First Mission

"Is everyone ready?" The captain asked as he looked over his group.

He is a fairly tall, pale man with long dark hair and brown eyes. His face is without emotion, and his voice is just as stale. On both his cheeks and his forehead, he has a thin line of black war paint. He is in his full battle gear, dark green Senju Shinobi armor worn over a simple black suit with matching sandals. On his lower back is a scabbard that holds his tanto and on his left thigh is a shuriken holder.

In front of him is a small group of fifty Shinobi, all dressed in regular Shinobi gear. The group is diverse, made up of men, women, young and old. Each has different attire due to not having a standardized dress, like the elites. But they are all easily identifiable as Senju members from the clan symbols displayed on varying parts of their clothes. Most of the people within the group are not particularly noticeable and wouldn't be noticeable in a large crowd. But there are a few people within the group that stand out.

Particularly the three kids standing at the very front of the group. One is a Pink hair boy with black eyes with pink star-shaped pupils. He is wearing a black shirt that has pink hems, and black pants and sandals to match. On top of his clothing, he has torso and forearm plate armor. He has a shurkien holder on his right thigh, and a ninjato holder on his right, along with a tanto strapped to his lower back.

The second of the group is a cheerful-looking girl with long gravity-defying white hair and green eyes. Dressed simply, in a dark green bodysuit, with gray plate armor on her torso and a Senju headband to stop her hair from getting in her way. She has a shuriken holder on her left and right legs.

The last and most peculiar of the group, is a boy dressed in a dark green flack jacket with a navy blue jumpsuit underneath and black sandals. But while his outfit makes him stand out, due to him not having the standard plate armor that most wear, what makes him truly different is the mask that covers his whole head.

Having a mask isn't the surprising part, as it is common to see non-clan-affiliated Shinobi wear them. Instead, it is the type of mask that makes him stand out. It is a bronze Hyottoko mask with a black cloth attached to it that covers the rest of his head and hair. Something that none of them had seen a shinobi wear before.

"Hai!" the group replies in near unison.

Every Shinobi in the group stood in rapt attention, waiting for direction. The captain's eyes drifts a few times to the weirdly masked boy before he ignored it and began to speak.

"As you all know, we have been summoned by the Patriarch to help in the war efforts of the Flare Daimyo. It turns out that the Scorch Daimyo hired more Uchiha Shinobi than expected and has caused our clansman to be on the back foot." he briefly explains.

Looks of anger form on the faces of the clansmen as they think about their clan being at a disadvantage to the Uchiha. The Senju Clan is large and has many internal problems, but if there was one thing they all agree on, it's their hatred for the Uchiha. Almost everyone in the clan had lost a loved one to them. The same way of thinking applies to the Uchiha. A cycle of hatred that has stood the test of time.

Ignoring the looks, the stale commander continues on."Fortunately, the Patriarch, his two eldest sons," he glances at the masked boy again, who visibly stiffens. "- and the elites, have been able to keep the casualties to a minimum on our side. But the stalemate they have caused will not be able to last forever."

Some smiles grow on the Shinobi's faces when they found that things are not as bad as they previously thought. Azama nudges the masked boy when the main clan members are brought up. The boy only leans to the side from the nudge, but nothing else. His mind is too preoccupied to notice it.

"Therefore, a hundred and fifty more of us have been called. The original plan was to have all of us join the war immediately, but things have changed. Our spies have gotten wind that the Scorch Daimyo has hired a large group of non-clan-related mercenaries that are going to join his war efforts. They, allegedly, have orders to ambush our clansman from behind while they are occupied with the Uchiha. This is where you all come in. Our mission is to eliminate them while they are en route to the battlefield. While the other hundred directly join the main force in their efforts." he finished explaining.

All smiles are immediately wiped from the faces of the members when they learn about their mission. While assassinations are some of the most common work for a Shinobi, they are also the most dangerous. There was always a high chance of information being wrong or just it being a plain trap.

Especially in a war, like the one they are currently in. Misinformation is extremely common, either from the participating Daimyo's, another land of fire Daimyo, or even major clans who don't like the Senju's dominance within their region. While not common, there have been cases of the Hyuga and Nara clans setting up other clans, even when they aren't in active combat against them.

Regardless, there are a number of reasons for it to be a trap. There is a good chance, and they all knew it, that this mission is a set-up. It wracked the nerves of many within the group, but they are all, mostly, experienced Shinobi who know how to hide their emotions.

" I know some of you are worried about there only being one Elite Member within our group. But we have solid information that this group does not have any members at the Elite level. It is well known that the Scorch Daimyo is very low on funds. Hiring the Uchiha couldn't have been cheap and with the issues in his lands, we are sure that he couldn't have hired a stronger force. He is desperate for this war to end and has become careless. Therefore, the other Shinobi within our reinforcements will be immediately joining the Patriarch while we clear out the rabble. Does everyone understand?" he asks the group.

Not receiving any response from anyone in the group, he turned around and got ready to move.

