[Konoha, Year 45. Location of Team Minato]
Sunlight filtered through the gaps in the leaves, casting dappled light and shadow on three teenagers and one blond young man.
Minato leaned against a large tree, holding a mission scroll in his hand, yet he had not opened it for a long time. His gaze drifted from time to time toward his three students, who were bickering not far away, with a hint of worry in his eyes that even he hadn't noticed.
The Sky Screen had already disappeared for several days, but those prophecies about the future had deeply embedded themselves in everyone's hearts.
Rin knelt on the grass, her hands folded on her knees, her expression more serious than ever. Across from her, Obito sat cross-legged, one hand scratching his head, his eyes darting around, not daring to look directly into Rin's eyes.
Kakashi also leaned against a tree not far away, both hands in his pockets, his mask covering his face, but his gaze remained fixed on Obito.
"Obito." Rin spoke softly.
"Yeah…" Obito gave a muffled response, eyes on the ground.
"You know what I want to say. That's not the kind of person I want to see you become."
"Even if that kind of thing really happens in the future, and you may go through suffering I can't even imagine, those are not reasons to hurt others."
Obito raised his head, wanting to retort, but saw that Rin's eyes had already reddened slightly. His throat felt as if something was blocking it, and he couldn't utter a single word.
"Obito…" Rin took a deep breath, letting her voice return to calm. "Don't become the kind of person shown on the screen, all right? Promise me."
Obito opened his mouth, then nodded vigorously. "I won't, Rin. I swear."
"I would never become like that. Uchiha Madara, right? Don't let me find out where you are, or else I'll give you a good beating. It's all that old bastard's fault!"
Hearing that, Kakashi chimed in: "With your current strength? You can't even beat me, and you still want to go after Madara?"
Obito abruptly turned his head and glared at him: "Kakashi! Shut up. I'll surpass you sooner or later! No, I'll surpass you very quickly. I'm going to have the Mangekyo, and I'll reach the Six Paths-level too. You won't even be my match then!"
"Wait until you've awakened the Mangekyo first." Kakashi sounded somewhat helpless.
Minato then walked over from under the tree and reached out to rub Obito's hair. "All right, stop arguing. Obito, Rin is right. You must hold fast to your ideals."
"The future is something we can change. So what the screen gave us is not a curse, but an opportunity."
"However, Madara is still far too dangerous for you at your current level, so leave this matter to us adults."
"I have already reported it to Lord Third, and he has already contacted the other Shinobi Villages so we can act together to search for Madara's whereabouts. And once he is found, we will strike together. A person like that is too dangerous for the Shinobi World."
Obito, having his hair ruffled by his teacher, awkwardly dodged away. "…No, Minato-sensei, I really want to kill Madara with my own hands!"
Minato sighed helplessly at that: "Get stronger first before you say that."
Rin smiled seeing this, reached out to hold Obito's hand, and then let go. "Obito, I believe in you. But you have to promise me, only after you've gotten stronger—and tell me first—before you go looking for Madara, okay?"
The tips of Obito's ears instantly turned red. "…Mm."
---
[Konoha, Year 60. Land of Waves]
A few days later.
The bridge in the Land of Waves was finally repaired.
The sea breeze blew across the newly built bridge, the salty smell mixed with the scent of cement hitting them in the face.
At the bridgehead stood a huge stone monument, carved with several large characters—Team 7 Bridge. Sunlight fell on the stone monument, making the carved lines look especially clear.
Tazuna stood at the bridgehead, with the residents of the Land of Waves behind him, though because of the earlier internal strife over Gato's treasure, the number of people seeing them off was somewhat smaller.
This time, because Gato had been killed by Zabuza, the tragic battle on the bridge hadn't happened. And objectively speaking, because of the Sky Screen, Team 7 really had not done much this time. The only battle they had encountered was with the hotheaded Demon Brothers at the very beginning.
But Tazuna and the others, in order to forge a good connection with Naruto, the Child of Prophecy, proactively suggested naming the bridge Naruto Bridge.
"Naruto-san, are you really not going to consider naming it after yourself?" Tazuna asked one last time, his voice earnest. "The Child of Prophecy, the savior, the future Hokage—your name would make this bridge the pride of our Land of Waves."
Naruto put his hands on his hips, shaking his head like a rattle: "No, nope! I didn't do anything, so how could I use my name?"
"But you protected us…"
"That was our mission!" Naruto interrupted Tazuna, his tone serious. "Shinobis accept missions and protect their clients. That's what we're supposed to do. Besides, the one who drove off Gato wasn't me, it was Zabuza, that 'no eyebrows' guy. I didn't do much, so how could I take the credit?"
Tazuna opened his mouth, still wanting to say something, but was stopped by Kakashi beside him.
"Tazuna-san, just let it be this way." Kakashi said with a smile under his mask, "Naruto is especially stubborn about this kind of thing."
Naruto grinned: "That's right. My name should be saved for something more important!"
