The Temptation to Return to the Village

The next day.

"Sorry, everyone, but our mission must continue." Minato's voice was gentle, yet weighed down by an unshakable heaviness. "Kannabi Bridge must be destroyed. Otherwise, the war will never truly end."

Obito's sacrifice was a pain he had never anticipated.

If he had been just a little faster, a little stronger, perhaps the tragedy would never have happened. The thought filled him with regret.

Shinji and the others nodded silently. No one had forgotten the mission that remained unfinished.

Led by Minato, the group set out once more.

With Namikaze Minato there, the several groups of Iwagakure ninja they encountered along the way posed no threat at all and were dealt with easily.

Before long, they finally reached their destination.

Kannabi Bridge stretched between two precipitous cliffs, a vital chokepoint connecting the Iwagakure and Konoha fronts.

The entire bridge was built from solid rock, wide enough for several ninja to walk abreast.

With Shinji and Kakashi assisting him, Minato swiftly placed Explosive Tags all across the bridge.

Everything was ready.

Minato raised his hands and formed seals.

The next instant, countless Explosive Tags detonated simultaneously deep within the bridge's foundations. Violent flames and shockwaves instantly swallowed the entire Kannabi Bridge.

Dark red flames shot into the sky as shattered rocks and smoke were hurled high into the air, then crashed down into the bottomless abyss.

Gunpowder smoke, dust, and a faint, lingering scent of blood spread through the air.

Shinji let out a soft breath. "The mission is finally complete."

The weight hanging over his heart finally lifted completely.

In his eyes, Konoha had truly endured a difficult journey.

This great war that had swept across the ninja world had initially been nothing more than a dispute between Konoha and Sunagakure.

In their search for the missing Third Kazekage, Sunagakure had repeatedly clashed with Konoha. The conflict escalated until it finally ignited an all-out war.

But no one knew that the Third Kazekage had long since been secretly assassinated by Sasori of the Red Sands, his corpse even turned into a human puppet.

Konoha had only just managed to defeat Sunagakure when Kumogakure immediately seized the opportunity and sent the A-B Combo charging in.

The two were immensely powerful. Had Namikaze Minato not emerged out of nowhere, Konoha would likely have paid an even more terrible price.

Yet the war did not stop there.

Seeing an opportunity, Kirigakure and Iwagakure actually attacked Konoha at the same time.

Hiruzen Sarutobi had not yet grown old. He was still the "Hero of the Ninja World," whose might shook the entire ninja world.

He made his decision without hesitation, waving his hand as he ordered Konoha to face two enemies alone.

The Seven Ninja Swordsmen of the Mist were beaten into the "Three Lucky Treasures," while more than fifty elite Iwagakure ninja became the stepping stones for Namikaze Minato's rise to fame in a single battle.

Konoha had stood alone against the four great ninja villages and forcibly fought its way to victory.

"The war should be ending soon."

"The village can finally return to peace. Let's go home."

"We finally won't have to go to the battlefield anymore!"

The tension in their expressions finally eased, and their spirits lifted.

Kakashi gently touched his left eye, carefully covering that Sharingan with his forehead protector. Then he looked into the distance and said softly:

"Yeah. We can go back to the village."

There was no need to rush on the way back. Shinji's group traveled much slower than they had on the way there, only approaching Konoha's borders several days later.

Just as the outline of the village was about to come into view, Namikaze Minato suddenly turned his head toward Shinji.

"Shinji, there's something I want to ask you."

"Please, Lord Minato."

"What do you think about Kakashi's Sharingan?"

Shinji paused slightly, then answered honestly without much thought.

"Kakashi isn't from the Uchiha Clan, so he can't actively deactivate the Sharingan. If he keeps it active all the time, it'll continuously consume a great deal of Chakra."

"That's not what I mean." Minato lightly waved a hand. After a pause, his tone was unusually hesitant. "I mean, what would the Uchiha Clan's chief and elders think about this?"

As soon as he spoke, everyone around them turned their eyes toward Shinji.

