Chapter 13: The Whirlpool—Mito's Dream of a Heroine

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The system’s activation speed was surprisingly linked to his own strength, which gave Uchiha Gin a newfound motivation to move forward.

It seemed that the reason the system could fully load Senju Danzo’s mission was entirely thanks to the unexpected activation of the single tomoe Sharingan during the Tsukuyomi last night.

The awakening of the Sharingan elevated his abilities from a cannon fodder Genin to an ordinary Genin. While there was still some gap compared to the powerful Twelve Strong, he should be able to hold his own against Hinata fifty-fifty.

“Gahaha...” Covering his face with one hand, Uchiha Gin let out a strange laugh, causing Senju Danzo, who was pretending to be dead behind him, to secretly open one eye.

“What’s wrong with you now?”

Seeing Uchiha Gin transform into a madman, Senju Danzo couldn’t help but complain, only to receive a sudden hard slap in return.

With a large bump on his head, Senju Danzo pouted a little in grievance but held back his tears.

Regaining his composure, Uchiha Gin looked at the little brat and realized he wasn’t so annoying after all. Smiling faintly, he said something that sent a chill down Senju Danzo’s spine:

“Kid, maybe it won’t be long before you reunite with your family.”

“Don’t even think about it!!! I… ah… ah...” Clearly misunderstanding, Senju Danzo started barking uselessly again.

Since the noise he was making might attract enemies, Uchiha Gin didn’t hesitate to pull something out and stuff it into his mouth.

Feeling the salty and fishy taste in his mouth, Senju Danzo sniffed and immediately fainted on the spot.

“The humidity by the sea is really heavy; these feet sweat all day,” Uchiha Gin said with satisfaction as he withdrew his hand, looking seriously at the foul-smelling socks he had shoved into Senju Danzo’s mouth after several days of being unwashed.

“We’re about to enter the territory of the Uzumaki clan. Keep your chakra restrained and don’t let them sense us,” Uchiha Fuhuo, the leader, suddenly warned.

“Besides their expertise in sealing techniques, the Uzumaki’s sensory abilities are top-notch. We have a mission to complete—don’t stir up trouble and alert them.”

“Isn’t there a chance we’ve already been discovered?” Uchiha Gin muttered at the back of the team.

“Hostile encounter detected. Heart Steel Treasure Chest accumulating...” The alert sounded in his mind as enemies appeared nearby.

Several kilometers away, a red-haired figure opened his eyes, his blood-red pupils exuding a hint of coldness.

“There are five ninjas ahead. Five have cold chakra, probably Uchiha clan members, and one has vibrant chakra.”

The red-eyed, red-haired man spoke to several others with the same hair color.

“Can you be sure about the one with vibrant chakra?”

A muscular red-haired man asked.

“My Kagura mind’s eye never misses,” the red-eyed man replied.

“Then it’s them. Move out!”

The muscular man waved his hand, and the others shot toward Uchiha Gin and the others like arrows from a bow.

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Except for Uchiha Gin, the rest—including Uchiha Fuhuo—were unaware of the approaching enemies.

Upon hearing the alert, Uchiha Gin deliberately slowed down, gradually trailing far behind the group.

The others were used to Gin’s tendency to fall behind, so they paid no attention, assuming he would catch up during the next break.

The Uchiha group moved through the forest. Suddenly, Uchiha Fuhuo, who was leading, felt a blockage in his chakra flow.

Before he could think further, a sense of danger arose. Years of assassination experience prompted him to stop immediately.

“An ambush!”

Uchiha Fuhuo activated his three-tomoe Sharingan, cautiously scanning the surroundings. The three behind him—Uchiha Ryoichi and others—also activated their Sharingan, not daring to be careless.

Just then, several red-haired men sprang out from the trees. The leader was the muscular red-haired man from before. He eyed the group and was somewhat surprised to see only four.

“Impressive, Uchiha clan. You actually sensed our sealing formation,” he said with arms crossed, feigning seriousness.

Uchiha Fuhuo didn’t feel honored by the compliment. After sizing up the muscular man, he said,

“Our clan has no conflict with the Uzumaki. Why are you attacking us unprovoked?”

