My name is Uchiha Gin, 24 years old, and I'm a loser.
Just moments ago, while still sorting through his memories, Uchiha Gin was positioned at the back of the team by Captain Uchiha Fuka, likely to accommodate the fact that his injuries hadn't fully healed.
Of course, the bigger reason was that he truly wasn't strong enough. Leading the way could easily get him killed, creating a breach in the team's formation.
According to the mission details given by Uchiha Fuka, Uchiha Gin learned that their target was Senju Itama, the fourth son of Senju Butsuma.
His eldest and second sons were always close to Senju Butsuma, making them hard to target.
As a result, their team had set their sights on Senju Itama, who was positioned at the rear of the battlefield.
As dawn had not yet fully broken, the group cautiously advanced through the Senju clan's territory.
However, they found no signs of the enemy. A few camps they passed were already deserted.
Perhaps it was due to the recent killing of Senju Kawarama by the Hagoromo clan, causing the Senju to become more vigilant and tighten their defenses.
After all, the rear lines mostly consisted of young recruits—fresh blood that the Senju couldn't afford to lose.
Suddenly, a burst of fire and explosions came from not far ahead.
Uchiha Fuka, leading the group, leapt to the treetops, with Uchiha Gin and the others following closely behind.
Uchiha Fuka immediately activated his Sharingan.
With his enhanced vision, he quickly saw two groups locked in fierce combat amid the smoke and dust.
"It's the Hagoromo clan fighting the Senju clan," Uchiha Fuka said gravely.
"Should we go help them?" Uchiha Ryoichi asked eagerly, while Uchiha Tsuruhiko and Uchiha Taro flashed bloodthirsty smiles.
Uchiha Fuka squinted in thought before responding, "Let's wait a bit. Once they've worn each other out, we'll move in."
"Uchiha Fuka, with his thick brows and serious look, turns out to be a scavenger," Uchiha Gin silently grumbled to himself after hearing the order.
Unlike the rest of the team, who were using their Sharingan to observe the battle, Uchiha Gin, who hadn't activated his Sharingan, could only make out vague plumes of smoke, with the occasional bursts of water and fire.
Indeed, without the Sharingan, he was far inferior to the others. In battles of this scale, one wrong move could cost him his life.
Just as he was thinking about how to stay out of danger, Uchiha Fuka seemed to notice something and pointed toward the back of the battlefield.
"That kid over there—isn't that our target?"
Following his direction, the group noticed that while the two sides were fighting, the Senju clan appeared to be retreating, seemingly unwilling to continue the battle.
At the rear of the group, a few Senju adults were escorting a child as they withdrew.
The child's distinctive black and white hair stood out.
"That's right, Captain, that's Senju Itama!" Uchiha Tsuruhiko exclaimed excitedly after quickly comparing the scene with their mission dossier.
"Hahaha, we've finally found him! Let's go!" Uchiha Fuka shouted.
Since they had located their target, there was no need to keep watching the fight.
With a wave of his hand, Uchiha Fuka charged toward the battlefield, with everyone but the slower Uchiha Gin following closely, throwing shuriken as they ran.
The sudden appearance of the Uchiha squad startled both sides.
The Hagoromo clan members, upon seeing the signature red eyes of the Uchiha, breathed a sigh of relief. After all this fighting, reinforcements had finally arrived.
On the other hand, the Senju clan felt immediate pressure. The few Senju at the front lines quickly refined their chakra and used Earth Release to raise stone walls in an attempt to buy time.
After all, this was Senju territory, and their reinforcements were surely on the way.
Uchiha Gin, lagging behind, was hit by the overwhelming smell of blood as he entered the battlefield. It made him dizzy and nauseated. Staring at the corpses and pools of blood scattered everywhere, he fought back the urge to vomit as he drew his sword and warily eyed the unfamiliar enemies.
The leader of the Hagoromo clan was a middle-aged man in armor, with long, brown hair.
Uchiha Gin noticed a small horn protruding from beneath the man's bangs.
