"Heh, since you, a bro-con, are delivering yourself to my door, I will definitely accept it!"
That was easy to say, but whether he could actually take down Uchiha Setsuna was another matter entirely. After all, Uchiha Setsuna was no pushover.
At present, his own strength was probably around the level of a Tokubetsu Jōnin, still some distance away from a full-fledged Jōnin.
And when it came to chakra reserves, he only had one 'kakashi' worth—just a few high-level jutsu in battle, and he'd be completely drained.
Otherwise, if he couldn't save up the required 60,000 Peaceful Points in time for that crucial item before Madara attacked Konoha, he'd be in serious trouble.
"Ugh! Why is it always the Uchiha causing problems?!"
He was starting to understand why Tobirama kept such a close eye on the Uchiha clan—they really did love stirring up trouble. Truly a clan of evil bastards.
That said, there were still a few Uchiha he didn't mind, like Kagami and Naori.
No matter how much he thought about it, he couldn't figure out a way to deal with Uchiha Setsuna, so he simply gave up and went to bed.
If worst came to worst, he'd just move into his master's house. He didn't believe that Uchiha Setsuna would be crazy enough to attempt an assassination inside Senju territory!
The moment he climbed into bed, he fell sound asleep. The day's events had exhausted him.
Luckily, he wasn't someone who liked dwelling on things—there was nothing a good night's sleep couldn't fix.
…
Morning came, and by midmorning, Torifū and Naori were leisurely strolling through the village streets, both looking relaxed, with smiles on their faces.
Stretching lazily, Torifū grinned at Naori. "Today is a lucky day! Sensei was so busy he didn't even bother with training and just let us go."
Naori pouted, not looking particularly pleased. "I wanted to train more, but Hokage-sama just dismissed us. How am I ever supposed to defeat you at this rate?"
Torifū shrugged casually. "Then next time, I won't take it so seriously. Why do you have to push yourself to beat me, anyway?"
Naori sighed. "My brother has some influence in our clan, but he still can't stand up to the stubborn elders. I want to grow stronger quickly so I can help him."
She looked dejected. Although she was considered strong among kids her age, that level of strength meant nothing in the grand scheme of things.
Seeing her like this, Torifū decided not to tease her anymore and offered some reassurance instead.
"Don't put so much pressure on yourself. Focus on doing what's right for your age. Do you think you could rally a group of clan members when you are just six? Of course not."
"As long as you're improving every day, that's enough."
Naori was touched by his words but still couldn't shake her worries about her brother.
"Relax, your brother is Tobirama-sama's disciple—he has a powerful backing."
"...Alright…"
She reluctantly accepted that reasoning, but deep down, she knew that Tobirama didn't have much goodwill toward the Uchiha. She could never figure out why he had chosen to take her brother as his disciple in the first place.
"What should we do now?" Naori's mood had lifted, and her usual lively personality returned.
Anyone who got to know her would realize that her refined, noble demeanor was just a front—she was actually an energetic girl at heart.
"Hmm… no idea. It's still early, so why don't we check out what your brother and the others are up to?"
"They? They're probably on a mission or something. But since we have nothing else to do, let's go see!"
With that, they headed toward the village's mission assignment office, hoping to run into them—or at least stake out the place and wait.
As they got closer, the number of people increased. Most of them were adults, with the youngest around fifteen or sixteen.
A pair of kids like Torifū and Naori naturally attracted a lot of attention, and some people even asked if they were lost.
Torifū had no choice but to explain that they were just looking for someone.
That was when some people recognized him. After all, as the Hokage's disciple, keeping a low profile was practically impossible.
Even so, it didn't cause a huge commotion. Everyone was busy with their own tasks, and a Hokage's disciple didn't have any actual authority—no one was going to crowd around a kid just for that.
Torifū was relieved. The mere thought of being the center of attention made him feel suffocated.
"Torifū, look! It's my brother and the others!"
Following Naori's gaze, Torifū spotted Uchiha Kagami and his team.
"Let's go."
With that, the two of them walked over.
…
"Hey, hey! Old man! Do you not have anything more challenging?!"
Sarutobi Hiruzen complained to the mission assignment officer, clearly dissatisfied with the task he had been given.
The middle-aged shinobi remained unbothered, replying in an indifferent tone.
"For your rank, this is the hardest mission you're allowed to take."
He had seen plenty of cocky rookies before. When he first started working here, he had made the mistake of giving a newbie an advanced mission after hearing the same complaints.
The result? He never saw that shinobi again.
Hiruzen felt like the man was looking down on his abilities and rolled up his sleeves, ready to prove himself.
But before he could embarrass himself, Shimura Danzō pulled him back.
"Sir, we are Tobirama-sama's disciples. Our master instructed us to take on a more difficult mission as part of our evaluation. Here's his letter."
Danzō spoke calmly and clearly, then took out a letter from his robes and handed it over.
The officer unfolded it and, after a glance, confirmed that it was indeed Tobirama's handwriting.
Since that was the case, he had no reason to refuse.
"Fine. Take this one."
He pointed to a mission scroll marked with an A-rank classification—an assignment that only the village's elite shinobi were qualified to take.
Hiruzen immediately lunged forward to check it out.
"Bandit extermination? Seriously? This is an A-rank mission?"
Not just him—everyone else was just as confused. Normally, bandits were just well-built civilians, completely outmatched against shinobi.
Clearing out bandits was a low-level task usually given to fresh genin as their first kill mission, training them to become accustomed to taking lives.
Hiruzen and his team had long passed that stage, so this assignment caught them off guard.
"Hey, old man, you sure you didn't just slap an A-rank label on a C-rank mission?"
The officer glanced up at Hiruzen and scoffed.
"Kid, you sure you didn't pull some strings to become Tobirama-sama's disciple? You're way too impatient."
Hiruzen's temper flared at the insult, and just as he was about to explode, Danzō held him back again.
Meanwhile, Kagami stepped forward and carefully examined the mission scroll.
Only then did he realize why a simple bandit extermination was rated as an A-rank mission.