Civilian Ninja Squad

It was an Anbu member, dressed in the standard black bodysuit, an animal mask covering his face.

"Uchiha Arashi, Lord Hokage summons you. Please come with me." The Anbu's voice was cold and mechanical, without the slightest trace of emotion.

Arashi and Might Duy exchanged a glance.

"Looks like a new mission is here," Might Duy said.

Arashi nodded, his gaze sharpening.

"Sensei, I'll go first."

"Go, Arashi! Remember, no matter what difficulties you face, never forget to burn with your youth!" Might Duy waved hard.

Arashi did not look back. He followed the Anbu member and walked toward the Hokage Building.

A new mission?

Perfect. He needed more battles to test his strength, and he also needed more missions to build up political capital.

"No matter what difficulties there are, I will break through them with my own strength."

In the Hokage's office, smoke curled through the air.

The Third Hokage, Sarutobi Hiruzen, held his signature pipe between his teeth, his fingers tapping the desktop now and then.

His gaze swept over the people standing below him, his eyes deep.

Standing at the very front was a ninja who looked to be in his thirties. He wore the standard jonin vest and had a stern face. He was the captain for this mission, Tanaka Kenichi.

Behind him stood three chunin.

One was a female ninja named Akiyama Rei, excitement on her face that she could barely hide. After all, being able to take part in an A-rank mission was a tremendous honor for a genin.

She was the first child of the Akiyama Family to become a chunin, and she had been holding back all her energy, eager to prove herself.

Beside her were two male ninja, Sato Yu and Watanabe Yu. The two seemed to be on good terms.

Sato Yu was tall and broad. He patted his chest and laughed quietly to Watanabe Yu, "This time, with Jonin Kenichi leading us, maybe we'll accomplish something big!"

Watanabe Yu nodded along, his face full of anticipation.

Last was Uchiha Arashi.

He stood at the very edge, a head shorter than the other three. His forehead protector was slightly too large, making him look somewhat out of place.

His head was lowered, making it impossible to see his expression clearly, but the twin-tomoe Sharingan that turned slightly in his eyes exposed the fact that he had not lowered his guard.

"There has been abnormal movement from the Hidden Mist at the border," the Third Hokage's voice broke the silence. "Your mission is infiltration and reconnaissance. Record the enemy's troop deployment and defensive fortifications."

He paused, and the ember in his pipe flickered once.

"Be aware, this mission is A-rank in difficulty and high in danger. If you want to withdraw, there is still time."

Tanaka Kenichi immediately clenched his fists and replied in a low voice, "We guarantee the mission will be completed!"

Akiyama Rei's eyes grew even brighter, and Sato Yu and Watanabe Yu straightened their backs as well.

Only Uchiha Arashi remained silent.

The ki inside his body quietly spread out, taking in every flow of chakra within five hundred meters.

When his senses swept over a certain corner outside the window, his brows furrowed almost imperceptibly.

There was a cold, sinister chakra presence there, one that made Arashi feel nauseated, and it vanished in a flash.

So Danzo really is here too?

The Third Hokage seemed to notice Arashi's reaction and turned his gaze toward him.

"Uchiha Arashi, you are only a genin right now. Originally, you would not have been qualified to participate in this mission."

"However, considering your outstanding individual strength, and the fact that this is the A-rank mission you requested yourself, I have arranged for you to join."

"This mission is of great importance, and the others are all chunin and jonin. You must obey orders. Understood?"

Arashi raised his head and met the Third Hokage's gaze, his tone calm.

"I understand."

The Third looked at him deeply, that gaze complicated and hard to read.

"Remember, the mission is more important than a ninja's life."

Those words sounded like a lesson an elder would give a junior, but to Arashi, they sounded especially uncomfortable.

After leaving the Hokage's office, the group was just about to depart.

Suddenly, a hoarse, cold voice rang in Arashi's ear without warning, like a whisper from hell.

"Uchiha brat,"

Arashi's steps halted. He did not look back. He knew who the other party was.

"Since you have asked to shoulder this heavy responsibility, you must do your very best." Danzo's voice carried an undisguised threat. "You know the consequences of failure."

A cold smile tugged at the corner of Arashi's mouth.