At that, Sakura rolled her eyes: "And what important thing is that?"
"Becoming Hokage!" Naruto said as if it were the most natural thing in the world. "Once I become Hokage, my face will be carved on the Hokage Rock. That's where my name belongs!"
Sasuke stood with both hands in his pockets, watching Naruto brag with a blank expression.
"Hmph! The future isn't set in stone. If you don't work hard, maybe I'll end up being Hokage in the end? Besides, the Hokage Rock only has faces carved on it, whoever said names get carved there?" Sakura said with a huff.
"..." Naruto was speechless. He was obviously just trying to deflect Tazuna, so what was Sakura doing?
Still, in the end, the four members of Team 7 departed under the gazes of Tazuna and the others.
Naruto walked at the very front, waving a branch he had picked up from who knew where, humming an off-key tune. Sakura walked beside him, occasionally glancing at him with disdain. Sasuke walked at the very back, hands in his pockets, his pace unhurried.
After walking a few steps, Sasuke suddenly turned back and gave the bridge's name a glance with a faint smile.
As they walked on, Naruto soon became somewhat dispirited.
He had clearly felt that he was about to catch up to Sasuke, but now Sasuke had directly awakened the Three-Tomoe Sharingan, and the gap in their strength had been pulled wide open again.
Sakura also looked somewhat dejected.
So this was the power of the world's top Kekkei Genkai? It really was enviable.
She looked at Sasuke, then at her own hands, and her good mood vanished again.
Kakashi walked at the end, looking at the backs of his three students, sighing in his heart. Naruto was in a hurry to catch up to Sasuke, Sasuke was in a hurry for revenge, and Sakura was in a hurry to get stronger too; they were all in a hurry. But growth had never been something achieved overnight.
"Naruto." Kakashi spoke up.
Naruto turned his head: "Kakashi-sensei?"
"Jiraiya-sama has already contacted me. After we get back, you're getting extra training."
Naruto's eyes instantly lit up: "Really? Am I finally going to learn Sage Mode?"
"Mm." Kakashi nodded. "However, you need to be prepared to endure hardship."
"I'm not afraid of that!" Naruto clenched his fists, full of energy.
Sasuke didn't turn his head, but his pace slowed down by a beat.
Sakura also pricked up her ears.
"You two as well." Kakashi's voice came from behind. "Sakura, Tsunade-sama will continue teaching you. And Sasuke, your Three-Tomoe… I can't help you much with that, but I can teach you more about Lightning Release."
Sasuke gave a soft "Hmm," and his footsteps returned to their normal rhythm.
---
[Meanwhile, in Konoha, Year One. Land of Fire, Konoha Village]
Inside the meeting hall hastily built by Hashirama using Wood Release, the atmosphere was extremely solemn.
The first Five Kage Summit was in full swing.
On both sides of the long conference table sat the First Kage of the five great Shinobi Villages.
Hashirama sat in the main seat, a gentle smile on his face, but his eyes were sharper than ever.
Next to him, a separate chair had been added.
Madara sat with his arms crossed, leaning back against the chair, coldly sweeping his gaze over every person present.
The First Kazekage, Reto, had a livid expression on his face, both hands propped on the table. Behind him, the Sunagakure guards already had their hands on their ninja tools, ready to act at any moment.
The First Raikage, A, sat with his arms crossed, muscles taut, Lightning Release chakra surging within him and producing faint crackling sounds.
The First Tsuchikage, Ishikawa, had a gloomy expression, tapping his fingers lightly on the table as if calculating something.
And the First Mizukage, Byakuren, leaned back in his chair with his eyes closed, as if indifferent to everything before him, but his slightly trembling fingers betrayed his true feelings.
"Peaceful unification?"
Reto spoke with barely suppressed anger. "Madara, what kind of joke are you making? We were invited to attend a Five Kage Summit, not to hear you talk about some kind of unification!"
Madara narrowed his eyes, and when he opened them again they had already become the Mangekyo pattern, staring straight at the First Kazekage.
Reto's body instinctively tensed, cold sweat seeping from his forehead, but he did not back down.
"Invited?"
"You came because Hashirama invited you, sure. But what I want to say is that this was not actually an invitation, it was a notification."
"Notification?!"
Reto abruptly stood up, his chair sliding back a short distance. "What does Konoha mean by this? Even when two nations go to war, envoys are not killed! We were invited here for a meeting!"
Although the other Kage did not stand up, their expressions also became even gloomier.
Ishikawa slowly spoke. "And what would you do if we do not agree to this unification? Will you resort to force?"
Madara glanced at him. "Not force... I'll just kill you all."
The air in the meeting hall instantly dropped to freezing point.
"Kill us?" Reto sneered, "Then go ahead and kill every last person in every nation! Otherwise, do you think the Daimyo and the nobles will agree? Do you think the citizens of every nation will agree? Our own people are living perfectly well, so why should they come to your Land of Fire and become second-class citizens?"
Madara slowly stood up, both hands propped on the table, body leaning forward.
