Looking at the energetic young red-haired Jonin in front of him, Uchiha Takashi was surprised. He hadn't expected Konoha's trump card to be her.
After all, she had previously not been allowed to leave Konoha even for a step.
There was only one reason for this.
True. Inner Beast Unleashed.JPG She was a Jinchuriki, with the strongest tailed beast, the Nine-Tails, sealed within her.
She was undoubtedly Konoha's 'nuclear weapon.'
Even if they didn't necessarily plan to use her, it was enough to show how seriously Konoha was taking this war.
They were prepared to go all out.
This was because the Hidden Cloud's ninja army was already stationed at the border of the Land of the Moon. If Konoha showed any weakness, they would break through the Land of the Moon and the Land of Hot Water, two buffer nations, and head straight for the border of the Land of Fire.
The Hidden Mist Village was also restless, ready to intensify their efforts if anything happened at Kikyo Mountain.
In such a situation, it was no wonder the Third Hokage would take the risk of sending Kushina Uzumaki.
As for himself?
As the Hokage, he was the village's last line of defense. In this situation, surrounded by enemies on all sides, it was indeed unwise for him to act rashly. This point was beyond criticism.
"Hmph, it's been so long since you last visited me. Have you forgotten your big sister?"
Wearing a green vest, a forehead protector, and her hair tied in a high ponytail, Kushina Uzumaki wrapped her arms around Uchiha Takashi's neck, nearly choking him.
"Cough, cough, I've been on missions this whole time!"
Uchiha Takashi awkwardly pushed her hand away.
If it were a battle, he would have plenty of ways to break free.
But this kind of family play? He really had no solution.
She truly treated him like family, and he could clearly feel that.
However... because of Minato Namikaze, he had to keep a certain distance from her.
In Minato Namikaze's heart, the village was supreme, more important than family and himself.
And Uchiha Takashi was a rebel at heart. If he ever conflicted with Konoha, Kushina Uzumaki would be caught in the middle, which would be too difficult for her.
"Alright, you pass. This time, the old man finally let me onto the battlefield. If the Sand Ninja dare to come, watch me send them flying. You follow me, and I'll protect you!"
Kushina Uzumaki released him with satisfaction after hearing his explanation, taking charge of the situation.
Well, Uchiha Takashi's achievements weren't exactly publicized by the village, so not many people knew about them.
Ninjas practiced secrecy, and unless someone deliberately spread information, some intelligence was genuinely hard to disseminate.
"Big sister Kushina, you're amazing!"
Uchiha Takashi naturally wouldn't say anything like "I already have the 'Sage Mode'" or "I can easily defeat you," which would spoil the mood.
Her strength should be around a few tails' worth.
After all, although she bore the Uzumaki name, she wasn't 'Uzumaki Mito,' who could keep the Nine-Tails as a pet with her sealing techniques.
Nor was she like her son, the protagonist, who could master the full-tailed beast state. Reaching a few tails' state was already her limit.
The few tails' state wasn't really a problem for Uchiha Takashi.
Jinchuriki were strong because of their infinite chakra, which was extremely useful for clearing out weaker enemies, but in battles between strong opponents, it wasn't overwhelmingly advantageous.
As long as it wasn't the full Nine-Tails state, Uchiha Takashi was confident he could suppress it.
Did they really think his Sage Mode was like Jiraiya's modified 'monkey version'?
Moreover, Uchiha Takashi also noticed the runes on Kushina Uzumaki's wrist.
'Flying Thunder God, huh?'
This explained why the village dared to let Kushina Uzumaki, their 'nuclear weapon,' go into battle.
After chatting for a while, a squad of ninjas came rushing towards the riverbank.
"Sensei Kushina!"
Halfway there, the figure in the lead shouted.
Hearing this voice, Uchiha Takashi, who was focused on fishing, suddenly lost his composure.
There was no helping it; he remembered this voice deeply. How could he not recognize it immediately?
The traitor! No, the future traitor.
Uchiha Obito! Even though they both shared the Uchiha name, they weren't even acquaintances.
Uchiha Takashi glanced at Kushina Uzumaki beside him and thought to himself.
'Sis, you dare to take on a student like this?'
The guy had a 'teacher-killer' attribute. You really weren't afraid of dying.
