Mo rubbed Shisui's head without saying anything, then vanished with a Body Flicker.
"Go home on your own."
Shisui would follow the Uchiha Clan during the later stages of the Third Shinobi World War and make a name for himself as Body Flicker Shisui on the Hidden Mist battlefield. However, under Mo's influence, no one could say whether all of that would still happen.
"Creak~"
By the time Mo pushed open the door, more than half the seats in the meeting room were already occupied, and quite a few familiar faces were among them.
Minato Namikaze and Orochimaru, for example...
"Mo, you're here? Come, sit here."
Fugaku nodded at Uchiha Mo by the door, then patted the seat beside him before folding his arms again.
Mo glanced at Orochimaru, nodded, and walked over to sit beside Fugaku.
A smile curled across Orochimaru's lips as his burning gaze settled on Uchiha Mo.
"Mo-kun, has your training been going smoothly lately? If you need any ninjutsu or encounter any difficulties, you can ask me."
The moment he finished speaking, everyone in the meeting room looked at the two of them in surprise.
"When did Orochimaru become so close with the Blood Ninja?" That was the thought running through most people's minds. Even Fugaku looked at Uchiha Mo with some delight.
Who was Orochimaru? One of the Sannin, Hiruzen Sarutobi's most prized disciple. Although the relationship between master and student seemed to have grown colder recently, he was still the hottest candidate for the Hokage position.
If Mo could build a good relationship with Orochimaru, the Uchiha Clan's status would naturally rise with him in the future.
Yet under everyone's gaze, Mo remained expressionless. He did not even look at him before speaking coldly.
"I need some fine snakeskin for a Ninja Tool Pouch. Are you going to peel yours off?"
"!"
The entire meeting room instantly fell deathly silent. Every sound stopped at that moment, and no one even dared breathe too loudly, afraid they might be caught in the crossfire if that person suddenly erupted.
Fugaku's neck stiffened at once. He looked at Uchiha Mo's profile in confusion. If the occasion had been more appropriate, he really would have wanted to ask, "Why?"
However, something happened the very next second that made everyone question reality even more.
"Hehe~"
Not only was Orochimaru not angry in the slightest, he even raised the corners of his mouth, chuckled, and continued.
"I naturally have quite a few high-quality snakeskins in reserve. Once the meeting is over, I'll give Mo-kun the best one... Make sure to take good care of it."
Orochimaru's golden snake pupils narrowed slightly as he extended his long crimson tongue and licked his upper lip. His gaze remained fixed on Uchiha Mo's face—or rather, on those eyes...
"Mo-kun, I took quite the blame for you in the old man's eyes. Only you can compensate me for those losses..."
Uchiha Mo glanced at Orochimaru but did not respond. Still, a chill rose within him.
Minato Namikaze looked at Orochimaru's unreadable expression, then at Uchiha Mo's icy face. Feeling that the atmosphere had become somewhat heavy, he started to rise slightly, intending to say something.
But at that moment, the red door leading to the inner chamber at the far end was suddenly pushed open. Hiruzen Sarutobi, wearing the Hokage's hat and robes, strode into the meeting room.
Everyone immediately came back to their senses, though their suspicious gazes still shifted between Orochimaru and Uchiha Mo.
Hiruzen Sarutobi did not notice this change. Instead, he raised his head and swept his gaze around the meeting room before pulling out the chair at the head of the table and sitting down.
"Everyone's here... Then let's officially begin the meeting."
Everyone present was a pillar of Hidden Leaf, so Hiruzen Sarutobi did not begin by spouting empty rhetoric about the Will of Fire. After all, Jonin's time was valuable.
He took out a document and went straight to the point.
"Hidden Cloud has declared war on us..."
The moment those words fell, the quiet meeting room erupted. Everyone immediately threw Mo and Orochimaru's earlier exchange to the back of their minds and began arguing heatedly.
However, before they could continue for long, Hiruzen Sarutobi raised his hand and knocked twice on the table.
"Please remain calm, everyone."
As his words fell, the meeting room gradually quieted down. Only then did Hiruzen Sarutobi continue.
"Hidden Cloud has gathered a large force along the northeastern border of the Land of Fire. According to intelligence from the front lines, the force appears to be led by the new generation of the 'A and B' duo. A is the son of the Third Raikage, while B is the new Eight-Tails Jinchūriki. They are coming in aggressively."
