Chapter 13: Uzumaki Mito Has a Heroine Dream

The fact that the system's activation speed was linked to his own strength gave Uchiha Gin a newfound motivation to move forward.

It seemed that the reason the system could fully load the mission for Senju Danzo was entirely due to the single-tomoe Sharingan that had been unexpectedly activated within the Tsukuyomi last night.

The awakening of the Sharingan had evolved his strength from cannon fodder Genin to an ordinary Genin. While there was still a gap between him and the powerful "Twelve Konoha Genin," he should be able to go toe-to-toe with Hinata.

"Hehehehe..." Covering his face with one hand, Uchiha Gin let out a burst of eerie laughter, causing Senju Danzo, who was playing dead behind him, to secretly open one eye.

"What's wrong with him now?"

Seeing Uchiha Gin transform into one of the "Four Laughing Idiots," Danzo couldn't help but complain, only to be met with a sharp flick to the forehead.

With a large bump forming on his head, Danzo curled his lip in grievance, resisting the urge to cry.

Having adjusted his mindset, Uchiha Gin looked at the kid and realized he wasn't actually that annoying. With a beaming smile, he said something to Danzo that made the boy's spine go cold.

"Kid, it might not be long before you get to reunite with your family."

"Don't you dare!!! I'll... ah..." Clearly misinterpreting the intent, Danzo began his useless barking once again.

Since the noise this fellow was making might attract enemies, Uchiha Gin unhesitatingly pulled something out and stuffed it into his mouth.

Sensing the salty, fishy taste of the object in his mouth, Danzo took a sniff and promptly fainted on the spot.

"The humidity by the sea is just too heavy; these feet start sweating in a single day."

Uchiha Gin withdrew his hand with satisfaction. Looking at the stinky sock that hadn't been washed for days stuffed into Danzo's mouth, he analyzed the situation with complete seriousness.

"We are about to enter the territory of the Uzumaki clan. Constrain your chakra; don't let them sense us."

The leader, Uchiha Fubika, suddenly spoke up in warning.

"Aside from being experts in Sealing Jutsu, the Uzumaki's sensory abilities are top-tier. We are currently on a mission; do not alert the Uzumaki clan."

"Is there a possibility that we've already been discovered?" Uchiha Gin muttered from the very back of the group.

[Detected that the host has encountered combat. The Steel of Heart chest has begun to accumulate...]

A prompt rang in his head; enemies had already appeared in the vicinity.

Over ten kilometers away, a red-haired figure opened his eyes. His blood-red pupils revealed a hint of chill.

"There are five ninjas ahead. Five of them have incredibly cold chakra, likely from the Uchiha clan, and one has chakra full of vitality."

The red-haired, red-eyed man spoke to several other red-haired men beside him.

"Can you be certain about the one full of vitality?" a burly, red-haired muscular man asked.

"My Kurenai Eye has never been wrong," the red-eyed man replied.

"Then it's them. Move out!"

With a wave of the muscular man's hand, the others shot off like arrows toward Uchiha Gin's group.

Aside from Uchiha Gin, Uchiha Fubika and the others on the march were unaware that enemies were approaching.

Hearing the prompt, Uchiha Gin deliberately slowed his pace, gradually trailing far behind the team.

The other Uchiha in the group were long accustomed to Gin's habit of falling behind, so they didn't pay it any mind; he would surely catch up during the next rest period.

As the Uchiha group moved through the forest, Uchiha Fubika, who was leading the way, suddenly felt a sense of blockage in his chakra.

Before he could think deeply, a sense of crisis arose. His years of assassination experience allowed him to stop instantly.

"An ambush!"

Uchiha Fubika activated his Three-Tomoe Sharingan, cautiously scanning his surroundings. The three behind him, including Uchiha Ryoichi, did not dare to be careless and immediately activated their own Sharingan.

At that moment, several red-haired men flashed out from the woods. The leader was the muscular man from before. He scrutinized Fubika and the others, looking somewhat bewildered to see only four of them.

"As expected of the Uchiha clan, you were actually able to detect the sealing array we laid down," the muscular man said, crossing his arms with an air of importance.

