After Nara Shikaku finished assigning the tasks, he didn't send the three of them out immediately. Instead, he had them wait quietly while Minato Namikaze finalized the overall plan.
Uchiha Ran, for his part, looked completely unbothered. He stayed beside Shikaku, eyes closed, calmly resting as if nothing around him concerned him at all.
"Uchiha Ran… this is our first time meeting, isn't it?" Shikaku said suddenly. "May I call you Ran-san?"
As he looked at this unnervingly composed member of the Uchiha clan, Shikaku's thoughts drifted back into memory.
Back in his own generation, there had been an Uchiha shinobi who left a particularly strong impression on him—Uchiha Aoka.
Shikaku had always held deep-seated stereotypes about the Uchiha clan, and Aoka's existence had perfectly matched every one of them.
From the very start at the Ninja Academy, Uchiha Aoka had carried himself with extreme arrogance and an inflated sense of self-importance.
Everything that followed only reinforced Shikaku's view of the Uchiha temperament.
When Shikaku was still a chūnin, a mission had placed him alongside Aoka and several other Uchiha clan members. They spent over ten days together as comrades in the field.
During that mission, Shikaku noticed that Aoka shared many of the same traits common to most Uchiha.
After a period of close cooperation, Shikaku came to realize that whether facing enemies or handling relationships within the team, the Uchiha consistently displayed a confidence and pride that bordered on the unreasonable.
They preferred acting alone, trusting that their own abilities were enough to solve any problem.
That personality made them terrifyingly effective in combat—but it also pushed them away from others.
Gradually, Shikaku began to understand the root of that mindset.
It was precisely because of the Uchiha's overwhelming strength—and their deep pride in their clan—that they possessed such unwavering confidence in themselves.
Yet that confidence often crossed the line into blind arrogance, making it difficult for them to truly cooperate with others.
And still, during that time together, Shikaku also discovered something else.
Beneath that pride and aloofness, the Uchiha carried a deep longing for friendship and teamwork.
As Shikaku and Aoka worked together, they slowly developed a unique understanding and trust. Aoka seemed to realize his own excesses and gradually began listening to Shikaku's opinions and advice.
Through those interactions, Aoka changed. He became more humble, more open-minded, started valuing teamwork, and learned to share both his thoughts and his strength with others.
However—
After the mission ended and they went their separate ways, time passed without contact.
When Shikaku encountered Uchiha Aoka again later, it was as if everything had reverted. Aoka had returned to his old self.
This must be something systemic within the Uchiha clan, Shikaku had concluded back then.
That was the final judgment he formed after that experience.
If things continued this way, Shikaku believed, the Uchiha clan would eventually meet a grim fate.
"Of course, that's fine, Shikaku-sama."
Ran's gentle smile pulled Shikaku's thoughts back from the past.
"Now then," Shikaku said, shifting gears, "Inuzuka Tsubaki and Dōmu Shinno, right? Come sit closer. I'll explain the requirements for carrying out missions—especially ones where the enemy also has jōnin involved."
"Huh? Nara-jōnin actually knows our names?" Tsubaki asked in surprise. "We've never even met before."
"Hahaha," Shikaku laughed. "I just have a good memory. I make it a habit to keep track of the shinobi in the village. I basically know everyone in Konoha."
"So awesome…" Shinno muttered instinctively.
It was genuinely hard to imagine someone remembering the names of every ninja in the village.
Ran, however, wasn't surprised in the slightest.
After all, the man's surname was Nara.
The Nara clan's traditional occupation was raising deer to supply medicinal ingredients for the development of medical ninjutsu, which meant they possessed deep knowledge of pharmacology. In critical moments, those materials could save lives.
Members of the Nara clan were all highly intelligent—and Shikaku was the pinnacle among them.
Remembering the names and faces of the village's shinobi was trivial.
If anything, Ran suspected Shikaku also remembered each person's jutsu specialties and combat tendencies.
…
"To be honest," Shikaku sighed, "the Third Hokage really shouldn't have sent you genin on this mission. He likely wasn't fully aware of the situation here and assumed this was just a Cloud Village reconnaissance unit."
He looked at Shinno, whose face had gone pale and slick with sweat, and continued calmly.
"In reality, the Cloud Village sent some very dangerous people. The future Raikage A, Killer B, and several elite jōnin. The danger level of this mission has already surpassed what an average chūnin should be dealing with."
Because A and Killer B had entered the picture, the mission's difficulty had skyrocketed.
That was why Shikaku had no choice but to assign risky tasks even to genin.
He stressed repeatedly that their priority during execution was survival. When scouting enemy outposts, they were to be extremely cautious. If danger appeared, they were to retreat immediately—without hesitation.
As he spoke, Shikaku weighed their strengths internally.
Inuzuka Tsubaki, with her ninken, was perfectly suited for reconnaissance. Dōmu Shinno could support her effectively.
As for Uchiha Ran…
Fresh out of the Academy, it didn't seem appropriate to throw him straight into a mission of this intensity.
After some thought, Shikaku concluded that returning to Konoha for reinforcements would be too slow—and messenger hawks were likely already en route.
Instead, it would be better to send Ran to Frost Country, one of Konoha's allied nations, and request support—specifically, a jōnin.
After all, Frost Country was extremely close to the Land of Rice Fields. If the Cloud Village made any large moves there, Frost Country would almost certainly be affected as well.
Before long, Minato Namikaze finished coordinating with Kurenai Yuhi and arrived at Shikaku's encampment.
Shikaku briefed Minato on his analysis and the assignments he had planned for the genin.
Minato trusted Shikaku deeply. After considering the plan and finding no flaws, he relayed the strategy to everyone present.
"Tsubaki, Shinno," Minato said warmly, "I'll call you that for now. We'll engage the Cloud Village's main force head-on. I need you to scout out all of their camps."
"Your safety comes first. Compared to the mission, you are more important."
Faced with Minato's bright, approachable smile, both Tsubaki and Shinno straightened instinctively.
"Yes! We'll complete the mission, Commander Minato!"
Seeing their enthusiasm, Minato turned to Ran.
"As for requesting aid from Frost Country, that will be up to you, Ran-kun. I've prepared a handwritten letter—please deliver it to Frost Country's leader."
"No problem, Minato-senpai."
Ran accepted the sealed scroll from Minato's hand, his expression calm and steady.
The next stage of the storm was about to begin—and this time, Ran would be walking straight into it.