First Mission

Early the next morning, Uchiha Kei, who was still playing chess with the Duke of Zhou's daughter, was hauled out of bed by an excited Naruto.

"Kei, didn't you say you'd take me out of the village today? Let's go, let's go!"

Naruto tugged at Uchiha Kei's quilt, letting the cold air slip into his warm sanctuary.

"Let me sleep a little longer, just a little longer."

Uchiha Kei struggled, trying to reclaim control of his blanket.

"No way! Hurry up, hurry up!"

Naruto was relentless, looking as if he wouldn't give up until Kei got out of bed.

"Arghhh!"

Uchiha Kei crawled out from under the covers with messy hair, glaring fiercely at Naruto.

"I really regret yesterday's decision!"

"I just wanted to sleep in! What crime did I commit!"

Joking and bickering aside, Uchiha Kei ultimately couldn't withstand Naruto's pestering.

Once he finished washing up, Uchiha Kei was dragged off toward the Hokage Building by Naruto.

"Good luck! I'll be waiting for you outside!"

Naruto clenched his fists, his eyes sparkling.

Under Naruto's expectant gaze, Uchiha Kei trudged dejectedly into the Hokage Building.

Pushing open the door to the Hokage's office, a thick cloud of smoke immediately billowed out.

"Cough, cough, cough."

Uchiha Kei nearly stumbled from the choking fumes.

"Ah, it's Kei. Is there something you need?"

Sarutobi Hiruzen sat up straight, took the pipe from his lips, and looked at him with a smile.

"Lord Hokage, your addiction is getting a bit out of hand."

Uchiha Kei frowned and fanned away the lingering smoke.

"I'm getting old, it's just about the only hobby I have left."

Sarutobi Hiruzen chuckled sheepishly.

Danzo, who had just walked in earlier, had said the same thing, though his tone had been much harsher.

"Lord Hokage, I would like to request a mission outside the village."

Uchiha Kei didn't want to waste time and stated his purpose directly.

"Hmm?"

Sarutobi Hiruzen's brow furrowed as he leaned forward, scrutinizing Uchiha Kei.

"You have only just become a genin and have just joined the Anbu; missions outside the village are not suitable for you."

For the Anbu, missions outside the village were actually quite routine.

Most Anbu missions took place outside of Konoha; after all, as the Hokage's direct subordinates, their primary focus was external.

However, he did not want Uchiha Kei leaving the village.

He couldn't quite see through this kid, and once he left the village, many things would no longer be under his control.

For someone with such a strong desire for control, this was unacceptable.

"Lord Hokage, I want to grow quickly. The comfortable environment within the village cannot achieve that."

Uchiha Kei's expression remained calm.

He had anticipated that Sarutobi Hiruzen would refuse as soon as he decided to leave the village.

But naturally, he had his own methods.

"I can understand your desire to grow. After all, you are the future gems of Konoha, and I also hope you can grow up quickly to take over my burden."

Sarutobi Hiruzen smiled with gratification, a kindly expression on his face.

"However, forcing growth is not a long-term solution. Konoha can shelter you from the wind and rain for now; I can ensure you grow steadily!"

As he finished speaking, an aura of authority radiated from Sarutobi Hiruzen.

What a great act. I'll give you 99 points for that performance; I'm afraid to give you any more lest you get arrogant.

Uchiha Kei secretly curled his lip, though his face still wore a look of admiration.

"Of course I believe in Lord Hokage's ability, just as I believe in the village's strength."

"But no strong person has ever grown up under the protection of others, whether it was the First or the Second Hokage, it was the same for them!"

"Only by becoming a powerhouse like the First or Second can we truly bring peace to Konoha!"

Uchiha Kei's eyes shone brightly, a deep, intense ambition flickering in their depths.

Sarutobi Hiruzen's hand paused as he scrutinized the youth before him with a serious gaze.

Such temperament...

Such ambition...

How familiar.

Once upon a time, he too had been like this boy, brimming with passion and fervor.

