"How long have we even been out here? We haven't even set foot on the main battlefield, and they're already ordering us back?"
Inside a command tent, a young Uchiha ninja was venting his frustration to Uchiha Fugaku and Uchiha Yashiro. The others in the room wore similarly indignant expressions.
The fact that the village refused to let the Uchiha join the war in significant numbers was already a form of silent discrimination. Their Clan Head had worked tirelessly to secure these few slots, and yet, after only three months, they were being sent home. What kind of logic was that?
Uchiha Fugaku was equally displeased, but as the ranking officer, he could only maintain a firm front. "This wasn't just the village's decision; it was a direct order from my father."
Clearly, Fugaku didn't agree with the retreat either. However, as the young heir, he had to respect his father's judgment and defend his authority before the clansmen.
"The village is pushing us too far! And the Clan Head is being too soft!" another Uchiha barked.
Fugaku's eyes flashed. Hearing his clansmen dare to criticize his father, he stood up, ready to snap back, but a voice from outside the tent interrupted him.
"Fugaku-senpai! Fugaku-senpai!"
Hearing that youthful voice—raspy from weeks of talking too much—Fugaku knew exactly who it was.
The Uchiha squad actually had a very high opinion of Tatsuma. Unlike many in the village, Tatsuma never projected groundless hostility toward them. On the contrary, he frequently offered them genuine praise and recognition.
Because of this, even the two Uchiha who had been shouting a moment ago suppressed their anger, sitting back down with nothing more than a sullen pout.
Fugaku took a deep breath, pushing down his own irritation. "Tatsuma? Come in."
Tatsuma pushed through the tent flap, his large, half-empty backpack slung over his shoulder. He greeted Fugaku, Yashiro, and the others with a polite nod, then blinked in mock confusion. "We're supposed to head back to the village soon. Have you all not finished packing yet?"
"Hmph!"
One or two of the Uchiha couldn't help but let out a disgruntled grunt. They didn't want to take their anger out on the kid, but the topic was a sore spot.
Tatsuma knew exactly what was going on. He had come here on a mission from Orochimaru to ensure the Uchiha squad cooperated with the withdrawal and the debriefing.
For most ninja in the village, persuading the Uchiha would be a nightmare—the clan was naturally at odds with the rest of Konoha. But Tatsuma was different. Over the past three months, he had been systematically "grinding" for reputation points with this squad.
Pretending to be oblivious to their resentment, Tatsuma spoke up. "Tsunade-sensei said that if you all really want to stay and report to the new commander, she could probably negotiate with him for you."
Hearing that there might be a loophole, the Uchiha perked up. Yashiro asked tentatively, "Really?"
Tatsuma nodded, maintaining a straight face. "Yeah. Though, Sensei did mention that the new commander, Danzo Shimura-sama, has a bit of a temper. But surely, if it's for the good of the village, Danzo-sama would understand."
The moment the name "Danzo Shimura" hit the air, the excitement in the tent evaporated. It was replaced instantly by looks of pure, unadulterated disgust.
While it was true that most people in the village weren't fond of the Uchiha, very few people made it their life's mission to actively target them.
Danzo Shimura was the exception. As the disciple who had inherited the will of the Second Hokage, Tobirama Senju, Danzo's loathing for the Uchiha was a case of the student surpassing the master. Serving under a man who despised their very existence? Not even the most battle-hungry Uchiha was that suicidal.
Yashiro looked like he had just swallowed a fly. He wanted to take back his previous excitement but didn't want to lose face. Fugaku, ever the strategist, saw the opening and took it.
"There's no need to trouble Tsunade-sama," Fugaku said, his tone regaining its usual stoic dignity. "While the Uchiha are always eager to serve the village, we prioritize following the chain of command. Since the village has ordered us back for a debriefing, we won't seek special treatment. We will proceed as originally planned."
Tatsuma gave Fugaku a mental thumbs-up. Spoken like a future Clan Head. That was some world-class PR.
Tatsuma nodded respectfully. "Then I won't disturb your packing. According to the message from the village, Danzo-sama will arrive in about an hour. Once the handover is complete, we can depart."
"Understood. We'll be ready. Thank you for the heads-up."
"You're too kind, Fugaku-senpai. I'll see you at the gate."
Tatsuma made a quick exit. He hadn't been lying; Danzo Shimura was indeed taking over the camp. He had the seniority and the credentials. Furthermore, his Root agents were already scattered across both nations, and much of the intelligence work had been handled by his department. Aside from Orochimaru, no one understood the current landscape better than Danzo.
