Itsuki POV
Leaving the Hokage Building, I couldn't help but curse the old man.
Damn bastard. How dare he try to send me to my death with that smile?
I'd expected my promotion test to be different compared to others, but this still wasn't what I had in mind.
According to him recently the Iwagakure had suddenly reduced its aggression towards Konoha. However, information from the hidden networks indicated that a large number of their shinobi had crossed the Land of Waterfall and were marching towards the Land of Snow.
So did that mean they were shifting the battlefield and planning to attack us by joining forces with Kumogakure?
My mission was to gather detailed information about their movements. Whether I'd be promoted or not would depend entirely on what I brought back.
Well, despite the risks, I thought the mission itself was relatively simple due to my meta knowledge, if I wasn't wrong, this was around the time the Third Raikage was destined to visit the Pure Land.
The Sand had lost their Third Kazekage. Konoha lost White Fang. Kiri had lost the Three-Tails.
So Ōnoki probably wanted to take down a Kage-level combatant from Kumo as well, to reduce their overall power.
Hmm… this could be a good chance to use Plan 7A. I'd been given the perfect situation to start it so should I do it though there's no need for it currently.
Over the years, I'd created multiple contingency plans for my survival, each tailored for different factions and threats. Plan 7A was one of the more extreme ones. The idea was simple, sustain a permanent injury. Something serious enough to lower my overall strength or at least make it look that way.
If my overall power seemed crippled, the eyes watching me would naturally drift away.
A crippled Uchiha wasn't much of a threat. And being ignored… was sometimes the safest position of all.
Even though I now had the gacha, and Oden's template could easily push me to Kage level, that didn't mean I'd throw away all my old plans. No. Maybe I'd adjust some of them but I wouldn't abandon them completely.
Especially not when I knew how things would turn out in the future.
Kage would eventually become little more than cannon fodder, the same way genin were treated now. Power alone wouldn't be enough. If I wanted to survive long-term, I had to think beyond the present and prepare for problems that hadn't even appeared yet.
Sarutobi. Danzō. They weren't the real problem.
Yeah, they had money, influence, political power, and plenty of dirty tricks, but dealing with people like them was easier than most thought. There were plenty of ways around them. And even if I couldn't get rid of them completely, I could always just leave. Run far enough that they couldn't touch me.
No, the real problem was something else entirely.
The Ōtsutsuki.
Monsters who would erase entire civilisations like it was nothing. When they showed up, villages and titles wouldn't mean a thing. And they definitely wouldn't spare me when they started turning everyone here into fuel.
There'd be nowhere to run when that happened. The whole world would turn into a battlefield. I couldn't just bet my life on some prophecy either there were way too many what ifs. Leaving everything in the hands of some delusional brats and hoping things worked out?
Yeah. That would be stupid.
Reiner Braun (Attack on Titan).
Staring at the card I'd pulled today, I couldn't help but feel like even the gacha was telling me to stop hesitating and take the initiative.
Black Zetsu was already out there, working to revive Kaguya. Isshiki was somewhere in the shadows too, manipulating the world through Kara.
And sooner or later.... that trio would make their move as well.
On top of that, there were my distant relatives on the Moon, another unpredictable variable waiting to mess things up.
Thinking about all the problems lined up for the future, I made my way toward the Grand Elder's residence.
I hadn't officially been promoted to jonin yet, but the mission I'd just received was important enough that the clan leadership needed to know. Normally, this would be reported directly to the clan head, but Fugaku was still tied up on the Mist battlefield.
That left only one option.
The elders.
Senior Setsuna, in particular.
When I reached his house, I stopped at the gate and raised my voice instead of knocking.
"Uchiha Itsuki, here to meet Senior Setsuna."
There were no guards posted outside the house, but that didn't mean the place was undefended. The entire clan compound was under constant patrol, with shifts rotating around the clock. By the time I'd been summoned to the Hokage's office, my movements would already have been reported. My return to the compound, my direction, even the fact that I was heading here, none of it would have gone unnoticed.
From their point of view, this visit was obvious.
After being called in by the Hokage, the next logical step for someone like me, especially given my status, was to report to the highest-ranking authority still present in the clan.
Which meant Senior Setsuna was probably already expecting me.
"Come in."