Being praised did not make Uchiha Fubika feel honored. After sizing up the muscular man, he said, "Our Uchiha clan has never had conflicts with the Uzumaki. Why are you attempting to ambush us without cause?"

"There should be six of you. Where are the other two?" a red-eyed man beside the leader asked.

Hearing this, Fubika's heart sank. He thought to himself, *It seems they are after that Senju kid.*

He then cast a subtle glance backward, realizing Uchiha Gin had not yet caught up. He felt a surge of urgency: *Kid, please don't come over here.*

"I don't know what you're talking about. We are just a standard four-man squad on a mission," Fubika said, while his hand behind his back signaled the three men following him.

"A standard squad? Does a standard squad require the famous 'Kamikakushi Fubika' to lead it? What kind of mission is it, exactly?"

The red-haired muscular man called out Fubika's identity, asking bluntly.

"Attack!"

Seeing that their identities were exposed, the men who had just received the signal attacked simultaneously. With their crimson Sharingan spinning, they lunged toward the Uzumaki group, and battle broke out instantly.

In the rear, Uchiha Gin, who had been trailing for a while, also encountered his own "enemy." Seeing the red-haired figures suddenly emerge from the trees, the prompt in his mind rang out once more

[Detected that the host has encountered combat. The Steel of Heart chest has begun to accumulate...]

[Are you really not going to give me a chance to build up a losing streak?]

***

Uzumaki Mito, the young daughter of Uzumaki Ashina, the clan leader, had shown extraordinary talent for Sealing Jutsu since childhood. She was the apple of Ashina's eye, pampered in every possible way.

However, the spoiled Uzumaki Mito was extremely furious when she learned her father had promised her to the Senju clan in a distant land.

In a fit of rage, she took several of her father's treasures and secretly slipped onto a cargo ship leaving the Land of Whirlpools, beginning her journey to escape the marriage.

"From today on, I shall be a wandering heroine, fighting for justice!"

After listening to a storyteller from the Land of Iron tell tales of wandering heroes on the ship, the simple and hot-blooded ten-year-old girl embarked on her journey.

First, she used Taijutsu to beat a group of thugs at the docks, earning cheers from the onlookers. This greatly satisfied Mito's "heroine dream."

Next, she used Sealing Jutsu to deal with several rogue ninjas who used Ninjutsu to oppress local women, sealing their chakra before dumping them in the mountains to work in mines for reformation.

After several such exploits, she gained considerable fame, and the name "Red-Haired Heroine" spread far and wide.

"Another peaceful day!"

The girl with a bun and chubby cheeks ate a candy given to her by an old lady by the roadside, patrolling her protected town with a satisfied expression.

Though called a town, it was actually just a small fishing village near the coastline. After the girl's "reforms," the once chaotic place had become peaceful and stable.

"I remember the storyteller said that a hero seeks to wander the world and make the four seas their home."

Patting her small head, Uzumaki Mito decided to bid farewell to her "starter village" and head toward a higher and wider world.

"There are still many people waiting for me to save them!"

Clenching her small, fair fists, Mito encouraged herself.

Having made up her mind, Mito said goodbye to the villagers. Though they were reluctant to see her go, they waved her off, even preparing a large bundle of snacks and dried rations for her journey.

As she headed into the dense forests near the coastline, Mito was snacking continuously while walking. Suddenly, she spotted a black-haired man carrying a child on his back.

She noticed that the man had not only tied the child to his back but had also given the child a sharp flick to the head. Even worse, he pulled out a stinky sock and stuffed it into the child's mouth.

"He must be one of those legendary human traffickers! But didn't big brother say traffickers are usually those 'Black Laborers' from the North?" Confused, Mito began to follow him secretly.

After following him for a while, Mito saw the black-haired man slow his pace. She crept forward, intending to give him a magnificent entrance and give this evil trafficker a massive shock.

And so, the next scene unfolded

A red-haired girl with a bun and a large bundle on her back, her cheeks bulging with food.

In her left hand, she held a half-eaten dried salted fish; in her right hand, she clutched half a toasted flatbread. Because her mouth was stuffed full, her words were unintelligible

"Kutu Ginbo Jishi, Fangshala Gan Hai! (You despicable trafficker, let that boy go!) (`^)"

(End of Chapter)