Seeing Uchiha Yuzuru's confused look, Uchiha Shisui explained, "Patriarch Yuzuru, Brother Obito said that if I awakened my Sharingan, he would be willing to take me on missions with him. You might think I'm small, but back at the Ninja Academy, even the older Sister Yugito, Sister Mabui, and Sister Samui weren't my match."
Hearing these familiar names, Uchiha Yuzuru couldn't help but sigh with emotion. The three flowers of Kumogakure from the original story were currently just lolis studying at the Ninja Academy.
"Patriarch Yuzuru, I'll go find Brother Obito first."
After speaking, Uchiha Shisui turned and ran out.
Seeing the other party's boundless energy, the corners of Uchiha Yuzuru's mouth curled up slightly. This was completely different from that prematurely anxious demeanor in the original story; this was what a five-year-old child should be like.
One week later.
Uchiha Yuzuru was leisurely sunbathing in the training grounds. In the center of the field were Uchiha Mikoto, Uzumaki Kushina, and Karura. They were sparring with each other, fighting fiercely back and forth. Every movement inadvertently radiated a charm unique to women.
Just as Uchiha Yuzuru was intently admiring the scenery, three brats ran into the training grounds.
Uchiha Obito shouted with his characteristic loud voice, "Big Brother Yuzuru, we finally found you!"
Seeing Uchiha Obito, Hatake Kakashi, and Uchiha Shisui, Uchiha Yuzuru asked somewhat strangely, "You guys were looking for me?"
Looking at the Kumogakure ninja forehead protectors on Uchiha Obito and Hatake Kakashi, Uchiha Yuzuru asked, puzzled, "Aren't you two already Genin? Just go to the Mission Hall and pick a mission."
Uchiha Obito sighed and explained, "If it were just the two of us, of course we could. But Shisui wants to come with us too. He hasn't become a Genin yet, so he can't accept those missions that require leaving the village like we can."
Hatake Kakashi and Uchiha Shisui bowed simultaneously. "Senior Yuzuru—Patriarch—please!"
Annoyed by the three of them, Uchiha Yuzuru resignedly said, "Alright then, I'll help you just this once. Don't make a habit of it."
Since he was just idling in the village anyway, going out for some activity would serve as relaxation.
Seeing Uchiha Yuzuru agree, Uchiha Obito and the other two all revealed happy smiles, pulling Uchiha Yuzuru toward the Mission Hall.
After telling Uchiha Mikoto, Uzumaki Kushina, and Karura, Uchiha Yuzuru followed Uchiha Obito and the others to the Mission Hall.
The hall was packed with people, everyone selecting their respective tasks. Since Kumogakure had defeated the shinobi alliance, almost all clients prioritized Kumogakure when hiring ninjas. This led to a situation where Kumogakure's employment missions were in a state of oversupply; there was no worry about not having tasks to accept.
Uchiha Yuzuru picked up a mission manual and began to slowly flip through it.
"Help an old lady find a cat..."
"Help feed pigs..."
"A widow is afraid of thunder at night, hopes to have a ninja stand guard (Uchiha clan preferred)..."
What on earth was all this?
Uchiha Yuzuru simply skipped the front and flipped directly to the last few pages, where a mission jolted his spirit.
"The Queen of Loulan has died mysteriously. The people of Loulan have been captured and their whereabouts are unknown. We hope for a ninja skilled in investigation to uncover the truth. (Map of Loulan Kingdom attached)."
Memories regarding the Loulan Kingdom involuntarily surfaced in Uchiha Yuzuru's mind.
The Loulan Kingdom was located within the Land of Wind, surrounded entirely by desert. Its land area was only about the size of an average small town. There were no ninjas in Loulan, but a Dragon Vein existed there.
In the original story, a rogue ninja from Sunagakure named Mukade touched the seal while seizing the power of the Dragon Vein, traveling to the past along with Uzumaki Naruto and others. In the past, Uzumaki Naruto encountered a squad led by Namikaze Minato. Judging by Hatake Kakashi's performance at the time, the timeline should have been on the eve of the Third Great Ninja War, before Hatake Sakumo committed suicide.
It indeed aligned with the current point in time.
"Is it because Kumogakure's prestige has now far surpassed Konoha's that the Loulan mission appeared here?" Uchiha Yuzuru muttered to himself, forming a rough guess in his heart.
Seeing Uchiha Yuzuru zoned out, Uchiha Obito curiously leaned his head in. "Big Brother Yuzuru, what's wrong?"
Uchiha Yuzuru snapped back to reality and smiled. "I found a suitable mission."
From its portrayal in the original story, the power of the Dragon Vein was immense, practically inexhaustible. If he could use this mission to claim the Dragon Vein's power for himself, it would be no small harvest.
