A few months later—
The village had changed.
Not visibly.
The streets were the same. Shops still opened at dawn, the smell of grilled fish and broth drifting through the air as it always had.
But the conversations were now much more lively, different from the low atmosphere of previous times.
"…I'm telling you, he crossed the whole battlefield in a flash."
A man's voice, low but certain.
"Yellow Flash… that's what they're calling him now."
Another scoffed lightly, though not in disbelief.
"…Minato Namikaze, right?"
"Who else?"
A pause.
"…They say entire squads retreated just seeing him."
The name—Minato Namikaze—had become a much more discussed topic inside the village. His deeds—defeating A and B of the Cloud head-on, saving many shinobi on the Cloud border—
And his success in missions like the Kannabi Bridge operation, which destroyed the supply chain of the entire Iwa village and stopped the full-scale war that might have happened between Konoha and Iwa—
These feats were more than enough to make him famous.
And the most striking part—
Was his age.
"Even the Sannin didn't become commanders at such a young age," a man said.
"Our Konoha is blessed to have a young shinobi like that," an older woman added.
The words lingered.
Not exaggerated.
Not entirely.
Just enough to grow.
—
Jiraiya was watching the people discussing, a smug look on his face as he glanced at Orochimaru and Tsunade.
Tsunade noticed it.
She had been seeing that same expression for days now.
It was getting irritating.
Without warning, she stepped forward and punched his head.
"Will you stop acting like an idiot?"
"Ouch—!" Jiraiya covered his head, a tear forming in one eye as he looked at her.
"Hey, that's not fair! I'm just feeling happy for my student—why do you have to be so aggressive?" he said, still wincing as he looked at her annoyed expression.
"You're too happy. It's starting to get annoying. If you make that face again, I'll hit you properly next time," Tsunade said with clear irritation.
There was no heat in it.
Just… warning.
Jiraiya opened his mouth—
Then stopped.
"…You're just jealous," he muttered under his breath.
Tsunade's expression didn't change.
But her hand twitched.
He wisely said nothing more.
Tsunade was happy for Minato.
But Kushina had been talking nonstop about it in her ear for days, and as her sister, she couldn't exactly stop her or say anything harsh.
And now—
Outside the house, Jiraiya had started the same thing.
I can't control Kushina… but don't think I can't control you, Tsunade thought, a faint satisfaction appearing as she looked at him.
—
Beside them, Orochimaru remained silent.
Watching.
Listening.
His gaze shifted between the two as they bickered, neither of them noticing—or perhaps not caring—that he was still there.
Jiraiya's voice carried easily over the noise of the street, full of pride, repeating the same things he had been saying for days now.
"…my student, you know—"
Orochimaru's eyes narrowed slightly.
It had already started to grate on him.
But—
Watching Tsunade deal with it…
That was something else entirely.
"…Just how long have you taught him?" Orochimaru asked suddenly, his tone mild, almost curious.
Jiraiya paused mid-sentence.
"…What?"
A brief silence.
Orochimaru tilted his head slightly.
"…One week?" he said.
A beat.
"…Or two?"
Jiraiya froze.
Slowly—very slowly—he turned his head.
"…You—"
For a moment, nothing came out.
"I've taught him many things," Jiraiya said finally, though his voice lacked its earlier confidence.
Tsunade let out a short laugh.
Not loud.
But sharp enough.
"Idiot. Everyone knows you just found Minato talented and attached yourself to him," she said.
"And the Rasengan? That was his own research."
Jiraiya's expression cracked.
He looked from Tsunade to Orochimaru—
Both of them are watching.
Calm.
Waiting.
That made it worse.
He raised a finger, pointing between them.
"You—you two are just jealous of me!"
"Oh, please," Tsunade replied immediately.
"Everyone knows the only thing you properly teach is how to peek into bathhouses."
A small pause.
Her eyes flicked over him.
"…Maybe the Mount Myoboku contract. I'll give you that."
Then—
"Stop praising yourself for Minato's success."
It landed cleanly.
Jiraiya went completely still.
For a second, he didn't even react—
As if the words took time to reach him.
Then his shoulders dropped.
"…That was unnecessary," he muttered weakly.
No one responded.
Which somehow made it worse.
He turned slightly away, crouching down a bit, tracing small circles on the ground with his finger.
"…They're just jealous people," he mumbled under his breath.
Tsunade exhaled through her nose, unimpressed.
Orochimaru watched quietly.
A faint smile touched his lips—
Out of amusement.
Still—
His gaze drifted past them, toward the villagers in the distance.
The same name, repeating again and again.
