Chapter 5: 5. Chapter 5: Target: Senju Itama

Chapter 5: Target: Senju Itama

My name is Uchiha Gin, 24 years old, and I am a loser.

Just a moment ago, Uchiha Gin, who was still organizing his memories, had been assigned to the very back of the formation by his squad leader, Uchiha Fuka, perhaps out of consideration for his unhealed injuries.

Of course, the more significant reason was that his strength was truly lacking; having him lead the way would easily lead to him being killed by the enemy, creating a breach in the squad's formation.

According to the mission briefing provided by Uchiha Fuka, Uchiha Gin learned that their target was Senju Butsuma’s fourth son, Senju Itama.

The eldest and second sons were constantly by Senju Butsuma’s side, making them difficult to target. Settling for the next best thing, they had locked their sights on Senju Itama, who was at the rear of the battlefield.

Taking advantage of the fact that it was not yet fully light, the group carefully crept forward through the rear of the Senju clan's territory. However, they found no trace of the enemy along the way, and the few camps they passed had long since been abandoned.

Perhaps because the Haguromo clan had killed Senju Kawarama, the Senju clan had heightened their vigilance and begun to tighten their defensive net. After all, the rear lines were mostly composed of young blood, and the Senju clan knew they could not afford to be careless.

Suddenly, firelight and the sound of explosions erupted not far ahead. Uchiha Fuka, who was at the very front of the squad, leaped onto a high tree branch, with Uchiha Gin and the others following closely behind.

Uchiha Fuka immediately activated his Sharingan. With the aid of his superior dynamic vision, he quickly saw two parties locked in a fierce battle amidst the smoke and dust ahead.

"It’s the Haguromo clan and the Senju clan."

Uchiha Fuka said in a low voice.

"Should we go over and provide reinforcements?"

Uchiha Ryoichi seemed eager to jump into the fray, and Uchiha Tsuru and Uchiha Taro beside him also revealed bloodthirsty smiles.

Uchiha Fuka narrowed his eyes, pondered for a moment, and said,

"Wait a moment. Let’s wait until the other side has exhausted themselves before we move in."

"This Uchiha Fuka looks like a tough guy with thick eyebrows and big eyes, but I didn't expect him to be such a camper," Uchiha Gin thought to himself after hearing Uchiha Fuka’s order.

Compared to the others in the squad who were observing the battlefield with their Sharingan, Uchiha Gin, who had not activated his, could only see clusters of smoke, with occasional bursts of water and fire.

As expected, without the Sharingan, he was still far too lacking. In a battle of this scale, he could lose his life with a single careless move.

Just as he was considering how to keep his head down and survive, Uchiha Fuka seemed to have discovered something and pointed toward the back of the battlefield.

"That kid—is that our target?"

Following the direction he pointed, the group noticed that although the two sides were fighting, the Senju clan members seemed to be fighting while retreating, with no intention of staying in the battle.

Behind the group, several adult Senju clan members were shielding a child as they withdrew. The little brat with black and white hair was extremely conspicuous.

"That’s right, Captain, that’s Senju Itama!"

Uchiha Tsuru said excitedly after quickly comparing him to the mission files.

"Hahaha, talk about finding something without even looking for it! Let’s move!"

Since the target had been found, there was no need to sit back and watch the tigers fight. With a wave of Uchiha Fuka’s hand, everyone except for the slightly slower Uchiha Gin rushed toward the battlefield, throwing shuriken as they ran.

The two sides, who were locked in a stalemate, were startled by the sudden appearance of the newcomers. The Haguromo clan members, seeing the scarlet eyes of the arrivals, let out a sigh of relief; after fighting for so long, reinforcements had finally arrived.

The Senju clan members, however, felt immediate pressure upon seeing the Uchiha. The Senju clansmen blocking the front line worked even harder to refine their chakra and perform Earth Style, raising stone walls in an attempt to stall for time.

After all, this was Senju territory; their own reinforcements should be on the way.

Uchiha Gin arrived late. As soon as he entered the battlefield, the pungent smell of blood made him dizzy, and a wave of nausea surged in his heart.

Looking at the corpses and blood covering the ground, Uchiha Gin suppressed the discomfort in his heart and drew the katana at his waist, watching the unfamiliar enemies with vigilance.

The leader of the Haguromo clan was a middle-aged man wearing armor with long, coffee-colored hair. Uchiha Gin vaguely saw a small, protruding horn on his forehead, partially covered by his bangs.

