"Kakashi lost, Sakumo."
The Hokage Office Building, the Hokage's office.
The Lord Third switched off the Crystal Ball and smiled at White Fang, who stood before him.
"Haha." White Fang wasn't disappointed or worried. Instead, he laughed heartily, his expression carefree.
"That boy always looks like he doesn't care about anything, but deep down, he thinks he's amazing."
"I've been wondering how to make him take being a ninja seriously. Well, that's taken care of now... Haha."
"The Ninja Academy really is a place that teaches people."
The Lord Third laughed too.
There was nothing more gratifying than watching Konoha's youngsters grow up strong.
It was a shame that little brat Asuma never seemed to know how to apply himself.
"What do you think of Kakashi's opponent, Sakumo?" the Lord Third asked.
"Hmm..." White Fang replayed Ruohuo's performance in his mind and glanced at the Lord Third's expression. He could tell the old man wasn't just talking about the fight.
"He's a genius," White Fang judged. "But he still needs proper guidance."
"Unlike other geniuses, this child is an Uchiha. His talent is plain to see, but the nature of the Konoha Military Police Force and the way the Uchiha Clan conducts itself are ultimately a little too rigid."
"But this child is different from most Uchiha ninja, too... His circle of friends isn't limited to the Uchiha. Otherwise, he wouldn't have sent those children to the hospital."
"Lord Lord Third, I think this child... has a bright future."
White Fang gave him an extremely high appraisal.
The Lord Third took a puff of his pipe, and soon the smoke billowed around them, shrouding the room.
"Yes..."
"These children are the future of Konoha."
"Big bro, kunai are so expensive. Why didn't Kakashi ask you to give his back?"
On the way home from school, Obito toyed with his new kunai and asked curiously.
"Because his dad has plenty... Because I beat him into submission, Obito."
Ruohuo lectured his foolish little brother. "That's just how the world works. As long as your fists are strong enough, people will fear you."
"They'll hand over their precious things to you to keep you from hurting them."
"But if you promise to protect them, they'll admire you and willingly give you their precious things, too. That way, they can secure more of your protection and go bully someone else."
Obito nodded, still trying to make sense of it all. He looked at his fist, then seemed to remember something and pointed toward Kage Rock in the distance.
"Big bro, if I beat Grandpa Hokage into submission, will he let me become Hokage?"
In both timelines, Obito's dream was to become Hokage.
"That might be a little complicated." Ruohuo shook his head.
"I've told you before. If you want to become Hokage, you can't just beat the Third. You have to beat the whole village."
"Huh? Big bro, why is becoming Hokage so much trouble...?" Obito didn't quite understand. "Did Grandpa Hokage have to beat the whole village before he became Hokage?"
"No." Ruohuo shook his head again.
"The Third is strong, but his strength had nothing to do with becoming Hokage."
"He wasn't the one who beat the whole village. He was just the one who stood on a giant's shoulders and plucked the fruit."
Ruohuo kept that last thought to himself, just in case someone was listening in.
The First conquered the world; the Second Hokage diligently guarded the home.
When it was the Third's turn, he took charge of both political schemes and power plays.
The Senju disappeared, and Tsunade lost her home.
Minato died in battle, and Naruto had a miserable childhood.
That was what the Third had done.
Ruohuo didn't exactly hold a grudge against the Lord Third.
But the Uchiha Clan was reaching a critical point in its development. Sooner or later, it would have to clash with Konoha.
That much was certain.
Whether in the original timeline or this one, the conflict between Konoha and the Uchiha was a legacy of the past.
From the Ninjutsu Sect to the Warring States period, from Indra and Asura to Madara and Hashirama.
There was no way to reconcile it. There were even deeper forces at work behind the scenes.
Those who tried to change everything, like Kagami Uchiha and Shisui Uchiha, hadn't they both met their ends?
Even without Obito and Itachi, Konoha and the Uchiha were bound to fight.
Without the Nine-Tails, the Uchiha were unlikely to stand a chance against Konoha. Most likely, they'd be wiped out all the same...
But things were different now.
With Ruohuo's careful training, Obito would undoubtedly grow into a proud Uchiha warrior.
Itachi hadn't been born yet, but even if he planned to side with the Lord Third from the moment he left the womb, Ruohuo was confident he could suppress him with one hand.
Don't ask. It was the confidence of a senior.
As for Shisui...
"Big bro!"
"Obito!"
"You're finally back!"
They'd just reached the entrance to the clan district when a little boy with a runny nose came running over, carrying two fishing rods several times his height.
He took only a few steps before tripping and falling. He didn't cry or complain. He got up, brushed off the dirt, wiped his nose, picked up the fishing rods, and kept running.
Obito went to meet him. "Come on, Shisui. Big bro will take you fishing!"
"Obito, can we catch rabbits today? I want roast rabbit."
"I want some too..." Obito looked at their big brother.
Ruohuo shrugged. "Then let's go. But first, Obito, you need to go home and give the money to Grandmother."
"Don't tell her about the fight. Just say we did a good deed and someone gave us a reward."
"Got it!" Obito dashed home.
Ruohuo watched Shisui, who wasn't even four yet, and flashed him the smile of a cool, dependable big brother.
"Come on. Before it gets dark, I'll take you rabbit hunting!"
That's right.
This little fellow with the runny nose, who could trip after only a few steps, was none other than the future, world-famous Body Flicker Shisui!
He was also the second little brother Ruohuo had recently taken under his wing, making him the third in their lineup, codename 3D Shisui.
Big C Ruohuo, 2B Obito, 3D Shisui.
With the Uchiha CBD brothers—Water, Fire, and Earth—once they grew up, they'd have three giant mechs leading the way. What would Konoha have to fear?
Come to think of it, Shisui had a pretty tragic background, too.
His circumstances were almost identical to Obito's. He'd never known his parents and had been raised since childhood by the grandmother who lived next door.
But Shisui in this timeline was clearly luckier, too.
Because, just like Obito, he had an incredibly cool, invincible, and flashy big brother!
Most importantly, this kid was easy to handle.
Obito needed Ruohuo to make a plan for awakening his Sharingan, a "Extreme Moist Eye-Opening Plan."
Shisui didn't.
He'd develop on his own. Before long on the battlefield, he'd become Body Flicker Shisui.
A few years later, he'd return from the Hidden Mist battlefield as Kotoamatsukami Shisui.
But in this timeline, Ruohuo had no intention of letting Kotoamatsukami see the light of day...
The kid was stubborn.
In the original timeline, he'd tried to use Kotoamatsukami on Fugaku for the same reason: "for the good of the Uchiha."
Shisui had no grudge against Fugaku. On the contrary, he respected his clan leader.
And Ruohuo was definitely going to become clan leader.
He didn't want the brothers turning against each other and killing one another in the name of righteousness...
Before you continue