Saddam looked at his subordinates, all covered in wounds, and a complicated emotion welled up in his heart.
These people had faced life and death alongside him. Now that the mission had failed, not only did they not shirk responsibility, they were even fighting to bear it with him.
He opened his mouth, wanting to say something, only to find his throat tightening.
Just then, a young voice rang out from behind the crowd.
"Sir—!"
A Genin came stumbling over, barely able to contain his excitement.
He ran up to Saddam, holding out a palm-sized object wrapped in oiled paper with both hands, and said breathlessly:
"Sir!
Even though we didn't catch anyone, during the chaos just now, I picked this up off the ground!
It must have been lost by those Uzumaki Clan members in their panic!"
Saddam's gaze sharpened as he took the object.
When he opened the oiled paper, he found a thin booklet inside.
Its cover was crumpled, and several lines of elegant handwriting could faintly be seen—it was the writing of the Uzumaki Clan.
He could not understand the exact contents, but he recognized several terms:
"Sealing Jutsu: Basic Insights," "Key Points of Hand Seals," "Chakra Circulation..."
His pupils suddenly contracted.
These were notes on Uzumaki Sealing Jutsu!
Though it was only the foundational section, to Kumogakure, which was researching Uzumaki secret arts but had hit a bottleneck, the value of this notebook was no less than capturing several clan members alive!
Saddam abruptly raised his head and looked at the Genin.
"Are you sure you found this among the things they dropped?"
"Absolutely!"
The Genin nodded vigorously.
"It was behind a rock at the site of the battle just now.
It must have fallen from one of the clan members while they were fleeing.