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The Land of Fire.
The border.
Three Konoha shinobi escorted a wagon slowly down the muddy road. It had just stopped raining; the surface churned beneath the horses' hooves.
One of the shinobi grumbled, "Really — we have to do missions in weather like this? It's miserable."
"Yeah," another agreed. "We're the most noble class now, yet the village still demands we meet a monthly mission quota. What's that about?"
Hearing his comrades' complaints, the lead Konoha ninja glanced back. "A life that's too comfortable dulls our edge. Ninjas must be ready to fight; if we rest easy, we'll be doomed."
"Hirokawa, Shōichi, pull yourselves together."
After a scolding from the Squad Leader, Hirokawa sounded indignant. "Ryofu Captain, you're too old-fashioned. Even the once-mighty Hidden Cloud has been quiet for ages."
"The Third said it — the Mangekyō Sharingan is a cursed eye; the more you use it, the faster its light fades."
"I bet Uchiha Yuzuru is already blind," Shōichi sneered, excitement brightening his face. "That bastard hasn't been heard from in years. He's probably blind now. If we charge them now, Cloud Village wouldn't stand a chance."
Ryofu sighed helplessly. "You two... Konoha is the most prosperous place in the ninja world. What would we gain from beating up the Cloud?"
Shōichi nodded in agreement and laughed, "Captain Ryofu's right. It's not worth wasting effort on brainless fools."
Hirokawa was angrier. "They got off easy, those Uchiha bastards. They ruined Konoha before — I'd tear them apart myself!"
"Especially that Uchiha Yuzuru. If I ever find him, I'll twist his head off and use it as a chamber pot."
"Those Cloud idiots think they've found treasure. I wonder if they regret it now."
Listening to his two subordinates, Ryofu frowned. "Don't be arrogant. If you want to live long, never underestimate anyone."
Hirokawa and Shōichi had only graduated from the academy two years earlier; they had not witnessed the Allied Shinobi invasion of the Cloud Village. They'd only heard the stories.
Uchiha Yuzuru had shattered the Allied force with the power of his Mangekyō Sharingan — a single man, one blade, and the army broke and fled. Yuzuru had been lucky: he was recuperating in a rear camp with an illness, so he survived. The memory of that despair never left Ryofu's chest.
Seeing Ryofu's anger, Hirokawa and Shōichi bowed their heads. "Captain Ryofu, we won't do this again."
Ryofu nodded, calming himself. "That's better. You won't understand the despair unless you've lived through it. Fortunately, after the Allied incident, the grudge between Konoha and the Uchiha clan seemed to have ended."
Ryofu's words had barely left his mouth when a derisive chuckle came from ahead.
"My traitorous kin — what makes you say our grudge is over?"
Ryofu's pupils shrank.
Two figures had appeared on a nearby tree trunk, as if they'd been there unseen. One wore long black hair and a long blade slung across his waist. The other had short, pale blond hair, dark skin, and a physique like a black bear.
"You..." Ryofu began, but Hirokawa and Shōichi had already drawn kunai, coldly asking, "Who are you?"
Uchiha Yuzuru smiled. "You don't recognize me? Didn't you just say you'd twist my head off to use as a chamber pot?"
That offhand remark left Hirokawa and Shōichi frozen. They looked back at Ryofu — and saw his face drained of color.
"Uchiha... Yuzuru!!!"
Boom!
It felt like their brains had exploded; both men went numb. Yuzuru had been missing for years — why was he here now? They'd only been bragging, for crying out loud!
"Hirokawa, Shōichi, find a chance to run. Don't look back," Ryofu hissed, then charged at Yuzuru.
In the next instant, the burly figure intercepted him. "You are Mine."
Crack!
There was no chance to fend off the blow — Ryofu's neck snapped in an instant.
Seeing Ryofu thrown to the ground like broken clay, Hirokawa and Shōichi felt the sky collapse.
He died just like that... Captain Ryofu was a special jōnin!
As Yuzuru strode closer, Hirokawa and Shōichi pounded at their legs, desperate to move. 'Legs, move!' they thought, but when Yuzuru walked up to them they couldn't even twitch.
'Is the pressure... this heavy?'
Yuzuru drew his long blade and looked down at the two men, whose faces were slick with cold sweat. "One last piece of advice..."
"Weakness and ignorance are not the obstacle to survival — arrogance is."
The cold blade sliced their throats. Hirokawa and Shōichi clutched their necks and slumped.
The taller man stepped forward, savoring the moment. "Konoha's shinobi are still as easy to beat as ever. Not satisfying at all."
"A, want to go raise hell in Konoha next?" the bulky companion asked.
Yuzuru thought for a moment and shook his head. "We can, but not now."
After years of development, the Uchiha population had reached nine thousand. According to the rewards he'd been given, once the clan hit ten thousand he could open the next treasure chest. It wasn't urgent — collect the system reward first, then move on.
Besides... even if he didn't consider the Hidden Stone, Sand, or Mist, there were still Uchiha Madara and Kurozetsu lurking in the shadows. He wouldn't take them on straight — those two were terror incarnate.
He didn't have the Eternal Mangekyō yet; being cautious was fine.
A didn't press the issue and instead asked, "So what do we do now?"
Yuzuru's tone was cool. "Keep strolling."
"We're out to relax. We'll wander the Land of Fire and see what we find. If we run into Konoha shinobi, we'll take care of them while we're at it."
A's eyes lit up. A spree of hit-and-run attacks sounded tempting. With their strength, Konoha would certainly have a headache.
He punched his fist out at Yuzuru. "Yuzuru, it's a Cloud Village tradition — give our duo a name."
Yuzuru considered, bumped fists with A, and smiled. "Then call us... the Do-as-We-Please Pair."