"Good! Our organization will be called Akatsuki!", Yahiko announced loudly.
———
[In the Land of Lightning]
Namikaze Minato was fighting the Cloud ninja duo, the A-B Combo.
In the end, Minato barely won the one-against-two battle.
Just as Minato was about to leave...
Gyuki's voice rang out, "As expected of Teacher's disciple. You managed to hold off those two with this much. But you're Teacher's worst disciple."
Gyuki's meaningful voice reached Minato's ears.
Minato frowned slightly and glanced strangely at Killer B... no, more accurately, at the Eight-Tails inside him.
"Why is this tailed beast saying something like that to me?"
Minato's brows knitted tightly.
What did he mean by Teacher's worst disciple?
Wasn't his teacher Arisu?
Teacher only had three disciples in total.
Even if he might not be better than Kushina, he was definitely fighting for either first or second place.
Gyuki glanced at Minato and said nothing more.
No one else could hear those words.
From Gyuki's perspective, Minato really couldn't compare to Arisu's previous disciples, because those disciples had been people like Hagoromo and Indra.
The reason Gyuki said that was simply out of bad taste.
Back in the camp tent, Minato let out a slight sigh. The war was becoming more and more intense, and the Hokage, Danzo, was showing increasingly deeper ambitions.
Anyone with eyes could tell that Danzo wanted conquest.
Minato wrote a letter to Kushina, telling her about the situation on the battlefield. He also didn't want Kushina to come to the battlefield.
Because it was too cruel.
At the same time, Minato received a mission concerning Kannabi Bridge.
———
On an open plain, Namikaze Minato stood before a dirt slope, looking at the three upright youths in front of him.
Hatake Kakashi, Uchiha Obito, and Nohara Rin.
"I didn't expect you three to reach the battlefield so soon."
Minato frowned slightly, his expression growing more serious.
Before the war began, he had been their jonin leader. Those noisy days of carrying out missions together still felt as clear as yesterday.
But no matter how difficult those missions had been, they couldn't compare to a real battlefield.
Even he couldn't guarantee that he could bring all three children back safely like before.
After all, people died all the time...
"Minato-sensei! We all heard about it! You're Konoha's Yellow Flash!"
Obito's eyes shone brightly as he clenched his fists and shouted, his voice full of admiration and longing.
Kakashi gave a slight nod and said nothing, but the sharp spirit of youth couldn't be hidden in his eyes. He clearly hoped to follow Minato and make a name for himself on the battlefield.
He hoped to surpass his father.
Standing between them, Rin lightly gripped the strap of her medical kit.
Unlike them, she wasn't overflowing with passion.
She only made a silent decision in her heart, no matter what, she would do her best to protect these two companions who were always arguing but still cared about each other.
Looking at the light in their eyes, Minato's tone suddenly became serious as his gaze swept across their youthful faces.
"Remember this. A battlefield is not a training ground, and it's definitely not a game. Every second here, someone could die."
The excitement on their faces instantly disappeared.
All three straightened their backs and nodded heavily.
"Yes, sir!!!"
The three shouted in unison.
In the days that followed, Minato led them across various battlefields and completed countless dangerous missions.
The three youths grew rapidly through blood and fire, until a mission scroll marked with a scarlet S-rank symbol was placed into Minato's hands.
———
"The objective of this mission, destroy Kannabi Bridge and cut off Iwagakure's supply line."
Minato put away the scroll and spoke steadily.
"We'll split up."
"Understood!"
The three immediately became serious and answered at the same time.
Seeing their fingers unconsciously tense up, Minato softened his tone.
"Don't worry. I'll handle blowing up the bridge. You only need to keep watch around the perimeter and provide support."
"Yes, sir!"
At the same time, deep underground in a dark cave.
"That Uchiha kid called Obito... can he really be trusted? Are you sure you can control what he's thinking?"
Senju Tobirama leaned against a cold stone seat and spoke in a hoarse voice.
Uchiha Madara supported himself with his scythe, breathing slightly heavily. Yet a confident smile appeared on his aged face.
"Mm. I'm completely confident."
"If it doesn't work, we can always find another one..."
"Madara, we really don't have much time left. The Demonic Statue of the Outer Path can slow the loss of our lifespan, but it doesn't mean we can live forever."
The two spoke from the side.
Nearby, Uchiha Izuna sat cross-legged with his eyes closed. The chakra around him was as still as dead water.
Madara's Sharingan glowed faintly in the darkness, the scarlet tomoe slowly turning.
"Enough, Tobirama. Next... the show is about to begin."
———
As it turned out, everything happened exactly as Madara had expected.
Not long afterward, news arrived that Nohara Rin had been captured by Iwa ninja.
Without the chains of "the mission comes first,"
Hatake Sakumo was still alive and had never taught him to abandon comrades for a mission.
Kakashi barely hesitated at all. He immediately turned and rushed toward the direction where Rin had been taken.
Obito followed closely behind.
During the rescue, a kunai cut across Kakashi's face, and blood instantly blurred his left eye.
Seeing his companion injured, Obito's eyes nearly split apart. The anger and despair in his chest exploded at once.
His scarlet Sharingan suddenly evolved from one tomoe to two tomoe.
Obito awakened the two-tomoe Sharingan in his rage.
In the end, they successfully rescued Nohara Rin.
But...
A massive boulder crashed down, sending dust flying everywhere.
Half of Obito's body was pinned beneath the rock, and blood continuously flowed from the corner of his mouth.
Enduring the intense pain, he raised his head and looked at the tearful Kakashi.
Then he entrusted his Sharingan, along with the wish he never managed to say aloud, to the most important companion of his life.
———
"It hurts so much!"
Obito felt pain throughout his entire body and slowly opened his eyes from unconsciousness.
"Where... is this?"
Uchiha Obito struggled to lift his head and look around.
The moment he saw what was in front of him, he shuddered.
Because there were actually three old men staring directly at him.
"Ah! Who are you people?!"
Obito tried to get up, but immediately felt as though his bones were about to break.
Seeing this, Senju Tobirama couldn't help but look at Madara, seemingly unable to understand why Madara had chosen such a foolish Uchiha.
Uchiha Madara remained expressionless.
In his eyes, this kind of person was the biggest contrast.
Once they fell into darkness, they would sink the deepest.
Simply put, these were the people who exploded the hardest when pushed to their limits.
"This is... the intersection between the underworld and the world of the living..."
Leaning on his scythe, Uchiha Madara slowly spoke in a low voice.
Obito's face filled with black lines. He had no idea what he was talking about.
Senju Tobirama spoke directly instead.
"You just happened to fall into our tunnel. You're pretty lucky to still be alive..."