Morning arrived, with Arata waking under the harsh sunlight.
Mikoto, drained from the previous day, remained asleep.
Seizing the opportunity, Arata lifted the covers and, catching her still groggy, launched another playful assault, reveling in the dawn chorus and the bright sun.
The battle was fierce, ending with her playful surrender.
After morning exercise, Arata refrained from lingering in their private paradise.
He left the clan leader's house, leaving the disheveled room for Mikoto to tidy.
He did not return home either. Instead, he headed to Konoha's mission distribution center, seeking a long-duration mission outside the village.
Since awakening his spatial Sharingan, Arata had secured his home's valuable possessions within his spatial realm, leaving only dispensable items behind.
With Uchiha Itachi still away on missions, Shisui's faked death plan was temporarily on hold.
Arata seized this chance to inspect the ruins in the Land of Whirlpools, marking spatial seals along his route for future expeditions.
In reality, ninjas rarely required the Hokage's direct approval for routine missions.
Without specialized departments to handle mission distribution, classification, intelligence collection, post-mission reports, and rewards, villages would descend into chaos.
Though Arata was a prodigious Uchiha and somewhat renowned in Konoha, his assignments were limited due to his affiliation with the guard corps and distance from the Third Hokage.
Shisui, being a descendant of Uchiha Kagami and a student of the Second Hokage's lineage, enjoyed close ties with the Hokage, unlike Arata.....a lone orphan with no familial connections, preferring to keep distance from the Hokage anyway.
At the mission center, Arata accepted a straightforward task: pursue and eliminate a rogue ninja. Simple, direct, and requiring minimal strategizing.
The rogue, a former Jonin from a minor village, had become proficient in swordsmanship over years, though his ninjutsu and genjutsu skills were mediocre.
His defection stemmed from a personal vendetta:
he had killed a mischievous student from a minor family during a mission, failed to cover it up properly, and drew suspicion from his village.
Feeling cornered after two warnings from Konoha, he fled during an external mission.
Given his low rank, limited power, and lack of access to secrets, Konoha treated the case lightly.
No ANBU deployment was necessary.....the mission was posted at the center, with criteria requiring only an experienced Jonin.
Publicly, Arata's abilities made him a perfect fit.
The morning sun was already bright when Uchiha Arata left the Uchiha clan's domain.
He didn't bother with ceremony...after taking the mission details and storing them casually in his ninja tool bag, he stopped at a nearby dumpling shop.
With a mischievous smile, he bought a large bundle of tri-colored dumplings, the soft sweetness filling the air with an irresistible aroma.
Walking through Konoha's bustling streets, Arata chewed thoughtfully, eyes scanning the lively crowd.
Children darted about, merchants shouted their prices, and villagers moved with purposeful energy.
Konoha...strongest among ninja villages...had seen better and worse days.
Its glory was not just in its Hokage, nor in its fallen ideals, but in the wealth of clans, the unique kekkei genkai, and the endless tide of prodigies.
That was the village's true strength, and the source of both its beauty and its chains.
For Arata, born and raised within its walls, it was impossible not to feel some attachment.
Yet the tension between the Uchiha clan and the village gnawed at him.
Konoha was a cage, subtle but unyielding. One could either bend to it quietly, growing strong yet confined, or shatter it entirely, and finally grow unbound.
By the time he reached Shisui's home, the last of the dumplings had been devoured.
Arata tossed the empty skewers aside, pushed open the door, and called out cheerfully:
"Shisui! Awake yet? I brought your favorite....tri-colored dumplings!"
The other man, still half-asleep, yawned widely and snatched the bag, stuffing a dumpling into his mouth while mumbling incoherently:
"Why are you up so early? You don't wake this early without a mission…"
Arata shook his head, a faint smile tugging at his lips.
"If your fans saw you like this, half of them would probably faint. No one expects Shisui to look… human."
Shisui, unconcerned, drank water from the cup Arata handed him.
"A ninja's strength lies in themselves, not in their looks.
Jiraiya-sama is proof.....ugly as he is, he's worshipped by many."
Arata chuckled, grabbing a dumpling for himself.
For a moment, the two simply enjoyed the morning, letting the world outside hum its normal rhythm.
Then Arata spoke seriously. "I've received a mission. I'll be out of the village for roughly half a month."
Shisui's brow furrowed. "And our plan?"
"Don't worry. I've informed the clan head.
Everything will proceed as scheduled. I'll be back befor
e it becomes a problem."
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