"Mukume Kounagi-sama?"
Unlike Minato, whose emotions were a rollercoaster of excitement, Tatsuma remained composed. He turned his attention to the man who had just addressed them—Mukume Kounagi, an elite of the village's younger generation and a fairly well-known Jonin.
Mukume Kounagi nodded, offering a somewhat simple, honest smile. "I've heard you two are quite skilled with projectile weapons. Would you like to join the Ninja Tool Corps? Or would you prefer to attach yourselves to the Hyuga or Uchiha units to handle perimeter clearing and defensive positioning?"
Tatsuma and Minato exchanged a knowing look. They both understood the subtext of Kounagi's offer: they were still being steered away from the direct, frontline "meat grinder."
It wasn't necessarily a question of strength. The army now consisted of a massive shinobi corps with plenty of Genin participating in the main clash. If other Genin could handle the heat, there was no reason Tatsuma and Minato couldn't.
The reason was clear: the village—or rather, the high command—wanted to keep them on a safer trajectory. The first option, the Ninja Tool Corps, was essentially artillery support. With a Jonin like Mukume Kounagi there, their safety was virtually guaranteed. The second option—roving the perimeter—was more flexible.
The current stage of the war looked more like a traditional military campaign. The previous jungle skirmishes, while allowing shinobi to flex their unique talents, were "like using a silk cloth as a loofah—it's smooth, but it doesn't get the grime off." To truly decide a winner, there had to be decisive battles and large-scale attrition. After a week of probing, the Land of Wind and the Land of Fire were transitioning into a traditional war of position.
However, that didn't mean small-scale jungle warfare was dead. The perimeter of the battlefield governed reinforcements, supplies, and intelligence—all vital tasks that required capable ninja. While the risk wasn't low, if those tasks were being handled by the Hyuga and Uchiha clans, it was a different story entirely.
They were being given special treatment. Minato didn't have a strong preference, so he looked to Tatsuma to make the call.
Tatsuma thought it over for a moment before replying, "Kounagi-sama, please assign us to the perimeter. I believe that environment suits us better."
Mukume Kounagi gave them another look. While the presence of Uchiha and Hyuga experts lowered the risk significantly, roving the perimeter was still objectively more dangerous than the Ninja Tool Corps.
However, since Orochimaru had given them the choice, Kounagi wasn't going to argue. He nodded. "Very well. I'll speak with them."
Kounagi stepped away and returned shortly. "The Uchiha squad is currently a bit light on numbers. Would you prefer to join them, or would you rather go with the Hyuga?"
"We'll go with the Uchiha."
Once the choice was made, Kounagi led them over to the Uchiha unit. After a brief introduction, he took his leave, and the shinobi corps began its march.
Tatsuma snuck a few glances at the squad leader, Uchiha Fugaku. The man was a "true talent" in Tatsuma's eyes—after all, not just anyone could father two legends like Itachi and Sasuke.
Fugaku noticed Tatsuma's gaze but seemed to misinterpret it. His eyes betrayed a flicker of Uchiha pride and competitive dissatisfaction, but his voice remained calm. "The Hyuga are better suited for scouting. We Uchiha handle the more dangerous clearing missions. If you're having second thoughts, speak up now while we're still together."
Tatsuma's lips twitched. "You misunderstand, Fugaku-senpai. It's just that after you and the other Uchiha saved me the other day, I didn't have the chance to introduce myself properly or say thank you."
The tension in Fugaku's face softened instantly. His lips even threatened to quirk upward into a smile, though he suppressed the urge a second later, maintaining his stoic facade.
"It was a coincidence," Fugaku said flatly. "Don't mention it."
The other Uchiha nearby mirrored his indifferent expression, but their slightly tilted heads and the effort they were putting into not smiling proved that they were quite pleased with the recognition.
Before Tatsuma could strike up further conversation, the order to move out was given. He fell into line behind Fugaku, maintaining the squad formation.
As they moved, he spoke quietly with Minato, discussing the combat habits of the Sand ninja. Most of this was a refresher—they'd covered it in the Academy and under Jiraiya—but Tatsuma added his own observations. Since Sunagakure hadn't participated in the last Great War, the general knowledge of their tactics was stuck in the era of clan wars before the villages were founded. Decades of development had changed things.
As the march continued, Tatsuma noticed that their route was deviating from the previous battlefield. They were heading further north, closer to the border of the Land of Rain.
Shifting the battlefront was common, but it triggered a memory in Tatsuma's mind regarding the cause of the Second Shinobi World War.
