Chapter 2: Mission
Early the next morning, after completing a simple round of training, Uchiha Kei made his way toward the rendezvous point.
During wartime, every ninja was a valuable asset, regardless of their background. Even clans as prominent as the Uchiha and Hyuga were expected to send their members to the front lines to protect the village.
Of course, the reality was more nuanced than the ideal. Take the Hyuga clan, for example—the majority of those sent to fight were from the branch family. Thanks to the cursed seal known as the "Caged Bird," the main house didn't need to worry about others stealing their Byakugan. This policy became even more rigid after an incident where a main house member died at the hands of Kirigakure and had a Byakugan taken.
The Uchiha weren't foolish either. While some of their Sharingan users were deployed, they were usually assigned to relatively "safe" zones. Those without awakened Sharingan, on the other hand, were subject to the village's complete discretion, sent wherever they were most needed.
Kei fell into that category—he had never once revealed his Sharingan in front of others. Without a solid safety net, he'd rather keep a low profile. War was dangerous, sure, but ending up on Konoha's internal "blacklist" would be far worse.
This approach had its pros and cons. The downside was obvious—Kei was exposed to great danger. But the upside was that his Jonin instructor would be someone the village deeply trusted, a so-called "Konoha loyalist."
Just like how Obito Uchiha—once considered a hopeless failure—was fortunate enough to have Minato Namikaze as his Jonin mentor.
Kei was in the same graduating class as Obito, but luck hadn't been so kind to him. His first Jonin commander had died during a mission, sacrificing himself to protect the team. His current team leader was a lesser-known Jonin named Fukuhiko Hayate, someone loyal to the Hokage's faction.
As for Kei's teammates? Just a couple of nobodies—not Might Guy, not Kurenai, not Asuma, or even Genma.
One was a civilian ninja named Imai Kenta, a taijutsu specialist known for his quick thinking and sharp instincts—one of the rare survivors since the war began.
The other was a much more complex character—Hyuga Ayaka, a member of the Hyuga branch family. Just like her name suggested, she was sharp, calculating, and cunning—dangerously so.
Kei's relationship with his teammates was... neutral at best. They weren't close, but there was no deep resentment either. Their team had gone through several iterations due to wartime casualties. Through many shared missions, Kei had learned how devious both of them could be beneath the surface.
In times like these, surviving often meant being shrewd. And none of them had made it this far by being anything less than clever.
"You're late. Is this what all Uchiha are like?" Ayaka scowled as Kei finally arrived at the rendezvous. "We've got a mission."
"A mission?" Kei nodded calmly, but quickly glanced around. "Where's team leader ? Why is it just the three of us?"
Imai, who had been sitting quietly cleaning his weapons, looked up. "Captain left about half an hour ago with a group of other Jonin. He's already headed to the front lines. The Iwagakure forces are pressing hard. We've been assigned a separate mission."
The Battle of Kikyo Pass had been brutal. Konoha had barely dealt with the Suna before Iwa struck, giving the village no time to regroup. The saying "kill ten thousand, lose three thousand" had never been more real—Konoha was exhausted, and Iwagakure had clearly come to take advantage.
Ironically, Iwa had also attacked the Kumo, leading to the death of the Third Raikage—who had held off ten thousand Iwa-nin alone for three days and nights so his comrades could retreat.
Thanks to that reckless ambition, Konoha was spared a two-front war. Otherwise, things might have turned out far worse.
"So, what's our mission?" Kei asked, eyes narrowing. "And who's in charge now?"
"You are," Ayaka replied flatly, clearly displeased. "We've been assigned to provide support for the Namikaze Minato squad. Our job is to assist them in completing their mission."
During war, ninja teams operated with a strict military structure—far more disciplined than what was depicted in the manga. And yet, what Ayaka just said made Kei frown even deeper.
This mission sounded like a classic bait-and-distract operation.
They hadn't been told what Minato's squad was doing—only that they were to support them. Both Kenta and Ayaka understood they were being used as decoys, but they had no idea what the real objective was.
But Kei did know.
Minato's team was heading to destroy the Kannabi Bridge, a crucial supply route. That meant they—Kei's team—were the sacrificial pawns, meant to draw the enemy's attention while the real mission was carried out.
In the original story, Kakashi's squad didn't encounter much resistance during their mission. And that begged the question—why was such an important location so lightly guarded?
The only explanation was that someone else had drawn away the bulk of the enemy forces.
Which now appeared to be them.
Worse, Kei remembered that after Obito's "death," a flood of Iwa-nin had appeared. Clearly, most of the decoy team had been wiped out.
And if Kei's memory served him right, it was during this same mission that Obito was taken by Uchiha Madara, implying that there was an old Uchiha base somewhere near the bridge.
Kei sighed inwardly. He didn't have the luxury of refusing this mission. During wartime, deserters fared far worse than those who simply died in battle.
"How many squads are involved in the support operation?" he asked. "And how deep are we expected to go?"
"Six other teams are part of the support unit," Ayaka replied swiftly. "As for how far we go, we haven't been told. Our job is to draw the enemy's attention and hold them off."
What a damn nightmare of a mission.
Kei cursed silently. Still, the fact that there were other teams involved gave him some hope. It wasn't a death sentence—at least, not a guaranteed one.
He had hidden his abilities well, and with the experience he'd gathered from previous missions, he was confident he could make it out alive—if he played it smart.
"…Alright then. Let's move."
Without another word, Kei sprinted toward the village gate. Since this was a mission, there was no time to waste.
Kenta and Ayaka followed close behind.
Just as they were about to leave the village, they spotted a familiar group—it was Minato's team, also preparing to head out.
Kei's expression darkened slightly as he glanced at them.
They were walking toward destiny.
And so was he.