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43
"This time, I think we need the right approach. Brute force won't work."
Early in the morning, Sasuke was already seriously discussing last night's mission with the other two.
"…The fried egg is kind of burnt."
Ever since Uchiha Ying had invited him over for a meal, Naruto had started popping up at Sasuke's place more and more often.
And although Sasuke still complained, he didn't actually reject him anymore.
"That was me."
A calm voice drifted in from behind.
"S-Sorry! I thought it was…"
Only now did Naruto realize the person wearing the apron in the kitchen was Uchiha Ying, not Sasuke, who had already sat down at the table.
"You two look like pandas. What's with those dark circles?"
Ying took his seat and chuckled, looking at the other two's heavily bagged eyes.
Clearly, neither of them had gotten much sleep after last night's mission.
"This kind of thing doesn't matter. Ying, what strategy do you think we should try next?"
The brutal bloodshed from last night still lingered in Sasuke's mind, but as long as he thought of his *dear* brother, and of his slaughtered clan and parents… he could push past the psychological toll of killing.
In fact, the continuous slaughter seemed to be pushing his Sharingan toward another evolution.
I was right. As long as I keep entering that replica world, I'll keep getting stronger!
Naruto, still reeling from the carnage, hadn't yet recovered. Sasuke, on the other hand, was laser-focused on strength and revenge.
"No idea. But I think our first step should be identifying which war the simulation is based on."
Since the last one included the Sage of Six Paths, it was likely that this current mission was also based on some actual conflict from history.
That was Ying's thought.
Unlike Sasuke, who processed trauma through sheer willpower, Ying relied on… well, the warmth of a kunoichi in his arms.
No emotional aftershocks. No PTSD.
"Good idea. I'll go to the academy library later and check it out."
Sasuke nodded. Information gathering had to come before clearing the mission.
"Wait! You guys are skipping the most important part!"
Naruto swallowed the food he'd stuffed into his mouth and looked at them both, eyes wide and serious.
"What part?"
Even Ying was curious what Naruto had gotten out of last night's experience.
"Why were so many ninjas so hell-bent on killing each other? It was like they were possessed. Everyone just charged and killed on sight…"
"…That's war. What's so strange about it?"
Sasuke thought Naruto was still being his usual naïve self.
"I mean… is the goal of war really worth it? So many people just died, like that, for what?"
Naruto had been haunted by the dream replica even after waking up.
"They looked like a bunch of suicidal fools."
"Because they coveted what others had. Most wars start that way. And yeah… it's incredibly foolish."
Ying shook his head slowly.
Even if it was foolish, war would never stop—especially in a world as broken as this one.
"Knowing the reasons doesn't help. It's not like we can stop war."
Sasuke shrugged. He wasn't here to debate morality. He just wanted a plan for tonight's mission.
"Why not? If we just tried to talk it out—"
"Talk? With what, your bottom-of-the-class credentials? Who's gonna listen to you?"
"Which is why, once I become Hokage… once we're strong enough that no one can ignore us… then we can figure out how to stop it. I truly believe that most people don't *want* war. We just need to reach them."
"What a waste of breath. Even if a dope like you became Hokage, the world wouldn't change one bit."
Sasuke only believed in power.
"Alright, alright, the food's getting cold. Let's just eat."
Ying smiled faintly. Naruto's idealism was expected—clearly inherited from Ashura, just like the First Hokage. And Sasuke's cynicism? Spot on.
Even if Naruto became Hokage, the system itself wouldn't change.
What this world really needed was a complete, sweeping revolution.
The shinobi system, the village system, the caste of civilians and warriors—all of it needed to go.
So…
If war was inevitable, why couldn't *he* be the one to start it?
Besides—
If his "dream world" could one day become reality, then everyone could just die… and then be reborn as part of his realm.
A world crafted by his own hands.
A dream more real than Madara's Infinite Tsukuyomi.
A better dream than one that turned people into Zetsu.
Ever since fusing with the Shinigami's fragment in the Land of Whirlpools, a bold, almost divine ambition had taken root in Ying's heart.
**Hokage Paradise.**
A paradise crafted entirely by him.
In this world, no one could resist him. Reform would be absolute.
---
That night.
The Dream Realm.
Ying entered the next simulation with Naruto and Sasuke once again.
"No good. Even if we ditch our forehead protectors or try to sneak through, we still get spotted immediately."
Their plan from earlier, to sneak through the battle using disguises, had totally failed.
Removing their forehead protectors just made them more suspicious.
Even Ying's Mist Concealment Technique only worked in a tiny radius—it wasn't enough for this massive battlefield.
