Izumo Camp

At first light, a fully equipped squad assembled outside Konoha's gates.

Sarutobi Shinnosuke, a man in his early thirties, had inherited his father's steady temperament. He was at the head of the squad, quietly discussing the route with the subordinates beside him.

Nearly a hundred shinobi had been divided into several teams. They checked their gear and said their goodbyes, while an air of tension and solemnity hung over them.

Naoki stood at the edge of the group with a tactical pack on his back, alongside the Uchiha Zongye brothers.

"What are you doing here?" Uchiha Fugaku and Uchiha Yashiro walked over. "Let me introduce you. This is my eldest son, Itachi."

A boy of about five or six stood quietly beside Uchiha Fugaku.

He wore a dark, high-collared shirt, and his short black hair fell neatly over his forehead. His features were delicate, almost feminine. Most striking were his dark eyes, as calm and still as water. They lacked the liveliness and curiosity of a child his age, and instead held a depth and composure far beyond his years.

Even amid the commotion of a crowd about to head to the battlefield, he remained perfectly quiet, as if none of it had anything to do with him.

This was Uchiha Itachi.

Complex feelings rose in Naoki's heart.

Truthfully, he had a very poor impression of Itachi. Otherwise, he wouldn't have knowingly praised him in front of Uchiha Fugaku, even though it would only make Itachi's pride grow...

"Itachi, this is Naoki. He'll be going with us this time..."

Uchiha Fugaku began introducing his eldest son to everyone.

As Naoki made polite conversation, he glanced toward the city gate.

Among the people coming and going, he spotted a familiar figure...

"Sorry, I'll be back in a moment."

With that, Naoki hurried away.

Itachi asked, "Where's Naoki going?"

Uchiha Zongxin chuckled and pointed toward Sakurai Hideko in the distance.

Sakurai Hideko stood beneath a tree outside the city gate. A gentle breeze stirred her hair and rustled the leaves.

When Naoki reached her, he stopped and silently looked at her.

He had meant to say goodbye to her the night before. But when he went to the Medical Department building, she wasn't there, and she hadn't come to see him afterward, either. To be honest, he was a little upset... All right, he shouldn't be upset. The Medical Department was swamped with work; she hardly had any free time. Besides, although their relationship had warmed up quickly, Sakurai Hideko was the sort who only moved when prompted. There was no point getting upset over something like this.

They looked at each other in silence for a long while, both waiting for the other to speak first. Neither of them made a move, until Uchiha Zongxin waved from afar to signal that the squad was about to leave...

Naoki could speak at length about all kinds of things, but across two lifetimes, he had experienced very few relationships. On top of that, Uchiha Zongxin's teasing had made him realize that, lately, he really had been acting a little like a lovesick fool...

The boy in him got caught up in keeping score, and he simply turned around and walked away.

Sakurai Hideko had no idea what was going on. When she saw Naoki about to leave, she stepped forward, wanting to say something. But her timid nature when it came to matters of the heart kept the words from coming out.

Seeing Naoki return with a dark expression, Uchiha Zongxin teased, "What, couldn't bear to part with your sweetheart?"

Uchiha Zongye, who had figured out what was going on, smacked his younger brother on the head.

"Just keep your mouth shut for once."

Coming back to himself, Uchiha Zongxin stared in disbelief. "Did something really happen?"

Uchiha Zongye shot his younger brother a sidelong glance. "What do you think?"

"It's all because of that big mouth of yours!"

"Come on, Big Brother, how can you blame me for this? I was only joking around..." Then Uchiha Zongxin raised an eyebrow at his brother. "You were just like me that day, except you didn't say anything."

"That's not the same!" Uchiha Zongye retorted. "In your case, you deserve a sentence. I was only an accomplice. A few days in the Police Force's holding cell should do it..."

Uchiha Setsuna and Itachi stood quietly to the side, glancing back and forth between Naoki and Hideko in the distance. They said nothing, but seemed to have figured something out.

"Naoki, take care of yourself!" Uchiha Yashiro called, waving to Naoki as he left with the squad.

The heart aches most on a cool, late-night day; the one so worn and weary is pitiful to see. Three cups of wine invite a drunken stupor, and a hunt for fragrance wakes a dream to the chill of dawn. The phoenix hairpin tilts as you weep; the tea roses bloom, but you and I were never meant to be. Beneath the little tower, alone, the moon fills the heart's sky—neither crescent nor full.

As he stood outside the tent and gazed at the night sky, the verse suddenly came to Naoki's mind.

He had regretted it the very day he left Konoha. Sakurai Hideko was simply that sort of person, and he knew it, yet he had still thrown a tantrum at her. Now look at him. What if he went back one day and found her holding a child, telling him she was already married? He wouldn't even have anywhere to go and cry.

He sighed and put the thought aside. There was no way he could go running back now...

Setting those romantic troubles aside, Naoki headed toward a large tent deeper inside the camp.

The camp had been built right beside Mount Izumo, which was why it was called Izumo Camp.

Izumo Camp was an important Konoha stronghold in the southern part of the Land of Fire, as well as a strategic location. It stored a vast amount of supplies and served as the rear base for the entire Southern Border Battlefield.

Naoki and his companions had arrived here two weeks ago and hadn't taken part in any battles since. But tonight would be different...

By the time he reached the tent, several people had already gathered inside: the Uchiha Zongye brothers, Itachi, Uchiha Setsuna, the supreme commander of the Southern Border Battlefield, Hyuga Akira of the Hyuga Clan's Main Branch, several Konoha jonin, and one of Hyuga Akira's younger relatives...

After greeting them, Naoki got straight to the point.

"Is something happening?"

Hyuga Akira smiled and beckoned Naoki over.

"How have you been settling in at camp?"

"I'm fine, but staying here all the time isn't exactly a solution..."

"Don't worry." Hyuga Akira waved a hand. "There's a mission right now!"

Beside Hyuga Akira, a Main Branch boy wearing dark-tinted goggles that concealed his eyes chimed in.

"Not just any mission. It's an important one, too."

After two weeks here, Naoki had gotten to know him.

Hyuga Hiroshi, a prodigy of the Main Branch—and the rumored illegitimate son of Hyuga Hiashi...

"Oh? Now I'm curious." Naoki looked at Hyuga Akira.

"Since you're all here, I'll get straight to the point."

"Here's the situation. According to our intelligence, Kirigakure has a shipment of supplies that arrived from the Land of Water. It's being transported by water to the front lines.

"I've learned their exact route. I'm short on manpower at the moment, and you're the only ones I can assign this to. I want you to..."

Hyuga Akira looked at Naoki and the four other Uchiha, then continued, "Attack the transport convoy."

"If you succeed, those Kirigakure bastards will soon be forced to retreat without weapons or food.

"Then we can launch a counterattack. In a few months, perhaps we'll be able to accept Kirigakure's offer of peace."