At six o'clock in the morning, before the alarm clock rang, Uchiha Jin slapped it into pieces, tired of its annoyance over the the past year
By now, he was already dressed in full protective gear: forehead protector, knee guards, leg bands with shuriken pouches, gloves, ankle wraps, a scroll pouch on his waist, and a ninja tool pouch on his back.
He threw on a high-collared black robe adorned with the Uchiha clan emblem, stood before a mirror, tousled his hair, pulled down his eyelids with a smirk, and said, "Now, I can already see how you're going to die!"
After a moment of self-admiration, exactly at six o'clock, Uchiha Jin flipped out the window and jumped down, coincidentally meeting Uchiha Obito from next door who was performing the same action.
"Obito, are you heading out on a mission too?"
Uchiha Jin nodded coolly and reminded him, "Don't be late again."
"Come on, I, Uchiha Obito, am going to be the Hokage, hey hey hey!" Obito exclaimed.
As he spoke, Obito pounded his chest but misstepped, falling headfirst out of the second-floor window.
Uchiha Jin shook his head slightly, thinking to himself, "Just as expected of you, always late, Obito."
With a sprained ankle and bumped head, one might think he had just come back from a battle in the Land of Rain with a package of war injuries. After a trip to Konoha Hospital, by the time he reached Minato's team, he would be at least an hour late.
However, such scenes were familiar to Uchiha Jin. He didn't bother with Obito and just left with a smile, saying, "Tsuchi, let's meet at the memorial next time. Don't forget to burn incense for me."
With that, Uchiha Jin pushed off the eaves, exerted force with his feet, leaped up, and headed towards the assembly point.
There was a sense of impatient excitement in his steps.
Inside the grand estate of the Uchiha Clan.
"This is the situation, Senpai Fugaku." Uchiha Shisui bowed respectfully to the young man before him, explaining the purpose of his visit.
"Uchiha Jin, hm?" Uchiha Fugaku's expression remained calm and composed as he nodded slightly, noting down the name.
"I believe he will become a bridge between the clan and the village, Senpai Fugaku. Please, after you arrive in the Land of Hot Water, do take care of my friend as well!"
"I appreciate it!" Uchiha Fugaku clasped his hands together, calmly speaking, "Go ahead, Shisui. I will depart for the Land of Hot Water shortly. I will keep an eye on your friend."
"On your end, once you reach the Land of Rain, remember to contact our clan members at the camp immediately."
"Also, be cautious of a newly emerging organization native to the Land of Rain."
Uchiha Shisui was momentarily stunned, tilting his head slightly in puzzlement.
"New organization?" Uchiha Fugaku furrowed his brow slightly.
"An organization called Akatsuki," he explained, "Their goals are naive, but you can attempt to make contact. After all, the three leaders of that organization are disciples of Sannin Jiraiya-sama."
"Naturally, they lean towards Konoha's side."
Uchiha Shisui nodded slightly, pondering for a moment, and murmured to himself, "Akatsuki, huh."
Eight o'clock in the morning.
At the gates of Konoha.
Two squads, entirely composed of Uchiha members, assembled.
Elder Uchiha Shana glanced at the sky, then at the gathered members, and calmly announced:
"Now that everyone has arrived, the mission will commence immediately!"
"After reaching the designated location, each squad captain will unfold the mission scroll, explain it, and assign tasks."
"That's all, let's go!"
After saying that, Uchiha Shana took the lead, lightly beckoning to Uchiha Jin and Uchiha Seichiro beside him, then set foot on the road out of the village.
In this situation, the six members of the two squads had no time for reminiscing.
Uchiha Shisui smiled at Uchiha Jin, clenched his right fist against his chest, and caught up with the team.
Uchiha Jin looked puzzled.
He shook his head and didn't think much of it.
Although Uchiha Shisui had some misunderstandings about him, their assigned tasks were completely unrelated.
One squad headed northwest to the Land of Rain from the Land of Fire, while the other headed east across long hills to reach the Land of Hot Water.
Obito couldn't believe it. Even though Shisui was in the Land of Rain, Can he still pull him from the Land of Hot Water and prevent him from dying?
The squad of Uchiha Jin departed from Konoha Village and swiftly headed towards the Land of Hot Water at a steady pace.
Ninjas' pace and speed were comparable to that of mud-headed carts. It only took them a day to cross the long hilly terrain of the Land of Fire and reach the Land of Hot Water.
None of the three members in the squad were inclined to chat along the way. After leaving Konoha Village and moving away from the prosperous areas of the Land of Fire, the scenery suddenly changed.
Refugees from the southern borders of the Land of Hot Water and displaced people gradually filled their view from the direction of the Land of Hot Water. The lush greenery of spring was replaced by a desolate landscape.
Dry branches, barkless tree trunks, and the helpless gazes leaning against them were the most common sights Uchiha Jin encountered along the way.
They had only just reached the halfway point.
There were already many traces of ninjas nearby.
Scattered remnants of wild camping gear, surrounding alert traps, and occasional glimpses from dark corners made all three members of the squad slightly more cautious.
In the eve of the Third Great Ninja War, the small countries caught between major nations were the most chaotic regions. The Tangu Village's ninjas couldn't protect the Land of Hot Water and couldn't bear the punishment of mission failure. Consequently, a large portion would turn rogue, blending in with refugees to enter the Land of Fire.
Eventually, they would become bandits, listed on mission bounty sheets.
As daylight gradually faded from the earth,
the sun set, red clouds on the horizon gradually dissipated, and darkness was about to descend.
Uchiha Shana halted the advancing squad.
He pulled out the mission scroll and laid it out on a rock, his voice cold:
"Everyone gather around. We're going to go over the mission details now."
Uchiha Jin shivered, knowing that the main event was about to begin.
Whether they could achieve the achievement of leaving the village or die today depended on this mission.
"This mission's objective is to reach the Valley of Hell in the Land of Hot Water and support the stationed Uchiha clan members."
"What do you think is the greatest danger you'll face?"
Facing the two, Uchiha Shana fell silent for a moment before suddenly asking.
Uchiha Seichiro sneered, "Apart from the rules of ninja survival, the main threat would probably be dealing with the retaliation from the Chinoike Clan."
"Those lunatics, each one more dangerous than the last."
Uchiha Jin remained silent, only nodding in agreement with Seichiro's viewpoint.
Moreover, he knew—
Above lunacy, there were also experts!
Chinoike's Oyashiro Castle, or rather, En Oyashiro!
This Senpai of Itachi, with his Ketsuryugan alone, without any external aid, rampaged and slaughtered the entire clan, except for his daughter, bringing dishonor to the entire Chinoike Clan in the ninja world.
It's hard to imagine what level their Ketsuryugan has evolved to.
The original Chinoike Chino who appeared in the light novel series with Sasuke doesn't even qualify to shine this person's shoes.
This is the true heavyweight character!
However,
Uchiha Shana shook his head, sighed, closed his eyes, and said heavily,
"You're wrong."
"The real danger isn't from the Chinoike, but from above the Chinoike!"
"What?" Uchiha Jin was stunned.
Above these damn experts, there are even more experts?