6:00 AM.
Before the alarm could even ring, Ren slammed his hand down on the clock that had annoyed him for a whole year, crushing it into pieces.
He was already fully geared up. Headband, knee pads, shuriken holsters on his thighs, gloves, foot bandages, a scroll pouch on his hip, and a ninja tool bag at his lower back.
He threw on the high-collared black robe bearing the Uchiha crest. Standing before the mirror, he brushed back his hair and pulled down his lower eyelid, letting out a sinister, villainous chuckle:
"Now... I can already see the moment of your death!"
(Visual: Sasuke's 'I can see it' pose from the Itachi fight)
After a moment of self-indulgence, Ren vaulted out of his second-story window—only to run right into Uchiha Obito, who was performing the exact same maneuver next door.
"Ren! Are you heading out on a mission too?"
Ren gave a cool, detached nod. "Don't be late again," he reminded him.
"Are you kidding? I'm Uchiha Obito, the man who's going to be Hokage! Aaaaah!"
As he spoke, Obito puffed out his chest and stepped on thin air, tumbling headfirst from the second-story window.
Ren shook his head. Classic Late-to-the-Party Obito. With that sprained ankle and a bumped head, the guy looked like he'd already survived a 'War Zone Damage Package.' By the time he hit the hospital and made it to Team Minato, he'd be at least an hour late.
Ren didn't wait. He just laughed and tossed a final line over his shoulder:
"Tuzi (Obito), let's meet at the Memorial Stone next time. Don't forget to burn some incense for me!"
With a burst of strength from his arches, Ren leaped onto the rooftops and raced toward the assembly point. There was an unmistakable, impatient joy in his step.
Obito: "???"
Inside a grand mansion in the Uchiha compound.
"That is the situation, Fugaku-senpai," Uchiha Shisui said, bowing respectfully to the young man before him.
"Uchiha Ren, you say?" Uchiha Fugaku's face was an unreadable mask. He nodded, etching the name into his memory.
"I believe he will become the bridge between the clan and the village. Fugaku-senpai, since you'll be heading to the Land of Hot Water shortly after us, please keep an eye on my friend!"
Fugaku crossed his arms. "Go, Shisui. I will depart for the Land of Hot Water half a day after Elder Setsuna. I'll watch over this friend of yours."
"As for you, once you reach the Land of Rain, contact our clansmen at the camp immediately. Also... watch out for a rising organization in that region."
Shisui looked up, puzzled. "A rising organization?"
Fugaku frowned. "An organization called Akatsuki. Their ideals are naive, but you can try to make contact. After all, their three leaders are disciples of Lord Jiraiya of the Sannin. They are naturally inclined toward the Leaf."
Shisui nodded, murmuring the name to himself: "Akatsuki..."
8:00 AM. The Konoha Main Gate.
Two Uchiha squads had assembled. Great Elder Setsuna glanced at the sky and then at the members present.
"Everyone is here. The mission begins now! Once we reach our designated locations, the captains will open the scrolls for further instructions. Move out!"
Setsuna took the lead, gesturing for Ren and Seishiro to follow. There was no time for small talk. Shisui gave Ren a quick smile, pounded his fist against his chest in a silent salute, and followed his own squad.
Ren watched him, utterly bewildered. Shisui's in the Land of Rain, and I'm headed East to the Land of Hot Water. There's no way he can stop me from dying from that far away! The biggest risk factor is gone! The advantage is mine!
The squad moved with the speed of a freight train. For a shinobi, crossing the vast hills of the Land of Fire to reach the Land of Hot Water took only a single day.
As they moved further from the prosperity of Konoha, the scenery shifted drastically. Spring greenery was replaced by a desolate gray. Refugees from the north and displaced citizens of the Land of Hot Water filled their vision. Leafless trees and hollow, hopeless eyes were the most common sights along the road.
They were only halfway there, and signs of other ninjas were already appearing. Scattered campsites, perimeter traps, and watchful glares from the shadows made the trio tighten their formation.
On the eve of the Third War, the small nations wedged between the giants were absolute chaos. The Hidden Hot Water village couldn't protect its own country, and many of its ninjas had turned rogue, joining bandits or slipping into the Land of Fire to survive.
As the sun dipped below the horizon, painting the sky in fading crimson, Setsuna called for a halt. He drew a mission scroll and spread it over a rock.
"Listen up," he said, his voice cold. "Mission briefing."
Ren stood at attention. This is it. The moment of truth.
"Our objective is to reach the Valley of Hell and reinforce the Uchiha garrison. Now... where do you think the greatest danger lies?"
Seishiro scoffed. "Besides the standard survival protocols? Dealing with the Chinoike Clan's counterattack. Those freaks are more dangerous than the last."
Ren nodded in agreement. He knew that among those "freaks," there was a true monster: Oyashiro En. The man who would eventually slaughter his own entire clan single-handedly.
However, Setsuna shook his head and closed his eyes.
"You are both wrong," Setsuna said heavily. "The true danger is not the Chinoike... it is what lies above them."
Ren froze. Wait... above the masters, there are even bigger masters?