At that moment, the man was rapidly forming hand seals, unleashing a series of jutsu against the Earth Release barriers that the Senju had erected.
From the intensity of his attacks, it was clear that he was at least an elite jōnin.
The Hagoromo squad, consisting of five members, had already lost two, their bodies lying motionless on the ground. Even the elite jōnin leading them was breathing heavily.
Despite the massive output of jutsu, he hadn't managed to break through.
Clearly, the Senju clan was not to be underestimated.
"Hagoromo clan, fall back. Leave the rest to us," Uchiha Fuka said dismissively, his voice dripping with disdain as he addressed the exhausted Hagoromo clan members.
The pride of the Uchiha clan wouldn't allow them to share victory with others. Even in an alliance, they fought their battles separately.
"But we've already weakened them," the Hagoromo jōnin protested, clearly unwilling to share the glory.
"You got a problem with that?" Several pairs of cold Sharingan eyes turned toward him.
"No, no problem. We'll leave it to you," the Hagoromo ninja conceded, his scalp prickling under their gaze.
Outmatched, he had no choice but to back down.
Satisfied, Uchiha Fuka nodded.
The Senju clan, noticing the tension between the Uchiha and Hagoromo, quickly signaled a retreat.
Those at the rear began preparing to escape.
But just as they turned to flee, Uchiha Fuka's long sword came slashing toward them. The Senju jōnin reacted instantly, raising his arm to deflect the blow with his armor.
"Did I say you could leave?" Uchiha Fuka asked coldly, as he and his team encircled the remaining Senju.
Senju Koji, already weakened from his earlier fight with the Hagoromo clan, could barely lift his arm. His wounds were still bleeding profusely, and he was running on fumes.
Now surrounded by the Uchiha, he knew his chances of survival were slim. But he couldn't give up—the future of the Senju clan rested in his hands. Even if it cost him his life, he had to protect the child.
Gritting his teeth, he forcefully refined more chakra, draining his life force to accelerate his healing and recover his strength.
The Senju clan was known for their powerful bodies, massive chakra reserves, and incredible healing abilities.
In dire situations, they could tap into strength far beyond their usual limits.
Summoning every last ounce of energy, Senju Koji charged directly at Uchiha Fuka, intending to use his life to buy time for the others to escape.
Seeing his enemy's resolve, Uchiha Fuka, despite being a long-standing rival of the Senju, couldn't help but feel a sense of respect. He gripped his sword tighter, ready to face his opponent seriously.
Meanwhile, the remaining three Senju, surrounding a child, were warily watching Uchiha Ryoichi and the others closing in.
The child at their center was the target of Uchiha Fuka's team—Senju Itama.
"I should've listened to Father and stayed in the territory," thought the 5-year-old Senju Itama, trembling with fear.
Despite the terror gripping him, the pride of the Senju clan drove him to pull a kunai from his waist and hold it shakily in front of him.
The ill-fitting armor he wore creaked with his every movement.
This was Itama's first time on the battlefield.
Ever since his older brother, Senju Kawarama, had been killed at the outskirts of their territory, Itama had been consumed by the desire for revenge.
Though his father had forbidden him from leaving the camp, that seed of vengeance had taken root and grown within him.
When his father and two older brothers left for the frontlines, Itama couldn't contain his desire for revenge any longer.
Sneaking away from the camp in the dead of night, he donned his brother's armor and set out to find his enemies on the battlefield.
Though the Senju guards quickly discovered him and tried to escort him back, they were ambushed by the Hagoromo clan on the way.
In the surprise attack, several ordinary Senju soldiers were killed instantly, leaving only Senju Koji, the captain of the guard, and three other chūnin-level warriors to fend off the attackers.
As they fought while retreating, the Uchiha clan arrived. What little hope Senju Itama had left quickly vanished as the situation reversed in an instant.
Now, surrounded by the Uchiha, they had no choice but to fight to the death. The only thing left for Itama to do was pray that Senju Koji could defeat Uchiha Fuka and come to their aid.