Jomei: "Let me inspect your wounds."
Isamu: "No need. Save the chakra you have. There might be even more enemies nearby."
Jomei: "Mr. Isamu, I apologize. I should have paid more attention while the enemy was so close to me." I said. While saying these words, I was also saying them to myself.
Isamu: "Actually, yes. Pay close attention the next time this happens." I argued with some bewilderment.
I hoped he would at least give me some words of encouragement, but I truly deserved those words. In this world, whether at the founding of Konoha or in later times, everything would remain the same.
Unfortunately, this was my first time in a battle that wouldn't stop just because one of us gave up, like in training. However, I didn't get too depressed, considering it was my first time leaving the clan. I hoped to at least surprise Mr. Isamu in some way.
Jomei: "By the way, how was I in this fight?"
Isamu: "Way below my expectations." These words really stung me. Can ninjas really accomplish even greater feats at just 5 years old? Of course, leaving aside Madara, who was somehow born with a blessing, reaching the level of a god of war.
Jomei: "But they didn't hurt me." I firmly stated.
Isamu: "*Sigh* You see, my point was that I thought you'd at least reach the level of an mid-level ninja[1]."
Jomei: "What does it take to become an mid-level ninja?" I asked, truly puzzled.
Isamu-sama just laughed and said, "You still have a way to go." This answer left me with even more doubts, but thinking about it carefully, Isamu-sama would surely be evaluating my performance, so he couldn't reveal any information to me.
Jomei: "As for these ninjas, do you think we'll be able to find out which clan they were from?"
Isamu: "What makes you think they were ninjas from a clan?"
Jomei: "First, their taijutsu technique. Although they were very slow, they knew where to strike and how to do it. Second, the last guy performed a really powerful wind jutsu. If he hadn't used the substitution jutsu, he would surely have ended up in fried slices. Lastly, they also followed him, so they knew who you were."
Mr. Isamu was contemplative about my deduction, although anyone would have noticed. "That's right, it was five high-level ninjas who attacked me, so they knew who they were attacking. They also did the same thing as the last guy; they took their own lives before falling into a genjutsu."
When these words reached my ears, I was 95% sure which clan these ninjas came from. Given that person's behavior, it was very likely that was the case, but I didn't want to comment on anything without clear evidence.
With this in mind, I went to check the bodies that weren't as badly damaged by the explosion. "Don't bother, you won't find anything," said Mr. Isamu, seeing what I was trying to do.
Jomei: "How are you so sure?"
Isamu: "Because I've already checked the bodies of the other ninjas."
Jomei: "Okay, then we have to move on."
Understanding my reasoning, he nodded, but not before writing a report of what had happened on a scroll. He tied the scroll to a crow's leg, after which we immediately left.
Mr. Isamu led me along various paths, sometimes returning along the same path and even crossing some rivers. It took us a full hour before he decided we were safe.
By the time we reached a cave, the moon had long since begun to move between the stars and the darkness of the vast darkness of infinite space.
My stomach was beginning to cry out for food, but at this point we couldn't light a fire, mainly to avoid detection.
All we had were strips of dried meat, so we ate only a little.
Isamu: "Kid, sleep, I'll take first watch." I nodded at Mr. Isamu's arrangements, so I sat down next to a rough wall. The only thing that made me feel comfortable was the fact that I could somehow fit relatively comfortably in that space.
For the time being, Mr. Isamu grabbed a few branches from the surrounding area to cover the cave entrance.
I don't know what time it was, but the darkness of night was still visible from outside the cave when Mr. Isamu woke me up to take second watch.
As I changed guard, I tried not to give in to the sleep I was feeling at the time, so whenever my body began to feel like it was going to sleep, I would pinch my arm or leg.
After a couple of hours, a sound alerted me. That sound belonged to at least five ninjas, who were running, getting closer to where we were standing every second.
Fortunately, Mr. Isamu has excellent instincts, so I didn't have to wake him up.
"Damn! Another dead end!" came the exclamation of one of the ninjas chasing us.
"Quick, let's go back, let's look somewhere else!" said one of the ninjas, a little irritated.
"Yes," they all responded instantly.
Both Isamu and I were holding a kunai, but when they saw that they were retreating, we went back to our business.
The rest of the night was uneventful, so when the first rays of sunlight fell, I went to wake Mr. Isamu.
It took us two more days to reach the nearest village, called Kurisutaru no Mizuumi (Crystal Lake), which was located near a lake whose transparent waters perfectly reflected the reason for its name.
There were a few houses on the shore of this lake, but a little further away, a large number of houses and stalls of various kinds could be seen.
Jomei: "Excuse me, Mr. Isamu, why do we have to come to this place?" I asked, truly puzzled, since we only had one mission to complete. Unless they had given him further instructions after sending that scroll.
Isamu: "We need to change our clothes, otherwise, our location would be quickly exposed." I expressed.
Since I didn't know how such information was transmitted, I decided to trust Mr. Isamu, since he was the one with experience in these missions.
We visited a few clothing stalls, buying different items at each one. Once we were empty, the orders I received were to leave the area immediately.
I really wanted to stay here one night, but I might also cause some disaster here, not because I wanted to, but because they might attack us here, and if that happened, I wouldn't feel good at all.
Possibly some innocent villagers would be seriously injured or even killed. Although my power wouldn't be enough to cause destruction, due to my almost perfect chakra control.
But I couldn't speak for the people following us.
...
Senju Clan Mansion.
In one of the rooms, a ninja wearing white robes, long hair, and the Senju clan emblem on his back suddenly entered.
He knelt down as he said, "Mr. Tobirama, there is an envoy from the Shimura clan in your room." His words ended abruptly when he noticed Tobirama had immediately left.
Instantly, Tobirama found himself in the room where the Shimura clan ninja was.
"Mr. Tobirama." The Shimura ninja knelt down upon seeing the appearance of the person he had come to visit.
Tobirama: "What's your news?" he asked in a deep voice.
"The ninjas we sent failed to eliminate the target. Unfortunately, we lost them after losing 13 of our own ninjas." The entire time he was speaking, the temperature began to drop rapidly.
"Don't return with me until you eliminate the boy, and tell your patriarch that you won't gain the acceptance of the Senju clan until you complete the mission."
"Yes, I'm leaving." This ninja withdrew, hoping not to return to Tobirama with bad news.
He even seemed stronger and more stern than his patriarch.
Tobirama: "Damn it, that clan can't complete such a simple mission. Unfortunately, they'll be of use to us in the future."
...
Uchiha Patriarch's House
Izuna: "Brother, I've been informed that there's movement between the Senju clan and the Shimura clan." He entered somewhat excitedly, without even announcing himself.
Madara's eyes reflected an inexplicable feeling, which caused him to laugh maniacally.
Izuna: "Are you okay, brother?"
Madara: "That kid was right, even the report Isamu sent."
Izuna: "Those arrogant, insignificant clans!" He exclaimed angrily.
Madara looked in the direction of the river, his expression complex.
Izuna: "What should we do, brother?"
Silence reigned for a few seconds, until Madara's voice offered a solution, one that not even Izuna had expected at that moment.
Madara: "Nothing, brother, we won't do anything."
[1] Low-level ninja = Genin
Mid-level ninja = Chunin
High-level ninja = Jounin
Remembering that the division of Konoha ninja ranks has not yet been established