"Huh? Let me see."
Uchiha Obito took the mission manual from Uchiha Yuzuru's hand, and Hatake Kakashi and Uchiha Shisui leaned in as well.
Immediately, the three of them widened their eyes in excitement.
"It's actually an A-rank mission!"
"C-Can we really do this?" Even Hatake Kakashi lacked confidence.
As Genin, they could only execute D-rank or C-rank missions. Even with Uchiha Yuzuru, they thought accepting a B-rank mission would be the absolute limit. Who knew Uchiha Yuzuru would set his sights directly on an A-rank mission?
One had to realize that A-rank missions were already the ceiling for most ninjas. Many involved the strategic movements of villages and nations, and the results could even affect the balance of power in a region...
"S-Senior Yuzuru, can we really do it?"
"Patriarch Yuzuru, this is an A-rank mission!"
"Although I'm very confident in my own strength, Big Brother Yuzuru, isn't taking an A-rank mission a bit too much? With our strength, will the mission assessment really pass?"
Seeing the apprehensive looks on Hatake Kakashi and the others, Uchiha Yuzuru said indifferently, "Since you want to perform a higher-level mission, then let's see it through to the end. As for the mission assessment..."
Uchiha Yuzuru's tone was filled with confidence. "With me here, even accepting an S-rank mission wouldn't be a problem."
Seeing Uchiha Yuzuru's confidence, Hatake Kakashi and the others realized the truth.
Right! The person leading them on this mission was Uchiha Yuzuru, who had crushed the shinobi alliance with a single blow and awed the entire shinobi world! With him leading the team, even completing an S-rank mission should be a walk in the park, right?
Having figured this out, Uchiha Obito, Hatake Kakashi, and Uchiha Shisui all nodded vigorously. "Big Brother Yuzuru, we'll take this mission!"
"Alright, let's go."
Uchiha Yuzuru laughed and led the three little ones to the mission reception window. Before long, they had accepted the "Support Loulan" mission.
After walking out of the Mission Hall, Uchiha Yuzuru looked up at the sky and said, "Go back and prepare separately. We set out tomorrow morning."
"Yes!"
The next day.
By the time Uchiha Yuzuru finally showed up, Uchiha Obito and the other two had been waiting for nearly 3 hours.
They'd been too fired up yesterday to ask him for an exact meetup time, so they'd rushed over before dawn. They hadn't expected to end up standing around for 3 hours.
Obito grumbled, annoyed. "Brother Yuzuru, why are you so late?"
To make sure he wouldn't be late this time, he'd even skipped breakfast to get here.
Yuzuru glanced at him, mildly surprised. "I figured you'd be late, so I didn't see a reason to hurry."
Hatake Kakashi and Shisui had nothing to say to that.
Given what they knew about Obito, Yuzuru's assumption was completely reasonable.
"Alright. It's getting late—we should get moving."
The moment Yuzuru set off, Obito and the others hurried after him.
"Let's rest for a bit."
With the sun sinking toward the horizon, Yuzuru stopped on his own.
Obito immediately began scouting the area. Kakashi gathered firewood. Shisui used the time to set traps.
Shinobi traveled fast, but the distance between the Land of Lightning and the Land of Wind was simply too great. It had taken them half a month just to reach the edge of the Land of Wind.
"Seriously—getting here was brutal." After circling the perimeter, Obito complained as he dropped down beside Yuzuru.
Once they'd left the Land of Lightning, the journey had gotten a lot harder. Most of the way there hadn't even been anything you could call a road—nothing like back home.
Shisui nodded in agreement. "Brother Yuzuru, people out here have it rough. Shouldn't we help them build things up?"
Yuzuru arched a brow. "Even if we want to help, that doesn't mean they'll want it."
"That's easy." Shisui wore a simple, almost guileless grin. "If we conquer them, then we can help improve their lives."
Yuzuru's mouth twitched.
If you won't accept my kindness, I'll beat you until you do...
Fair enough. Very Uchiha.
Just then, Kakashi piled the collected wood together. "Senior Yuzuru, should I light it?"
"Go ahead."
With Yuzuru's approval, Kakashi started the fire.
Yuzuru reached into the Kamui dimension and pulled out four thick lamb legs. He tossed them a look. "One each."
Shisui quietly set his mission log down and said, helplessly, "Clan Head Yuzuru... are we really going to light a fire this openly?"
"I feel like food pills would be better."
When shinobi were on a mission, concealing their tracks was essential. Starting a fire at night was practically taboo.
Yuzuru nodded. "You're right. It's not a good idea. When you're on missions in the future, don't copy me."
"Of course," he added, "if you have the confidence to overcome anything, then you can do it like I do."
With that, Yuzuru sprinkled seasonings over the roasting lamb legs.
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