Minato Namikaze.
"…How quickly things spread," he murmured.
Beside him, Tsunade followed his gaze.
She said nothing.
—
Elsewhere—
The same kind of conversation was happening.
But with a different name.
"…That Uchiha boy…"
A man spoke in a lower tone this time, glancing briefly toward a Uchiha guard nearby.
More careful.
"…Obito."
A woman's voice.
"…He stayed behind, didn't he?"
"Saved his teammates."
No one argued.
"…The younger generation… they're real Konoha shinobi."
A brief pause.
"…Kannabi Bridge," someone added quietly.
"…That kid was a hero."
The word came out softer than expected.
As if it didn't quite belong—
But no one denied it.
A few people glanced at each other.
Then looked away.
The conversation didn't grow the same way.
Didn't spread with the same enthusiasm.
Still—
It remained.
High above the street—
From the shadow of a balcony, eyes watched.
Uchiha Setsuna stood still, his gaze drifting across the moving crowd below as the voices carried upward.
"Minato…"
"The Yellow Flash…"
"A hero…"
His expression shifted into a faint, quiet smile.
His fingers tapped once against the railing.
Behind him, the other elders remained silent.
Listening.
"…So it's happening," Kohaku said quietly.
Setsuna didn't respond immediately.
His eyes narrowed just slightly as another wave of praise rose from below.
"…I thought it would take more time," Kazuto added with a soft sigh.
Setsuna's gaze shifted—not to the people—
But beyond them.
Toward the three Sannin sitting in the distance.
A brief pause.
"…Watch it carefully," Setsuna said at last.
His tone was soft.
Almost indifferent.
"…Praise like this…"
Another pause.
"…doesn't spread on its own."
Silence followed.
No one questioned it.
Because they understood.
—
What was happening—
The constant praise of Minato…Combined with Toyoma's earlier revelation…
And now, watching events unfold in front of them—
Things were becoming clearer.
Slowly.
Piece by piece.
But the most unsettling part—
Was something else entirely.
"…The Sharingan," Kazuto said quietly.
"…Given to Kakashi."
The words lingered.
Toyoma had never told them this directly.
But he had said—
That in the future, there would be those outside the clan who would wield the Sharingan.
And one of them…
Would use it more efficiently than even the Uchiha.
At the time, it had sounded distant.
Abstract.
Now—
It had a name.
Kakashi.
"…Should we take it back?" Kazuto asked, his gaze shifting toward Uchiha Setsuna.
Minato's squad had not yet returned to Konoha.
They were still stationed at the border.
But the news had already reached them.
And that was enough.
A bloodline limit—
Used openly—
By a non-Uchiha.
It was… difficult to ignore.
Not just a matter of power.
But of pride.
Of identity.
Setsuna looked at him.
Silent for a moment.
Then—
"…Wait," he said.
His tone was low.
Steady.
"…Some things… and some people… must remain as they are."
A brief pause.
"…Otherwise, too much changes."
His gaze shifted slightly, distant.
"…And that will affect us as well."
Kazuto exhaled slowly.
He didn't fully agree.
But he understood enough to hesitate.
"…So we do nothing?" Kohaku asked.
There was irritation in his voice now.
His faction had always chosen restraint.
Caution.
Avoidance.
But now—
Watching things move toward what had already been described…
Toward something that did not favour them—
That restraint felt… wrong.
"…We just watch?" he added.
This time, sharper.
Setsuna said nothing.
Neither did the others.
The silence stretched.
Heavy.
Not empty—
But filled with decisions not yet made.
Mist–Konoha Border
The air was damp.
Cold mist clung low to the ground, drifting slowly between the tents. The faint smell of wet earth and iron lingered beneath it.
Inside one of the command tents—
Uchiha Toyoma sat quietly.
Waiting.
In front of him stood a group of shinobi.
Young.
Too young for this kind of war.
Around two dozen of them—no older than fourteen to seventeen—stood close together, their posture straight, their expressions carrying a mix of excitement and pride they had yet to learn to hide.
At their front—
Uchiha Shisui.
Toyoma said nothing.
He simply watched them.
The tent stayed quiet.
Long enough to make the younger ones shift slightly where they stood.
"…We're here to help," Shisui said at last, his voice steady."To reduce the burden on the village. You don't have to be wary of us."
Toyoma's gaze lingered on him.
Then—
A faint chuckle escaped him.
He leaned back slightly, glancing briefly toward Suki before speaking again.
"…A report came this morning," he said.
His tone was casual.
Too casual.
"Someone named 'Shisui of the Body Flicker' forced a Mist squad to retreat."
