Naruto: Uchiha Madara's Cousin

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The speed of a ninja was no joke.

Covering a distance of several dozen kilometers, the trio didn't take much time to reach their destination.

"It's right here."

Uchiha Gin discreetly activated his powerful sensory abilities, clearly sensing the presence of hundreds of life forms in the forest, both big and small.

"Is there some kind of secret signal we should use?" Uchiha Haruka cautiously asked. On the way, Uchiha Gin had already briefed her on the details of their mission.

She hadn't expected her first mission to be such a high-level secret, making her normally calm heart thrum with excitement.

"No need. We Uchihas never use secret signals for rendezvous."

Gin chuckled softly and shook his head before swiftly darting into the forest. The two others hurried to follow.

Relying on his sensory abilities, Gin quickly found the camp of the surviving members of the Hagoromo clan.

"Who are you?"

A gray-haired man wrapped in bandages jumped out from the forest, brandishing a sword to block their way.

From his armor, Gin recognized the man's identity. The clan emblem confirmed it—he was indeed from the Hagoromo clan.

"We're here to assist you."

Gin didn't waste any words. As his eyes slowly turned crimson, the gray-haired Hagoromo clan member saw the three tomoe in Gin's eyes and finally lowered his guard, sheathing his sword. Respectfully, he led the three into the camp.

On the way, Gin mostly saw women and children, with very few men around. Most of the men were injured, and the camp's atmosphere was oppressive, making the trio quicken their steps.

When they reached a larger tent, a brown-haired man walked out to greet them. But as he lifted his head and saw the Uchiha symbol on Gin's clothing, his extended hand froze in mid-air.

"Huh? The Uchiha sent a weakling?"

Gin looked curiously at the man. Was his reputation as a weakling really that widespread? Even the distant Hagoromo clan had heard of it?

"And they brought two little girls along. If the Uchiha clan doesn't want this mission, they didn't need to insult us like this."

The man turned his head, noticing the two seemingly harmless girls behind Gin, and almost choked in disbelief. Was the Uchiha clan mocking them? They were supposed to be allies; there was no need to burn bridges like this.

"Huh? You're that…"

Gin squinted at the man, who was venting his frustration, finding him increasingly familiar. The memories from over a hundred chapters ago flooded his mind, and he finally recognized the Hagoromo man standing before him.

"Looks like your memory's sharp. I'm the same Hagoromo clan member who carried out that mission with your team six years ago."

The man lifted his head with a bitter smile, the small horns on his forehead drawing attention.

That's right—this was the same Hagoromo clan captain Gin had encountered shortly after transmigrating to this world. Back then, under Uchiha Fuka's lead, they had swooped in and claimed the Hagoromo clan's spoils, indirectly forcing Gin into the task of protecting Senju Itama, a mission that had made him the butt of jokes ever since.

"You're Uchiha Gin, right? Your daring solo incursion into the Senju territory was quite the talk back in the day."

The man from the Hagoromo clan had already resigned himself to his fate and began reminiscing with Gin.

"Huh? Gin, you did something that bold?" Uchiha Hikari asked, her curiosity piqued, her beautiful eyes filled with admiration.

"Really, Gin-san, why have you never told us about something like that?" The purple-haired girl also chimed in. It was hard to believe that the usually laid-back Gin had done something so legendary.

"Cough, cough. Let's keep it low-key," Gin modestly waved them off, signaling them to stop digging into his past. A hero doesn't boast of past glories.

"Well, he did get knocked out and sent flying by the Senju perimeter patrol after just one punch, though."

Do you really have to ruin my reputation like that?

If looks could kill, this chatty Hagoromo man would have been sent straight to the afterlife by now.

"You should leave. From here on, we'll have to manage on our own," the brown-haired man sighed, looking resolute as he spoke to Gin and his companions.

"There's no place for us in the Land of Fire anymore."

"Why are you heading to the Land of Lightning? I've heard the prisons there are not exactly welcoming," Gin asked, ignoring the man's statement.

"The Yagetsu clan has invited us. They promised us a place to stay."

The Yagetsu clan? That so-called family that accepted everyone as kin? Their motto was "Once you join, you're family."

They were like the mafia of the Warring States!

