My name is Uchiha Gin, 24 years old, and I'm a failure.
Just moments ago, while sorting through memories, Uchiha Gin was assigned to the rear of the team by Captain Uchiha Fuka—likely to accommodate his unhealed injuries.
More likely, though, it was because he was too weak. Leading the way would make him an easy target, risking a breach in their formation.
From the mission dossier Fuka distributed, Gin learned their target was Senju Banma, the fourth son of Senju Butsuma.
The eldest and second sons stayed close to Butsuma, making them hard to hit. So, they'd settled on Banma, stationed at the rear of the battlefield.
Before dawn fully broke, the team cautiously advanced through the back of Senju territory. But they found no enemies—camps they passed were long abandoned.
Perhaps the Hagoromo clan's killing of Senju Itama had put the Senju on high alert, tightening their defenses. The rear held their young blood, and the Senju couldn't afford to slip up.
Suddenly, firelight and explosions flared ahead. Fuka, at the front, leapt to a high branch. Gin and the others followed.
Fuka activated his Sharingan instantly, his enhanced vision piercing the smoky chaos to spot two groups clashing.
"It's the Hagoromo clan and the Senju clan," he said gravely.
"Should we reinforce them?" Uchiha Ryoichi asked eagerly, while Uchiha Hizuru and Uchiha Tarou grinned with bloodlust.
Fuka narrowed his eyes, considering. "Wait. Let them wear each other down first."
"This Fuka looks upright, but he's a total ambush predator," Gin thought, smirking inwardly.
Unlike his teammates, who tracked the battle with their Sharingan, Gin—without it—saw only vague smoke and occasional bursts of water and fire.
Without Sharingan, he was outclassed. In a fight this big, he could die in a heartbeat.
As he pondered how to survive, Fuka pointed toward the battlefield's rear. "That kid—our target?"
Following his gesture, they saw the two sides locked in combat, but the Senju were retreating, avoiding a prolonged fight.
At the back, a few adult Senju guarded a child with striking black-and-white hair as they withdrew.
"That's him, Captain! Senju Banma!" Uchiha Hizuru confirmed, thrilled, after checking the dossier.
"Ha! We've struck gold. Let's move!" Fuka declared.
With the target in sight, no need to sit back. Fuka waved them forward, and all but the sluggish Gin charged toward the fray, hurling shuriken as they ran.
The battling factions flinched at the newcomers. The Hagoromo clan, spotting the crimson eyes, relaxed—reinforcements after a grueling fight. The Senju, however, felt the pressure mount, their front line frantically weaving Earth Release to raise stone walls and buy time.
This was Senju turf; their backup was likely en route.
Gin arrived late, the battlefield's stench of blood hitting him hard. Nausea surged, but he drew his samurai sword, eyeing the unfamiliar foes warily.
The Hagoromo leader was a middle-aged man in armor, with long brown hair. Gin glimpsed a small horn-like protrusion under his bangs.
He wove signs rapidly, slamming ninjutsu into the Senju's earth walls. His aura pegged him as at least elite jonin.
The Hagoromo team, also five-strong, had two down, status unknown. Even their leader was winded.
After that ninjutsu barrage, his chakra was low. If someone that strong couldn't break the Senju, they were no pushovers.
"Hagoromo, fall back. We'll take it from here," Fuka said dismissively.
Uchiha pride scorned teaming up, even with allies—just parallel fights.
"But we've nearly worn them out…" the Hagoromo jonin protested, reluctant to lose the spoils.
"Got a problem?" Fuka and the others turned, their red eyes glaring.
"N-No, it's all yours," the Hagoromo man relented, bowing under their intimidation.
Satisfied, Fuka nodded.
The Senju noticed the rift between Uchiha and Hagoromo. Their leader signaled retreat, and his team prepared to bolt.
As they turned, Fuka's sword flashed. The Senju jonin reacted fast, deflecting the face-bound strike with his armored arm.
"Did I say you could leave?" Fuka taunted, as his team encircled the Senju.
Senju Koji's arm throbbed from the parry. The earlier Hagoromo skirmish had drained him, and his wounds bled freely.
Now surrounded by Fuka's squad, he knew the odds were grim. But he couldn't give up—the Senju's future rested in his hands. Even if it cost his life, he'd protect this seedling.
Steeling himself, he forced out chakra, burning his vitality with a forbidden jutsu to heal and restore his stamina.
The Senju's robust bodies boasted abnormal chakra reserves and healing.
In despair, they could unleash power far beyond normal.
Gritting his teeth, Koji charged Fuka head-on, trading his life for his team's escape.
Even as a rival, Fuka respected the defiance, facing Koji seriously.
Their blades clashed, sparks flying in a taijutsu duel.
The remaining three Senju guarded a child, warily eyeing Ryoichi and the others closing in. At the center was their target: Senju Banma.
"I should've listened to Father and stayed put," the five-year-old Banma whimpered.
Shaking, he drew a kunai with trembling hands, holding it to his chest. His ill-fitting armor clinked with each quiver.
It was his first battlefield. After Itama's death on the outskirts, his father had grounded him.
Unlike his brothers, Banma had been sheltered, spared early combat.
But Itama's loss fueled his thirst for revenge.
When Butsuma took his older brothers to the front, Banma, unable to resist, snuck out in Itama's armor to hunt the enemy.
The Senju rear guard caught him, but on the way back, the Hagoromo ambushed them.
The surprise attack killed several regular fighters instantly, leaving only Koji and three chunin-level teammates.
As they retreated, Uchiha reinforcements arrived, flipping Banma's faint hope into despair.
Encircled, they were beasts in a trap, praying Koji could beat Fuka and save them.
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