At this point, Hiruzen Sarutobi paused before continuing.
"With war at our doorstep, Hidden Leaf cannot retreat. But how many troops we should commit and who should deal with them are both problems..."
Preparation & Mo's Advancement
After a round of discussions, their response to Hidden Cloud was settled.
Nara Shikaku would lead the army on the main battlefield. To guard against possible sneak attacks from other ninja villages, Hidden Leaf would not commit too many troops. However, they had no choice but to be wary of the Eight-Tails Jinchūriki. Originally, Hidden Leaf had planned to send the Nine-Tails Jinchūriki Kushina to the battlefield in case of emergencies.
But Minato Namikaze volunteered, citing the Nine-Tails' power as too difficult to control. He stated that, if necessary, he could use the Flying Thunder God to swiftly bring Kushina to the battlefield. After considering it, the Third Hokage agreed to his proposal.
Thus, Hidden Leaf formed a special action squad consisting of Minato Namikaze, Akimichi Doto, and Inuzuka E. While reinforcing the battlefield, they would do their best to restrain the "A and B" duo.
However, none of this had anything to do with Uchiha Mo.
What concerned him was something else... As expected, just like in the original story, Hidden Leaf sent the Genin teams that had graduated the previous year to the battlefield in order to accelerate the growth of the new generation of ninja.
However, because Hidden Leaf had not yet become mired in the quagmire of war as it would during the middle and later stages, the teams were assigned to the rear areas of the battlefield. They also had a great deal of freedom and no specific tactical objectives. They only needed to accept the army commander's orders when necessary. It looked like training troops.
Among them, Team 8 led by Uchiha Mo was naturally included. As for Team 7, due to Minato Namikaze's tactical mission, they were placed under Mo's command.
When Mo heard this arrangement, he frowned slightly.
The original story's depiction of the Third Shinobi World War was incomplete, so he did not know what Team 7's original assignment in this war had been. However, during the middle and later stages of the war, Team 7 had basically operated independently without Minato Namikaze, whether on the Hidden Stone battlefield or the Hidden Mist battlefield...
Still, it did not matter even if things had changed. He had already killed Danzo, so Mo no longer cared about the so-called original plot. The only truly useful things it gave him were various hidden secrets and setting-related knowledge.
The army would depart in three days. The time in between was reserved for preparations.
After the meeting ended, Mo ignored Fugaku's hint and pushed open the door, intending to head back to the clan grounds. But at that moment, he suddenly sensed someone behind him.
Smack!
Mo grabbed Minato Namikaze's wrist in one swift motion, his deep well-like black eyes staring into Minato's.
"..."
Minato Namikaze gave him a sunny smile and spoke bluntly without the slightest embarrassment.
"Uh... Mo, I'll leave Team 7 to you. Please make sure to take good care of these children."
Mo gave him one last look, released Minato's wrist, and turned away.
"I've repaid the favor."
"Eh..." Minato Namikaze froze for a moment before realizing what Uchiha Mo meant.
"Mo, about last time..."
Minato had only gotten halfway through when he turned his gaze back and found that the figure before him had long since disappeared, leaving him standing there awkwardly.
Elsewhere.
Uchiha Mo walked along the road back to the clan grounds, a faint curve lifting at the corner of his mouth.
Over the past year or so, his base attributes had improved considerably.
Other than training, the most important reasons for this were the unlocking of Seven-Colored Lotus abilities and the growth of his ocular power.
Fusion rate corresponded to proficiency in the related releases. Naturally, higher values improved Mo's control over and the power of his corresponding abilities. Increased ocular power itself improved the quality and quantity of Uchiha chakra, so the Uchiha's overall physical capabilities would naturally rise as well.
With a thought from Mo, an illusory panel appeared in his field of vision.
