The Three Brothers of CBD

"Kakashi lost, Sakumo."

Inside the Hokage office at the Hokage Building.

The Third Hokage turned off the crystal ball and smiled at the White Fang standing before him.

"Haha." The White Fang felt neither disappointment nor worry; instead, he let out a hearty, open-minded laugh.

"That kid usually acts like he has no desires, but in reality, he always thinks he's quite something."

"I was just worrying about how to make him take the ninja profession seriously, and now this... haha."

"The Ninja Academy really is the place to educate people."

The Third Hokage laughed as well.

There was nothing more gratifying than watching these little ones in Konoha grow up strong and healthy.

It was just a pity that brat Asuma didn't know how to be a bit more ambitious.

"What do you think of Kakashi's opponent, Sakumo?" the Third Hokage asked.

"Hmm..." The White Fang ran through Ruohuo's performance in his mind, then noted the Third Hokage's expression, realizing the old man wasn't just talking about this single fight.

"He is a genius," the White Fang evaluated, "but he still needs proper guidance."

"Unlike other geniuses, this child is an Uchiha. His talent is clear to see, but the nature of the Konoha Military Police Force and the Uchiha clan's methods are, in the end, somewhat paranoid."

"However, this child is different from most Uchiha ninjas... the companions in his eyes aren't limited to the Uchiha; otherwise, he wouldn't have sent those other children to the hospital."

"Lord Third, I believe this child... has a promising future."

The White Fang gave an exceptionally high evaluation.

The Third Hokage took a puff of his pipe, and after exhaling, a cloud of smoke swirled before his eyes.

"Indeed..."

"These children are all the future of Konoha."

"Big brother, kunai are so expensive, why didn't Kakashi ask you for them back?"

On the way home from school, Obito fiddled with the new kunai and asked curiously.

"Because his dad has... because I beat him into submission, Obito."

Ruohuo lectured his dim-witted younger brother, "That's how this world works. As long as your fist is big enough, others will fear you."

"They will voluntarily give you precious things to prevent you from harming them."

"But if you promise to protect these people, they will adore you, and at the same time, they will voluntarily give you precious things to secure more of your protection, so they can go and bully others."

Obito nodded blankly, looking at his own fist, seemingly understanding yet not quite, before remembering something and pointing toward the Hokage Rock in the distance.

"Big brother, if I beat Grandpa Hokage into submission, will he let me be Hokage?"

In both timelines, Obito's dream was to become Hokage.

"That question might be a bit complicated," Ruohuo shook his head.

"I actually told you before: if you want to be Hokage, you don't just have to beat the Third Hokage, you have to beat the entire village."

"Huh? Big brother, why is wanting to be Hokage so troublesome..." Obito didn't quite understand. "Did Grandpa Hokage also become Hokage by beating the whole village?"

"No," Ruohuo shook his head again.

"The Third is very strong, but his becoming Hokage had nothing to do with strength."

"He wasn't the one who conquered the village; he was merely the one who stood on the shoulders of giants to pluck the fruit."

Ruohuo said the last sentence in his heart, still taking precautions against being overheard.

The First conquered the world, the Second diligently guarded the home.

By the time it reached the Third, he grasped both conspiracy and politics.

The Senju vanished, Tsunade lost her home.

Minato died in battle, Naruto had a miserable childhood.

This is what the Third did.

It wasn't that Ruohuo had a major grievance against the Third.

But the development of the Uchiha clan had reached a critical juncture, and a clash with Konoha was inevitable.

This was beyond doubt.

Whether in the original timeline or now, the conflict between Konoha and the Uchiha was a legacy of the era.

From the Ninshu to the Warring States period, from Indra and Asura to Madara and Hashirama.

This thing could not be reconciled; there were even deeper reasons behind it.

Those who tried to change all this, like Uchiha Kagami or Uchiha Shisui, didn't they all end up dead?

In the original timeline, even without Obito and Itachi.

Konoha and the Uchiha were bound to clash eventually.

Without the Nine-Tails, the Uchiha were unlikely to be a match for Konoha, and the outcome would most likely be the annihilation of the clan.

But things were different now.

Under his careful cultivation, Obito would undoubtedly become a noble Uchiha warrior in the future.

Itachi hadn't even been born yet, but even if the kid planned to defect to the Third Hokage the moment he left the womb, Ruohuo was confident he could suppress him with one hand.

Don't ask why; that was just the confidence of a great senior.

As for Shisui...

"Big Brother!"

"Brother Obito!"

"You guys are finally back!"

Just as they reached the entrance of the clan compound, a little curly-haired boy with a snot bubble hanging from his nose ran over, clutching two fishing rods that were several times taller than him.

He tripped before he had run two steps, but he didn't cry or fuss; he just scrambled up, brushed off the dirt, wiped his nose, grabbed the fishing rods, and kept running.

Obito went to meet him. "Let's go, Shisui, Brother will take you fishing!"

"Brother Obito, can we catch rabbits today? I want to eat roasted rabbit."

"I want some too..." Obito looked toward their big brother.

Ruohuo shrugged. "Then let's go, but Obito, you need to go home first and give the money to Grandma."

"Don't mention the fighting; just say it was a reward for our good deed."

"You got it!" Obito dashed home in a flash.

Ruohuo looked at the not-yet-four-year-old Shisui and flashed a smile only a great senior could.

"Let's go, before it gets dark, Brother will take you to catch some rabbits!"

Yes.

This little guy with a snot bubble who tripped every few steps was none other than the future world-renowned Body Flicker Shisui!

He was also the second little brother Ruohuo had recently taken in, ranked third, with the codename 3D Shisui.

Big C Ruohuo, 2B Obito, 3D Shisui.

With this Uchiha CBD trio of Water, Fire, and Earth, once they grew up and paved the way with three Gundams, what was there to fear from Konoha?

Come to think of it, Shisui's background was quite tragic.

Much like Obito, he had never known his parents and had been raised by a neighbor's grandmother since he was a child.

But Shisui in this timeline was clearly much luckier.

Because, just like Obito, he had a super handsome, invincible, and dashing big brother!

The key was that this kid was low-maintenance.

Obito needed Ruohuo to scheme and formulate an "Extreme Moist Eye-Opening Plan" just to awaken his Sharingan.

Shisui didn't need that.

He developed on his own; not long after stepping onto the battlefield, he would become Body Flicker Shisui.

A few years later, upon returning to the village from the Mist battlefield, he would become Kotoamatsukami Shisui.

However, in this timeline, Ruohuo didn't intend to let Kotoamatsukami see the light of day...

The kid was stubborn.

In the original timeline, he tried to use Kotoamatsukami on Fugaku, all for the reason of "doing what's best for the Uchiha."

Shisui had no grudge against Fugaku; on the contrary, he respected his clan leader.

And Ruohuo was definitely going to be the clan leader.

He didn't want to end up with his brothers turning against him, forcing him to sacrifice his kin for the greater good...