“Goodbye, Sir.” Uchiha Shisui stepped forward and patted Uchiha Shisai on the shoulder. He keenly noticed the slight tremor that had just passed through Uchiha Shisai. However, since Shisui had graduated early and was still quite young, he was as short as a little radish, making his comforting gesture somewhat comical.

“You don’t need to worry too much. I didn’t expect Elder Shakuto to personally lead this mission, so the danger level on your side shouldn’t be too high.” Uchiha Shisui smiled kindly and offered words of comfort. Ironically, he had chosen the more dangerous battlefield in the Land of Rain, yet he was here comforting Uchiha Shisai.

Uchiha Shisai snapped back to reality and looked at him with a sense of hopelessness. Damn it, he took my pig-feeding task, and now he’s stealing a death mission too? Can’t you act like a person?

“Sir, I still need to complete my task before the assembly tomorrow, so I’ll take my leave.” Uchiha Shisui waved the C-rank mission scroll he had just received and then said goodbye and left.

After Shisui left, Uchiha Shisai’s gaze flickered slightly. Is the danger level in the Hell Valley of the Land of Soup really not high? That doesn’t seem likely...

#

At night, the full moon peeked through the clouds, casting a clear light over the land. Inside the Uchiha clan grounds, Uchiha Shakuto stepped indifferently through the wooden door while wearing wooden sandals. In the small room, a sea of crimson eyes suddenly lit up.

“Elder!” Amid the chorus of greetings, Uchiha Shakuto sat cross-legged at the most central position in the room. Sitting beside him was the hawkish second-in-command, Uchiha Hachidai. Below them were nearly a hundred clan members, all with their Sharingan activated, of at least Chunin level. This was the foundation of the hawkish faction.

“Elder, wasn’t it already decided to send a team of capable clan members to the Land of Soup?” Hachidai frowned slightly and asked, “Why is there a Genin on the list, and one who hasn’t even activated their Sharingan?”

“Didn’t you explain the danger of this mission to the clan members?” Uchiha Shakuto picked up his teacup, glancing at Hachidai, and said lightly, “I will be going on this mission personally.”

“Just me is enough.”

“But... it’s not just about the movements of the Blood Pond clan; the guarding pressure is increasing.” Uchiha Hachidai analyzed with a frown, “The Land of Soup is situated between the Fire, Lightning, and Water Countries. Recently, Iwagakure and Sunagakure have engaged in skirmishes with Kirigakure, and this place has fallen into extreme chaos.”

“Spies and combat troops from various countries are mixed together, coupled with numerous small organizations that have emerged in the small countries after the Second Shinobi World War—Xuan Yuan, Ban Ruo, the Evil God Cult, the Earth Spider, as well as remnants of the already destroyed Yang Yan Village, Kirigakure’s Chiyu and Pursuit Ninjas, Iwagakure’s demolition teams, and the bounty hunters from the underground gold exchange...”

“This place has turned into a complete mess,” Uchiha Hachidai shook his head gravely, feeling that Uchiha Shakuto was being a bit reckless. In such a situation, even the Third Hokage personally stepping in might not yield good results.

Although Uchiha Shakuto was an established Uchiha from the Warring States period, bringing only one Genin and one Chunin still seemed somewhat inappropriate. However, the clan’s manpower wasn’t abundant either; the members of the security department were restricted by Konoha and couldn’t leave the village without reason.

Uchiha Hachidai suddenly suggested, “Perhaps we can request assistance from Konoha?”

“Enough.” Uchiha Shakuto put down his teacup, his tone calm and unyielding, “Just me is enough!”

“Hachidai, the mission to guard Hell Valley didn’t come from Konoha; it was a long-term task personally entrusted to the Uchiha by the Daimyo of the Land of Lightning, and it’s one of our few sources of income.”

“Don’t build your sense of security on others, especially not on Konoha, Sarutobi, or Danzo.” Uchiha Shakuto raised his head, his crimson Sharingan glowing, cold and frightening.

“Only that which you can control counts. When you rely on what others give you, you have to bow and scrape like a dog to accept it. If one day you disappoint them, they can kick you away at any moment.” Uchiha Hachidai fell silent after these words.

Ninja are combat tools detached from production, and the wealth that the Uchiha can acquire, aside from their ancestral estate and properties within Konoha, comes solely from the large tasks undertaken by clan ninjas. The task of guarding the Blood Pond clan has an annual reward equivalent to an S-rank mission—long-term and stable. This is also the root of Uchiha Shakuto’s refusal to let Konoha interfere with this task.

#

With a thump, Uchiha Shisai opened the door to his residence. A dusty, goggle-wearing young man fell from a tree in the yard. Uchiha Shisai immediately realized that this guy had fallen because he hadn’t distributed his chakra evenly while practicing on the tree and lost his grip.

“Obito, what are you doing again?” Uchiha Shisai looked at this unexpected visitor, slightly speechless. This person was none other than Obito, who had just graduated from the ninja academy last year and was now his neighbor.

“Hey, Shisai! Haha, I’m preparing for the Chunin exam!” Uchiha Obito scratched his head and laughed, then revealed a disgruntled expression. “Damn Kakashi, he’s making me listen to his orders just because he’s a Chunin! It’s just a simple task of catching a cat!”

“Once I succeed in my training, I’ll shove my Chunin vest right in his face!” Uchiha Obito grumbled as he recounted the situation.

Uchiha Shisai was slightly taken aback after hearing this, somewhat lost in thought. Unknowingly, he had spent a whole year in this relatively peaceful Konoha. It was only now that he realized the timeline had reached this point. Obito had already formed a three-person team with Kakashi and Rin last year, led by Minato, and had been doing D-rank missions for some time.

However, Obito’s wish to become a Chunin this year was likely impossible to achieve. The Shinobi World War was about to break out, and as an elite Jonin, Minato would soon head to the front lines. This small team could only accompany Minato, running around everywhere this year.

It wouldn’t be until the offensive from the Land of Lightning eased, giving Konoha a brief respite, that a Chunin exam would be held in Konoha in the 48th year. It was also at that time that Obito was severely injured after being kicked by Might Guy; although he lost, he eventually managed to advance to Chunin.

“What are you dazed about? Grandma made noodles, come eat!” Obito waved his hand in front of Uchiha Shisai and tilted his head to ask.

“Alright, I’ll put my things down.” Uchiha Shisai nodded and accepted the invitation without refusal.

On his way back, he passed by the river and retrieved his fork and shoes. However, a bag full of sellable cans had mysteriously vanished along with the bag, and he had no idea which brat had taken them. Uchiha Shisai cursed inwardly, lamenting how the morals of society were declining.

Last year in Konoha, such things didn’t happen! It was only recently that the Uchiha clan’s security department had been too busy with meetings due to the impending war to manage things, which led to the current rise in petty theft in Konoha.