"Anyway, the Senju are still searching for us. If you stay, it will only bring trouble. You should leave," the brown-haired man urged them again, clearly understanding the dire situation they were in.

"I'm sorry, but I've taken this mission directly from the clan head. If I abandon it so easily, how could I face my clan elders when I return?"

Gin scratched his head, sounding a bit frustrated, but his tone made it clear that he wouldn't be persuaded to leave.

"Are you sure you want to wade into these troubled waters?" The Hagoromo man tried one last time to dissuade them. His main reason was that the Uchiha clan was also a prime target for the Senju.

If a powerful Uchiha had come, he would've welcomed them, but instead, they sent a notorious weakling from the battlefield a few years ago. He didn't want to take on this burden, so he kept urging Gin to turn back.

"Is that a problem?"

With that, all three Uchihas simultaneously activated their Sharingan, their blood-red eyes staring directly at the man. A cold, ominous aura filled the space around them.

"Wow, why didn't you show this earlier?"

Despite the pressure from their eyes, the man was so excited that he slapped his thigh and rushed forward to shake Gin's hand, tears streaming down his face. "My brothers! I've been waiting for you all!"

After a round of adult pleasantries, the Hagoromo man led them into the tent.

"My name is Hagoromo Shintarou. I suppose you could call me the acting clan leader now," he introduced himself, a flicker of sadness in his eyes. "Because everyone stronger than me is already dead."

"My condolences."

Gin couldn't think of much else to say. He hadn't expected the once-powerful Hagoromo clan to fall so far that someone of Shintarou's level had to act as clan leader.

"Let's skip the small talk. Since you've accepted our mission, let me tell you about our current situation."

Shintarou straightened up, his gaze sharp as he looked at Gin and explained, "The Hagoromo clan currently has less than twenty people capable of fighting. Among them, three—including myself—are elite captains, and five are regular captains. The rest are regular fighters."

He didn't hold back, revealing the grim state of their forces.

"We have about eighty people left—thirty-some women, and the rest are children."

"What about the elders?" Gin asked, noting that he hadn't seen any old people when they arrived at the camp.

"The elders all sacrificed themselves to protect the women and children," Shintarou replied, his voice devoid of emotion, but Gin could hear the deep pain buried within.

"When are you planning to leave?"

Gin didn't press further about the survivors and instead asked about the mission details.

"We can leave at any time. Honestly, we would have left already if we hadn't been waiting for you."

Shintarou took a deep breath, gritting his teeth as he looked at Gin. "The Senju are hot on our trail. If possible, we'd like you to cover our retreat."

They were severely undermanned and injured, and if they encountered the Senju's cleanup squad, they'd have no chance of survival.

"No problem. Let's get going."

Gin didn't hesitate, agreeing immediately. Earlier, he had sensed the entire camp. Besides Shintarou, there were only two other individuals with auras that could be considered elite captains.

The rest were all in bad shape, their auras unstable, clearly due to injuries that had greatly weakened their fighting power.

"Shintarou-uncle! Has the Uchiha clan's support arrived?"

Just as they were about to inform the others of their departure, a voice interrupted them.

A defiant-looking blonde boy in his teens entered, followed by a silver-haired boy who bore a resemblance to him.

"You two! At a time like this, you're still thinking about fighting?" Shintarou scolded them in frustration. "Go pack up. We're leaving immediately."

"No way! I've always wanted to see the Sharingan for myself. If I don't get to challenge them today, I'm not going!"

The blonde boy's tone was firm. He couldn't care less about their current situation; he only cared about his own desires.

"Who are these two?" Gin asked, looking at the boys. He had a pretty good idea already.

"Apologies. These two are Kinkaku and Ginkaku, the late clan leader's sons. They've been spoiled since birth, so please don't mind them," Shintarou explained with a bitter smile.

"Even at a time like this, they still act like spoiled brats."

"Oh, I see." Uchiha Gin, now sure of his suspicions, looked at the two boys glaring at him. He responded warmly, "I'm from the Uchiha clan you're talking about. Is there something you'd like to ask?"

"You? This weakling?" The teenage Kinkaku, standing taller than Uchiha Gin thanks to his innate talent, looked down at him with disdain and sneered, "I knew it! The Uchiha clan never intended to help us at all!"

Wait—who gave you the impression that I'm weak?

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