Only one solution left—ditch Naruto and Sasuke and sneak through alone using Permeation.
But… that would mean exposing the existence of Permeation in front of them.
And besides, even Permeation might not escape the sensory-type ninjas out there.
Too risky.
Guess this run's a bust.
"Still… I think I've figured it out. This battlefield is most likely from the Third Great Ninja War—between Iwagakure and Kumogakure."
Using his Mist Concealment, Ying had captured and interrogated a lone Kumo ninja.
Cross-referencing it with Sasuke's research earlier, he pieced it together.
"Not long ago, the Third Raikage died in a heroic last stand against ten thousand Iwa ninja. What we're seeing now is Kumo's counteroffensive."
Which explained the bloodbath.
Eventually, Iwa would retreat—but even the "winners" wouldn't gain much.
---
"Wait, if we've already failed this run, then let's just give up!"
As the mist began to fade, Naruto suddenly stepped in front of Sasuke and Ying, who were about to fight again.
"…What?"
Sasuke looked at Naruto like he was brain-dead.
"What do you mean, 'give up'?"
"Look, if dying here doesn't affect us in the real world, then why bother fighting so hard? Just let them kill us."
Naruto didn't want to keep fighting in these horrible, bloody missions.
He didn't want to keep killing.
"Unbelievable. You're really just gonna lie down and die?"
Sasuke had no intention of giving up these fights—they helped him grow stronger and push his Sharingan forward.
"…Actually, Naruto might have a point."
Ying considered the idea.
The mission only required them to "survive." If they got captured and kept alive, that might count as success.
Of course, it depended on whether the enemy executed prisoners…
But it was worth trying.
"Ying… not you too?"
Sasuke was stunned.
But then again, when he really thought about it… maybe there was logic in it.
---
"Why are you bringing back Leaf ninja? I thought we were fighting Iwa up front?"
A Kumo logistics ninja looked at the three captives in confusion.
"They're spies! If they managed to sneak onto this battlefield, they must have valuable intel!"
The front-line ninja saluted and handed the prisoners over with care.
"Call the intel squad to interrogate them!"
"Understood!"
It worked.
Naruto's gamble had actually paid off.
Once they surrendered, Kumo bound them up, sealed their chakra, and took them in as high-value captives.
But—
"So… how exactly do we get out of here?"
Their chakra sealed and limbs bound, Sasuke could only glare at Naruto, who had come up with this plan.
Still, the two of them were so in sync they could communicate with just glances.
"Hey, technically, the mission's a success, right? This was all thanks to the great Naruto Uzumaki!"
Naruto squirmed and winked, clearly fishing for praise.
Sasuke didn't even need to speak to know he was gloating.
"…I think someone's coming to rescue us."
Unlike the other two, Ying had already torn off the gag from his mouth.
"Mmph? Mmph!?"
Both turned to him, surprised.
Ying just smiled. "They sealed my chakra sloppily. Lucky for me."
In truth, he had used Kisame's power to absorb the chakra sealing tag—but technically, he wasn't lying.
He loosened the ropes and gag just enough to escape at will, then restored them to look untouched.
"…?"
Naruto and Sasuke didn't understand why he didn't just untie them too.
Until—
*Tap. Tap.*
Footsteps.
*Thud.*
The sound of someone being knocked out cold.
"There really *are* Leaf ninja here!"
A sliver of the tent opened up.
A woman's voice—soft and pleasant—spoke in surprise.
"I thought I was the only one who got separated… Hurry, we need to leave!"
Naruto and Sasuke finally understood what Ying meant earlier.
"You got separated? That means there are other Leaf ninja nearby?"
Ying had already seen the woman approaching using Byakugan.
Still, it was strange—this battlefield was supposed to be only Kumo and Iwa. Why were there other Konoha ninja here?
Well… aside from the three of them.
"Thank you, big sis!"
"Shh! Quiet! I only took out the guard. Patrols will be here soon."
She continued untying the last of them.
"…I didn't expect to run into two Uchiha."
She smiled brighter when she saw the Uchiha crests on their backs.
"You…"
Sasuke's eyes widened in utter disbelief as the final rope fell away.
"Hurry! This way!"
She clearly knew Kumo's patrol paths well.
"…Sasuke, let's go!"
Ying finally got a good look at her face.
He'd seen this woman before… in one of Sasuke's photo frames.
But youn
ger. More energetic.
Less refined, but full of life.
"Mn…"
Sasuke took a deep breath.
It made sense that she was still alive during the Third Shinobi World War. But…
He never imagined that in this simulated dream battlefield—he'd run into the woman he missed the most.
His mother.
Uchiha Mikoto.
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