Kannabi Bridge

A few days later, fifty Uchiha ninja led by Uchiha Fugaku arrived.

With the double tomoe as the base, and counting Fugaku, there were seven pairs of triple tomoe.

This force was more than enough to deal with a small-scale battle.

"Fugaku, you're here!"

Minato greeted Fugaku with a hint of surprise, and Fugaku's stoic face rarely showed a smile.

The two had completed missions together in their early years and shared a deep bond.

It was precisely because of Namikaze Minato's existence that Fugaku felt it was feasible for the Uchiha to integrate into the village.

However, dozens of Uchiha clansmen who followed Fugaku walked directly behind Kagami Uchiha, clearly separating themselves from Fugaku's group.

The atmosphere became slightly awkward.

Fugaku felt a bit embarrassed. He was the Clan Head, and if they wanted to show their stance, they should have waited until after the gathering!

Kagami Uchiha glanced at the people behind him. They were all teenagers, and only one had triple tomoe.

"Genhuo, how is Elder Jin's condition?" he asked the young man in the group who was the only one with triple tomoe.

"Thank you for your concern, my father's condition is stable."

Genhuo was Jin's son and shared his father's ideology.

Towards Kagami Uchiha, the successor chosen by Jin, he showed the respect of a subordinate.

Like his father, he firmly believed that Kagami Uchiha could lead the Uchiha to prosperity!

In recent years, the Uchiha had shown clear signs of division. Fugaku advocated for integration into the village. Originally, as Clan Head, he could guide the clansmen.

But Kagami Uchiha's talent was visible to all, and it could even be said that he had lived up to his talent. His strength was not weaker than that of the Clan Head.

The Uchiha who were dissatisfied with the village naturally found a leader and firmly stood by Kagami's side, not following the crowd.

This was also the most distressing part for Sarutobi Hiruzen.

I even arranged for my own disciple to be your teacher, why can't you open your heart to the village?

What more are you not satisfied with?

Fugaku also couldn't understand. The Third Hokage had sent such a clear signal. If Kagami behaved himself, even if he was just pretending, and acted a bit more approachable, then the position of Hokage wouldn't be impossible!

Kagami couldn't explain.

This was a matter of weight.

No matter how much the Uchiha did, in the minds of the Third Hokage and others, they were still a clan that needed to be guarded against, an inherently evil clan.

How could the Uchiha's influence compare to the teachings of the Second Hokage?

He didn't want to explain either.

Fugaku's arrival already indicated that he had chosen the Hokage's side, just as Kagami Uchiha had originally envisioned.

In that case, there was no need to save face for this Clan Head.

"According to Lord Orochimaru's orders, all Uchiha ninja must obey my commands."

"No problem, Fugaku... Clan Head?"

Fugaku's expression turned grim. He glanced at Minato, who gave a wry smile, and suppressed his anger before nodding.

"Of course, on the battlefield, every ninja should obey orders!"

He emphasized the word "orders."

Since Kagami had shown him a display of power, he wouldn't be blamed for tearing down the facade.

He took out a scroll from his robes and said in a deep voice, "Then, according to the Hokage's order, Kagami Uchiha, you should obey my command!"

Kagami Uchiha was not surprised and chuckled.

"Sorry, when a general is on the front lines, he is not bound by the ruler's orders."

"I do not recognize Clan Head Fugaku's command ability. When facing unexpected situations, I will make my own judgment."

"You!"

Didn't you just say you were following Orochimaru's orders? Now that I've brought out the Hokage's authority, you're refusing to comply?

Seeing the two unwilling to back down, Minato was also troubled.

He knew the situation of the Uchiha clan and the inclinations of some of the village's higher-ups. The complex and tangled relationships were not something he could untangle at this moment.

To prevent the conflict from escalating, Minato intervened to smooth things over.

"We are all Konoha's comrades. Specific actions will be decided based on the battlefield situation."

"Our main mission is to defend the border line. At least, this goal is the same."

