Night had fallen, and Minato Namikaze and Kushina sat at home, chatting casually.
At the low table, Kushina held needle and thread, mending a tear in Minato's clothes.
"Are you heading out on another mission in a few days?"
Hearing this, Minato, who was holding a book, nodded.
"Yeah, probably within the next few days.
Iwagakure's offensive has been quite fierce. The village is likely planning to make a move on Kannabi Bridge."
"Kannabi Bridge? The one in the Land of Grass?"
"That's right. We need to cut off Iwagakure's supply lines, otherwise fighting on two fronts simultaneously would be too much pressure."
At these words, Kushina's needle paused slightly, her eyes dimming with sadness.
"If only... if only there were no wars."
"Yeah, if only there were no wars~" Minato sighed in agreement.
However, war never changes course according to individual will.
Three days later, Minato's team received their mission.
Konoha's leadership ordered them to destroy Kannabi Bridge and cut off Iwagakure's supply route.
As one of the village's most powerful ninja squads, Minato's team not only had Minato Namikaze, who had mastered the Flying Thunder God Technique, but also Kakashi, who had recently become a jōnin.
Combined with medical-nin Rin, this squad's combat capability was quite formidable.
After accepting the orders, the four-person team assembled and set out toward the Land of Grass in the northwest.
Two days later, the squad reached the border between the Land of Fire and the Land of Grass.
Looking at the towering trees around them and the dim sunlight filtering sparsely through the leaves, Rin somehow felt the atmosphere here was unusually oppressive, making it hard to breathe.
Just as Minato's team silently crossed the Fire-Grass border, their movements were also observed by White Zetsu.
In a secret underground base somewhere in the Land of Fire—
The aged Uchiha Madara sat on a stone chair, his half-closed eyes occasionally flashing with shrewd light.
The candidate had long been decided—that exceptionally kind, pure, and upright Uchiha Obito.
With Madara's understanding of the Uchiha, only someone as good-hearted as Obito, when corrupted, would swing from one extreme to another.
As for someone like Uchiha Fugaku, who was already full of schemes, old Madara didn't think much of him at all.
However, none of this was what troubled Uchiha Madara at the moment.
What bothered him most was still Rinjin.
Sakuhō Rinjin was holed up in Amegakure and wouldn't come out, and White Zetsu simply couldn't infiltrate that place.
This meant Madara had absolutely no current intelligence on Rinjin.
If that guy suddenly jumped out with some clever maneuver while he was manipulating Obito, wouldn't all his efforts be wasted?
Thinking this, Madara frowned deeply.
No, the plan cannot change!
A well-behaved child like Obito might not appear among the Uchiha for twenty years—he absolutely had to seize this opportunity!
In that case, he'd give Sakuhō Rinjin something to keep him busy!
With this thought, Madara nodded and looked toward the waiting White Zetsu beside him, instructing:
"Split off part of the White Zetsu forces and infiltrate Amegakure from underground.
Remember, just keep him confined to Amegakure—don't piss that guy off!"
Though he wasn't afraid of Rinjin, when facing such a powerful opponent who understood his plans so well, he still needed to maintain proper restraint.
Meanwhile—
Due to the recklessness of Kakashi, the team's new captain, Rin had been captured by Iwagakure ninja.
And Minato-sensei had gone to the front lines according to plan to hold back the enemy.
Now, only Obito and Kakashi remained from the entire squad.
"Let's save Rin first!" Obito said firmly.
Facing the determined Obito, Kakashi shook his head seriously.
"Minato-sensei is holding back the enemy on the front lines—every second is dangerous. We should complete the mission first, then concentrate our forces to save Rin!"
Hearing this, Obito still stubbornly shook his head.
"Save Rin first!"
He wasn't good with words and couldn't say much else.
But if they didn't save Rin first, he just wouldn't do it!
Looking at the stubborn Obito, Kakashi immediately frowned, his eye that had been blinded in the previous war began to throb with pain, and memories buried deep in his heart surged up.
That man his father had saved.
That shameless face, surrounded by those hateful villagers' faces.
And those unbearable, extremely mocking, venomous words...
"No! Complete the mission first!
Those who fail missions get driven to death by the village! Even if you save Rin, you and her... and me... and Minato-sensei...
None of us can escape being driven to death by the village leadership!
When that happens, others will only blame you for not completing the mission—no one will care who you saved!"
Kakashi's incredibly cold voice echoed through the forest.
However, Obito had no intention of arguing back, roaring viciously:
"So what?
Even if I die, I won't let Rin die before me!
Sure, those who break the ninja world's rules are called trash.
But! Those who don't cherish their comrades are worse than trash!"
With that, the angry Obito swung his fists and charged at Kakashi.
At this moment, there were no jōnin, no jutsu—just two passionate young men simply throwing punches at each other.
Their convictions clashed...
Facing Obito, who had no technique but fought more fiercely with each exchange, Kakashi was overwhelmed.
Perhaps because his father hadn't died, or perhaps because the three of them, despite their constant bickering, had exceptionally deep bonds—
He wasn't as resolute as he had been originally.
Obito's stubbornness shattered the not-so-firm prejudice in his heart.
After a good while, the two twelve- or thirteen-year-old boys finally stopped throwing punches, panting as they collapsed to the ground in unison.
Looking at Obito, whose eyes still shone with unwavering determination, Kakashi's heart was filled with mixed emotions.
If only father had comrades like this...
No!
Uncle Rinjin is way more stubborn than Obito!!!
Thinking this, Kakashi's eyes immediately grew moist, his nose tingled, and he nodded to Obito.
"Let's save Rin first! Then complete the mission."
Hearing this, Obito whipped his head around to look at Kakashi, his eyes full of excited enthusiasm.
After all, with just his own strength, he couldn't rescue Rin.
Then, the two kids huddled together, plotting how to rescue Rin.
...
Two days later, in Amegakure—
Sakumo, who was leisurely drinking tea in the guard office, suddenly felt his heart pound violently.
Looking at the bustling main gate, Sakumo's brow slowly furrowed.
Strange!
Very strange!
What's going on?
Why do I feel like I'm about to lose something?
Kakashi???
Thinking this, Sakumo instantly put down his teacup and rushed out of the guard office.
"Ikehama, cover my shift! I have an emergency!"
Hearing this, Ikehama, who had been about to crack a joke, saw Sakumo's terrifyingly serious expression and immediately swallowed his joke, nodding seriously and reliably.
"Go ahead, I'll handle things here!"
Hearing this, Sakumo nodded gratefully and immediately sprinted toward the village.
He didn't know where this feeling came from, what it foretold, or whether it was accurate.
But!
He had only one son—his one and only son!
No matter what, he had to see for himself to feel at ease.
~~~~❃❃~~~~~~~~❃❃~~~~
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