Orochimaru left quickly.
Following the assembly point on their transfer orders, Uchiha Gen and his two teammates arrived at a tent.
A purple-haired young Jōnin was seriously instructing his two disciples.
Upon seeing Uchiha Gen and the others arrive, he simply gestured for the three to wait a moment.
He then handed a mission scroll to Aomori and Miyagi Izumi.
"Ensure the smooth transmission of information."
"Once you reach the mission location, intelligence personnel from other departments of the Village will interface with you."
"Yes, Teacher Zixiao."
The two young Chūnin took the mission scrolls from Mitarai Zixiao's hands with solemn expressions.
They then turned and nodded friendly to Uchiha Gen and the others waiting outside the door before departing.
"Did you see Lord Orochimaru just now?"
Mitarai Zixiao asked the three of them.
"Yes."
The former nodded slightly and pulled another scroll from a drawer.
"For the coming period, your team will be responsible for assisting in the defense of sectors four through six, focusing primarily on patrol and blockade."
"Understood, but our team doesn't have a proper Sensory Ninja."
"I can only barely count as half of one. Is this..."
"I understand your confusion, Gen, but those Sensory Ninja have other important roles and have been redeployed elsewhere by Lord Orochimaru."
"I shouldn't have to explain this to you, but since you are trusted allies, I'm mentioning it."
"Any other Jōnin giving orders wouldn't be as polite as I am, even considering Lord Orochimaru's influence."
Mitarai Zixiao explained to Uchiha Gen.
"I understand. My apologies, Senior Zixiao."
"I only dared to ask because you are an elder among our own people."
Uchiha Gen said with a hint of apology.
A Ninja Village is a military organization.
When a Ninja receives a mission, they should think about whether they have the ability to complete it, rather than questioning the mission's rationality.
"Mm, go then. Don't let Lord Orochimaru down."
"I have other matters to attend to."
Mitarai Zixiao pointed outside the tent.
In just that short time, two more Ninja teams had already arrived outside to submit their missions.
As the number two figure in Orochimaru's faction, he needed to assist Orochimaru in handling many affairs.
As Orochimaru grew increasingly busy, his own time also became tight.
"Yes, Senior Zixiao."
...
The Land of Rain had a hot and humid climate, with frequent rain all year round and dense vegetation.
Although its territory was not as vast as the great nations, its terrain was complex and varied.
Hills, rivers, lakes, forests, or human towns on the plains filled with various buildings—all occupied different roles in the war due to their geographical characteristics.
The area Uchiha Gen's team was to patrol and blockade was located within an oak forest.
This type of terrain had limited visibility and many obstructions.
It was unsuitable for habitation and sparsely populated.
If an enemy wanted to infiltrate secretly, such places were often the most suitable.
For several days in a row, Uchiha Gen and his teammates wandered around here.
In the forest, groups of Ninja Crows would fly by from time to time.
Through calls of varying frequencies and lengths, they summarized intelligence for Uchiha Gen like a secret code.
On the ground, small snakes would occasionally crawl out, their bodies wriggling as they slithered to his side.
Combined with the forest setting, Uchiha Gen sometimes felt like a Druid.
From the sky to the ground, he used his Summoned Beasts to cover as much ground as possible.
Although using Summoned Beasts for reconnaissance might not be as effective as experienced and wise Ninja at seeing through carefully disguised, lurking enemy Ninja...
It was still better than the three of them wandering blindly through this vast oak forest along a set route.
Unfortunately, it was always raining in the Land of Rain.
Although the Ninja Crows' feathers had a certain waterproof effect due to the oil secreted by their bodies, their flight capability was still weakened.
The snakes' scent-sensing ability was also diminished by the washing away of water from the heavy rain.
Otherwise, their mission execution would have been much easier.
"Gen, it's time for a shift change."
"Ruri and I will take over next."
Sarutobi Enjun mumbled while munching on a biscuit.
"Alright."
Uchiha Gen reached out to catch the few bags of biscuits Sarutobi Enjun tossed over.
He released his summoning and nimbly leaped onto a nearby tree branch.
He used the umbrella-like leaves to shelter from the rain while munching on a biscuit and drinking from his water canteen.
During a mission, one had to ensure their physical and mental state as much as possible to deal with battles that could arrive at any moment.
Seizing time to properly replenish energy was a very necessary thing.
Watching his two teammates summon their snakes to check and repair traps in the vicinity, Uchiha Gen swallowed the salty biscuit and diverted some attention to check his system panel.
"The patrol mission settles every three days, equivalent to a C-Rank mission."
"If nothing unexpected happens, at the current rate, I should be able to reach level twenty by next weekend."
"Also, for some reason, my ocular power has been faintly improving recently."
"Yet, after unequipped the Young Madara character card, I haven't awakened the Sharingan myself."
"Is this because my brain and optic nerves are frequently stimulated by the Sharingan's ocular power?"
"Is this leading to the activation of the Uchiha bloodline in me and causing convergent evolution, which in turn leads to a trend of evolution in my own eyes?"
"But why haven't I awakened them yet?"
"Is the ocular power of Young Madara's Single-Tomoe Sharingan not enough, or is the nourishment time insufficient?"
Uchiha Gen leaned against the thick tree trunk behind him.
He mindlessly played with a Kunai in his hand, lost in thought.
Matters related to the system involved his deepest secrets.
Unlike other fields, he couldn't seek help from Orochimaru or the Great Elder, his two guides on the path of a Ninja.
He could only figure it out himself.
While Uchiha Gen was still thinking, a small emerald-green snake suddenly emerged from the side.
It flicked its tongue at him and let out a hissing sound.
Gen recognized it as Uzuki Ruri's summoning snake.
Including that large snake named Bamboo Leaf, Uzuki Ruri had tamed a small group of snakes from Ryūchi Cave, most of which were this green color.
"Enemies?"
Uchiha Gen asked in a low voice.
The small emerald snake nodded obediently.
Uzuki Ruri had discovered traces of enemies.
To avoid alerting them and being discovered, she only sent this small snake to quietly notify him.
"I understand."
Uchiha Gen understood immediately.
He let the small emerald snake crawl onto his shoulder.
Then, he leaped down from the branch, moving as nimbly as a cat as he sped off in the direction indicated by the snake.