Red Child Fusion Rate: 9.21% (Unlock Innate Divine Strength at 10%) Orange Child Fusion Rate: 33.54% (Unlocked abilities: Clairvoyance, Wind Ear. Unlock the next-stage ability, Heavenly Insight, at 50%) Yellow Child Fusion Rate: 9.21% + 16.39% (Unlock Impervious to Blades and Spears when both reach 10%) Green Child Fusion Rate: 25.64% + 27.39% (Unlocked abilities: Blazing Fire, Thunderstorm. Unlock the next ability, Heavenly Fire, when both reach 50% and the second-stage abilities of Yellow Child and Orange Child are unlocked) Cyan Child Fusion Rate: 10.85% (Unlock Water Control at 20%) Blue Baby Fusion Rate: 33.54% + 25.87% (Unlocked ability: Invisibility. Unlock No Trace when both reach 30%) Purple Child Fusion Rate: 0.21% (Unlock Universe in the Sleeve at 50%)
Over the past year, Mo's main focus had remained Lightning-Fire Dual Release and Taijutsu, while he used Sealing Jutsu and Genjutsu to cover his weaknesses.
His Lightning Release and Fire Release had improved gratifyingly. Yet although Mo's daily Taijutsu training was substantial and his body was growing stronger by the day, the increase in Yang Release proficiency was disappointingly slow.
Mo guessed that the reason was that he did not originally possess a Yang affinity. The Yang affinity he had acquired through the panel would be more difficult to improve on its own. But with war already underway, none of that mattered to Mo anymore.
Innate Divine Strength, Impervious to Blades and Spears, and No Trace were Mo's primary unlocking targets in the upcoming Third Shinobi World War.
While pondering this, Mo had already returned home.
The moment he entered the entryway, Shisui ran over.
"Nii-san."
Mo nodded, patted Shisui's head, and walked toward the house.
"War has broken out. I'll be heading to the front lines in three days. If anything happens, go to the Great Elder."
Shisui immediately rushed in front of Mo upon hearing that and asked excitedly, "Can't I come too? I want to fight alongside you too, Nii-san!"
Mo glanced at him. "Train more first."
"Huh? But I'm already stronger than many of the adults in the clan." Shisui walked up beside Mo, his eyes blazing.
Mo ignored him. He sat expressionlessly at the table, poured himself a cup of tea, and drank as he considered how he should act on the battlefield.
Kakashi's exact strength was unclear at the moment, but in Mo's eyes, the other five were unquestionably deadweight. Yet Mo's own interests required him to kill sufficiently strong ninja.
His other hand rested on the table, tapping it again and again. His focused gaze fixed on the empty space ahead as his mind rapidly turned.
His status as the Jonin leading the team had given him the freedom he wanted, but Team 7's addition undoubtedly restricted his efficiency. Furthermore, based on the original story's development, Madara and Black Zetsu's attention would undoubtedly be on Obito at this time. Something unexpected might happen.
"Nii-san..." Seeing Mo like this, Shisui knew that his request was unlikely to be granted. He sighed helplessly, walked over to Mo, and began shaking his shoulder.
"Nii-san!"
Mo came back to his senses and turned expressionlessly toward Shisui.
"What is it?"
As his flat voice fell, Shisui ran back to his room angrily. Then he quickly returned carrying a small scroll and tossed it onto the table before Mo in displeasure.
Ninja Crows & a Breakthrough Discovery Regarding Kekkei Genkai
Uchiha Mo glanced at the small scroll on the table, frowned, and looked at Shisui in confusion.
"The crows I raised have already produced Ninja Crows. This is the Summoning Contract. I originally planned to give this gift to you once this batch of Ninja Crows had grown numerous enough, but since you're heading to the front lines, I can only give it to you now."
"Ninja Crows..."
Mo froze for a moment, recalling the crows Shisui had raised. A slight smile rose on his lips. He bit open his left thumb, spread open the scroll, and wrote the four characters "Uchiha Mo" beside Shisui's name.
As the final stroke fell, a familiar sensation flashed through Mo's mind. He knew it was a sign that the Summoning Contract had taken effect.
"Hmph! What an unqualified older brother. You won't agree to your little brother's request, but you still accepted his gift."
Shisui put away the scroll and stood beside the table with his arms crossed, pouting with an extremely dissatisfied look.
Mo shook his head and said somewhat helplessly, "Once the front lines stabilize, I'll take you there."
"Really? You're not allowed to go back on your word!"
Shisui suddenly grew excited. He immediately braced both hands against the table and loudly pressed him for confirmation.
Before you continue