Reckless!
How many lives do you have to dare to act like this?
"The old man asked me to lead a team. How about it? My choice isn't bad, right?"
Kushina Uzumaki, not understanding the look in Uchiha Takashi's eyes, proudly introduced her three students. Among the reinforcements, there were quite a few ninja who hadn't graduated yet, so it made sense for the team of Uchiha Obito, Nohara Rin, and a random teammate to come to Kikyo Mountain.
The issue was that they caught the attention of Kushina Uzumaki.
Presumably, becoming Minato Namikaze's disciples in the future was due to the relationship with their two guiding teachers, plus the fact that the random teammates in both squads died, leading to the formation of a new team.
Daring to team up with such a 'main character'—even several lives wouldn't be enough to survive.
Uchiha Takashi glanced sympathetically at the random genin, mentally sentencing them to death.
No hope, just wait for death, goodbye!
"Obito, the teacher already told you not to shout, seriously..."
A girl with brown short hair, wearing a black top, a waist-length light pink skirt, and dark red over-the-knee socks, looking pure and lively, caught up and started scolding Obito.
(The ninja world matures quickly; even a five-year-old can have the mindset of a Hokage, so don't judge their mind and body by real-world standards!) Yes, this brown-haired girl was Nohara Rin, the 'white moonlight' in Uchiha Obito's heart, the reason he would destroy the world.
Nohara Rin! It's no wonder Obito would become her devoted follower when faced with such a beautiful girl.
Who could resist? (Reject the aesthetic of pale, young, and thin, start with yourself!).
In novels and films, villains who destroy the world for love make people want to justify their actions.
But encountering such a person in reality would be a horror story.
That's why Uchiha Takashi didn't like Uchiha Obito, even though he was currently a bright and cheerful young man.
Bang! Kushina Uzumaki punched Obito on the head, interrupting his soon-to-be-spoken 'flattering words.'
"I told you not to shout!"
She said while blowing on her fist.
The meaning was clear: if you want to argue, look at my 'fist the size of a sandbag' first.
"Got it, Kushina-sensei!"
Obito replied, feeling wronged.
At this moment, Nohara Rin respectfully greeted Uchiha Takashi.
"Lord Uchiha Takashi!"
Clearly, she must have known quite a bit of information.
Otherwise, she wouldn't have this attitude.
"You are Kushina-nee's students, just call me by my name!"
Uchiha Takashi casually said.
Given his relationship with Kushina Uzumaki, there was no need for such formality.
"Rin, he's just..."
Obito rubbed his head and walked over.
But before he could finish, he was silenced by Nohara Rin's gaze.
Others might not know, but Nohara Rin had a wide network and naturally found out what the name Uchiha Takashi represented.
Not to mention the legendary 'Three-Day General' experience, just his status as a jonin was not something an ordinary ninja could compare to.
"Alright!"
Obito eventually fell silent under Nohara Rin's gaze.
Seeing his submissive demeanor, Uchiha Takashi found it hard to imagine that he would become the traitorous, clan-killing, world-destroying villain in the future.
"Obito, here's a piece of advice!" Uchiha Takashi glanced at Nohara Rin beside him, "The first sword on the shore, cut down your beloved first!"
With that, he wasn't some saint or nice guy; if Obito turned evil in the future, he would still need to be dealt with.
"What do you mean?"
Obito naturally didn't understand Uchiha Takashi's reference.
However, Nohara Rin vaguely sensed something but kept her lips sealed.
"By the way, why are you here?"
Kushina Uzumaki suddenly remembered that she had instructed their team to stay at the fortress, so they must have a reason for coming to find her.
"Elder Koharu asked us to find you, saying you need to strengthen the sealing barrier!"
Nohara Rin explained their purpose.
Before the two teams merged, she was the core of this team.
After all, Uchiha Obito was completely devoted, and the other random teammate wasn't even worthy of a name.
"Is that so!" Kushina Uzumaki nodded and then bid farewell to Uchiha Takashi, "I'll go take care of it, let's chat later!"
As the master of sealing techniques, she could indeed significantly strengthen the fortress barrier.
After Kushina Uzumaki left with her team, Uchiha Takashi also received a new mission.
(End of chapter)