Naruto: I, Uchiha, Just Want to Die

Chapter 114: Decapitation Mission in the Land of Rain!

The setting sun painted the sky a dusky yellow, dividing heaven and earth with stark clarity.

A gentle breeze swept in from the horizon, carrying the coolness of an early spring evening and ruffling Uchiha Ci's hair, leaving him momentarily stunned.

What?!

His first mission as a Root ninja was… giving his superior a back scrub?

On his first day, he had already become a pack mule. Was this some sort of workplace bullying?

Uchiha Ci raised his hand as if trying to protest,

"Wait a minute! Shouldn't we, as Root, have more urgent tasks to handle—"

But Aburame Ryoma shook his head and turned to look back at him.

Through the dark lenses of his sunglasses, his gaze carried an unsettling sharpness that seemed to pierce through one's soul.

He interrupted slowly, "Enough, kid."

"At least here, no one's trying to harm you."

"You're wound too tight. You've gone too long without properly resting. Your body is perpetually on alert, ready to fight at any moment, even now."

Aburame Ryoma glanced at Uchiha Ci's tense posture, his taut thighs, and the way his hand reflexively hovered near his lower back.

With a sigh, he continued, "In this state, you won't be able to carry out the next mission effectively."

Turning away, Aburame Ryoma stepped up the wooden stairs in his geta sandals, disappearing into the white mist billowing from a nearby hot spring bathhouse.

"We've been in this country for days now," he said.

"You haven't tried the hot springs of the Land of Hot Water yet, have you? Come on, give it a try."

Uchiha Ci frowned slightly, unable to discern Aburame Ryoma's true intentions.

Left with no choice, he followed reluctantly, passing through the reception area to the changing room. After donning a yukata and rinsing himself under Ryoma's direction, he eventually found himself submerged in the hot spring.

"Ahhh…"

As his body sank into the steamy pool, Uchiha Ci immediately felt a stark contrast to the boiling heat he had once experienced in a crude tub created during his mission in the Land of Clouds.

The water, hovering around 43°C, seemed to instantly calm his tangled, high-strung thoughts.

His face flushed lightly, and his entire body felt as if every pore had opened up. Slumping against the edge of the pool, he didn't want to move a muscle.

Turning his head, Uchiha Ci glanced at Aburame Ryoma, still puzzled. "This… doesn't seem like the Root ninja life I imagined."

"Also, isn't it said that Root ninja have no names, no emotions?"

Leaning against the pool's edge, Aburame Ryoma picked up a bottle of sake, took a leisurely sip, and, after a moment of silence, shook his head.

"Ninjas can't truly lose their emotions."

"Most Root ninjas are second or third sons from their clans. They join Root for the family's sake and undergo inhumanly brutal training to become emotionless, blade-wielding machines that kill and complete missions."

"For example, in our Aburame clan, one of the future children of Shikuro and Shibi will inevitably join Root. It's unavoidable."

"But I was an exception, just as you are."

Uchiha Ci raised an eyebrow, pondering for a moment. Judging from Ryoma's age, he quickly understood.

The Root organization had been established after Sarutobi Hiruzen became Hokage, and by that time, Aburame Ryoma was already an independent ninja.

Now a deputy commander of Root, Aburame Ryoma's outward silence and preference for solitary actions seemed to conceal an unknown side of him.

After a moment of reflection, Uchiha Ci asked, "You're aware that I'm an Uchiha, right? Root and the Uchiha haven't exactly been on friendly terms."

"So why are you telling me this?"

Aburame Ryoma sighed, rubbing his temple in frustration.

"Although Orochimaru took you as his disciple, he seems to have agreed to certain conditions with a certain individual. Besides, on the battlefield in the Land of Rain, he has other matters to attend to."

"During the operation in the Land of Rain, you've been assigned under my command."

"I've always been accustomed to working alone and am not particularly skilled at catering to subordinates' feelings."

"As for the village and clans, Root and the Uchiha… Honestly, I haven't thought much about it."

"But as your superior, I hope you can open up, at least a little. That's the first reason."

After listening to this, Uchiha Ci's eyes flickered with realization. It seemed Orochimaru had gone to great lengths to bind him to his side, all to gain access to the forbidden Body Revival Technique.

Then, after a long pause, Aburame Ryoma added, "If you must know why…"

"It's because—"

"I see a different future in you."

"We so-called Root ninja are nameless shadows maintaining peace in darkness."

Tilting his head back to gaze at the crescent moon rising in the sky, Aburame Ryoma spoke with a touch of sentimentality:

"For us, casting aside our names, emotions, pasts, and futures isn't worth mentioning."

"Yet, even while bearing the weight of darkness, I hope this power can be used for a righteous cause. And Root ninjas, though nameless, should…"

Halfway through his sentence, he abruptly stopped, shook his head, and muttered, "Forget it. Why am I even telling you this…"

Reaching over to the pool's edge, he grabbed a scroll and tossed it to Uchiha Ci, closing his eyes as he said in a deep voice:

"This is your next mission."

"At first, I didn't understand why Orochimaru designated you for such a dangerous task."

"Now, I have some idea. But even so, this mission's danger level far exceeds that of an ordinary S-rank mission."

Uchiha Ci's expression turned serious as he caught the scroll.

The green scroll, adorned with solemn cloud patterns, bore the official Leaf Village insignia on its seal.

At that moment, Aburame Ryoma opened his eyes, his gaze sharp despite the faint trace of alcohol.

"You've had enough rest. Now, memorize the route outlined inside, destroy the scroll, and bury its contents deep in your heart."

"I'll explain the details during the journey. Tonight, rest well. Tomorrow, we set out at 8 a.m. sharp."

With that, Aburame Ryoma climbed out of the pool, dried himself with a towel, and headed toward the sauna.

Soon, under the moonlit sky, Uchiha Ci was left alone in the pool.

He looked at the scroll in his hand, his expression somber.

Without hesitation, he tore open the seal and unrolled it.

Inside was an intricately detailed map, unnervingly precise.

Starting from the Leaf encampment in the Land of Rain, the map marked Sand ninja strongholds with circles, weaving a path through them like a dance on the edge of a blade. The route penetrated deep into the Land of Rain, reaching the border of the Land of Earth.

From there, it traversed rock statues guarding the Land of Earth's border, cut through desolate cliffs, and passed a natural fortress of stone walls and towering peaks.

Finally, it culminated near Iwagakure, at a gorge surrounded by rocky cliffs—an ideal ambush site.

At the end of the scroll, the mission's title and target were clearly written:

Decapitation Mission in the Land of Rain!

Target:

The Fourth Kazekage—

Rasa!

(Support me and read additional chapters on my Patreon: [email protected]/craxxtranslation. Thank you for your support!)