"Takashi, did you notice? Weren't there a few members of the Senju Clan over there just now?" Aka Uchiha asked quietly.
Ever since Uchiha Takashi had awakened his One-Tomoe Sharingan, he had become the strongest of the three, and Aka Uchiha had gone from the one who shouldered responsibility to the one who didn't use his brain.
The moment Homura Uchiha heard that, he couldn't hold back. "What? Where are those Senju Clan guys? I'll go slaughter them right now!"
Uchiha Takashi hurriedly stopped him. "Wait, wait! Don't you know the unwritten rule between us? No fighting at will inside the city! If you want to fight, you have to do it outside."
Homura Uchiha scratched the back of his head. "Where did all these stupid rules come from? Who made them? Can't we just ignore them?"
"Generally speaking, of course you can ignore an unwritten rule. It's just that the price of doing so is steep. You have to understand, even we Uchiha follow this rule."
The rule wasn't written on paper, yet all the clans observed it by tacit agreement. That alone said enough.
Even the Uchiha, who disliked following rules more than anyone, were all observing this one without being told. That meant there had to be a reason for it. In a situation like this, it was best not to stick your neck out, because that made you an easy target.
"Then what do we do now? I don't believe those evil Senju Clan bastards will leave us alone after noticing us," Homura Uchiha said indignantly.
Uchiha Takashi lowered his head in thought. "How about we sneak after the Senju Clan once we've accepted a mission, follow them out of the city, and ambush them?"
The corners of Homura Uchiha's mouth lifted. "Oh, so that's it. Takashi, you really do have the most devious ideas."
Uchiha Takashi: "..." You're supposed to be praising me, but why does that sound so wrong?
Aka Uchiha said, "All right, you two go accept a mission. I'll keep an eye on them."
Uchiha Takashi shook his head. "I'll do it. My Sharingan gives me slightly better observational abilities than you two. I'm less likely to be spotted."
Aka Uchiha didn't insist, since Uchiha Takashi was telling the truth. Without Sharingan, the two of them really would be spotted easily.
"All right. We'll act like nothing happened. If the Senju Clan gets ready to leave the city, contact us right away!"
After watching the two leave, Uchiha Takashi turned around and hid in the shadows, secretly observing the Senju Clan members.
Meanwhile, Aka Uchiha and Homura Uchiha arrived at the mission hall and successfully snapped up a mission within the city, which they completed without the slightest effort.
Then came the long wait. They had to wander around the city and wait for Uchiha Takashi to send word so they could rendezvous.
Uchiha Takashi kept following the Senju Clan group around the city, watching to see when they would leave.
A day passed. Uchiha Takashi rubbed his aching eyes and muttered inwardly, Why aren't these guys leaving yet? Have they decided to stay in the city forever? Didn't they finish their mission this morning? Why aren't they leaving?
Full of questions, Uchiha Takashi shook his head. No, no. I refuse to believe you won't leave the city.
Meanwhile, a certain Senju clansman let out a yawn. "Damn, are those Uchiha having the time of their lives in the city? Why have they been playing around all day? When are they leaving?"
The two who had stayed up all night thought, No, what if they slip away while I'm asleep? Keep watching!
And so both groups continued lingering in the city. Aka Uchiha led Homura Uchiha around town, wandering here and there and having a wonderful time.
The Senju Clan group did the same, roaming every street and alley and buying all sorts of things, but never leaving the city.
Finally, a certain Senju clansman couldn't take it anymore and returned to his squad. "I can't. Bro, I really can't. I can't take it anymore. I've watched them for three days. I'm dead tired. I really need to sleep now."
Off to the side, Uchiha Takashi slapped his cheeks. "Damn! Why is there another one now? Is it because I haven't slept and stayed up too long? How did this Senju Clan group gain another person? Am I seeing double with my Sharingan?
"I don't remember having a Mangekyō Sharingan. Does overusing a One-Tomoe Sharingan cause side effects like this too?"
The Senju squad leader gritted his teeth and said helplessly, "Since those Uchiha won't leave, there's nothing else we can do. Let's go. Those Uchiha got lucky!"
With that, he rose and led his squad toward the city gates.
Hidden in the shadows, Uchiha Takashi shook his head. Seeing that they were finally leaving, he wanted to throw back his head and howl. Heavens, I finally caught them leaving! These Senju Clan guys really enjoyed themselves these past few days.
"Summoning: Ninja Cat!" Without hesitation, Uchiha Takashi clapped his hands together and summoned his summoning beast. He had first summoned this little jet-black cat when he was five.
"Uchiha Takashi, you finally summoned me! You have no idea-those teammates of yours have been summoning me eight hundred times a day! Every time I appear, they ask whether there's any news, whether there's any news!
"Do you know what these past three days have been like for me? I couldn't even spend ten minutes in my summoning grounds before getting summoned out again! I barely got to eat any of my dried fish!"
Uchiha Takashi coughed awkwardly twice and said with an embarrassed laugh, "Well, sorry about that. I'll give you ten crates of dried fish later to make up for it. Right now, I need you to pass on a message. Tell them the Senju Clan members are about to leave through the south side of the city, and to hurry to this spot."
As he spoke, Uchiha Takashi handed his little cat an envelope, then clapped his hands together to send the cat back.
He himself immediately set off after the Senju Clan.
Meanwhile, the two who had thoroughly enjoyed themselves in the city finally received word.
Homura Uchiha stretched his limbs. "Those Senju Clan guys are finally moving. I thought they were going to hide in the city for the rest of their lives. Hmph, they had to leave eventually."
Reading the letter, Aka Uchiha said, "They're heading south. If I remember correctly, that's the Sarutobi Clan's... Are they planning to return through the Sarutobi Clan's passage?"
Homura Uchiha said, "Who cares which passage they take? Just kill them! So what if it's the Sarutobi? If the Sarutobi Clan shows up, we'll beat them up too."
Aka Uchiha shook his head. "You... Let's hope we don't run into anyone from the Sarutobi Clan. Our relationship with them has been a little strained lately too."
Homura Uchiha turned his head and snorted. "We just haven't beaten the Sarutobi Clan into submission! If you ask me, we should go straight over and give them a beating. Then how would they dare disobey us Uchiha?"
Aka Uchiha shook his head as he ran. "That's not how it works. As things stand, we shouldn't keep antagonizing the Sarutobi Clan. Sigh, let's see what the grand elder and the others think.
"Ever since the clan leader passed away, it's been getting harder and harder for our Uchiha Clan to survive... Sigh."