And while Danzo was new to the front lines, he had already contributed significantly. The flagging morale of the Suna ninja was a direct result of the "Grassroots Ninja Lives Matter" campaign that Danzo's Root had helped facilitate.
From what Tatsuma had gathered through camp gossip and Tsunade, Danzo had been so desperate to secure this command that he had departed the village two days early. By the time Hiruzen Sarutobi was ready to appoint a new commander, Danzo was already practically at the front. Hiruzen had been forced to give him the job.
If it weren't for Danzo's aggressive power play, Tatsuma and the others wouldn't have been ordered home so abruptly.
Back at the command tent, Tatsuma gave Orochimaru and Tsunade an "OK" hand gesture. Orochimaru nodded, a flicker of amusement in his eyes. "Well done. Mark that down as a completed B-rank mission."
"...Isn't that a bit much for a five-minute conversation?" Tatsuma asked, feeling a rare pang of "merit-guilt."
Tsunade snorted. "They're Uchiha. Successfully convincing them of anything is a B-rank difficulty at minimum."
The Sannin didn't know exactly how Tatsuma had played them, but they knew that if anyone else—including themselves—had tried to force the Uchiha back, it would have turned into a sensitive political incident. Solving a potential crisis of village unity was worth a B-rank tag any day.
Besides, Orochimaru knew his time as Commander was over. He wouldn't always have a student as useful as Tatsuma under his thumb; he might as well pad the kid's resume while he still had the authority.
Tatsuma wasn't the only one blushing at the sudden influx of merits. Minato was currently staring at his own record in disbelief. He had just been credited with thirty B-rank missions and over twenty C-ranks.
Every patrol they had done with the Uchiha was recorded as a B-rank. Over three months, going out once every three or four days, the numbers added up. Orochimaru had even rounded up to thirty just to be neat.
The C-rank missions were even more creative: Caring for War Casualties (Tatsuma), Ensuring Camp Logistics (The Takeout Boy), and Preventing the Spread of Suna Toxins (Washing Dishes).
Tatsuma's count was even higher. In fact, he technically had an S-rank mission ready for the books—killing Sajin—provided the village was willing to officially claim credit for it. They weren't currently doing that for diplomatic reasons, but the value was there.
If the Iwa investigation was verified, the two boys, along with the Uchiha squad and the Sannin, would likely be credited with another A- or S-rank mission.
Seeing these numbers, Tatsuma finally understood how Minato had managed to complete over three hundred A-rank missions in a career that only lasted fourteen years. War was the ultimate "XP farm" for mission counts. Jiraiya's legendary numbers—six hundred A-ranks and over a hundred S-ranks—suddenly made sense.
The boys spent the final hour helping Orochimaru organize the transition files. Watching them work with such efficiency, Orochimaru felt the urge to grant them one more B-rank for "Facilitating Critical Administrative Handover." However, since the files were already packed and ready, he decided not to make them start over.
An hour later, several figures appeared inside the tent. No one bristled; they'd been expecting the "Darkness of the Shinobi."
Tatsuma finished sealing the final archive and looked up to see the man himself: Danzo Shimura, the "Root" of the Leaf and the self-styled "5.5th Hokage."
Danzo looked younger than he did in the later anime years, but his face was already set in that perpetually sour, unlikable scowl. As Tatsuma observed him, he noticed a tell-tale detail: the fabric at Danzo's armpits and collar was a shade darker than the rest of his tunic.
It looked like dried sweat stains. Danzo's clothes were currently bone-dry, but the salt-rimmed discoloration suggested they had been soaked and dried repeatedly.
Despite his calm, leisurely demeanor—acting as if he had just strolled across the street rather than sprinting across a country—Danzo had clearly been pushing himself to the limit to get here first. He had likely stopped just outside the camp to freshen up and regain his "composed leader" mask before making his grand entrance.
Tatsuma imagined a middle-aged man sprinting to a job interview, sweating buckets, only to duck into a public restroom to fix his hair and straighten his tie so he could walk into the room looking like a seasoned executive.
As Tatsuma stared, Danzo noticed the boy. He returned the gaze with his signature cold, shadowed eyes. But then, a strange expression crossed Danzo's face. For some reason... this kid looked remarkably "pleasing to the eye."
Danzo was confused by his own reaction, but he didn't dwell on it. He scanned the stacks of files and archives. "Everything is prepared? Good. Now... tell me the state of the war."
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