Late autumn had come, and the air grew cooler. The world was slowly falling into a quiet slumber.
The next morning, Arima woke up in a warm, drowsy haze.
The comfort of the blanket tempted him to linger a little longer... not to mention the faint scent of Tsunade beside him. For the first time in three months, he had slept so soundly.
When he turned his head, he noticed Tsunade staring blankly at him, unmoving, eyes wide open like a wooden doll, seemingly lost in thought.
Arima waved a hand in front of her face. That finally brought her back to her senses. She smiled shyly, quickly kissed his forehead, then scrambled out of bed to wash up.
Watching her flustered retreat, Arima lightly touched the spot she kissed, a soft smile playing on his lips.
He was leaving soon, and Tsunade had been downcast all morning. She barely spoke, quietly helping him pack everything he'd need for the journey.
Most of what she prepared were winter clothes, along with some delicate snacks to nibble on when bored. She'd even separated out some loose-leaf teas into small pouches with great care.
But she had packed so much that it wouldn't all fit into his small luggage. After much sorting and re-sorting, she finally finished around noon.
Arima sat silently, watching her fuss over everything. Being looked after like this gave him a profound sense of peace, warmth welling up gently from his heart.
After breakfast, it was time to leave. Tsunade insisted on seeing him off, so they walked together toward the village gate.
Before they even reached it, Arima spotted Mito waiting in the distance.
A large group of ninja from various clans were also preparing to head to the front lines, including members of the Uchiha clan.
Mito had seen them approaching from afar, one tall, one short, and couldn't help but chuckle when she saw the oversized pack on Arima's back.
She guessed right away that Tsunade had over-prepared for him.
Behind Mito, the veteran ninja accompanying them were all lightly packed, nothing like Arima, who looked as if he were off on a vacation.
The contrast made Arima seem a bit out of place among the seasoned warriors.
Still, for a first-time combat deployment, such things were understandable. No one really took offense.
As Arima and Tsunade got closer, Tsunade kept her head down, too embarrassed to meet her grandmother's eyes. She feared getting teased.
Once all the accompanying personnel had arrived, Mito gave a few final words of encouragement, and the group quickly set off.
Tsunade stood there, watching Arima's figure grow smaller and smaller in the distance. Her heart felt hollow and strange... a feeling she couldn't quite explain.
She gripped her grandmother's hand tightly, searching for comfort against her restlessness and reluctance.
Mito gently pulled her into her arms and softly stroked her hair. It reminded her so much of the countless times she had watched Hashirama leave for distant battles.
Arima marched with the group.
Officially, he was the captain of Konoha's medical team, but Mito had entrusted him with far more.
Maintaining the team's safety, managing internal conflicts, and keeping overall cohesion. She had even discussed this with the overall commander, Senju Hiroto.
Mito had her concerns about the Uchiha's aggressive faction. Many among them were notoriously arrogant.
The early part of the journey went smoothly. Familiar faces greeted Arima warmly. His presence in the group had already begun to feel like that of a sub-leader.
This, however, did not go unnoticed by some younger Uchiha.
They rarely interacted with other clans, and those from the aggressive faction harbored little goodwill toward the Senju.
Among them was a young man named Uchiha Kaito. From the very start, he'd felt an unexplainable dislike for Arima.
Kaito had awakened the three-tomoe Sharingan early and was considered a rising prodigy within his clan.
He had joined the front-line expedition with grand ambitions, hoping to earn glory like the heroes before him.
But when he saw the small, baby-faced Arima carrying an absurdly large pack and heading to the front lines looking like he was off on a trip, he couldn't help but scoff inwardly.
He saw it as a mockery of the battlefield.
To him, Arima's entire presence was a provocation.
His contempt deepened each time someone approached Arima warmly, even the overall commander chatted with him cheerfully.
Kaito's silent fury burned hotter with each passing day.
Arima kept a low profile, which only frustrated Kaito further.
With no excuse to pick a fight directly, he vented his irritation on others, especially the younger ninja who were friendly with Arima.
Uchiha Kazuyuki, the Uchiha squad leader, noticed Kaito's behavior. But he assumed it was just typical posturing between young shinobi and didn't intervene.
Despite being only twelve, Arima had a calm, mature presence and handled matters with precision and grace, traits of a true leader.
He had long since noticed Kaito's hostile gaze, which shifted from arrogance and scorn to outright provocation as Arima gained favor.
But Arima didn't care. He was used to being disliked, even hated.
The journey had already lasted over half a month, and they had barely covered half the distance to the front lines.
With the constant rain, slippery roads, and cold, everyone was exhausted. Spirits were wearing thin. Kaito's constant instigating only made things worse.
Arima saw the growing tension and had been working tirelessly to mediate between factions, quietly solving problems where he could.
But it was time to deal with Kaito directly.
He couldn't tolerate him bullying others without cause, especially since most of Kaito's targets were people who were close to Arima.
Many of them had modest backgrounds and had once received help from him. They now suffered unfairly because of their connection to him.
Arima couldn't allow that. He had to stand up for them.
That afternoon, the group stopped to rest and prepare a meal.
Kaito wandered over to a young Chunin chatting with his comrades and barked.
"Do you think the battlefield is a game? When someone's shuriken is embedded in that stupid head of yours, I hope you're just as cheerful."
The Chunin didn't dare argue back, only mumbling quietly to himself.
Kaito sneered. "Some people exist just to remind us never to become like them."
As he spoke, he glanced deliberately in Arima's direction.
He often looked Arima's way after such outbursts, hoping for a reaction. But Arima had always ignored him, which only made Kaito more aggressive.
Today, though, Arima turned his head and locked eyes with him.
That calm, steady gaze made Kaito feel like a clown performing for an audience.
Furious, Kaito's Sharingan snapped open. In a flash, he appeared before Arima, staring down at him with a condescending glare.
"What are you looking at?" he demanded.
Arima replied calmly, "Just watching a flea jump around."
Then he slowly lifted his head and stared directly into Kaito's eyes, as if to say, 'You're that flea.'
Kaito froze. Something in Arima's composure unnerved him. Either this kid was far more powerful than he looked... or a complete fool.
He knew of Arima's reputation, rumored to be the student of both the First and Second Hokage.
A Jonin at such a young age.
Still, he didn't want to believe this small figure could be hiding such strength.
He clung to the confidence in his Sharingan and growled, "With these eyes of mine, nothing you do can escape me."
He reached out to grab Arima's collar.
Just then, Kazuyuki, having heard of the brewing conflict, rushed over.
He didn't want to see his talented clansman humiliated. Discipline within the Uchiha was their business, not the Senju's.
But before he could arrive, a crushing surge of chakra exploded in the distance.
Kazuyuki's heart sank. He hadn't felt pressure like this since standing before Uchiha Madara, the First, or the Second Hokage.
A terrible premonition struck him. He hurried forward, barely pausing to process what he'd just sensed.
When he arrived, he found Kaito slumped helplessly in the mud, staring blankly.
Arima sat nearby, sipping hot tea and nibbling on a delicate snack, looking perfectly relaxed.
Kazuyuki sighed to himself, Too late...
---------------
Guys do leave some power stones and reviews.
🤞pa treon . com / plotplanner🤞
Remove all the spaces in between and then search.
If you guys enjoy this story, you can support me on Patreon and get access to 30 Advance Chapters, it really helps me to work on new chapters.