They instantly understood Minato's concern.

The Sharingan was the Kekkei Genkai of the Uchiha bloodline.

To protect their bloodlines and secret techniques, the great ninja clans had always maintained strict rules.

For instance, the Hyuga Branch Family had the Caged Bird, the Ino-Shika-Cho strictly forbade their secret techniques from being passed on, and the Uchiha were naturally no exception.

Kakashi furrowed his brow and instinctively touched the left eye hidden beneath his forehead protector.

That eye was Obito's keepsake. He did not care about power, but he cherished the final sentiment his friend had left him beyond measure. At this moment, his heartbeat could not help quickening.

Shinji raised an eyebrow, his expression turning solemn.

"Obito is a hero of Konoha. Giving his Sharingan to Kakashi was his own will."

"The will of a hero deserves to be respected."

"As for the clan elders and the clan head..." Shinji's tone was relaxed yet certain. "I believe they are all reasonable people."

More than anyone, he knew that no matter what those elders thought, they would never dare come knocking to demand Kakashi's eye.

Kakashi was Namikaze Minato's direct disciple, a core member of the Hokage's faction, with both Hiruzen Sarutobi and Minato backing him. At most, they would only dare gossip about it behind his back.

The others beside them also breathed sighs of relief, smiles of acceptance appearing on their faces.

Minato had actually been quietly conflicted over this matter the entire way. Now that he had heard Shinji's clear-minded and resolute words, the weight in his heart finally settled completely.

The satisfaction in his gaze toward Shinji deepened further.

Recently, he had also heard that Shinji had defeated an Explosion Release jonin head-on on the battlefield. His current strength was likely no less than Kakashi's.

Moreover, throughout the battle, Shinji had played a crucial role several times and had helped each of his three students greatly.

If Obito had not died, he surely would have been just as outstanding as Shinji.

Minato quietly left that thought in his heart.

Inside the vast cavern beneath Mountain Graveyard, on the northern peninsula of the Land of Fire.

Madara Uchiha pressed his withered right palm against Obito's heart. Four pitch-black curse markings spread from his palm, slowly seeping into Obito's body before finally forming a strange seal over his heart.

"That will do. We only need to wait for him to wake up."

He spoke hoarsely, his voice like decaying deadwood.

White Zetsu merely glanced over before lowering his voice to report.

"Lord Madara, a rather exceptional Uchiha clansman has appeared on the battlefield."

"Who?" Madara Uchiha asked casually.

"A youth named Uchiha Shinji." White Zetsu spoke evenly. "From what I observed, he only awakened his Sharingan half a month ago. Yet now, he can already maintain the Three Tomoe steadily."

"It is nothing remarkable." Madara Uchiha shook his head disdainfully.

"On a battlefield filled with death and despair, it is not impossible for intense stimulation to cause one's awakening to advance by leaps and bounds."

In turbulent times, power was nourished by blood and pain to begin with.

Back then, he himself had crossed beyond the Three Tomoe and reached the Mangekyo in an extremely short time.

White Zetsu fell silent for a moment before continuing.

"That Shinji has a close relationship with a girl named Rin. The two even seemed to embrace."

He lifted his chin, gesturing toward the unconscious Obito on the stone bed.

Obito remained lost in chaos, unconsciously murmuring:

"Rin!"

"That's her." White Zetsu nodded.

"Oh?" Madara Uchiha finally raised his eyes slightly, a trace of amused interest appearing in them. "Tell me in detail."

Just then, a special White Zetsu wearing a spiral-pattern mask leaned over, his tone bright and excited.

"Oh my, oh my, all of you gathered here—are you discussing something fun?"

"Could it be that you're here to drag..."

"Shut up!"

Madara Uchiha cut him off roughly, his expression darkening as he sneered inwardly. He had injected him with Hashirama's cells, only to raise this useless fool who knew nothing but how to fool around.

His gaze gradually turned dangerous.

"If he causes trouble again, destroy him."