Uchiha Setsuna didn't speak to Uchiha Kurohane. He gave him a stern glance, then left with Uchiha Mikoto.
Uchiha Mikoto followed behind him. After walking a few steps, she turned to look at Uchiha Kurohane.
Pursing her red lips, she smiled faintly at Uchiha Kurohane, then raised her fair little hand and waved, silently bidding him goodbye.
When Uchiha Setsuna wasn't looking, Uchiha Mikoto stole a glance back and smiled. It made Uchiha Kurohane's heart stir.
Her smile was so radiant and sweet. She had the pure charm of a young girl, but also a bewitching side.
This woman sure knew how to flirt.
She was only fourteen and already this good at it. What would she be like when she grew up?
Since you're so good at flirting, I'll just have to make you mine.
Big brother Fugaku, it's not that I'm letting you down. Your wife is just too alluring!
But Uchiha Setsuna clearly looked down on Uchiha Kurohane and didn't want him associating with Mikoto.
Winning Mikoto over under his watchful eye would be extremely difficult.
The good news, though, was that Uchiha Setsuna didn't have many years left.
Uchiha Kurohane didn't know when he died, but by the time Sasuke Uchiha was born, Fugaku had already become clan head.
And Setsuna wasn't among the clan members discussing the rebellion, which meant he was already dead.
Uchiha Kurohane had inherited the Uchiha Clan's filial piety and sincerely hoped Setsuna would die sooner...
The next morning, Uchiha Kurohane strolled into the classroom.
He saw a dozen or so classmates gathered around Inoichi Yamanaka, who was speaking animatedly about something.
As Uchiha Kurohane walked past, he listened in.
"The unit that was sent to the Land of Rain set out yesterday. That means the Amegakure ninja really have betrayed us. Now Iwagakure, Sunagakure, and Amegakure have joined forces. The situation is extremely dire."
"Konoha really doesn't have any allies left. We can only send Genin who just graduated."
Inoichi Yamanaka was the eldest son of the Yamanaka Clan, which was in charge of Konoha's intelligence department. He had access to a great deal of information.
Inoichi Yamanaka knew far more than the other students, and he always got the latest news first.
Whenever anything happened in the village, the students gathered around him to ask what was going on.
Inoichi Yamanaka's words left the students sweating with fear.
"No way. Is it true they're sending newly graduated Genin to the battlefield?"
"Newly graduated Genin have no experience. Can they really handle the brutal fighting on the battlefield?"
Inoichi Yamanaka said gravely,
"Don't you understand yet? Konoha has no way out. We absolutely cannot lose this war. Even if they have no experience, we have no choice but to send them in."
"If things get any worse, even we'll be sent to the battlefield."
The students cried out in alarm.
"What? Even we'll have to go? I haven't even mastered the Three Body Technique. I can only throw Kunai. What use would I be on the battlefield?"
"I came to Konoha just to learn Ninjutsu. I don't want to risk my life for Konoha!"
"I always sleep with my mom. I can't fall asleep without her holding me!"
Most of the students in the class were nobodies, and each had their own reason for becoming a ninja.
Not all of them wanted to give their lives for Konoha. Many started complaining right then and there.
After hearing them, Uchiha Kurohane understood why Sarutobi Hiruzen promoted the Will of Fire.
Konoha had only been established forty years ago. Many ninja clans had joined because Konoha was powerful, and even more of its ninja were civilians.
These civilian ninja wanted to change their social standing by becoming ninja. They only wanted to use Konoha to learn Ninjutsu; they felt no sense of belonging to the village.
If Konoha faced a crisis, both groups would surely run off at once.
The Will of Fire was preached to them so they would think of Konoha as home and fight for it.
Clearly, the Ninja Academy hadn't done a good job of instilling this in them, which was why so many students were complaining.
It looked like the school's history textbooks needed another revision.
Uchiha Kurohane returned to his seat with a grin, opened Kushina Uzumaki's bag without permission, and took out her workbook to copy.
Kushina Uzumaki had been resting her chin in her hands as she watched the group in the distance, silently lost in thought.
As soon as she saw Uchiha Kurohane arrive, she turned to look at him.
"You didn't do your homework again? Even if you were busy for those two days over the weekend, yesterday was a holiday. Why didn't you do it then?"
Uchiha Kurohane answered without a hint of shame,
"Do you know why holidays are called holidays? They're for people to take a break. If you still have to do homework during a holiday, what kind of holiday is that?"
"So of course you shouldn't do homework during a holiday."
Hearing such unreasonable nonsense, Kushina Uzumaki felt indignant. She wanted to argue back, but couldn't think of a good response.
In truth, she didn't like doing homework either. She also thought people shouldn't have to do homework during holidays.
Seeing Kushina Uzumaki open her mouth but fail to come up with a rebuttal, Uchiha Kurohane continued,
"Once you're working, will you keep doing work stuff during your days off? Of course not. It's the same principle as not doing homework during a holiday."
"Holidays are sacred. Don't sully them with something as lowly as homework!"
Although Uchiha Kurohane's argument sounded perfectly reasonable, Kushina Uzumaki still spotted the flaw.
"Wait a minute. Ever since I joined this class, I've never seen you do homework. You're just using me as an excuse not to do yours, because you can copy mine, right?"
What a troublesome woman. She'd actually figured it out.
"Do you really think your boss is that kind of person? You're questioning your boss's character! Don't overthink it. Your boss isn't someone who shirks his homework."
Kushina Uzumaki narrowed her eyes and retorted suspiciously,
"No, I think that's exactly the kind of person you are."
Uchiha Kurohane hadn't expected this Little Tomato to grow a backbone and talk back to him.
He bopped Kushina Uzumaki on the head with his fist, then ended the argument with one sentence.
"You're my underling. Don't talk back."
Kushina Uzumaki hugged her head with both hands, looking aggrieved, her clear eyes full of resentment.
She was obviously unhappy, but Kushina didn't want to get bopped on the head again, so she put up with it.
Kushina Uzumaki had only been quiet for a short while when the class representative, who wore her hair in a short ponytail, came running over.
Uchiha Kurohane felt even more troubled.
Yoshino Nara was an utterly upright woman, even more stubborn than Kushina. She was harder to deal with.
But Uchiha Kurohane had misunderstood. Yoshino Nara hadn't come over to scold him for copying homework.
"Kurohane, have you heard? The newly graduated Genin really have been sent to the battlefield. They say we'll be next time."
Uchiha Kurohane didn't think there would be a next time.
No matter how awful Sarutobi Hiruzen was, he wouldn't send nine-year-old students to the battlefield. Twelve was Konoha's lower limit.
But it was also possible that the original story had left out some of the darker details.
For example, the Senju Clan had been a renowned family in the Shinobi World, but after Konoha was founded, they suddenly vanished without a trace.
Not a single person with the Senju name ever appeared in the original story.
Even Tsunade didn't use the Senju surname.
That was definitely abnormal. Something major must have happened behind the scenes.
Even the Uchiha Clan's massacre had been revealed in the original story.
Whatever happened to the Senju Clan must have been even darker...
Before you continue