Chapter 3: A Moment of Proof
The next morning, a sharp knock echoed through Uchiha Raizen's small room.
"Uchiha Raizen, a new week has started. Are you ready to head out and fulfill our duty with me?"
Three days had passed. Uchiha Raizen had learned that the weekly cycle here was the same as in his old world. Their last battle had been on a Thursday; now it was Monday, and the grim requirement for non-combat personnel to secure a single kill had reset.
"Uchiha Ryoken," Uchiha Raizen began, a new determination in his voice. "I was thinking… could we join up with Uchiha Natsume's team? I've been practicing, and I truly want to see a real battlefront now." He tried to sound eager, masking his true motive: the battlefield was the richest hunting ground for his pickup system.
"Oh?" Uchiha Ryoken raised an eyebrow, a teasing grin on his face. "Uchiha Raizen actually wants to contribute to the clan? What happened to the guy who was so scared of dying? Did that lightning jutsu scramble your nerves?"
Uchiha Raizen flinched. He wasn't doing this for the clan; he was doing it for the power that glittered unseen on the bloody soil. "Well, are we going or not?" he deflected, a little too sharply.
"Alright, alright. I'll go see if Uchiha Natsume is still at the assignment office. His last partner died, so he should be waiting for a new team assignment. If we volunteer, we can probably get assigned to him. Let's go."
Together, they made their way to the large tent that served as the clan's mission and team assignment office.
"Uchiha Natsume, over here!" Just as Uchiha Ryoken had predicted, the young prodigy was standing near the assignment desk, looking impatient. Seeing them, his face lit up for a moment before settling into a look of confusion.
"What are you two doing here?" Uchiha Natsume asked, walking over to them.
"Uchiha Raizen said he wants to go to the battlefield, so I thought we could…"
"No!" Uchiha Natsume's voice cut through the tent's murmur, sharp and absolute. Though only twelve, his eyes held a hardness forged in real combat. The force of his refusal made Uchiha Raizen take an involuntary step back.
"Why not?" Uchiha Raizen's voice was small, wounded. In his memories, Uchiha Natsume was the cheerful, chubby little brother with a perpetually good temper.
"Because," Uchiha Natsume's voice dropped, laced with a pain that seemed too old for his face, "I don't want to watch either of you die in front of me. And I don't want you to have to watch me die. The battlefield is a meat grinder. No one, no matter how strong, is guaranteed to walk away. You, Uchiha Raizen, have only just reached Genin level. Going out there is asking to become cannon fodder."
The words were harsh, but they were spoken out of loyalty. Uchiha Raizen felt a pang of genuine affection for his friend, but it was overshadowed by his burning need for the power that only the battlefield could provide.
"I understand your concern, Uchiha Natsume," Uchiha Raizen said, his voice firming with resolve. "But as your older brother, it's my job to protect you."
With that, he turned and strode directly to the assignment desk, ignoring Uchiha Natsume's stunned expression.
"Uncle," Uchiha Raizen addressed the man behind the desk, an older Uchiha with weary eyes and a familiar face—his father's younger brother. "I am Uchiha Raizen. I wish to formally apply for a combat assignment. I want to join the battlefield teams."
The man, his third uncle, looked up with surprise and concern. "Uchiha Raizen? Have you broken through to the Chunin level? You know the minimum requirement for a frontline assignment is Chunin-level proficiency. Don't be rash because of what others say. This isn't a game."
"He doesn't have the ability," sneered another registrar, a man named Uchiha Saito. "If you don't have the power, you'll only drag your teammates down. You should stay in the non-combat corps. Be content, get lucky, and maybe drag one enemy body back a week to meet your quota. It's better than ending up like your father, a disgraced…"
He didn't finish the sentence, but the implication hung heavily in the air. Other registrars nearby began to murmur in agreement, their glances a mix of pity and disdain.
Uchiha Raizen's blood ran cold, then hot. He didn't know the man who was this body's father, but a visceral anger rose in him at the insult. He said nothing. Instead, he turned away from the desk, faced a cleared area of the training ground adjacent to the tent, and focused.
His hands did not form a single seal.
"Fire Release: Phoenix Sage Fire Technique!" he roared.
From his lips erupted a volley of fireballs, each one sizzling with intense heat. They shot across the clearing, impacting a row of training posts with a series of loud thumps and scattering embers across the ground.
Silence.
The murmuring stopped. Uchiha Saito's jaw hung slack. Uchiha Raizen's third uncle stared, his eyes wide with shock and dawning pride. Uchiha Natsume and Uchiha Ryoken stood frozen, utterly bewildered. They had personally taught him only the most basic exercises over the last few days. They knew for a fact he shouldn't have been able to perform this intermediate-level technique, let alone without hand signs.
Uchiha Raizen turned back to the desk, his chest heaving slightly, not from exertion, but from the surge of adrenaline and vindication. "Uncle," he said, his voice steady. "I believe I have demonstrated the requisite strength for a combat assignment."
A slow, proud smile spread across his third uncle's face. "Good… good! I knew my elder brother's son couldn't be a failure. Here is your combat registry tag, your mission license, and your standard-issue ninja tool pouch." He slid the three items across the desk.
"Thank you, Uncle," Uchiha Raizen said, gathering the items. He turned to his friends. "I would like to apply for Uchiha Natsume and Uchiha Ryoken to be assigned as my teammates."
The third uncle looked at the other two. "Do you both consent to team with Uchiha Raizen?"
Uchiha Ryoken, recovering from his shock, grinned. "I consent."
Uchiha Natsume looked at Uchiha Raizen, his expression unreadable, a mixture of worry, confusion, and newfound respect. After a long moment, he gave a single, firm nod. "I consent."
A new three-man team was formed, its destination: the war-torn frontier between the Uchiha and the Senju.