Encountering Enemies: It Was This Chaotic Era That Harmed You All.JPG

Uchiha Jun took the scroll and quickly scanned its contents.

[Mission Details: Escort a classified intelligence scroll to a temporary outpost on the border between the Land of Fire and the Land of Grass, and rendezvous with a Konoha reconnaissance squad retreating from the Iwagakure front.]

[The reconnaissance squad was led by Special Jonin Yamazaki Kengo. Its members included Chunin Akimichi Dodo, Chunin Gekko Kazuichi, and Chunin Hyuga Shuichi.]

[The squad lost contact after engaging an Iwagakure Explosion Release ninja unit. There was suspicion that the intelligence had been compromised, so reinforcements were needed as soon as possible.]

Uchiha Jun closed the scroll, looked around, then raised his eyes toward Orochimaru.

"Lord Orochimaru, this mission..."

"There are only the two of us." Orochimaru cut him off, licking the corner of his mouth. "Is there a problem?"

"...I only just became a Genin. Isn't this a little against the rules?"

Shouldn't the normal process involve picking up trash, catching cats and dogs, or, at the very least, wiping out some bandits?

He had even planned to use this mission opportunity to look for Gato, the cash machine exclusive to old-school fanfiction, and farm some Gold Coins off him.

Uchiha Jun was not foolish enough to plan on saving up for High-Recruitment Scrolls by completing missions.

Wouldn't it be much better to quietly take out a few "local tycoons" and farm Gold Coins?

"It is wartime. The village is short on manpower, and you know my status. This is already the lowest-level mission I can take."

"..."

Hearing that, Uchiha Jun understood. So he was not being targeted; Orochimaru's "babysitter" rank was simply too high.

Playing house during peacetime was one thing. Doing it during wartime was just a waste of resources.

Fine. This would let him quickly complete enough missions to obtain the full Uchiha Izuna card!

He put away the mission scroll and followed Orochimaru toward the border of the Land of Fire.

The two moved at tremendous speed. Orochimaru deliberately tested Uchiha Jun's stamina, maintaining a pace near the limit of a Chunin for almost the entire journey.

But to Orochimaru's surprise, Uchiha Jun not only kept up, he had not taken a single soldier pill to replenish his chakra.

"This stamina... it's almost on par with a Special Jonin."

Interest flashed through Orochimaru's eyes, but he said nothing more.

After a day and a night of rapid travel, the two entered a dense forest at the border between the Land of Fire and the Land of Grass.

"Stop."

Orochimaru suddenly raised a hand, signaling Uchiha Jun to halt.

"What is it, Lord Orochimaru?"

Uchiha Jun vigilantly scanned the surroundings while secretly activating the sensory ability of [Senju Tobirama (Young)].

In an instant, six chakra sources appeared within his range.

Three were five hundred meters ahead, while the other three were around eight hundred meters to the left.

Thanks to his relentless grinding over the past three days, even the sensory ability of [Senju Tobirama (Young)] had improved, allowing him to sense everything within a kilometer!

"Someone's here?"

Uchiha Jun asked calmly.

Of course, he had sensed them, but he could not show it.

If an Uchiha possessed sensory abilities sufficient to lead a reconnaissance squad, that would be rather abnormal.

People would probably suspect that he was the product of an Uzumaki Clan-Uchiha affair.

Orochimaru did not answer. Instead, he fixed Uchiha Jun with those cold snake eyes.

"There are three Iwagakure patrol ninjas in the forest ahead. One is an Elite Chunin, and the other two are Chunin."

"I'll give you ten minutes. Go deal with them."

Uchiha Jun's heart tightened.

Here it came!

Orochimaru's "test."

"By myself?"

"Of course." Orochimaru licked the corner of his mouth, a hint of cruelty in his smile. "If you die, it only means you were nothing special."

Uchiha Jun took a deep breath and said nothing more.

He drew the Ninja Blade from his back and stealthily headed in the direction Orochimaru had indicated.

"Mofang!"

"Bang—"

The Summoning Technique activated, and the golden Shiba Inu appeared before Uchiha Jun.

"Mofang, stay on standby in the woods beside me when the fight starts!"

"Understood!"

Mofang wagged his tail and slipped into the nearby bushes.

Uchiha Jun continued onward, using the sensory ability of [Senju Tobirama (Young)] to lock onto the exact locations of the three Iwagakure ninjas.

The three Iwagakure ninjas were seated around a large tree, seemingly taking a break.

"Circle around from the left."

