Six o'clock in the morning.
Before the alarm clock could ring, Uchiha Ci slapped the alarm clock that had been annoying him for a whole year.
He was already dressed in full protective gear.
Forehead protector, knee pads, shuriken holsters on his leggings, gloves, foot wraps, a scroll pouch wrapped around his side waist, and a ninja pouch at the small of his back.
He put on a high-collared black robe with the Uchiha clan emblem, stood in front of the mirror, lifted his hair, pulled down his eyelid, and sneered:
"Now, I can already see your death!"
After a moment of self-indulgence, at six o'clock sharp, Uchiha Ci jumped out of the window and happened to meet Uchiha Obito next door doing the same thing.
"Ci, are you going on a mission too?"
Uchiha Ci nodded coldly and reminded him, "Don't be late again."
"Are you kidding? I, Uchiha Obito, am going to become Hokage!"
As he spoke, Uchiha Obito slapped his chest and stepped into the air, falling directly from the second-floor window.
Uchiha Ci shook his head slightly, thinking that Obito was truly a fool for being late.
This time, he'd probably hurt his foot and bump his head. Those who didn't know might think this guy had just returned from the battlefield in the Land of Rain with a full set of combat injuries.
Then he'd go to Konoha Hospital to get patched up, and by the time he got to Minato's class, he'd be at least an hour late.
However, Uchiha Ci had long been accustomed to such scenes. He ignored the guy below and just smiled and left.
"Obito, let's meet at the Memorial Monument next time. Don't forget to burn paper money for me."
After saying that, Uchiha Ci stepped onto the eaves, pushed off with the arches of his feet, leaped up, and rushed towards the gathering point.
There was an impatient excitement in his footsteps.
Uchiha Obito: ? ? ?
In the tall mansion of the Uchiha clan.
"That's the situation, Fugaku-senpai." Uchiha Shisui bowed respectfully to the young man in front of him and explained his purpose.
"Uchiha Ci?" Uchiha Fugaku looked pensive, nodded slightly, and committed the name to memory.
"I believe he will definitely become a bridge between the clan and the village. Senior Fugaku, please, when you go to the Land of Yu, take care of my friend!"
"Thank you!"
Uchiha Fugaku crossed his arms and said calmly,
"Go, Shisui. I will be heading to the Land of Yu with Elder Setsuna half a day later. I will pay attention to this friend of yours."
"On your end, after arriving in the Land of Rain, remember to contact the clansmen in the camp immediately."
"In addition, you should pay attention to a newly emerging local organization in the Land of Rain."
Uchiha Shisui was stunned for a moment, then raised his head slightly, a little puzzled:
"A new organization?"
Uchiha Fugaku frowned slightly.
"An organization called Akatsuki. Their aims are very naive. However, you can try to get in touch with them."
"After all, the three leaders of that organization are disciples of the Sannin, Jiraiya-sama."
"They naturally lean towards Konoha."
Uchiha Shisui nodded slightly, thought for a moment, and murmured to himself:
"Akatsuki."
Eight in the morning.
At the gate of Konoha.
Two teams, all Uchiha, assembled.
The Great Elder Uchiha Setsuna glanced at the sky, then at the members present, and said calmly:
"Now that all personnel have arrived, the mission begins immediately!"
"After arriving at the designated location, the captain of each team will unseal the mission scroll, explain it, and assign tasks."
"That is all; let's go!"
After saying that, Uchiha Setsuna took the lead. He gestured lightly for Uchiha Ci and Uchiha Seiichiro beside him to follow and immediately set foot on the road out of the village.
Under these circumstances, the six people from the two teams had no time for lengthy goodbyes.
Uchiha Shisui smiled at Uchiha Ci, made a fist with his right hand and thumped his own chest, then followed his team.
Uchiha Ci looked on with an inexplicable expression.
He shook his head and didn't pay it too much mind.
Although Uchiha Shisui seemed to have some misunderstandings about him, the tasks they undertook were completely unrelated.
One goes to the Land of Rain, northwest of the Land of Fire, and the other goes straight east across the long hills to the Land of Water (Correction: Land of Yu is east, Land of Rain is west).
I refuse to believe that Uchiha Shisui, being in the Land of Rain, can still somehow reach over to the Land of Yu and prevent me from dying!
This wave, the biggest source of risk, has been eliminated!
The advantage is mine!
Uchiha Ci's team set out from Konoha Village and headed towards the Land of Yu at a steady speed.
A ninja's travel distance and speed are comparable to a dump truck's (idiom for fast overland travel). It only takes one day to cross the long hilly terrain from the Leaf Village in the Land of Fire to the Land of Yu.
None of the three people in the team were chatty, and they were silent the whole way. After leaving Konoha Village and moving far from the prosperous central zone of the Land of Fire,
The scene before them suddenly changed.
Border refugees and displaced people from the Land of Yu heading south gradually filled their field of vision. The scenery along the way changed from the verdant green full of spring vitality to a gray wasteland.
Dead branches, bark-stripped tree trunks, and the helpless eyes of those leaning against them were the things Uchiha Ci encountered most frequently along the way.
They were only about halfway there.
There were many traces of ninjas nearby.
Scattered items from makeshift camps, surrounding warning traps, and the occasional peering glances from dark places made the three team members slightly cautious.
On the eve of the outbreak of the Third Great Ninja War, the small countries sandwiched between the major nations were the most chaotic areas.
The Tang ninja from Yuyin Village (Hidden Hot Water?—likely a minor village in the Land of Yu) cannot protect the Land of Yu, and those unable to bear the punishment of mission failure often become missing-nin, following refugees into the Land of Fire.
In the end, they become bandits and get placed on mission bounty lists.
As the light on the earth gradually faded.
The sun set, the red clouds in the sky dissipated, and darkness was about to fall.
Uchiha Setsuna stopped the advancing team.
He took out the mission scroll, spread it out on a rock, and said in a cold voice:
"Gather around. We will now explain the mission."
Uchiha Ci's spirits lifted, knowing the main event was coming.
Whether he could achieve the feat of "dying right after leaving the village" today depended on this.
"The goal of this mission is to reach Hell Valley in the Land of Yu and support the Uchiha clansmen stationed there."
"Where do you think the greatest danger comes from?"
Facing the two of them, Uchiha Setsuna was silent for a moment before suddenly asking.
Uchiha Seiichiro curled his lip: "Apart from the contents of the ninja survival code (likely referring to standard dangers), the most important thing is dealing with the counterattack of the Chinoike (Blood Pond) Clan, right?"
"Those lunatics are each more dangerous than the last."
Uchiha Ci said nothing but nodded in agreement. He and Seiichiro shared the same view.
Moreover, he also knew—
Above the madmen, there are masters!
Chinoike Ōjō (Blood Pond Oya Castle), or in other words, Ōjō Enjō (Oya Castle Flame)!
This predecessor of that filial son, Itachi, using only his own power and without any external help, went on a rampage and massacred the entire clan, expelling all members of the Chinoike Clan except his daughter from the ninja world.
It's hard to imagine how far the opponent's Ketsuryūgan (Blood Dragon Eye) has evolved.
Compared to this Chinoike who appeared in the original Sasuke Shinden (Sasuke's Story) novel/anime arc, he's not even fit to carry his shoes.
This is the real heavyweight!
However,
Uchiha Setsuna shook his head, sighed, closed his eyes, and said very seriously:
"You are wrong."
"The real danger is not the Chinoike, but above the Chinoike!"
"What?" Uchiha Ci was stunned.
What the hell? Above the masters, there are still higher masters?