Naruto: The Tale of Neo

The headbands of the Yugakure ninja bore a symbol of three wavy lines, resembling the character "川" (river).

Upon learning that there were Yugakure ninja searching the area ahead, Setsuna Uchiha immediately led his team to flank them.

The abilities of ninja from the great nations far surpassed those of small nations.

When they spotted the Yugakure ninja wearing their distinctive headbands, Neo Uchiha hadn't even managed to pull out his shuriken for a flashy three-hit combo before Setsuna had already leaped forward.

Neo could only watch as Setsuna drew his long blade, flames swirling around the blade, and descended with a powerful slash.

Like a wildfire spreading across a barren plain, Setsuna cut down three Yugakure ninja before they could even speak.

Neo couldn't help but feel like he was leveling up while being carried by a max-level player.

After eliminating the three grunts, Setsuna pressed his blade against the throat of one remaining Yugakure ninja and asked coldly:

"Who sent you?"

The Yugakure ninja trembled, shrinking back in fear, his mouth opening and closing without a sound.

Seeing this, Setsuna activated his Sharingan, his icy gaze piercing into the man's mind.

Moments later, Setsuna retracted his Sharingan and ended the man's life with a swift slash.

Neo, standing to the side, noticed Setsuna's expression shift briefly before he turned and issued orders:

"Move out immediately. We're crossing the border at night!"

"Once we cross the checkpoint, don't stop. Head straight for Tōen City in the Land of Hot Water to rendezvous with Fugaku and the security forces."

"If we encounter enemy resistance, do not engage in prolonged combat—retreat swiftly."

Seichiro Uchiha swallowed nervously, his unease growing as he watched the elder's grim demeanor.

"What happened, Elder?" Seichiro asked hesitantly.

Setsuna's reply was brief and to the point:

"The Two-Tails Jinchuriki has appeared in the Land of Hot Water."

"Their likely target is our defensive forces stationed in Hell Valley, and there's a high probability that enemy ninja will intercept us along the way."

"The situation is out of control."

"We must reach Tōen City and find the Ninneko Clan's contact to relay this information back to the Uchiha."

"What?!"

Seichiro's face turned pale with shock. He was horrified.

A Kumogakure Jinchuriki was essentially a living weapon of mass destruction.

If the Two-Tails Jinchuriki reached Hell Valley—where there were no top-level shinobi to defend it—it would be catastrophic for the Uchiha stationed there.

The Third Shinobi World War hadn't even officially begun yet, and Kumogakure was already deploying Jinchuriki in smaller nation skirmishes?

Neo's eyes lit up at the news.

The Two-Tails Jinchuriki, huh?

No matter how fancy your shuriken techniques are, one swipe from them and you're a splatter of meat paste.

After sparring with Seichiro earlier, Neo realized something:

His mastery of shuriken techniques had reached such an absurd level that even against a Chunin-level Uchiha with a Two-Tomoe Sharingan, he had a decent chance of winning.

In other words—

Even as a genin, Neo now possessed chunin-level combat ability.

If his proficiency in shuriken techniques counted as a specialty, he might even be granted the rank of special jonin.

But ordinary missions were no longer enough for him to advance further.

Only more dangerous missions and facing more formidable enemies would give him a respectable exit from the battlefield!

And now, right at the start of his time on the frontlines, he was hearing about a "final boss" like the Two-Tails Jinchuriki. Neo's feelings were complicated, to say the least.

Tears almost seemed to be running from the corners of his eyes down to his mouth.

Setsuna scanned his subordinates' faces, contemplating whether to give them a motivational speech.

Seichiro looked terrified, his eyes darting nervously. He resembled a turtle pulling its head into its shell, as if he wanted to crawl into his own pants to hide.

Setsuna could understand—after all, facing an opponent of this caliber was practically an S-rank mission.

A little fear was normal.

But when Setsuna's gaze landed on Neo, his eyelid twitched.

What the heck is wrong with this kid?!

Neo's eyes sparkled with excitement, tears at the corners of his eyes, his face lit up like he'd been injected with adrenaline.

He was even muttering under his breath, "Tatakai! Tatakai! Tatakai!" ("Fight! Fight! Fight!")

He might as well have carved "I WANT TO BATTLE!" into his forehead.

Setsuna's brow twitched again.

This kid is insane!

He shook his head, swallowed the speech he was about to give, and instead raised his sword, pointing into the pitch-black darkness ahead.

"Move out!"

Into the Night

They plunged into the shadows, moving forward.

In the lightless night, the mountains loomed like slumbering dragons, eerily silent.

Thanks to Setsuna's decisive action in eliminating the Yugakure scouts assisting Kumogakure's patrol team, the Uchiha squad managed to cross the border undetected.

Meanwhile

Beneath the thin veil of night, shadows zipped across the sky.

The clouds surrounding the moon broke apart, and pale moonlight illuminated the valley.

A Kumogakure jonin named Ramii—resting with his ninjatō on his lap—suddenly opened his eyes.

He furrowed his brow and murmured:

"Something's wrong. It's too quiet."

He turned and asked the teammate keeping watch:

"Moloi, have the Yugakure scouts sent back their regular reports?"

Moloi, who was wiping down his blade, frowned slightly and replied:

"No."

"It's already been over thirty minutes."

Ramii's frown deepened. After thinking for a moment, he gave an order:

"Send a message to our scouts in the villages along both borders. Ask them for an update."

Moloi nodded and was about to perform a summoning jutsu when he suddenly looked up.

A carrier pigeon glided down in the moonlight. Moloi caught it and pulled a scroll from its leg.

"Ramii-senpai, we've received a message."

"The Uchiha have entered the Land of Hot Water. They're not far ahead of us. They've changed course—they're heading toward Tōen City instead of Hell Valley."

Ramii's eyes widened in alarm. He immediately woke the resting Dodai.

"This isn't right. We need to catch up!"

"Setsuna Uchiha might already know about our plan."

Back to the Uchiha Squad

By this time, the squad had already crossed the Land of Hot Water's border and passed through three villages without stopping.

The moon was setting, and dawn's first light was starting to break as the calls of monkeys echoed through the mountain valleys.

The squad had been moving nonstop since eight in the morning the previous day. After crossing the border at night, they had pushed forward for hours without rest.

Everyone was exhausted.

Neo, despite having gained high-level techniques and formidable combat strength, still had limited chakra reserves. He was drenched in sweat, leaning on his knees as he gasped for air.

They spotted an abandoned village up ahead—a place where they could rest.

Seichiro, unable to walk any farther, nearly collapsed as he cried out for a break. Setsuna frowned but reluctantly ordered the squad to rest.

He instructed Seichiro to clear an area for camp, then took it upon himself to set up tripwires, explosive tags, and bells around the perimeter to secure the area.

Neo, although too tired to move, still tried to help.

Setsuna slapped him on the back of the head, knocking him out cold.

Setsuna summoned a ninja crow to act as a sentry, exhaled deeply, and warned Seichiro:

"It'll take another half day to reach Tōen City. Rest here for two hours, then we move."

With that, Setsuna closed his eyes and immediately began snoring loudly.

Seichiro, too exhausted to stay awake, collapsed and slept soundly.

The three finally got a brief respite.

Little did they know that danger was rapidly closing in behind them.