A day earlier, upon learning that the Uchiha clansmen were arriving soon, Orochimaru had already led his forces towards the Land of Wind.

Speed is the essence of warfare; he wanted to catch Chiyo completely off guard.

The highest commander on the current front line was actually Sarutobi Shin'nosuke.

Seeing the Uchiha present, he wisely refrained from interjecting.

Most Uchiha looked down on ninjas from other clans equally. It was common knowledge that they were difficult to get along with, so his status as the Hokage's son held little sway.

Few people could earn the Uchiha's respect, but fortunately, Minato was one of them.

Both Kagami Uchiha and Fugaku were willing to give Minato face.

Inside a makeshift tent at the front line.

Minato spread out a map and pointed to a location.

"I've observed the terrain, and this is a necessary route for Iwagakure to conduct large-scale troop movements."

The spot he indicated was northwest of the Land of Grass.

There stood a famous bridge... which would become even more famous in the coming years.

The Kannabi Bridge!

"By stationing ourselves here, we can block any potential surprise attack from Iwagakure's main force."

"I will leave Flying Thunder God markings along the border of the Land of Fire. If any strong individuals attempt to take other routes, I can lead a team to intercept them in time."

With the Flying Thunder God Technique, many tactical plans became simpler.

Iwagakure had not yet attacked Konoha, and only a few ninjas from both sides were roaming the Land of Grass.

Even Namikaze Minato hadn't considered the intentions of the Land of Grass.

Small countries like theirs existed primarily as strategic buffer zones for the larger nations.

"Why don't we just blow up the bridge?"

Kagami Uchiha asked. After all, even according to the original historical timeline, the bridge would be destroyed.

Minato gave a wry smile. "This is an important transportation hub. We haven't even gone to war with Iwagakure yet; how can we do something like that?"

The act of unilaterally destroying the Kannabi Bridge could be seen as Konoha declaring war on Iwagakure.

Konoha had never proactively declared war on another ninja village since the First Great Ninja War.

Kagami Uchiha had just spoken offhandedly, knowing such an action was unreasonable.

He suddenly thought of something else...

During the Battle of Kannabi Bridge, Uchiha Madara should have been in the Land of Grass.

So, would he be there now?

It was highly possible...

After all, moving a large piece of furniture like the Demonic Statue of the Outer Path wouldn't be easy.

However, it was just speculation. The intelligence Kagami Uchiha had was too fragmented, and the timeline had many bugs, so it could only serve as a reference.

Kagami Uchiha wasn't worried about encountering Uchiha Madara.

On one hand, Madara was old and likely wouldn't possess much power, and his Rinnegan was currently with Nagato.

On the other hand...

From beginning to end, Uchiha Madara had never killed a single member of the Uchiha clan.

Even during the final battle, he had given Sasuke a chance to surrender.

It was Sasuke, foolishly calling him a relic of the old era, who charged forward and impaled himself on Madara's sword, leaving him half-dead.

Madara disdained the Uchiha clan, but he wouldn't hunt them down to the last man; it didn't fit his demeanor.

If it weren't for the existence of Black Zetsu, Kagami Uchiha would have wanted to explain the situation to Uchiha Madara and ask the ancestor to come out of retirement.

After deliberation, it was decided that Namikaze Minato, Kagami Uchiha, and Uchiha Fugaku would lead five Jonin-level combatants to guard the Kannabi Bridge.

Sarutobi Shin'nosuke and other ninjas were dispersed along the border near the Land of Earth as a warning.

As the operation began, they encountered a small number of Iwagakure and Kusagakure ninjas along the way.

Since war had not yet broken out, after a brief exchange, they passed through the Land of Grass under the guise of a mission and reached the Kannabi Bridge.

For small countries like the Land of Grass, the presence of ninjas from any village was not unusual.

Minato's team had disguised themselves, and an eight-person squad didn't attract much attention.

Everything was calm, but it was only temporary.

As soon as news of Orochimaru's forces engaging in battle in the Land of Wind spread, the Land of Earth would surely make a move.

Perhaps then...

The storm would be upon them.