He had dreamed that one day, he could rely on his own strength to bring peace to his village.

Unfortunately...

Power is the ultimate whetstone; it had smoothed away his sharp edges, ground down his passion...

And worn away his grand ambitions.

"Lord Hokage, please grant me a mission outside the village!"

Uchiha Kei bowed deeply.

A long silence followed.

"Very well, I can allow you to leave the village."

Sarutobi Hiruzen looked at him intently, as if gazing at his own long-lost youth.

"Thank you, Lord Hokage!"

Uchiha Kei said, appearing moved to the point of tears.

Sarutobi Hiruzen picked up one scroll after another from his cluttered desk, only to shake his head and set them back down after a brief glance.

Uchiha Kei stood there quietly, not saying a word.

He was in no rush; as long as he could leave the village, any mission would do. He wasn't picky.

Finally, Sarutobi Hiruzen picked up a scroll and held onto it for a long time.

"Lord Hokage, is there some difficulty?"

Seeing the troubled expression on Sarutobi Hiruzen's face, Uchiha Kei asked.

"It's not exactly a difficulty."

Sarutobi Hiruzen pondered for a moment.

"This mission is somewhat special."

A mission deemed special by the Hokage was either of unique significance or of extreme difficulty.

"Are you familiar with the Twilight Ninja Village?"

Uchiha Kei frowned and thought for a moment, a faint impression surfacing in his mind.

In the anime, the Twilight Ninja Village had never appeared.

However, in the real Naruto World, it did indeed exist.

The Twilight Ninja Village was an obscure little village with only about twenty ninjas, mostly Genin, with only the Twilight Shadow being of Chunin level.

For a village like that, Konoha could wipe it out by sending just a few Anbu.

"Although the Twilight Ninja Village is small, they are friends of our Konoha."

Sarutobi Hiruzen relit his pipe and took a deep drag.

"The day before yesterday, the Twilight Ninja Village was wiped out. All 133 people in the village were killed!"

Uchiha Kei was stunned.

Wiped out!

Although wars were frequent in the Shinobi World, and small villages were destroyed one after another, this was different from the usual destruction of a village.

Fighting between ninja villages usually involved trying to avoid harming civilians; in other words, "wiping out a village" usually meant the ninjas of that village had been killed off.

The Twilight Ninja Village was different; the vast majority of the 133 people were civilians.

This was something the Shinobi World would not tolerate.

"I sent people to investigate yesterday, but they returned empty-handed, finding only a mask."

Sarutobi Hiruzen took a mask from under the desk and placed it on the table.

Uchiha Kei hurried to look at it.

It was a mask entirely white in color, with no patterns other than the character "Yang" written on the forehead.

"Was it an internal conflict?"

Uchiha Kei frowned and picked up the mask from the table.

It felt light in his hand, and cheap white powder rubbed off onto his fingers.

"It shouldn't be."

Sarutobi Hiruzen took a drag of his pipe.

"Twilight Ninja Village is a small settlement, protected by a mere twenty or so ninja. It holds no significant power, nor does it possess any interests worth fighting over; there shouldn't be any internal conflict."

"Could it be a clan vendetta, then?"

Uchiha Kei pondered the question.

"The twenty-plus ninja of Twilight Ninja Village are all orphans trained on Konoha's behalf. A clan vendetta is out of the question."

"That is strange, then..."

The Hokage's office fell silent, both the old man and the youth lost in thought.

Wars in the Shinobi World are sparked by either internal or external factors.

For a secluded, stagnant village with no prospects to suddenly suffer a massacre—the entire affair reeked of something sinister.

Staring at the mask in his hand, Uchiha Kei fixed his gaze on the character for "Sun" inscribed on its forehead.

"My preliminary assessment is that this was the work of an evil organization, and their objective likely pertains to ninjutsu."

Sarutobi Hiruzen tapped his pipe against the ashtray and began refilling it with tobacco.

"Will you accept this mission?"