Uchiha Jun lowered his body and slowly approached under the cover of the shrubs.

When he was still a hundred meters from the target, he suddenly stopped.

"No, too risky."

There were three of them, and one was even an Elite Chunin.

Even with Mofang's help, his odds in a direct confrontation were not high.

"Then... I'll pick one off first!"

A fierce glint flashed through Uchiha Jun's eyes as he formed hand seals.

"Water Style: Water Wave!"

The next moment, a violent stream of water burst from the ground and charged at the Chunin on the far left like a water dragon!

"Enemy attack!"

The Chunin reacted swiftly, immediately rolling aside to evade.

But he was fast, and Uchiha Jun's blade was faster!

"Senju-Style Swordsmanship: Instant Slash!"

Uchiha Jun appeared behind the Chunin like a ghost, his Ninja Blade flashing with cold light.

"Splat—"

Blood spurted out.

The Chunin's eyes widened. He lowered his head to look at the blade tip piercing through his chest as blood gushed from his mouth, and his body collapsed limply to the ground.

"Bastard!"

The other two Iwa-nin flew into a rage, drawing kunai and charging at Uchiha Jun together.

The Elite Chunin formed hand seals and spat out several mud bullets!

"Earth Style: Mud Bullet Jutsu!"

Uchiha Jun sidestepped the attack while charging toward the Chunin on the right.

"Bite!"

"Woof!"

Mofang shot out of the bushes, turning into a golden afterimage as he slammed fiercely into the Elite Chunin!

The Elite Chunin was caught completely off guard and sent flying, crashing through several trees.

Uchiha Jun seized the chance to slash at the Chunin on the right's neck!

"Don't even think about it!"

The Chunin reacted quickly, drawing a kunai in reverse grip to block.

"Clang!"

Metal rang against metal, sparks flying everywhere.

Uchiha Jun's slash was blocked, but he did not pause for even a moment. He formed hand seals with his left hand and sprayed a stream of water at point-blank range!

"Water Style: Water Wave!"

At such close range, the Chunin had no time to evade. The violent torrent struck him head-on, blasting him into a tree and killing him on the spot.

"One left."

Uchiha Jun turned toward the Elite Chunin.

By then, Mofang had been kicked away by the Elite Chunin and dispersed into smoke. Though the Ninja Dog had been "killed," he would recover after twenty-four hours, so it was no big deal.

"Damn brat! You're no ordinary Genin!"

The Elite Chunin glared at Uchiha Jun, the anger in his eyes nearly taking physical form.

In less than two minutes, only he remained of the three Iwagakure ninjas.

This was absolutely not something a Genin could accomplish!

"Enough nonsense. Die!"

Uchiha Jun did not waste words. He raised his blade and charged again.

The Elite Chunin gritted his teeth and met him in battle. The two became entangled in fierce combat amid the forest.

Uchiha Jun's swordsmanship was forceful and sharp, every slash aimed directly at a vital point.

The Elite Chunin relied on his extensive combat experience, constantly blocking and evading while looking for chances to counterattack.

"Earth Style: Rock Fist Jutsu!"

The Elite Chunin caught an opening. His right arm became encased in rock, transforming into a massive stone fist that smashed down at Uchiha Jun!

Uchiha Jun had no time to evade and could only raise his blade to block.

"Boom—!"

The rock fist struck the blade. The immense force sent Uchiha Jun flying, smashing him through several trees.

Senju Bloodline: Life Force!

Relying on the trait's advantage, Uchiha Jun recovered first and directly unleashed Secret Scroll: Chakra.

Time for the ultimate.

The next moment, a huge number of Explosive Tags shot out from around Uchiha Jun alongside crashing waves, surging toward the Elite Chunin from all directions!

"No—!"

The Elite Chunin screamed in terror and turned to flee.

But it was already too late.

"Boom boom boom boom boom—!"

A continuous series of explosions rang out, flames shooting into the sky.

When the smoke and dust cleared, the Elite Chunin had been blown beyond recognition. He lay on the ground, dead.

It wasn't me, Uchiha Jun, who harmed you. It was this chaotic era that harmed you.

Just then, applause came from behind him.

Uchiha Jun turned around and saw Orochimaru slowly walking out of the woods, a satisfied smile on his face.

"Not bad. Better than I expected."

Orochimaru looked at Uchiha Jun, intense curiosity flickering in his snake eyes.

"An Uchiha, yet you possess such an enormous amount of chakra, and your swordsmanship is so exquisite..."

"And your swordsmanship style gives me a strange sense of familiarity."