"Obito… isn't dead?"
Hatake Kakashi's visible eye widened.
"You want the answer?" Uchiha Kai replied calmly. "Then give up the mission the Third Hokage assigned you."
"I don't like being watched."
Kakashi paused.
So he had noticed.
Six years ago, just days before Uchiha Itachi was imprisoned, Itachi had asked him a strange question:
"If you promise a friend something… must you carry it out?"
Kakashi had nodded without hesitation.
A few days later—
Itachi was confined within the Uchiha compound.
And the Third Hokage had ordered silence.
Even now, Kakashi occasionally wondered if his words had pushed Itachi toward some desperate decision.
And today—
He had almost been caught fishing for information again.
But Kakashi wasn't weak-hearted.
"I won't pursue that angle anymore," he said lightly.
"But… is Obito truly alive?"
He sold out the mission instantly.
Uchiha Kai blinked.
That had been easier than expected.
Naruto and Sasuke stared blankly.
They had stopped understanding the conversation halfway through.
Sasuke barely remembered Obito.
Naruto?
He had been held by Obito as a baby and nearly blown up—yet he knew nothing about it.
"Yes," Uchiha Kai said.
"Obito isn't dead."
"Six years ago, while walking at night, I ran into him."
Kakashi's breathing faltered.
"Impossible… he was crushed… buried…"
"You figured it out," Uchiha Kai continued. "I knew it was him because he has the same eye as you."
Silence filled the room.
Sasuke finally found an opening.
"Sharingan…?"
Kakashi exhaled slowly.
"Uchiha Obito was my teammate in Team Seven."
"He died saving me during the Third Great Ninja War."
"He gave me one of his eyes."
"I believed that since he was gone… I should carry his will and see the world for him."
He had lost everyone.
His father—the White Fang of Konoha.
Minato-sensei.
Kushina.
Rin.
He protected nothing.
Saved no one.
But now—
Obito might be alive.
That possibility alone felt like a form of redemption.
Meanwhile—
[Uchiha Revival Path]
[Uchiha Fugaku]: This Team Seven is… unstable.
[Uchiha Izuna]: Why did Obito give him his eye?
[Uchiha Fugaku]: …Ancestor?
[Elder Madara]: I know nothing.
A completely flat denial.
Fugaku immediately understood the implication.
If Obito caused the Nine-Tails incident—
Then acknowledging any connection would implicate the Uchiha clan.
Better to pretend ignorance.
Still—
What kind of people did the Uchiha produce?
Madara — Konoha's first great rogue ninja.
Obito — architect of the Nine-Tails disaster and the attempted clan massacre.
Uchiha Kai — casually using Madara as a Stand.
As clan head, Fugaku suddenly felt spiritually exhausted.
Kakashi's Report
Kakashi kept his promise.
He abandoned the mission.
When reporting to the Third Hokage, he simply said:
"The probe failed."
"The spirit behind Uchiha Kai is too strong."
"If angered, the backlash would exceed even your ability to handle."
He exaggerated deliberately.
It was the easiest way to protect Uchiha Kai.
The Third Hokage remained silent for several seconds.
"…I see."
"Then we approach slowly."
"Earn his goodwill."
"Plant the seeds of the Will of Fire."
"Since Fugaku restricts Uchiha children from meeting me after the Itachi incident… you are the only bridge left, Kakashi."
Kakashi nodded outwardly.
But internally—
He suspected something else.
Perhaps it wasn't Fugaku blocking access.
Perhaps the Hokage had seen the shadow of Uchiha Madara behind Uchiha Kai—
And simply lost his nerve.
Five Days Later
Team Seven adapted quickly.
Survival training.
Basic coordination.
Only one problem remained.
"Harem Jutsu!"
Naruto had evolved again.
Multi Shadow Clone + Sexy Jutsu.
Dozens of Narukos suddenly filled the training field.
Kakashi stared with existential exhaustion.
He had tried reinforcing Naruto's seal—
But his skill in fuinjutsu was insufficient.
Kurama's chakra leaked even more.
And somehow—
Instead of causing chaos—
Naruto optimized the situation into mass-produced charm.
Kakashi eventually reached a firm conclusion.
The Nine-Tails was deeply unserious.
Naruto beamed proudly.
"I've mastered it!"
"Can we get a combat mission now?"
At this point he could produce hundreds—maybe even a thousand Narukos.
Iron will? Of course.
But becoming Hokage required flexibility.
Even gender flexibility.
Uchiha Kai observed the sea of Narukos calmly.
Normally—
Teams were structured like this:
Two boys.
One girl.
Balanced atmosphere.
But Team Seven?
Three boys.
Boring.
Now?
Thanks to Kurama's questionable taste—
They finally had their heroine.
Naruko.
Visually pleasing.
Operationally effective.
"If that's the case," Uchiha Kai said casually,
"Let's begin the Land of Waves mission."
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