Inside Minato's command tent, laughter and chatter filled the air.
Everyone here was young. Even though the two squads had never worked together before, the lively mood quickly smoothed things over.
Especially Minato's squad.
Unlike Kai's ragtag band, Minato's team had been forged along the elite path since day one. They'd grown side by side, bonded through shared training, and carried a natural sense of camaraderie.
Shisui's squad, however, was a different breed.
They weren't childhood friends. They were survivors—veterans who'd clawed their way through the blood-soaked lower ranks, who'd seen the ugliest sides of human nature.
Compared to Minato's group, their innocence had long been burned away.
And at the center of that gravity was Uchiha Kai.
They weren't together because of friendship or trust. They followed him because they shared one desire: to break free from the chains that bound them.
Nara Kazama and Kai were master tacticians, ruthless in their foresight. Shisui and Aya weren't schemers by nature, but even they had tasted enough bitterness to shed their naivety.
So when the two squads sat side by side, the difference was stark. Minato's group radiated youthful warmth; Shisui's squad felt like veterans watching over children.
Time ticked by, and when the food and drink were mostly gone, Minato raised his hand.
"Alright," he said with his trademark smile. "Now that everyone's acquainted, let's get down to business. Starting the morning after tomorrow, our two squads will be working together."
He gestured around the table.
"Shisui and Kakashi will each manage their own squads. Because of my Flying Thunder God, I won't always be with you. Which means—when I'm gone—both squads will follow the lead of Uchiha Kai."
The tent went silent.
Shisui's group accepted it easily. They already knew what Kai was capable of.
But Minato's team? That was another story.
Obito was the first to blow up.
"Sensei, why?!" he demanded. "Even if you're not around, shouldn't Kakashi or Shisui take command?"
Rin blinked in surprise but quickly tried to calm him down. She wasn't the type to argue.
Kakashi said nothing, though his eyes sharpened with shock.
Minato hesitated for a moment, then realized—his team had been stuck on the front lines. They had no clue about what had happened recently.
So he smiled patiently.
"Obito, calm yourself. You've been fighting at the front and may not have heard the news. Kai isn't who you remember. He awakened the Mangekyō Sharingan and retired from Konoha's shinobi corps. He now serves as an elder of the Uchiha clan and the head of the Konoha Police Force. As for his strength—" Minato's gaze softened but his words were firm. "It's not inferior to mine. He's here by the village's request to aid the war effort. Do you understand now?"
The tent erupted in stunned silence.
Kakashi's eyes narrowed.
He'd never cared about titles like "genius." But to hear that someone his own age—someone from his same year at the Academy—had surpassed him? It stung.
Worse, Kai had been the Uchiha clan's disgrace.
While Kakashi graduated in a single year, Kai had limped along until year five. A failure. A joke.
And now that same failure stood before him as an elder of the clan, wielding the Mangekyō Sharingan.
The thought dug into him like a blade, and he silently swore to close the gap.
Rin, kind as ever, didn't dwell on it. She simply offered Kai a warm smile and congratulations.
But Obito… Obito was frozen.
He was an Uchiha too. He'd even asked around after that one random meeting at Ichiraku Ramen. Back then, Kai had been worse than him. Bottom of the barrel. Pathetic.
And now? Elder. Police head. Mangekyō awakened.
No. Impossible.
The disbelief twisted Obito's face, his pride fracturing.
Meanwhile, Minato smiled faintly—but his eyes, when they landed on Kai, carried weight.
He hadn't fought Kai directly, but his instincts never lied. That sixth sense was what had carried him through a hundred battlefields.
And it told him one thing clearly:
Uchiha Kai was strong.
Very strong.
"Enough," Minato said, clapping his hands. "That's all about Kai. When I'm not here, you'll follow his lead. Now—onto the mission."
He straightened, his voice turning sharp.
"Our objective is to break through the Hidden Stone encampments and destroy the Kannabi Bridge in the Land of Grass. I'll use Flying Thunder God to scout and avoid larger forces. The two squads will operate under Kai's command."
The briefing ended with no room for argument. The shinobi dispersed to rest.
Kai stood to leave as well—until Minato stopped him.
"Let's take a walk."
"…Alright."
They left camp, eventually reaching a vast canyon.
Below, the roar of a waterfall echoed. Beyond, the dark forest stretched endlessly, cloaked in night. The air was sharp and cold.
Kai narrowed his eyes. He knew what lurked beneath—Konoha and Hidden Stone scouts, sensory-nin, and probing strike teams. Down there, lives were being snuffed out every moment, unseen and silent.
"Kai."
Minato's smile was faint, but his eyes were searching.
"Back in the tent, I could tell—you seemed… hesitant. As if you were holding something back. Want to tell me what it is? Right now, you and I are comrades-in-arms."
Even standing face-to-face, Minato couldn't see through him. Kai was like a figure wreathed in mist, always just out of reach.
Kai said nothing. He sank into silence, thoughts spiraling.
Five long minutes passed.
Then his eyes snapped open.
In a flash, his body moved.
"Iron Body!"
His fist slammed into the earth, shattering it. Dust exploded upward as he dragged a pale, humanoid creature from the ground—white from head to toe.(White Zetsu)
Kai sneered.
"I noticed you long ago. Didn't think you'd hide this well. Almost let you slip away."
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