My name is Uchiha Gin. I'm 24 years old… and I'm a loser.
Just moments ago, while still trying to sort through his memories, Uchiha Gin had been assigned to the rear of the team by his captain, Uchiha Fūka — probably out of consideration for his injuries, which hadn't fully healed.
Of course, the main reason was that he was too weak. Putting him up front would only get him killed quickly and leave a gap in the formation.
According to the mission briefing from Fūka, their target this time was Senju Butsuma's fourth son — Senju Itama.
His eldest and second sons were constantly at Butsuma's side and thus heavily guarded. As a result, they had to settle for targeting Itama, who was positioned farther behind the front lines.
Taking advantage of the early morning darkness, the group carefully infiltrated the rear of the Senju territory. But they didn't encounter any enemies along the way — even several campgrounds they passed had been abandoned.
It was likely because the Hagoromo Clan had just assassinated Senju Wajian, prompting the Senju Clan to tighten their defenses. The rear lines were full of young recruits — fresh blood — and they couldn't afford to be careless.
Suddenly, flashes of fire and loud explosions echoed from up ahead. At the front of the formation, Uchiha Fūka leapt onto a tall treetop. Uchiha Gin and the others followed closely behind.
Fūka immediately activated his Sharingan. With its enhanced dynamic vision, he quickly spotted two groups fiercely clashing in the dust and smoke ahead.
"Hagoromo Clan and Senju Clan warriors."
Fūka said in a low voice.
"Should we go help them?"
Uchiha Ryōichi asked eagerly, while Uchiha Tsuru and Uchiha Tarō both grinned bloodthirstily.
Fūka narrowed his eyes in thought, then said:
"Wait. Let them wear each other out. Then we'll strike."
"This guy, Fūka… with his righteous face, who knew he's just a sneaky scavenger."
Gin couldn't help but complain inwardly after hearing Fūka's command.
Unlike the others, who were observing the battlefield with their activated Sharingan, Gin could only make out vague smoke clouds and the occasional burst of fire or water. Without the Sharingan, he was still far too limited — this kind of battlefield could easily get him killed.
Just as he was pondering how to stay alive, Fūka pointed toward the back of the battlefield.
"That kid — is that our target?"
Following his gaze, the group noticed something strange: although the Senju and Hagoromo clans appeared to be fighting, the Senju were slowly retreating, clearly avoiding a prolonged clash.
Behind the Senju line, a few adult warriors were covering the retreat of a child — his distinctive black-and-white hair made him stand out.
"That's him, Captain! That's Senju Itama!"
Uchiha Tsuru quickly compared the kid to their intel and confirmed with excitement.
"Hahaha! We've searched high and low — and now he shows up right in front of us. Let's go!"
With the target confirmed, there was no need to keep waiting. Fūka gave the signal, and everyone but the slightly slower Gin rushed forward, hurling shuriken as they charged into battle.
The two sides fighting were shocked by the sudden intrusion. The Hagoromo Clan, upon seeing the Uchiha's crimson eyes, finally breathed a sigh of relief — reinforcements had come at last!
But the Senju, recognizing the Uchiha, instantly felt the pressure rise. Their front-line warriors quickly gathered chakra and used Earth Release to raise stone walls and buy time.
After all, this was their territory — reinforcements had to be on their way.
Gin arrived late. The stench of blood on the battlefield hit him like a wave, making him dizzy and nauseated. Looking at the corpses and the blood-soaked ground, he forced down his discomfort, drew his katana, and warily eyed the unfamiliar enemy.
The leader of the Hagoromo group was a middle-aged man in armor with long brown hair. Through the bangs covering his forehead, Gin could vaguely see a small horn protruding.
The man was rapidly forming hand seals, launching jutsu after jutsu at the Senju's defensive wall — clearly, he was at least elite jōnin level in strength.
The Hagoromo Clan, like the Uchiha, operated in five-man squads. Two of them were already lying on the ground, their fate uncertain. Their elite leader was panting heavily — the jutsu barrage had drained much of his chakra. For someone this powerful to be struggling, it showed how formidable the Senju were.
"Hagoromo Clan, fall back. Leave the rest to us."
Uchiha Fūka scoffed as he ordered the winded Hagoromo team to withdraw.
The pride of the Uchiha wouldn't allow them to share kills with others — allies or not, they preferred to fight their own battles.
"But… we already wore them down a lot!"
The Hagoromo elite jōnin protested, frustrated.
"You got a problem with that?"
Several pairs of cold red Sharingan eyes turned toward him in unison.
"N-no… of course not. We'll leave it to you."
Chilled to the bone by their stares, the Hagoromo had no choice but to back off.
Satisfied, Fūka nodded.
Seeing the apparent tension between the Uchiha and Hagoromo, the Senju commander made a hand signal to retreat, and his men began preparing to flee.
But in the instant they turned around, Fūka's longsword was already slicing toward them. A Senju jōnin barely raised his armored arm in time to deflect the blade.
"Did I say you could leave?"
Fūka and his squad quickly surrounded the Senju group.
Senju Kōji, his arm still numb from the impact, was already exhausted. In the earlier clash with the Hagoromo, he'd lost too much energy, and his wounds were still bleeding heavily.
Now surrounded by the Uchiha, he knew the odds were grim. But he couldn't give up — the future of the Senju rested on him. Even if it cost his life, he had to protect this young seedling.
With grim determination, he forced himself to refine more chakra, draining his life force to activate a forbidden technique that restored his stamina and healed his wounds.
The Senju were born with powerful bodies, abnormal chakra reserves, and strong regeneration.
In desperate moments, they could unleash power far beyond their usual limits.
Gritting his teeth, Kōji charged head-on at Fūka, hoping to use his life to buy time for the others.
Even though they were sworn enemies, Fūka couldn't help but feel respect for Kōji's defiance and began taking the battle seriously.
He raised his blade, engaging Kōji in fierce close-quarters combat. The clash of steel filled the battlefield.
The remaining three Senju formed a defensive circle around a young boy, watching warily as Ryōichi and the others surrounded them. In the middle was their target: Senju Itama.
"I should've listened to Father and stayed in the compound…"
Only five years old, Itama trembled in fear, but the pride of the Senju drove him to draw a kunai and hold it in front of his chest. His ill-fitting armor creaked with every shake of his body.
It was Itama's first time on the battlefield. Not long ago, his older brother Wajian had been killed near the border, and their father forbade him from leaving the compound.
As the son of the clan leader, Itama had been raised in isolation and had little exposure to combat.
But his brother's death left him grieving and hungry for revenge.
When his father took his two older brothers to the front lines, Itama, unable to bear it, snuck out of the camp at night wearing his brother's armor — determined to find the killer.
Though the Senju's homeland guards found out in time, on their way back they were ambushed by the Hagoromo Clan.
Caught off guard, several lower-ranked guards died on the spot. Only Captain Kōji and three chūnin-level guards survived.
While they were retreating and barely holding on, the Uchiha arrived — turning hope into despair.
Now surrounded, they were cornered like beasts. All they could do was pray that Senju Kōji could defeat Uchiha Fūka and return in time to save them.
(End of Chapter)