Swish!
"I'm not late, am I?"
Just as Kakashi was about to draw his sword and charge forward, a calm and gentle voice suddenly echoed beside him.
"Minato-sensei! (Brother!)"
Kakashi and Fugaku exclaimed at the same time, their voices full of surprise and relief.
"Brother Fugaku, thank you for holding the line until now."
Minato nodded gratefully at Fugaku before turning to Kakashi, his expression softening.
"Kakashi, it's been a while. Are you and Rin doing okay?"
"Don't worry, Minato-sensei. Rin and I are fine!"
Kakashi nodded quickly, sensing Rin's chakra in the distance.
As a medical ninja, Rin was currently treating the wounded in the rear camp. For her safety, Kakashi had left behind a Lightning Style shadow clone disguised as a female nurse to assist and protect her. If White Zetsu dared to show his face again, they'd be ready to turn him into experimental material on the spot!
"By the way, Minato-sensei... look over there," Kakashi said, pointing forward with a slight smirk.
"Oh?"
Minato followed Kakashi's finger, his brows raising slightly—then his expression froze.
"That's... Obito?!"
Minato's eyes widened in disbelief. A heartbeat later, he disappeared in a flicker of light, reappearing instantly beside Obito with the Body Flicker Technique.
"Obito! Where have you been? When did you come back?"
"Eh? Teacher Minato! You're here!"
Obito was moving leisurely across the battlefield, helping his Uchiha clansmen eliminate enemy forces. He had already earned admiration and gratitude from many within the clan.
Upon seeing Minato suddenly appear in front of him, Obito's face lit up with joy. He rushed toward Minato for a hug.
However, to Minato's utter shock, Obito phased right through him—his arms passing through Minato's body like mist.
"What...?"
Space-Time Ninjutsu?!
Minato's mind raced. As the master of the Flying Thunder God Technique, he immediately recognized the nature of Obito's ability. Kamui. A unique, space-warping jutsu!
Just as he was about to ask Obito about it, his gaze locked onto Obito's eye.
The pattern in Obito's right eye—it wasn't an ordinary Sharingan.
It was a complex, rotating design: three scythe-like sickles forming a perfect circle.
Minato gasped inwardly.
Mangekyō Sharingan?!
The legendary evolution of the Uchiha's dōjutsu, said to have been awakened only by Uchiha Madara himself—now seen in one of Minato's own students.
Obito scratched his head in embarrassment after passing through Minato, then deactivated his Kamui.
At that moment, a kunai whistled through the air toward Minato's blind spot.
Minato instinctively moved to parry—but before he could, Obito's single eye flared.
The kunai twisted and vanished into the distorted space of Kamui.
He used Kamui to absorb it?!
Minato hadn't even blinked before Obito's expression darkened.
"You dare attack my teacher? Court death!"
Furious, Obito locked onto the Mist Shinobi who'd tried the sneak attack.
With another ripple in the air, space twisted violently.
The Mist Shinobi's body was shredded into a crimson mist—instantly obliterated by Kamui's brutal power.
"Ahaha, Minato-sensei, I missed you so much!" Obito said cheerfully, giving a goofy smile as if he hadn't just erased a man from existence.
Minato looked at his student—his silly grin and carefree attitude, so familiar.
"You're back, brat... It's good to have you back."
Minato chuckled softly and reached out to ruffle Obito's hair, a rare look of relief spreading across his face.
The weight of Obito's disappearance had been a heavy stone on his heart these past months. He had even considered personally funding a black market bounty for information, just to find a clue about Obito's whereabouts.
He never expected Obito to not only return alive—but with power greater than ever before.
Truly, the gods had shown mercy!
"Alright, I'm glad you're safe. But we can talk later. For now…" Minato's smile turned sharp, confident. "Let your teacher see what kind of strength you've gained."
Obito nodded. "Mm!"
At that moment, another wave of Mist Shinobi reinforcements—nearly 500 strong—rushed onto the battlefield.
But within just one minute of combat, they bitterly regretted joining this fight.
On the battlefield, two streaks of light dominated the chaos—a flash of gold and a burst of blue lightning.
Each time either light appeared, a Mist Shinobi's life was snuffed out.
To the right, a lone Uchiha boy strolled casually across the battlefield. Every attack phased through him. And then—at the moment his target was distracted—he'd strike without mercy.
To the left, a young shinobi with three magatama arms danced with elegance through the battlefield. With 12 blazing clones and a fiery sword in hand, he cut through the enemy ranks like a swan in flight.
And in the center, their clan leader stood like a grim reaper—calm, ruthless, unstoppable.
It took the efforts of multiple elite Mist Jōnin to simply delay his onslaught.
The more the Mist Shinobi fought, the more their morale crumbled.
The more Konoha fought, the stronger and more fearless they became.
Finally, the Mist army's acting commander—Substitute Deputy Chief Hōzuki—realized they couldn't win.
"Retreat! Retreat immediately!"
The command spread like wildfire. The Mist Shinobi began to scatter.
After losing nearly 70% of their forces, the survivors finally made it to the beach. Using Water Style techniques, they dove into the sea and fled as fast as they could.
The battle was over.
Konoha had won—completely and utterly.
"We won!"
"ROAR!"
"ROAR!"
"ROAR!"
After enduring countless battles without reinforcements, the Uchiha shinobi could no longer contain their emotions.
Their roars echoed across the battlefield—cries of pride, of relief, of rage released.
Fugaku stood silently, watching his clansmen roar and cheer.
He didn't stop them.
As their leader, he felt it more deeply than anyone.
This time, he had led six hundred Uchiha into battle.
And in just a few months…
More than 30 three-tomoe Sharingan users had died.
Over 200 two-tomoe users had fallen.
Many others had been severely wounded—crippled, unable to continue their lives as shinobi.
Each injury, each death—Fugaku felt as if his heart was being torn apart.
Yes, Uchiha shinobi were powerful—often stronger than ten civilian ninjas at the same level.
But even that couldn't overcome the sheer numbers of the Mist Shinobi, who were constantly reinforced.
Worse still, the Mist's proximity to the sea gave them a terrain advantage. Their bloodline clans and elite mystic families were no weaker than Uchiha, even if fewer in number.
If Minato and the others hadn't arrived in time…
Even if Uchiha had won, the cost would have been catastrophic.
Still, what Uchiha accomplished here—holding a frontline against an entire nation nearly alone—was unmatched.
This was a military feat worthy of being etched into the history of Konoha.
Fugaku's eyes softened as he watched his clansmen shout and cheer.
Perhaps now, the village would finally see their worth.
He hoped this battle would become the catalyst for change.
In recent years, the Uchiha Police Force had frequently clashed with villagers. Their cold and strict approach to law enforcement had earned them a poor reputation.
Fugaku had wanted to change that—but political friction between hawks and doves, and the distrust from Konoha's upper ranks, made progress almost impossible.
He had issued orders to tone down aggressive behavior from the Guards—but pride was the core of the Uchiha identity.
That same pride made them warriors, but also made it hard to yield.
Still, even proud Uchiha longed for recognition—for the day when their loyalty and sacrifice would be acknowledged by the very village they protected.
Now, perhaps that day was near.
When news of their heroism and losses reached the village...
When civilians saw how Uchiha bled for Konoha...
Maybe then, the hate would turn to respect.
Maybe then, children at the Ninja Academy would open a textbook and read about Uchiha—not as threats or pariahs, but as heroes.
Fugaku closed his eyes for a moment and let out a breath he hadn't realized he was holding.
Yes.
This time, they would be remembered.
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