At this moment, his hands were weaving seals frantically, slamming one jutsu after another into the Earth Style walls erected by the Senju. Judging by his aura, this person was at least an elite Jonin.

The Haguromo clan had also started as a five-man squad, but two were already lying on the ground, their fates unknown, and the leading elite Jonin was panting heavily.

The recent barrage of jutsu had consumed a significant amount of his chakra. If even someone this strong couldn't take down the opponent, it seemed the Senju were no pushovers.

"Haguromo scum, fall back. Leave the rest to us."

Uchiha Fuka looked at the panting Haguromo clan and dismissed them with disdain.

The pride of the Uchiha clan made them unwilling to join forces with other clans to kill enemies; even as allies, they merely fought their own separate battles.

"But we’ve already worn them down to the point of exhaustion..."

Seeing that the Uchiha had no intention of sharing the spoils of war, the Haguromo Jonin said anxiously.

"Do you have a problem with that?"

Several pairs of cold, sharp red eyes turned to stare at him simultaneously.

"No, no problem. I’ll leave the rest to you all."

Feeling his scalp tingle under their gaze, the Haguromo clan member had no choice but to lower his head and accept it; might makes right.

Uchiha Fuka nodded, satisfied with the response.

The Senju clan saw that the Uchiha and Haguromo seemed to be in conflict. The leading Senju gave a signal to retreat, and the men behind him quickly prepared to flee.

The moment the Senju turned, Uchiha Fuka’s long blade struck. The Senju Jonin reacted quickly, raising his arm and using the armor on his forearm to forcibly deflect the blade aimed at his face.

"Did I say you could leave?"

Uchiha Fuka and his men surrounded the Senju.

Senju Koji’s hand was already numb from the impact and he could barely lift it. He had already exhausted too much stamina in the initial skirmish with the Haguromo, and his wounds were bleeding profusely.

Now, surrounded by the Uchiha, he knew the situation was dire. But he could not just sit and wait for death; the future of the Senju clan was in his hands. Even if he had to sacrifice his life, he had to protect this young seedling.

Thinking of this, he forcibly refined his chakra, frantically squeezing out his life force to activate a forbidden technique that accelerated the recovery of his injuries and stamina.

The Senju clan was born with a hardy constitution, possessing extraordinary chakra reserves and healing power.

In desperate situations, the Senju could often unleash strength far beyond their usual limits.

Gritting his teeth, Senju Koji met Uchiha Fuka, the strongest of the group, head-on, attempting to trade his life for a chance for the others to escape.

Seeing the opponent resist so stubbornly, even as a mortal enemy, Uchiha Fuka couldn't help but feel a sense of respect and began to treat the enemy before him seriously.

He charged with his blade, engaging Senju Koji in a taijutsu duel. For a time, the battlefield was filled with the flash of steel.

The remaining three Senju clansmen surrounded the child, watching Uchiha Ryoichi and the others closing in with vigilance. The one in the center was the target of Uchiha Fuka’s squad: Senju Itama.

"If only I had listened to Father and stayed quietly in the territory."

Only five years old, Senju Itama was already trembling in the center of the circle. However, the pride of the Senju clan drove the child to shakily pull a kunai from his waist and hold it across his chest. As his whole body shook, the ill-fitting armor he wore creaked.

This was young Senju Itama’s first time on the battlefield. Some time ago, his brother, Senju Kawarama, had been sniped outside the territory, and his father had forcibly confined him to the compound.

As a clan leader’s son who was slightly different from the others, Senju Itama had always lived in seclusion and had not been exposed to combat early on.

However, the unexpected death of his third brother had left Senju Itama not only heartbroken but also filled with a desire for revenge.

When Senju Butsuma took his two older brothers to the front lines, Senju Itama, unable to suppress his desire for revenge, snuck out of the camp in the middle of the night, wearing his brother’s armor, intending to find the enemy on the battlefield.

Although the Senju guard unit discovered him in time, they were ambushed by the Haguromo clan while on the way back with Senju Itama.

Under the surprise attack, several ordinary combatants of the Senju escort were killed on the spot, leaving only the guard captain, Senju Koji, and three Chunin-level members to hold out.

Just as they were fighting and retreating, the Uchiha reinforcements arrived. Senju Itama, who had originally had a glimmer of hope for survival, instantly experienced what it meant to have the tables turned.

Now, surrounded by the Uchiha, they could only fight like cornered beasts. At this point, they could only pray that Senju Koji would defeat Uchiha Fuka and come to their aid.

(End of chapter)