He let the words sit."They fear him more than the Uchiha clan itself."
A few of the younger shinobi straightened at that.
Pride, barely contained.
Toyoma noticed.
He leaned back slightly.
"The funny part is—" he continued, voice still light,"The Uchiha here already crushed half of their forces… pushed them back completely…"
His eyes returned to Shisui.
"…And yet—"
A small tilt of his head.
"…it's you they fear."
No one spoke.
"…Fascinating, isn't it?"
Shisui didn't answer immediately.
His gaze lowered slightly—not avoidance, but restraint.
"I'm just doing my duty," he said after a moment."For the clan… and the village. I don't seek credit."
A quiet snort came from the side.
Suki folded her arms.
"You already took it," she said flatly."Whether you wanted to or not."
Her eyes moved over the group behind him.
"And bringing them here—"
Her questioning gaze moved across the group."I wonder who helped you make that decision."
The air shifted.
Shisui's expression tightened slightly.
"Sister Suki," he said, a hint of frustration breaking through,"How can you say that? It's every Konoha shinobi's responsibility to step forward in times like this."
"Yes," one of the young Uchiha behind him added quickly."We came because we wanted to help."
"For the clan," another said.
Voices overlapped—brief, eager, unrefined.
Toyoma's expression didn't change.
But something in his eyes did.
A faint irritation.
"Enough."
The word wasn't loud.
But it cut clean through the noise.
Silence returned instantly.
His gaze settled back on Shisui.
"…Tell me clearly," Toyoma said, his voice losing its earlier lightness.
"When did you get permission to bring them here?"
His eyes narrowed slightly."…Because if I remember correctly—"
His eyes narrowed slightly.
"…you don't have approval from the elders. Or the Grand Elder."
The younger shinobi stilled.
This time, fully.
Shisui met his gaze.
"I informed the clan head," he said.
He hesitated slightly before adding—
"…And I have Elder Jiraiya's permission."
For the first time—
Toyoma blinked.
"…Jiraiya?" he repeated.
A faint crease formed between his brows.
"…Since when does that perverted old man have the authority to command Uchiha shinobi?"
The words were muttered, more to himself than anyone else.
Then his gaze sharpened again.
Fixing on Shisui.
"…Are you sure it was Jiraiya?"
His gaze sharpened."…And not your dear Hokage?"
The tent grew still.
Shisui's expression hardened.
"Why do you always assume the worst about the Hokage?" he asked, his voice lower now.
"Do you even know how he spoke about Obito?"
A brief pause.
"He praised his sacrifice. For the village. For his comrades."
Something flickered in his eyes.
"…He's trying to bring us closer."
His gaze held steady.
"And yet—you're still the one drawing the line."
Toyoma listened quietly.
He didn't interrupt.
He just watched Shisui finish speaking.
Then—
After a short pause—
He smiled.
Small.
Controlled.
"…So," he said.
"…you understand."
He looked straight at Shisui.
"…At least you admit it."
His gaze didn't move."…Bringing them here was a bad decision."
The words were calm.
But they hit.
Behind Shisui, a few of the younger shinobi shifted slightly.
Their earlier confidence wasn't the same anymore.
Toyoma finally looked at them.
"…And you all," he said.
"A group of genin and chunin…"
"…coming to a war zone without informing the elders."
He paused.
"…Did you really think there would be no consequences?"
No one answered.
Some looked down.
Some stood still.
Not knowing what to say.
Toyoma let the silence stay for a moment.
Then dismissed them with a glance."…We'll deal with your punishment later."
That was enough.
He looked back at Shisui.
The smile was gone now.
"…If the people behind you were from Sarutobi or any other elder clan…"
"…I might have believed you."
He looked at them again."But they're not."
His eyes sharpened.
"…They're Uchiha."
The air inside the tent felt tighter.
"…Do you think I can't see it?"
His voice lowered.
"…Your Hokage's intention."
He let out a small breath.
"…'Hero of Kannabi Bridge,'" he said.
"…Nice title."
He exhaled quietly."…Easy way to move people."
His eyes moved to the young shinobi again.
"…Praise spreads fast."
"…Especially when it sends the right people to the right place."
Then he looked back at Shisui.
"…Tell me."
His eyes settled on him again."…How many of them do you think will survive…"
No one spoke.
Behind Shisui, one of them clenched his fist.
Another shifted back slightly.
The excitement from before was gone.
Suki stood quietly.
Watching.
Shisui didn't move.
But his expression had tightened.
Still—
He didn't look away.
No one spoke.