The system's activation speed tied to his strength gave Uchiha Gin a spark of motivation.
The task's full details loading must've been thanks to last night's accidental single-tomoe Sharingan awakening in Tsukuyomi.
The Sharingan bumped him from fodder genin to average genin—still below the Twelve Guardian Ninja, but maybe a match for Hinata.
"Heh heh heh…" Gin cackled, covering half his face, startling Senju Banma, who was feigning death on his shoulder. The kid peeked with one eye.
"What's wrong with you now?" Banma muttered, unable to resist, earning a swift forehead flick.
A lump swelled on Banma's head. He pouted, holding back tears.
Adjusting his mood, Gin eyed the kid, finding him less annoying. With a sly grin, he said something chilling: "Kid, you might reunite with your family soon."
"No way!!!" Banma, misunderstanding, started his impotent rant.
His noise risked drawing enemies, so Gin stuffed something in his mouth without hesitation.
Banma sniffed the salty, rank object and passed out.
"Coastal humidity's rough—feet sweat like crazy," Gin mused, inspecting the days-unwashed sock he'd jammed in Banma's mouth.
"We're nearing Uzumaki territory. Mask your chakra—don't let them sense us," Uchiha Fuka warned suddenly.
"The Uzumaki excel at sealing jutsu and have top-tier sensory skills. We're on a mission—don't stir up trouble."
"What if we're already spotted?" Gin mumbled from the rear.
"Detected host in combat. Heart of Steel Chest accumulating…"
The system's chime rang—enemies were near.
Miles away, a red-haired figure opened blood-red eyes, a cold glint flashing. "Five ninjas ahead. Five with cold, dark chakra—likely Uchiha. One brimming with vitality."
The red-haired, red-eyed man spoke to several fellow redheads.
"Can you confirm the vital one?" a burly, muscular redhead asked.
"My Kagura Mind's Eye never fails," the red-eyed man replied.
"That's them. Move!" The burly man waved, and his team shot toward Gin's group like loosed arrows.
Except for Gin, Fuka's team, still marching, didn't notice the approaching foes.
Hearing the system, Gin deliberately slowed, lagging far behind.
His teammates, used to his straggling, paid no mind—he'd catch up at the next rest.
As the Uchiha darted through the forest, Fuka, leading, felt his chakra stutter.
Before he could think, danger prickled. Years of assassination honed his instincts—he halted.
"Ambush!"
Fuka's three-tomoe Sharingan flared, scanning warily. Ryoichi, Hizuru, and Tarou followed, activating their own Sharingan.
Red-haired men emerged from the trees, led by the burly redhead. He studied Fuka's group, surprised to see only four. "Impressive, Uchiha—sensing our sealing array."
Fuka, unflattered, assessed the man. "The Uchiha have no quarrel with the Uzumaki. Why ambush us?"
"You should be six. Where's the other two?" the red-eyed redhead countered.
Fuka's heart sank. They're after the Senju kid. Glancing back, Gin hadn't caught up. Stay away, kid.
"I don't follow. We're a standard four-man squad on a mission," Fuka lied, signaling the others behind his back.
"Standard? Led by the famed 'Phantom Fuka'?" the burly redhead sneered, calling out his title.
"Attack!" Fuka ordered. With his identity exposed and signals sent, the team sprang, crimson Sharingan blazing, clashing with the Uzumaki.
Far behind, Gin faced his own "enemy." A red-haired figure stepped from the trees, triggering another system chime: "Detected host in combat. Heart of Steel Chest accumulating…"
[No chance for a losing streak, huh?]
Uzumaki Mito, youngest daughter of Uzumaki Clan Head Uzumaki Ashina, showed prodigious sealing talent from childhood. Doted on as Ashina's late-life treasure, she was spoiled rotten.
But when her father betrothed her to the distant Senju, Mito fumed. In a huff, she stole some of his prized items, snuck onto a cargo ship leaving the Land of Whirlpools, and embarked on an escape from her arranged marriage.
"Today, I become a wandering, righting wrongs!" Inspired by an Iron Country storyteller's tales of heroic ronin, the naive, hot-blooded ten-year-old began her journey.
At the docks, she flattened thugs extorting villagers with taijutsu, earning cheers that fed her dreams.
Next, she sealed the chakra of rogue ninjas harassing women, dumping them in mines to reform.
Her exploits spread, and the "Red-Haired" gained fame.
"Another peaceful day!" The bun-haired, chubby-cheeked girl munched on candy from a grateful granny, patrolling "her" town.
The "town" was a coastal fishing village, once chaotic but now orderly under her fist.
"The storyteller said a roams the world, calling all lands home," Mito mused, patting her head. Deciding to leave her starter village for grander horizons, she vowed, "Many more need my help!"
Clenching her pale, tiny fist, she pumped herself up.
Bidding the villagers farewell, they reluctantly let her go, gifting her a huge bundle of snacks and rations.
Trekking into the coastal forest, munching nonstop, Mito spotted a curly-haired man carrying a kid.
He'd tied the child up, flicked his head, and—worst—stuffed a foul sock in his mouth.
"Must be a human trafficker! But brother said they're big, dark brutes from the north…" Puzzled, Mito tailed him.
Tracking him, she saw him slow. Sneaking closer, she planned a dramatic debut to shock this "evil trafficker."
Thus, the scene:
A red-haired, bun-headed girl, cheeks stuffed, carried a giant snack bundle. Her left hand held a half-eaten dried fish, her right a partial flatbread. Mouth full, she mumbled incoherently:
"Vile trafficker, rewease that boy!" (`^??)
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