"We will ambush them two days from now at Sunshine's pass. We should get there before the end of the night. Let's go, everyone, we have a long journey ahead of us." he took off from his position into the trees. The rest of the group quickly following behind him.

***

Sunshine's Pass is one of the many interesting places within the Land of Fire. Sunshine's Pass is a large valley stuffed between two towering mountains that almost make a perfect circle if not for the small split on its northern and southern sides. Funnily enough, the area is named because of the lack of sunlight it gets during the day.

Because the two mountains tower over the area so thoroughly, the only time it experiences sunlight is during midday, and only for a few hours, before it is eclipsed in darkness again. Those who have seen the 'sunrise' over the pass, have claimed that it was one of the most beautiful sights they had ever seen. The way the sun illuminated the darkness over the pass, revealing a lush forest usually hidden in darkness, all while cutting through both ends like a sharp knife. It is something that they couldn't forget.

Unfortunately, there aren't many who've ever got to witness such a sight. This is because the darkness of the pass it a hot bed for all types of dangerous nocturnal and poisonous creatures. Causing for the trip to not always be worth the danger. It is widely known to the Land of Fire citizens, that live nearby, that one must have at least an almost elite Shinobi or sensor Shinobi by their side if they want to make it back alive.

But where there is danger for the regular people, there is chance for the Shinobi. The pass is a perfect place for Shinobi to pass through undetected, whether it be a small group or a large one. The valley in the pass is so large that it could safely hide them all.

This is why it was the perfect place for the Scorch Daimyo so send his troop through. The pass is located within the border of the Scorch Lands, but was still close enough to the border of the Blaze lands. And while it was not very close to the current battlefield, that only made it a better place. As the farther it was a way the sneaker it would be.

***

"This place is creepy!" Azama says while looking down over the pass. She felt a shiver go through her body every time she looked into the darkness of the pass.

"Hopefully we can just ambush them as they go into the valley." Senji replies as he slightly leans over and looks at the pass.

There isn't much to see, since the area was pitch black. But the eerie feeling it gives off made both of their skin crawl. Only a black inkiness pervades the valley that, seemingly sucking in all sound, as not even the sound of wild life was present. It was in sharp contrast to the setting sun and vibrant life that they saw as they made their way to the pass.

A stiff wind blew by, causing the two to take a step back from the edge. Getting enough of the uncanny sight, the two turn around and head back to the camp further down back.

The two quickly walk back to the camp, heading past the camp guards and directly to their group tent. Where they are greeted with the third member of their group. He is eating rations while sitting on the ground. He no longer wore his mask, letting his childish face, matted half-black, and half-white hair to feel the open air again. His expression is blank, and he is staring at the ground before him as he ate his rations methodically.

"Itama, you should've gone with us. It was so creepy looking down at the valley!" Azama chirps while sitting down next to the boy. She snatches one of the rations out of his hands and with a satisfied smile began eating.

"Not really fond of creepy places" he shakes his head, not at all fazed by her greediness.

"Mm, I don't blame you. It wasn't fun." Senji nods and sits down next to Itama. Pulling out his own rations that he began eating.

While the three ate their ratios in silence, Itama thought over the changes that have happened over the last two months, the biggest of which was his social life. Ever since he became friends with the group, he always hangs out with them on his free days. Something his sensei had thankfully given him after every six days of training. During this time he had gotten friendly with most of the group, but the people he is closest to are Senji, Tatama, and Azama.

He was friends with Senji because they had the most in common with each other, both being pretty quiet and to themselves. He is someone Itama found really nice to hang out with. While he liked Tatama because she possessed a peaceful aura that seemed to calm everything down, plus he likes to go to the library whenever he could and Tatama was always willing to tag along. Since she can't use chakra like the rest of the group, she has no reason to go past the first floor of the library and instead keeps him company on the first floor. She even had a similar interest in the Clan's history and recommend him books she had read from time to time.

Last, but not least, was Azama. She was good friends with everyone in the group before he joined, and he naturally fell swiftly into the clutches of her friendship once he joined. She is fun to hang around and always carried the joyful energy that would be lacking within the group otherwise. Since the kids in the group are as depressing as the era that they live in. Azama is one of the few bright people alive that found joy in just being alive. She reminds Itama a lot of his eldest brother.

While they are eating, Itama took a peak at the girl, who was savoring her stolen food with a bright smile on her face. He can't help but wonder how she is still able to keep up such a sparkly attitude. During his time with the group, he had learned a little about each of them, but he knew the most about Azama's history. And while Azama's past isn't as dark as some of the others, it also isn't sunshine and rainbows.

In fact, her situation reminded him a lot of Itachi, only in the aspect of being brought to war very early on as a child. While everyone in this era is brought onto the battlefield as children. From what he knew, most joined the fighting around five within the clan. But, Azama was even earlier than that.

She had proved herself a genius from the moment she was born, with her chakra already being unlocked. Usually this would be a bad thing, since it could cause paranoia, as the presence of something you can feel but not interact with is disturbing. It is similar to having goosebumps, every second of every day from the moment of birth. It can cause severe stress to an adult's mental faculties, let alone a newborn's.

