earthen walls rose and blocked the first wave of attacks.

But immediately afterward, more than thirty masked ninja burst out of the mud.

Amegakure's assassination force!

"Konoha scum, leave the supplies behind, and you can die quickly!"

The Rain Ninja Jonin leading them gave a sinister laugh, the sickle in his hand gleaming coldly.

"So this is the battlefield..."

Jiro's legs went weak with fear, and he could barely hold onto the Kunai in his hand.

"Mom... I want to go home..." Ai burst into tears.

"Shut up! If you don't want to die, stand back-to-back!"

With an angry roar, Tsunade charged straight ahead.

"Heavenly Foot of Pain!"

Boom!

The earth ruptured, forcing the Rain Ninja leader to retreat again and again.

But there were simply too many enemies.

More than thirty elites, including three Jonin. The rest were all Chunin and veteran Genin.

Tsunade and the other two Konoha Jonin were instantly entangled by five powerful opponents, unable to spare a hand for the rookies.

The remaining twenty-odd Rain Ninja lunged at the six Genin like a pack of wolves.

This was slaughter.

"Ah—!"

A shrill scream rang out.

A Genin from the neighboring squad had just raised a Shuriken when a Rain Ninja instantly closed in on him.

A flash of steel.

That youthful head flew straight into the air.

Blood erupted, splashing Jiro's face.

Hot.

Reeking.

Jiro froze.

He blankly wiped the blood from his face and watched the headless body slowly collapse.

A companion who had been complaining about the heavy rain just a second ago had become two pieces the next.

"Help... help me..."

Another Genin had his stomach pierced by a Kunai. He convulsed in the mud, his intestines spilling everywhere.

Despair.

Endless despair engulfed these flowers raised in a greenhouse.

The sparring routines they had learned at the academy were laughable before these Rain Ninja who killed as easily as breathing, like the dance of infants.

"So this is Konoha's new generation? So fragile."

A Rain Ninja licked the blood from his blade, his mocking gaze settling on Tobirama Uchiha.

"Kid, you look like a pretty boy. Cutting off your head and serving it with wine wouldn't be bad."

His figure flashed as he activated the Body Flicker Technique, his katana shooting straight for Tobirama's throat.

Fast, accurate, ruthless!

He did not take this twelve-year-old kid seriously at all.

Tobirama stood where he was, unmoving.

Rainwater dripped from the tips of his hair.

In his pupils were reflected the approaching blade and the horrific sight of his companions being massacred around him.

This was war.

There were no referees, no stopping at the right moment. There was only death or survival.

The "passion" he had watched through a screen in his previous life had become a nauseating stench of blood here.

But he was not sickened.

On the contrary.

He felt the blood in his veins boil.

It was a craving for slaughter that came from deep within the Uchiha bloodline.

Right now, he stood at the peak of the entire Ninja World. There were hardly any people in the current Ninja World who could defeat him.

Besides, this war was meant for earning military merit and fame. As for exposing his strength and being feared, then getting schemed against by F4...

Sorry, but every conspiracy and scheme was a joke before absolute strength!

In this world where fists ruled above all else, as long as one was strong enough, one could crush everything!

"A snack with wine?"

Tobirama suddenly raised his head.

His black eyes instantly turned into scarlet Three-Tomoe Sharingan!

Though it lasted only an instant, the terrifying ocular power that flashed past made the charging Rain Ninja's heart miss a beat.

"What..."

Before the Rain Ninja could react.

Tobirama moved.

No one even saw how he drew his blade.

They only heard a crisp clang.

The Rain Ninja maintained his charging posture as he swept past Tobirama.

Then.

His upper and lower body parted ways.

Blood burst forth like a fountain, drenching Tobirama from head to toe.

"The first."

Tobirama's voice was soft, drowned out by the rain, yet cold as if it came from Hell.

He flicked the beads of blood from his tachi, a brilliant smile spreading across his face.

It was the smile of an evil ghost.

"Stop standing around!"

He turned and roared at the Konoha Genin who had been scared senseless:

"If you don't want to die, get behind me!"

"Next..."

Tobirama slowly turned around to face the twenty-odd Rain Ninja, fierce as wolves and tigers.

The air around him changed.

He was no longer the gifted young man who had acted meekly to hide his strength.

He was a demonic blade freshly drawn from its sheath.

Now that he had reached this battlefield, a meat grinder of a place, there was no need to keep pretending to be some obedient child. Besides, he no longer needed a disguise to protect himself.

His current strength was enough to shatter any scheme or trick.

Killing one was killing. Killing a hundred was also killing.

Since you want to gamble with your lives, then I'll play big with you.

"Y-you killed Yamashita?"

The remaining Rain Ninja froze for a moment, then flew into a rage.

"Kill him! Get him together!"

Seven or eight Rain Ninja charged at once, Shuriken, Kunai, and Water Release ninjutsu raining down like a storm.

Tobirama drew a deep breath, chakra surging through his body like floodwaters released from a dam.

Healthy Itachi's combat experience instantly awakened in his mind.

Since you're looking to die...

Then let me show you what the power of the Uchiha Clan really is.

"Fire Style: Phoenix Sage Flower Nail Crimson!"

Tobirama's hands did not move at all, yet he exhaled more than a dozen fireballs wrapped around Shuriken in one breath.

Then his figure vanished from where he stood.

When he reappeared, he was already behind a Rain Ninja.

"Too slow."

Squelch!

The Kunai pierced the heart with precision, twisted, then was pulled free.

The movement was so graceful, it was like dancing.

At that moment, the identities of hunter and prey were completely reversed!

Who was the hunter, and who was the prey? The difference was instantly clear!