After getting permission, I slid the door open and stepped inside. I moved toward the room on the right, where he was already seated. His back was to me, his attention seemingly on the flowers outside the window.
I knelt down properly, thighs together, sitting back on my heels.
I didn't like this posture. Not one bit.
But after enough lectures from senior clan members, along with plenty of practice, my body had learned it whether I wanted it to or not.
I remembered once how an old senior had overheard me muttering about traditions. He hadn't scolded me. Instead, he'd smiled and said that every small action was meant to make us more tolerant, more patient, and calmer in the future so that when the time came, we would be able to overcome the danger and will be able to return to the clan.
Of course, right after saying that, he'd ordered me to do a hundred push-ups. At that age, it was absolute hell for my small body.
"What happened?" he finally asked, still not turning around.
"The Hokage assigned me a task," I replied. "The result will decide whether I get promoted."
"Jōnin, huh?" He sounded interested now.
"Yes. On my last mission, I saved my squad captain, Shinku Yūhi. He said I'm already qualified to be a jōnin and that he'd recommend me to the Hokage."
"Oh…" he murmured. "So the Yūhi family is finally making a move."
He paused, then continued calmly.
"Being close to the White Fang cost them dearly in this war. Their number of qualified shinobi can be counted on fingers and toes. They must have seen the Hokage's true face by now."
There was a hint of cold amusement in his voice.
"So they want to weaken his authority by pushing an Uchiha into the jōnin ranks."
I… hadn't thought about it like that. But the more I let it sink in, the more it made sense. At the end of the day, everyone was just fighting for their own share.
What really got to me was how casually he'd figured it out, just from something I'd said without much thought.
"So," he said at last, "do you need help completing this task?"
Finally. The question I'd been waiting for.
"I've never been to the Land of Snow before," I replied. "I'll need clan intel regarding routes, border activity, important locations. Anything useful."
One of the few real advantages of having a clan was this, a private information network. Constantly updated, carefully filtered, and only accessible when you truly needed it.
"When will you leave?" he asked, smoothly changing the topic.
"The Hokage wants me to move as early as possible," I replied. "I'll be leaving tonight. I'm supposed to intercept Iwa shinobi moving toward the Land of Snow."
He hummed under his breath. "That means there's no time to test your limits now…"
Then he spoke a name.
"Shika."
A shadow flickered across my vision. In the next instant, someone was standing in front of me as if they'd always been there.
"Give him what he needs," Setsuna ordered. "And cross-check all reports regarding the Land of Snow and Iwagakure's movements."
"Yes, Uncle," the man replied. Then he turned to Itsuki. "Come with me."
I nodded. Before leaving, I bowed once more toward Setsuna. "Thank you for your help."
Third Person POV
As Shika and Itsuki left, another voice spoke up, carrying a hint of hesitation.
"Senior… since the Yuhi clan is trying to counter the Hokage faction, should we pursue a deeper connection with them?"
Setsuna let out a soft chuckle. "No need. The enemy of an enemy doesn't automatically become a friend. Between us and them, choices were made a long time ago. They can't switch sides unless there's overwhelming strength forcing their hand."
He paused briefly before adding, "And anyone who sees us as a meat shield was never going to be our ally."
The voice hesitated, then asked another question. "Then why are we sending Itsuki on this mission? Even without formal testing, if Shinku recommended him, he's already crossed the jōnin threshold. A twelve-year-old jōnin is rare. Why not stop him from walking into something that could kill him?"
Setsuna didn't answer right away.
When he finally spoke, his voice was calm.
"Because missions like this are meant to push him to his limits," he said. "A twelve-year-old jōnin… of course I can see his potential. He could reach Kage-level one day."
He paused, his gaze steady.
"But that kind of strength can't be achieved by staying indoors. If he wants to reach that level, he has to face life-and-death situations again and again. Only then will he truly grow."
"What should we do, Senior?"
Setsuna didn't hesitate.
"This is a test from the clan for Itsuki, so it has to remain fair," he said calmly. "Organise a squad. Their job is to make sure Root doesn't get anywhere near him."
His eyes darkened slightly.
"I won't believe for a second that that rat Danzo won't try to make a move against a talented Uchiha."
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Should summon characters be loyal?