Land of Fire, Northern Fortress.
As one of the only two remaining battlefields in the north and south, Cloud Village and Konoha were locked in fierce combat here.
With the Evil Spirit's clandestine interference, the war had reached a terrifying intensity.
As a result, wave after wave of new-generation ninja had been continuously sent here to fill the vacancies left by the fallen.
Fortunately, Konoha was generally on the defensive. So although many of the newly transferred ninja were fresh-faced rookies who had only recently graduated from the Ninja Academy, the danger was not too great as long as they merely helped defend the fortress, set traps, and throw shuriken.
"Rin! Over here!"
A youth dressed in blue, carrying the fan crest of his clan on his back and wearing orange goggles, raised an arm high and waved it rapidly and vigorously. His slightly childish voice brimmed with the joy of reunion.
Among the newly arrived genin, a lovely young girl looked up toward the voice. A gentle, delighted smile appeared on her cheeks, marked by two streaks of purple face paint. "Obito!"
Then she tugged at the white-haired youth beside her, whose mask covered most of his face. "Kakashi, look!"
"I know, I know."
Kakashi cast a sidelong glance at Obito with his half-lidded dead-fish eyes. Though his expression remained unchanged, a faint glimmer appeared in his gaze.
After seeing Rin's reaction, Obito let out a rather awkward "Hmph." "That annoying Kakashi came too..."
Unfortunately, the irrepressible delight in his tone still exposed his true feelings.
Obito Uchiha, Rin Nohara, and Kakashi Hatake had been teammates in the same squad ever since graduating from the Ninja Academy. Their jonin instructor was the "Yellow Flash," Namikaze Minato.
Of course, Minato had not possessed such a resounding title back then. He