"Once you warmongers are eliminated, perhaps lasting peace really will come quickly. Everyone will be one nation; so there will be no war, no hatred, none of those meaningless sacrifices made for profit. Isn't that good?"
Reto's pupils constricted slightly. He wanted to retort, but facing those red eyes, his throat felt as if it had been gripped by something.
Byakuren finally opened his eyes and looked at Madara. "Then what about the Daimyo? The nobles? How do you plan to deal with them?"
"That is not something you need to worry about."
The First Mizukage frowned slightly, but did not continue questioning.
Seeing that the situation was about to spiral out of control, Hashirama finally spoke. He stood up, reached out to press Madara back into his chair, then turned to the other Kage, an apologetic smile on his face.
"Everyone, please calm down. Madara speaks bluntly, but his intentions are not bad. Today we are only discussing, not forcing anyone. We will give you all some time, but please seriously consider our proposal."
His gaze swept over each of them. "We hope to resolve this through peaceful means. But if someone secretly resorts to tricks… then do not blame Madara and me for being impolite."
Even with that last sentence, Hashirama's tone remained gentle, but the sense of oppression in it made everyone present feel a chill down their spines.
Reto gritted his teeth and slowly sat back down in his chair. He glanced at the other Kage and saw the same helplessness and anger in their eyes.
But they had no way out. Apart from the Otsutsuki on the moon, there was not a single person in the entire Shinobi World who was a match for Senju Hashirama and Uchiha Madara.
"One week." Reto's voice was hoarse. "In one week, we will give you our answer."
Hashirama nodded. "Good. We will wait."
---
[In another Timeline]
Amegakure, somewhere in a hidden base.
Nagato sat in a wheelchair, Konan stood behind him, paper sheets fluttering unconsciously around them, and the Six Paths of Pain surrounded the two in a ring.
The air was filled with the burnt smell left after clashes of chakra, and the walls were covered in cracks and scorch marks.
The two looked extremely grim.
In just a few days, Obito had already come to launch sneak attacks nearly ten times!
The timing of his strikes was random, sometimes during the day, sometimes at night, with no pattern at all, completely impossible to predict.
Moreover, he came without a trace and left without a trace, making it extremely difficult to guard against; they couldn't even rest properly.
"He's here again." Konan's voice carried exhaustion.
A swirl flickered through space, and the masked Obito appeared in a corner of the base. He waved his hand. "Hey, I'm back again. Nagato, Konan, are you two doing all right?"
The corner of Nagato's mouth twitched. He said nothing, only staring coldly at Obito with his Rinnegan.
"Don't look at me like that." Obito tilted his head. "I just came to see you. After all, we're partners. It's only right to show some concern."
"Partners?" Nagato's voice squeezed out from between his teeth. "You ambush us three times a day, and you call that partners?"
Obito shrugged: "I'm just testing your defenses. After all, in the future you'll have to face the five Great Nations, and your current level won't be enough."
Konan's paper sheets suddenly exploded, transforming into countless blades that shot toward Obito.
Obito's body instantly became intangible, and the blades passed through his body, nailing into the wall behind him.
"No need to get so worked up." His tone remained relaxed. "I'm leaving... but I'll be back again."
The space swirl flickered, and his figure disappeared.
Nagato closed his eyes and took a deep breath.
"Konan."
"Arrange for people to search for Nohara Rin's remains." Saying that, he opened his eyes, a ruthless glint flashing through his Rinnegan. "Then contact Orochimaru. He can name his price, just have him use Edo Tensei to bring Rin back. If Obito still remains obsessed and refuses to see reason, then we will use Rinne Tensei to revive Rin and show her to him!"
Konan was stunned for a moment. "Nagato, are you really going to…"
"Since he cares so much about that woman, then let him see whether she is willing to accept his Eye of the Moon Plan."
"If she isn't, let's see what motive he has left to continue."
It was just that he didn't know Rin at all. Otherwise, reviving her definitely would not have been so troublesome.
Just as the words left his mouth, the space distorted once again.
Obito's figure appeared in the base once more. This time, his tone was no longer flippant, but carried a hint of anger.
"Nagato, dare to send people and try..." His voice was low. "Send one, I'll kill one. I'll make sure your people can't even leave Amegakure."
Nagato looked at him. "Then I'll go myself."
Hearing that, Obito's pupils contracted.
"You have Kamui, so you can come and go freely. But I can also leave the base, can you stop me?"
The two stared at each other, the air seemingly frozen.
After a long silence, Obito was ultimately the first to speak: "Let's talk."
Nagato did not answer.
Obito took a deep breath and continued, "I can refrain from attacking you for now, and you are not allowed to make an issue of Rin."
Nagato looked at him. "Any other conditions?"
"Also, you are not allowed to defect to Konoha."
Nagato was silent for a few seconds, then nodded. "Agreed."
Obito said nothing more, his figure disappearing into the swirl. This time, he seemed to have truly left.
*****
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