(bonus chapter for +400 power stone)
When she heard Obito Uchiha shouting from outside the gate, Kushina Uzumaki stepped forward and opened it.
"Big Sister Kushina."
Obito and Kakashi greeted politely.
Kushina smiled. "Obito, perfect timing. We just bought some dango. You and Kakashi should come have some."
At the mention of dango, Obito's eyes lit up, and he immediately pulled Kakashi into the courtyard.
Once inside, he spotted Itachi happily eating his own skewer of dango. Without hesitation, Obito snatched it straight from his hands.
"Itachi, kids shouldn't eat too many sweets."
With that, he finished the dango in just a few bites.
Itachi pouted, his big eyes quickly filling with tears.
Seeing this, Mikoto sighed. "Obito, there's plenty more dango. Don't bully Itachi."
Obito laughed awkwardly. "I was just teasing him."
He ruffled Itachi's hair, then handed him another skewer.
Itachi's face immediately brightened. "Thank you, Brother Obito!"
"Hehehe… what a good boy."
Watching the two get along, Yuzuru asked, "Obito, you said you wanted to discuss something with me?"
At that reminder, Obito straightened up. "Brother Yuzuru, Kakashi and I want to go to the battlefield to train."
By Yuzuru's rule, only members of the Uchiha clan who had awakened the three-tomoe Sharingan were qualified to fight on the front lines.
Obito, having only two tomoe, was confined to the village — something that frustrated him endlessly.
After hearing his request, Yuzuru frowned. "War isn't some child's game. People die out there."
"That's why Kakashi and I came to ask for your help," Obito said, moving closer to Yuzuru as he began peeling an apple for him. "Brother Yuzuru, if you're our captain, we'll be safe for sure."
Kakashi followed up, "Yuzuru-senpai, my father has already agreed to let me train. Here's his written request to you."
Yuzuru considered for a moment. Letting the two gain experience on the battlefield might not be a bad idea. He finally nodded.
After all, he'd been at home for a while — a bit of action might be refreshing.
"That's great!"
Obito and Kakashi both cheered, faces full of excitement.
As shinobi, they refused to be the kind of weaklings who grew up in a greenhouse.
Obito grabbed Kakashi by the arm. "Brother Yuzuru, we'll head back and prepare. We'll come find you tomorrow morning!"
Once they were gone, Itachi ran up to Yuzuru, his childish voice piping up, "Daddy, I want to see what the battlefield looks like too."
Yuzuru smacked him lightly on the rear.
"You little brat, stop thinking about grown-up matters. If you don't play for at least ten hours a day, I'll spank you."
Itachi covered his backside and scampered off.
Yuzuru turned toward Kushina and Karura.
"You both heard him. Itachi really wants to be a big brother. We'd better work on that."
At his words, both women lowered their heads, quietly heading toward the bedroom.
After spending so much time around Itachi, their maternal instincts were practically overflowing. They wanted a child of their own too.
——
——
By late morning, Yuzuru emerged from his room.
Not long after, Obito, Kakashi, and Shisui Uchiha arrived at the door, fully equipped.
Seeing them ready, Yuzuru said calmly, "This time, the route is yours to decide. I'll only be responsible for your safety. Agreed?"
Obito replied confidently, "Don't worry, Brother Yuzuru. We've already planned everything."
They had spent days studying maps and strategies, preparing to kill enemies on the front lines.
Now, with someone as powerful as Yuzuru accompanying them, they had nothing left to fear.
——
——
Land of Fire.
Eastern border.
Obito, Shisui, and Kakashi carefully erased their trail before resting beneath separate trees, just as Yuzuru did.
After leaving the Land of Lightning, they passed through the Land of Iron and entered the Fire Country, heading south from the northern border.
By their estimation, they were now directly east of Konoha.
"Brother Yuzuru," Obito said softly, "war is so cruel. Why do people have to keep killing each other?"
The excitement that had once filled his eyes was gone.
Along the way, they had seen fields of corpses and clashed with several Konoha squads.
The brutality of war far exceeded anything he had imagined.
Yuzuru spoke evenly. "The resources of the shinobi world aren't evenly distributed. The Land of Fire is blessed with fertile lands and abundance. People there rarely worry about survival."
"But the Land of Wind is almost entirely desert. There, even drinking water requires careful planning."
"When some can waste without care while others struggle to live, war becomes inevitable."
Obito, Shisui, and Kakashi all fell silent, lost in thought.
After a moment, Shisui asked, "Clan Leader Yuzuru, isn't there any way to fix that?"
Yuzuru smiled. "Of course there is. If someone can unify the entire shinobi world, resources can be distributed fairly — true, lasting peace would follow."
"And that's exactly what I intend to do."
At those words, admiration welled in Shisui's chest. He silently vowed to strengthen himself and one day help fulfill Yuzuru's dream.
The will of Clan Leader Yuzuru was absolute — no one could defy it.
Obito and Kakashi, too, felt their spirits reignite.
With a clear goal before them, all doubt and hesitation vanished.
Just then, a scream echoed from ahead.
Obito, Shisui, and Kakashi immediately drew their weapons, ready for battle.
After a tense pause, the cries stopped, and the sounds of fighting faded away.
Obito glanced at Kakashi. "Kakashi, that voice… it sounded kind of familiar."
Kakashi nodded, picturing a green jumpsuit and a bowl-cut hairstyle in his mind.
His expression hardened. "Let's go check it out."
Obito nodded, following close behind as they crept forward.
Shisui looked back at Yuzuru. Seeing no objection, he carefully followed as well.