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The next morning, it was not yet six o'clock.
The sky was just beginning to brighten, a bit blurry and indistinct. Even the rising sun had only just shown a small sliver.
This caused the eastern horizon to be bathed in a pale white, and the earth gradually began to light up.
At the entrance of the Uchiha Clan's residence, under the Red Torii Gate.
Three young boys and girls were gathered together. They were Fuyu Shirou and his two teammates, ready to set out on their mission outside the village.
Unlike most teams that preferred to gather at the main gate of Konoha Village, the all-Uchiha Shige Masahito team chose to meet at the entrance of their family's residence.
While this was convenient for the team members, it also brought some unexpected consequences.
"Mom! Don't worry! It's just a small mission. With Teacher Shige leading us, there's absolutely no problem!"
Uchiha Tetsu, who was barely over ten years old, was somewhat awkward. He had never expected his mother to come to see him off.
"I'm not a kid anymore. I can take good care of myself, so please don't worry!"
The single mother, whom Tetsu had met before with Fuyu Shirou, stood a little distance away from him and Enishi, incessantly explaining that this mission was just a small C-Rank mission, completely safe, in an attempt to reassure her mother and ease her worries.
"Besides, after two weeks of special training, I'm not the same as before. My strength has grown significantly. Even facing a Chunin would be no problem!"
As he reassured his mother, he patted his chest confidently, taking on a carefree and bold demeanor.
Uchiha Tetsu didn't notice that as he mentioned facing a Chunin, his mother's face, already filled with worry, grew even more somber.
The concern in her eyes was impossible to hide.
"Tetsu! Promise me that you'll listen to Teacher Shige's commands during the mission. Get along well with your teammates, discuss things with them when needed, and don't act rashly on your own..."
The single mother, who knew her son's impulsive nature all too well and was genuinely worried about his safety, hugged her ten-year-old son, whose height had already reached her shoulder and whose face resembled his father's, and earnestly advised him.
As she spoke, tears uncontrollably streamed down her eyes.
She was genuinely afraid, worried that her son might leave on a mission and never return, just like his father.
The last time he left, only his Forehead Protector and Death Notice came back, without even a body to be found.
In this ninja world, she, who had not become a ninja, held a relatively low status.
She was a traditional woman, somewhat gentle in nature, and had been unable to prevent her son from becoming a ninja.
She now deeply regretted not firmly refusing his request to become a ninja when he first made it.
"Promise me, Tetsu, that you will definitely come back safely!"
"Mom! You're the only one I have now!"
Hugging her son, the single mother repeated her words over and over. Tears streamed down her face, wetting the shoulder of the young boy's shirt.
Faced with his mother's sudden emotional outburst, the young Uchiha Tetsu was momentarily stunned.
Feeling the dampness on his shoulder and his mother's trembling body, along with her uncontrollable sobs, he, who had never encountered such a situation, was at a loss, unsure of how to respond. He stood there woodenly, allowing his mother to vent her emotions.
Sensing his mother's unease, after a long while, the young boy finally managed to console her, saying, "Don't worry, Mom. I will definitely come back safely, I won't leave you alone!"
Feeling his mother's unshakeable worry, the usually carefree young boy, for once, showed some understanding. He gently patted his mother's back and said, "This mission is just to deal with some ordinary bandits. They don't even use chakra, so there's no danger at all!"
Realizing that a few words of comfort wouldn't be enough to ease his mother's concerns, he disregarded the mission confidentiality rules and revealed some details of the mission to her.
The danger level between a ninja or samurai who uses chakra and an ordinary person who doesn't is vastly different, almost incomparable.
Seeing his mother's emotions calm down after learning the details of the mission, Uchiha Tetsu heaved a sigh of relief.
As for the leak of mission information, he didn't give it a second thought.
Standing nearby, Fuyu Shirou and Enishi, thanks to their excellent senses and hearing as ninjas, heard their teammate reveal some mission details to a non-mission personnel. However, they had no intention of stopping or reporting him. This was one of the benefits of being on a team with family members.
They were all from the same family, and no one would report their teammates or clan members over a minor issue.
They were all part of the same family, practically blood relatives. They saw each other every day, so there was no need for such 'extra' actions.
If this had happened in a regular ninja team, Uchiha Tetsu's act of leaking mission information would have been extremely dangerous.
A single report from a teammate could result in a host of troubles.
At best, he might be summoned by the ANBU or Root for a stern lecture, which would depend on whether his instructor spoke up for him.
If he had bad luck and encountered a dark-tempered instructor or someone who didn't get along well with others...
He might end up as cannon fodder, dying silently on some mission.
The profession of a ninja, which primarily involves killing, is extremely brutal, far from the warm and fuzzy portrayal in TV shows.
This is why, when the 'White Fang Incident' broke out, Fuyu Shirou could immediately deduce that someone was behind it.
Intelligence confidentiality is crucial in the ninja profession. The fact that a mission carried out by a ninja of 'Sakumo Hatake's' caliber failed and caused significant losses, and that this information was leaked, suggests a dark conspiracy behind it.
If there were no ulterior motives or someone pushing the situation, it would be truly bizarre.
(End of Chapter)