“You’re supposed to be six. Where are the other two?”

The muscular man said nothing, but a red-eyed, red-haired man beside him asked.

Hearing this, Uchiha Fuhuo’s heart sank. He thought to himself,

“Looks like they’re after that brat from the Senju clan.”

He glanced subtly behind and noticed Uchiha Gin still hadn’t caught up. He felt a surge of anxiety. “That kid better not come.”

“I don’t know what you’re talking about. We’re just a four-man team on a mission,” Uchiha Fuhuo said, but a hand behind his back was signaling the other three.

“A normal team? Does a famed ‘Divine Hidden Fuhuo’ lead a normal team? What mission are you on?” The muscular man directly challenged his identity.

“Attack!”

Realizing their cover was blown, the men who had just received the signal all burst forward, eyes flashing with the crimson Sharingan, charging at the Uzumaki clan members. The battle was about to ignite.

At the rear, Uchiha Gin, who had fallen behind for a long time, also encountered his “enemies.” Seeing the red-haired figures suddenly emerge from the forest, the alert sounded again in his mind:

“Hostile encounter detected. Heart Steel Treasure Chest accumulating...”

[Really giving no chance for a losing streak, huh?]

Uzumaki Mito, the youngest daughter of Uzumaki Ashina, clan leader of the Uzumaki, showed an exceptional talent for sealing techniques since childhood. Favored like a precious gem by her middle-aged father, she was pampered endlessly.

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However, spoiled by love, Uzumaki Mito was furious upon learning she had been promised in marriage to the Senju clan far away.

In a fit of anger, she secretly took several of her father’s treasures and slipped away on a cargo ship sailing out of the Land of Whirlpools, beginning her journey of escaping an arranged marriage.

“From today on, I will be a chivalrous wandering heroine!”

On the ship, after hearing a storyteller from the Land of Iron recount tales of heroic wanderers, the pure-hearted and passionate ten-year-old girl embarked on her journey as a heroine.

First, at the dock, she used taijutsu to knock down a group of thugs who preyed on common folk, earning cheers from onlookers and greatly boosting her “heroine dream.”

Then, she used sealing techniques to deal with a few rogue ninjas who bullied innocent women by relying on their ninjutsu, sealing their chakra and forcing them to dig mines in the mountains as a chance to reform.

After several such actions, she gained considerable fame, and the reputation of the “Red-Haired Heroine” spread far and wide.

“Another peaceful day!”

The bun-haired, chubby-faced girl happily munched on candies given by an old woman on the roadside as she patrolled her small protected town.

Though called a town, it was actually a tiny fishing village near the coast. The once chaotic place had become peaceful and orderly thanks to the girl’s efforts.

“I remember the storyteller said that heroes seek to roam the world, making the whole world their home.”

Rubbing her little head, Uzumaki Mito decided to bid farewell to her novice village and venture toward a higher, broader world.

“There are many people waiting for me to save them!”

Clenching her fair, tender little fists, Uzumaki Mito cheered herself on.

Having made up her mind, she said goodbye to the villagers, who, though reluctant, waved her off and packed a large bundle of snacks and provisions for her journey.

Heading into the dense forest along the coastline, Uzumaki Mito kept snacking and showing off as she walked. Suddenly, she noticed a black-haired man carrying a child on his back.

She saw that the man had not only bound the child but also struck him. Worse, he took out a stinky sock and stuffed it into the boy’s mouth.

“This must be one of those infamous human traffickers, but didn’t big brother say human traffickers are usually those black labor camps up north?” Curious, Uzumaki Mito secretly followed him.

After trailing him for a while, she saw the black-haired man slow down. Seizing the moment, she tiptoed forward, ready to give the evil trafficker a spectacular surprise.

What followed was this scene:

A red-haired, bun-haired girl with a chubby face, both cheeks stuffed full.

In her left hand, she held a half-eaten dried salted fish; in her right, half a sesame flatbread. Her mouth was so full that her words were barely intelligible:

“Koo-soo-tay Gin Fang-zhi, Fang-xia-la Guo Lan-hai! (Damn human trafficker, put down that boy!) ٩(๑`^´๑)۶”