While Uchiha Kenji and Ryo were talking, Madara had already selected several missions and returned from the Mission Office.
“Elder Brother, I’ve picked some missions.” Ryo turned toward the sound of his voice.
“Mm, what did you choose?” “There are four options: bandit suppression, assassination, intelligence theft, and reconnaissance.” Madara’s gaze drifted toward Kenji, curiosity mixed with a trace of disdain.
“Since this is my first mission with you, I thought I should start getting used to things like killing people…” “Hmm…
That’s a pretty comprehensive selection.” Ryo lightly tapped his Chakra Blade Staff with his fingers.
“But we should rule out the reconnaissance mission.
I’m not exactly suited for that right now…
Kenji, what do you think?” “We should probably skip the assassination mission too.” Kenji glanced at Madara, who was clearly wary of him, and scratched the back of his head.
“Feels like your little brother isn’t too eager to work with me.
The other two missions shouldn’t be much of a problem—probably.” Madara’s expression grew even more disdainful.
“You’re coming with us?
Aren’t you face-blind?
If you can’t even identify the target, how are you supposed to complete a mission?” “Simple.
Once we leave clan territory, I just treat everyone without the Uchiha crest as an enemy.” Kenji crossed his arms.
“I’m face-blind and terrible with directions, not stupid.” The corner of Ryo’s mouth twitched.
“Then how do you explain leading Senju shinobi straight back to camp last time…?” “How was I supposed to know someone would strip clothes off a corpse and then cut themselves with a sword to make the wounds match?!” Kenji protested.
“Those injuries were convincing enough that people in our clan would’ve believed they were on the verge of death!” He was getting worked up again, though he kept his voice low.
“And besides, you guys didn’t recognize him either after he mutilated his face…” “That’s true enough.” Ryo nodded.
“Fortunately, we didn’t suffer any major losses.
But after that, Hiro and I didn’t dare relax for even a moment.” “Tell me about it.
For a while, I developed a physical aversion to anyone wearing clan robes.” Seeing the two drift into another conversation, Madara quickly interrupted.
“So which mission should we choose?
The bandit suppression mission or the intelligence theft mission?” “Hmm…
Let’s take both.” Ryo smiled faintly.
“Bandit suppression isn’t difficult.
We can use it as a warm-up.” His smile widened slightly.
“It’s been a long time since I’ve actually killed anyone.
A simple mission should help me get back into the rhythm.
Right, Kenji?
Don’t steal all the targets from me.” “Heh, no thanks.” Kenji grinned.
“Let’s see who kills more.
Who knows?
I might actually win.” “You’ll be lucky if you don’t get lost.” Ryo chuckled.
“Speaking of which, do you want to stop by my house and sign a temporary Summoning Contract?
Yatagarasu and Mitsuashi could help guide—” “I!
DON’T!
NEED!
IT!” Kenji shouted.
“Stop looking down on me!
No matter how bad my sense of direction is, I’m not going to get lost after we’ve already fought our way out of a bandit hideout!” “All right, all right.” Ryo shrugged.
“Madara, could you register both missions for us?
Don’t forget to add Kenji’s name.” Madara shot Kenji another glance.
He was clearly dissatisfied with Kenji forcing his way into the team halfway through, but he still nodded and returned to the Mission Office to complete the registration.
Madara genuinely couldn’t understand how someone like Uchiha Kenji had managed to participate in those terrifying sparring matches.
Was it because he looked refined, acted like an idiot, and couldn’t recognize faces or find his way around?
Yet when the three of them left clan territory and headed toward their destination, Kenji’s method of travel immediately caught Madara’s attention.
People often said that shinobi were assassins hidden in the shadows, killers who struck unseen.
But this was the first time Madara had met someone who truly seemed to become a shadow.
He could still vaguely sense his brother’s presence.
Yet he couldn’t pinpoint Kenji’s location at all.
In fact, Kenji’s complete lack of presence while following behind them made Madara deeply uncomfortable.
“Kenji, stop hiding yourself so thoroughly while walking behind me.
I’m going to end up cutting you down by accident.” “Ah, sorry.
Habit.” Kenji quickly caught up to Ryo.
“Still, you’re amazing.
Even without your eyesight, you move just as naturally as before…
Don’t you ever trip?” “Not really.
To function normally, I have to keep chakra released almost constantly.
That lets me react to changes around me immediately.” “Then do you still have enough chakra left for a fight?” Ryo fell silent for a moment.
“That depends on the situation.
This will be my first real combat mission since losing my sight, after all.
We should probably be a little cautious.” “Fair enough.
You’re the leader.” Neither of them had made any effort to hide their conversation from Madara, so he slowed his pace slightly.
“What was that just now?” “Oh, right.” Ryo laughed.
“Madara’s instincts are sharp too.
Having him follow you like that felt uncomfortable, didn’t it?” He pointed toward Kenji.
“Kenji’s exceptionally skilled at stealth.
During a previous mission, he actually infiltrated an enemy squad without being discovered.” “What are you talking about?” Kenji clicked his tongue.
“I got exposed in the end, didn’t I?
Pretty embarrassing too—I ran out of chakra.” “That’s still impressive.
It was a squad of Sensory Shinobi.” Ryo’s laughter carried a teasing edge.
“Though, to be fair, they were all resting.” Then he turned toward Madara.
“You know, whenever Kenji was on watch during our missions, I’d always feel like something was missing nearby.
At the same time, it felt like someone was staring at me.
It made it impossible to sleep peacefully.” “Really…” Madara tilted his head.
“A stealth ability that even you can’t easily detect?” “Don’t listen to Ryo exaggerating.” Kenji rubbed the back of his neck awkwardly.
“It’s not nearly that amazing.
I’m an Uchiha—I don’t have some special kekkei genkai or anything.” He coughed lightly.
“Any reasonably experienced Sensory Shinobi who focuses properly can find me.” “What counts as ‘experienced’?” Madara asked.
“Experienced…” Kenji frowned in thought.
“Well…
probably someone who’s spent at least a year on the battlefield and survived multiple surprise attacks.” He paused.
“Oh, I mean a Senju sensory specialist.” Madara: …?
Isn’t that ridiculously impressive?!
What is this guy even trying to do?
Is he bragging?!
“Whoa, Ryo!” Kenji suddenly exclaimed.
“Your little brother is giving me a really rude look!
Didn’t you say he was gentle?
That look could kill someone!” “My Madara is gentle,” Ryo said in a deliberately drawn-out tone.
“This is entirely your fault.
If you’d just admit you’re strong, none of this would be happening.
You’re way too modest.” After a brief silence, Kenji raised his voice.
“—You’re blaming me for this?!”