The catalyst was the Hidden Rain Village. Their leader, Hanzo of the Salamander, felt that the distribution of resources in the shinobi world was unfair—that small nations like the Land of Rain were being choked out by the Great Nations. Consequently, Hanzo would eventually declare war on the Land of Fire, the Land of Wind, and the Land of Iron simultaneously.
Calculating the timeline, Tatsuma realized it was about that time. He wondered if the constant friction between the Leaf and the Sand on their borders was the final straw that would push Hanzo to "flip the table."
While he pondered things a "bolt in the machine" shouldn't worry about, the unit slowed its pace as they reached the border between the Land of Rivers and the Land of Rain. It wasn't because of the terrain; ninja weren't slowed down by a few hills.
The reason was clear: the signs of recent combat were everywhere. The two armies had clearly clashed here more than once. Even in a traditional campaign, shinobi prioritized ambushes, so caution was the order of the day.
"Tatsuma, Minato."
Fugaku's voice pulled them back from their observations. He checked his tool pouch and the scrolls on his flak jacket before turning to them. "We're separating from the main force now. Follow me. Our objective is approximately five miles to the northeast. Don't fall behind."
"Yes, Fugaku-senpai!" both boys replied in unison.
Tatsuma and Minato did a final gear check. Nearby, Uchiha Yashiro was briefing the rest of the squad. Minutes later, the Uchiha and Hyuga units detached from the main body, heading in different directions. The Hyuga headed deeper into the Land of Rivers, while Fugaku led his team toward the border of the Land of Rain.
During the trek, Fugaku kept a close eye on Tatsuma. He seemed slightly disappointed. Tatsuma's current speed... was "slow."
Granted, compared to their peers, Fugaku acknowledged that no one was faster than these two—even in the talent-rich Uchiha clan. But Fugaku's perception of Tatsuma was based on the rumors of him slaying Jonin. To his eyes, Tatsuma's current output didn't even rank among the elite of the Chunin.
After a while, Fugaku asked as if in passing, "How exactly did you beat those Suna Jonin the other day?"
"It was a fluke," Tatsuma replied humbly. Or rather, he had to be humble. If Fugaku actually believed he was that strong and sent him to solo a Suna Jonin, he'd be in deep trouble. Unless Fugaku and the others were already dead, Tatsuma had no intention of "sacrificing his teammates to the heavens" just to use a temporary power boost.
Fugaku didn't press further. "Then don't push yourself too hard when we encounter the enemy."
Tatsuma nodded. Five miles was nothing for a ninja; they arrived at their destination shortly after parting with Yashiro's group. Fugaku landed on a tree branch and turned to face them.
"Further north is the Land of Rain. They've been sending scouts lately, and the Sand often uses this route for flanking maneuvers. Our job is to ensure the main battlefield isn't disturbed."
Fugaku unsealed several scrolls from his vest and tossed them to the boys. "Set up some traps in the perimeter. You've learned how to do that, right?"
Tatsuma and Minato caught the scrolls and unsealed them, revealing a massive haul of high-quality explosive tags and specialized ninja tools, all bearing the Uchiha crest. Tatsuma's "Kudos" instinct kicked in immediately.
"As expected of the Uchiha clan," Tatsuma remarked, his voice full of admiration. "Even the standard tools and tags are crafted with such precision."
Fugaku's lips curled upward, and for once, he forgot to hide his satisfaction. Minato, meanwhile, was just waiting for the punchline. Sure enough, Tatsuma continued.
"We can't let these masterfully made tools go to waste. I'll make sure these traps are perfect. Minato, let's see who can set their perimeter faster. Fugaku-senpai..."
Tatsuma looked at Fugaku. This setup was specifically designed for the Uchiha head. Since his praise didn't involve Minato, winning against his friend wouldn't normally yield an attribute pickup—unless a third party was impressed.
Fugaku, being no fool, picked up the challenge. "Count me in as well."
The three of them blurred into motion. Tatsuma set his traps with clinical efficiency, while Minato, who had grown to love the feeling of winning, refused to be outpaced.
Fugaku didn't rush. He moved at a steady pace, observing the two boys. He was genuinely impressed; their technique and choice of trap placement were flawless. It was rare to see such solid fundamental skills in "genius" types, who often preferred flashy moves over basic grunt work.
Because Fugaku was busy observing rather than competing, Tatsuma—aided by his familiarity with the terrain—finished first. He took the remaining tools from Minato's hands with a grin.
"Looks like I'm the winner today, Minato."
[Ding! SPD +3, INT +5; Special Talent: Prolific Progeny (Uchiha Fugaku Edition), Pick up?]
Tatsuma nearly jumped out of his skin when he saw the notification. He wanted absolutely nothing to do with that "blessing."
"JUST THE REGULAR STATS! ONLY THE REGULAR STATS!!!"