"Ah!!!"
Screams and explosions tore through the fog thick as soup. The Uzumaki on the shoreline flung out shadow clones and tossed metal without aim, their eyes lit up with excitement.
None of them had seen war before. Their idea of combat came from scrolls and embellished stories-push forward, break the line, win glory. Clean and heroic.
Living hidden for generations made them forget the weight of following commands. Some of them broke ranks outright and rushed up to Yusuke with excitement in their eyes.
"Master! We've scattered the formation on the other side! Why not charge in now? If we wait too long-"
Akira stared past him at the rest of the Uzumaki behind him who were just as restless. He didn't answer for several long seconds.
Finally he looked to Yusuke and asked with a smile, "Mind if I give some orders?"
Even if he wasn't fond of Akira's face, the man couldn't argue with results. Yusuke crossed his arms but nodded anyway. Akira had predicted everything down to the last injury count, and saved his people from oblivion without losing anyone important-except one idiot who twisted his ankle.
"Go ahead."
Akira stopped smiling right away.
"You. You. And you-drag this idiot out and don't stop hitting him until I say so."
"Ah?"
They stared-because he was talking about Yusuke's nephew. Nobuya had been groomed for succession since childhood. If Kushina had no little brother in the future, he was supposed to be the next clan head.
Yusuke opened his mouth in disbelief before catching himself. Orders were one thing-but if Nobuya lost face now-he'd be useless later.
"Little Akira… spare him, for my sake?"
Akira didn't hesitate. "How about I leave instead, and you take command? Or better-let this idiot lead us to his own funeral?"
Yusuke's mouth stayed open for just half a breath before closing again tight and thin with tension.
"At least wait until after the war-"
Thunk!
Akira's kunai sank into Nobuya's shoulder with precision. The blade pierced flesh and muscle before clinking against bone.
"AAH!!"
Nobuya screamed like his entire side had torn open, collapsing to both knees on instinct alone.
Yusuke tried to move to his side but Akira's next words froze him where he stood.
"What? Is that how loud you scream from one scratch? Are you this eager to send someone else to die? Or does it just not matter because it won't be your own pain?"
Yusuke flinched. He knew it wasn't wrong-but fuck, it was harsh.
"Perhaps... he just thought detonating tags were too expensive-"
Akira shoved a black card into his chest before he could finish.
"This gets you 100 million ryo in Konoha. No questions asked. Will that cover his life?"
He didn't stop there.
"If you're willing to trade another person's life to save some fucking paper slips-then I'll do the same right now, out loud. That sound fair?"
"But…"
Yusuke stopped talking because every Uzumaki nearby had turned toward them with unreadable eyes-not judgmental-but different now. Distant. Changed.
Nobuya lay hunched over and trembling on the sand. If Yusuke defended him now-he would lose everything he'd built in front of these people.
He shut his eyes quick and tight before opening them again slower than before.
"...Drag him out."
Nobuya looked up at him, stunned silent. Even forgot to cry out again before they grabbed his arms and pulled him back toward the edge of camp.
Thwack. Thud. Smack-!
Cracking wood met muscle again and again under the clang of kunai and shouting offshore.
Every clan member watching knew now-this was Mito's pick-and not someone to test under pressure.
Arrogant. Violent. Uncompromising.
Akira had made certain that those traits showed clearly-and Yusuke couldn't look away from that face anymore without feeling one odd truth settle hard inside his ribs.
It wasn't just about resemblance anymore-there was blood here... or at least essence. Mito's face was there in the curve of Akira's nose and jawline-and the hair-
Red as bleeding ember threads. Soft strands just like hers had been at that age.
No way this was coincidence.
"I remember…" Yusuke whispered to himself, "Konoha said they started working on Wood Release again… fuck."
Akira wasn't clueless-he saw how they looked at him now with awe... not fear… not anymore.
And Yusuke believed it too.
Mito's boy...
"If he really is her son... he should be leading us-not me."
Once you think that way-it's impossible to look back without seeing everything else different too.
Yusuke had hated that face at first sight-but now? He couldn't remember why it ever bothered him at––
"So? What next?"
His tone flipped calm-almost polite.
Akira stiffened for half a second before looking back over shoulder with pure confusion written across every line of his expression.
"...Is he fucking serious?"
Konoha elders did this too-they'd melt the second he barked their way once or twice, then act like proud uncles after being called idiots in public.
Relief washed over Akira's face in one long sigh that hissed out through gritted teeth.
"What the fuck is up with these old guys? Are they hardwired into being perverts or what?"
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