The consequences of failure?

Hmph, nothing more than widely proclaiming in the village that he was the main person responsible for this mission's failure, leaving him isolated in the village like never before and socially dead.

After grinding away all his spirit, Danzo would then play the good man and reluctantly take him in as a dog. Once he had squeezed out every last bit of his value, he would toss him into some trash mission as cannon fodder and let him lose his life.

Finally, he would use the opportunity to viciously bite a chunk of flesh from the Uchiha clan.

I don't buy your tricks. A man willing to risk being cut to pieces dares drag the emperor off his horse. Push me too far, and at worst, I'll kill you first, Danzo, then defect outright.

Arashi sneered inwardly.

Tanaka Kenichi seemed not to have heard Danzo's transmitted voice. He turned around and said to the four of them,

"I've already sent the mission details into your scrolls. Go back and prepare. We leave first thing tomorrow morning."

"Yes!" Akiyama Rei, Sato Yu, and Watanabe Yu answered in unison.

Tanaka Kenichi looked at Arashi again, as though he wanted to say something, but in the end he only said,

"Uchiha Arashi, I have already learned about your strength from Lord Hokage and Lord Danzo. Though it is not bad, you are still young. During the mission, you must listen to orders and not try to show off."

In his view, although Uchiha Arashi was a genius, had graduated so many years early, and was even said to have killed the Rock Demon of the Hidden Stone Village during his last mission, he was still only a six-year-old child. As far as he was concerned, that had definitely been nothing but luck. Having him join this squad was more like a gesture of appeasement from the higher-ups toward the Uchiha.

Arashi neither agreed nor disagreed. He only gave a quiet "Mm."

Seeing Arashi's cold attitude, Sato Yu, off to the side, curled his lip and muttered to Watanabe Yu beside him,

"What's with that attitude? He's just an Uchiha. What's he acting so cocky for?"

Watanabe Yu tugged at his sleeve, signaling him to keep his voice down.

Behind the two of them, Akiyama Rei was full of curiosity about Arashi. This legendary genius did not look quite like the image of a powerful person she had imagined. He was only about one meter twenty tall, with round, chubby cheeks. He was terribly cute.

She walked forward, crouched down, placed one hand on Arashi's shoulder, and said gently,

"Little Arashi, you have to listen to your big brothers and big sister on this mission, okay? Everyone will protect you."

Uchiha Arashi looked at the group and rolled his eyes. "Boring."

With that, after a few flickers, he disappeared from the Hokage Building.

Three days later.

At the border between the Land of Fire and the Land of Water, in the Hidden Mist Forest.

This place was shrouded in dense fog all year round, with extremely low visibility. Even during the day, one could see no more than ten meters ahead.

The air was filled with damp water vapor and the smell of rotting leaves, making people feel very uncomfortable.

"Everyone, be careful," Tanaka Kenichi said in a low voice to the four behind him. "Advance in formation and stay alert. Akiyama, use your sensory ninjutsu and watch the surrounding chakra movements."

"Yes!" Akiyama Rei immediately replied. She closed her eyes, formed hand seals, and her spiritual power began to spread outward.

"Sato, Watanabe, you two are responsible for guarding the left and right sides. Watch your feet, and don't trigger any traps."

"Understood!" Sato Yu and Watanabe Yu also became fully alert.

Finally, Tanaka Kenichi looked at Arashi. "Uchiha Arashi, use your Sharingan to observe the surroundings, especially the areas where the fog is unusually dense. Enemies may be hiding there."

"Got it." Arashi answered, and his twin-tomoe Sharingan quietly activated.

The crimson tomoe slowly turned in his pupils, and the surrounding scenery became somewhat clearer under the effects of the Sharingan. Even the fog seemed to thin a little.

But the effect was limited. In this special forest, the Sharingan's power of insight had been greatly weakened.

However, he still had external ki perception. After this period of training, its range had already expanded a great deal.

He released his ki outward like an invisible net, instantly covering the area within five hundred meters.

At that moment, Akiyama Rei's tense voice rang out. "Captain, about five hundred meters southeast, there are faint chakra movements. The number is unknown."

Tanaka Kenichi frowned. "Faint? Number unknown?"

That was not a good sign.