But Azama was one of the very rare cases where it didn't affect her, in fact, as a baby she used chakra just as easily as she breathed. Once this was found out, her mother started her training as soon as she was able to start walking. Hence, the insane strength. And by the age of three, the patriarch had allowed her to be sent on her first mission.

In most cases his permission wouldn't have been necessary, given her grandfather is the 2nd elder of the clan, but her age was just too young to be put out into the field. Even in this era, they didn't want someone that young fighting. But after a test she was allowed to fight and ever since then she had been regularly sent to the battlefield. According to Itama's mother, she had more experience than some of the low elite in the clan.

Speaking of Itama's mother, she was the one who had given him the information about Azama, as well as some of the others within the group. Azama had only told him proudly that she had been fighting since she was three. Although the girl was proud of her achievements, Itama couldn't help but feel sorry for her. She had never had a true childhood like the rest of them. They all would lose their innocence early on, but she never had the chance to even have innocence.

"Hmm, you need something, Itama?" Azama faces him with a tilted head.

"Huh? oh sorry! I was just thinking." Itama faces forward again, with a small blush on his face. He had gotten too caught up in his thoughts and forgot to stop looking at her.

"You don't have to lie, I know I'm pretty!" she jokes while cupping her face and fluttering her eyelashes.

"Pff, yea right" he snorts

"Senji thinks so, right, Senji?" both of them turn toward the pink haired boy. Who was doing his best to not be pulled into their silly discussion.

He looks between the two of them before nodding his head, "Yup, very pretty." he promptly says before continuing to eat.

"See told you!" Azama makes a 'V" with her hands.

Itama just rolled his eyes and went back quiet. Even after two more months, he still isn't super comfortable arguing with the children. He has gotten much more comfortable with his age with time and has even started acting more around his body's age. Regardless, he never took things too far, he is still mentally more mature than his body suggests and there are just slime things he couldn't allow himself to do, no matter what. But he would enjoy his childhood again, at least the little bits he had.

Before the group could descend back into silence again, Azama speaks up.

"Hey Itama, why did you bring that silly mask?" this was something that she has been wondering ever since he showed up with the mask to their first meeting. But she has only gotten the chance to ask now.

On the other side of Itama, Senji perks up. Azama isn't the only one curious.

Itama swallows the last piece of his ration before answering.

"Because I'm too recognizable." he points to his hair. The two peak at the half-black and half-white hair that covers his head and understood.

"But your brothers don't wear masks either. And people notice them all the time." Senji brings up, and Azama nods along.

"True, but that really only within the clan. To the outside world, my brothers can blend in and look like basically any regular member of the clan. Hashi looks like every other brown-haired member of our clan. And Tobi could be mistaken for the brother of a bunch of our whiter-haired clan members, including Azama." He pauses while pointing to the spiky white-haired girl sitting next to him.

Senji looks at her, 'I guess she could be mistaken for her brother. And Hashirama and Atama look similar too.'

After a breath, Itama continues, "Their faces might be known to the Uchiha, Uzumaki, and any other clans we have to regularly deal with, but to most people, they look like any regular Senju. They have gained some recognition, for their strength and talent, recently. But it still isn't much. While on the other hand, you'll be very hard-pressed to find another person in the clan that looks like me. Mostly because there isn't another one. And I don't want a target on my back, being the son of the patriarch and all."

After the two heard his reasoning, they understood that it is probably for the best that he wore the mask. While being unique was cool in a civilian setting, being weak and unique wasn't the best for a Shinobi. Senji understood better than most, since he had been targeted multiple times because of the Uniqueness of his eyes and hair.

This was one of the things Itama realized his sensei had forgotten to teach him. While he was sure she was right in her idea that uniqueness generally equals special and strong, he feels that she forgot to account for those that are unique that haven't reached their full potential. People like him and Senji. These type of people are nothing more than targets for powerful Shinobi in this world. Most especially those like Senji, who have unknown dojutsu. Dojutsu's are the most coveted treasures in all the Shinobi world.

"Maybe I should get a mask too" he mumbles to himself.

"Probably not a mask, you can't really hide your eyes. But, definitely, something to cover your hair. Pink isn't the most common color." Itama suggested.

He still doesn't know what Senji's eyes do, when he hangs with the group they never do anything combat related, but he is sure that he needs to be able to see to use them. As for his hair, well Itama, only knows of one family that has pink hair, and they wouldn't be alive for another forty-plus years.

Senji nodded and went back quiet and started to contemplate the future. At the same time, Azama pulled out another ration to eat.

While the group sat in silence again, Itama thought about the reasons he didn't tell.

'I don't want to end up like the one in the story. I'm not sure how much his hair had to do with him being caught, but I'm sure it played a big part. Hair might not be something people think about too much, but it is a huge way of telling who someone is, especially colorful hairs like Senji's and mine. I'm not strong enough to publicly display my identity yet, so the mask will stay until I am.'

It doesn't take long for the three of them to get sleepy and head to bed. They still have to plant traps within the forest the next day and after that, Itama would have his first real battle.