Battlefield

The closer they got to the front line, the heavier the stench of blood became. Fugaku silently observed Jin's reactions along the way... very calm. That was Fugaku's first judgment.

If Jin knew what Fugaku was thinking, he would definitely be unable to stop himself from weakly saying: Can we not go to the front line... I seriously can't take this stench...

"Stop! Which squad are you with?"

Three people suddenly darted out in front of them. The Konoha ninja in the lead looked at the two of them with a wary expression.

"By order of the Third Hokage, we are heading to the front line." Uchiha Fugaku activated his Sharingan. "I am Uchiha Fugaku, and this is my clansman, Uchiha Jin."

The ninja in the lead looked at the Uchiha Clan's iconic Sharingan and the black Uchiha clan uniforms the two wore, but still confirmed, "Do you have proof from Lord Hokage?"

"Yes." Fugaku took out the certificate the Anbu had given him and handed it over. Only after the leader carefully inspected it did he say, "Thank you both for your hard work."

"It's nothing." After Fugaku spoke, he called Jin along and left.

After the two of them left, one of the three patrolling genin lowered his voice and said, "Why is the Uchiha Clan even sending brats over? At his age, shouldn't he still be in school?"

"Shut up!" the chunin in the lead snapped. "The certificate says Uchiha Jin, genin."

"He's a genin at such a young age?" The genin could not help sighing. "The Uchiha really do produce geniuses."

Front-line command center.

"Command center is a restricted area! What business do you have here?" The two members of the Akimichi Clan in charge of guarding the place stopped Fugaku and Jin.

Fugaku said in a low voice, "By order of the Third Hokage, we are heading to the front line. We have come to report to the command center."

After saying that, he handed over the certificate again. Only after one Akimichi clansman verified it did he nod to his companion, signaling him to let them through.

Inside the command center, Hatake Sakumo and a jonin from the Nara Clan were discussing a battle plan. Beside Hatake Sakumo stood a white-haired young man and a blond boy.

Jin looked over curiously and recognized them at a glance as the lecherous Jiraiya, one of the legendary Three Ninjas, and Minato Namikaze, known as the Yellow Flash.

"Minato should only be a chunin right now..." Jin muttered softly. At that moment, Minato Namikaze also cast a curious glance over. Their eyes met, and Minato Namikaze nodded with a faint smile.

Only after Hatake Sakumo finished discussing matters with the Nara adviser did he notice there were two more people in the command center.

"You must be Uchiha Fugaku, right? I've already received the Third's letter." Hatake Sakumo rubbed his aching temples. "This should be my future disciple, Uchiha Jin, correct?"

"Yes, Senior Sakumo," Fugaku answered respectfully.

"You've worked hard. I thought it would take you a few more days to arrive." Sakumo nodded faintly. "Fugaku, you'll be in charge of the Uchiha clansmen. I'll notify you if there are missions. Go rest for a while first. Jin, you stay."

Fugaku nodded, then rubbed Jin's head and reminded him, "Listen to Senior Sakumo, and be careful. You must be cautious..."

"I know, Big Brother Fugaku. Why are you even more nagging than Sister Mikoto?" Jin dodged Fugaku's palm and spoke with a look of disdain.

Those words dispelled some of the oppressive atmosphere in the command center. Fugaku could not help stretching out his hand to smack Jin on the head before leaving.

Jin was left standing there alone, at a complete loss. Sakumo looked at the child, smiled, and beckoned. "Come here, little guy."

Jin walked to Sakumo's side stiffly. Sakumo pointed at Jiraiya and Minato Namikaze and said softly, "Let me introduce you. This is Lord Jiraiya, one of the Three Ninjas. This is Lord Jiraiya's beloved disciple, Chunin Minato Namikaze."

"Hello, Lord Jiraiya. Hello, Senior Minato." Jin bowed obediently. Jiraiya nodded calmly. "Jin, how old are you? Judging by your age, you should still be attending the Ninja Academy, right?"

"Lord Jiraiya, I'm seven this year. I've already graduated as an exception," Jin answered.

Jiraiya looked at the little kid before him in surprise. "Graduated at seven? A genius!" Then his tone turned dissatisfied. "I really don't know what that old man is thinking, sending someone this young to the front line."

"Geniuses all have to be tempered by war." Sakumo did not seem to mind. "Jin, you'll follow Minato Squad for now. You two geniuses can have a good exchange. Once the war is over, I'll teach you properly."

Although Jin really wanted to stay by Sakumo's side, for no other reason than safety. But... "Yes, Teacher." Jin nodded. And as the commander-in-chief, Sakumo truly could not spare attention for Jin. After arranging where he would go, he sent the two of them off.

Minato Namikaze looked at this teammate who was a head shorter than him and took the initiative to start a conversation. "Graduating from the Ninja Academy at seven, you really are a genius, Jin."

"I guess." Jin rubbed his head sheepishly at the praise. "Senior Minato, when will the war end?"

"Don't call me senior. I'm only five or six years older than you." Minato smiled slightly. "It'll be over soon. Don't be afraid. I'll protect you."

"Then I'll call you Big Brother Minato. Big Brother Minato, you're only thirteen this year and already a chunin? What a genius!" Jin looked at him in surprise, unable to stop himself from thinking: Good grief, this is practically what a genius is! In the original story, he was totally killed by the plot...

"Hahahaha." Minato smiled and rubbed Jin's head. "You're definitely a genius who'll surpass me. I firmly believe that!"

Because Minato was so talkative, the two of them quickly became familiar along the way. When they saw the other two members of Minato Squad, Minato finally became serious and introduced him. "This is our squad's new member—Uchiha Jin."

"Jin, this is Genin Morikawa Hotaru. This is Genin Furuno Tetsuji."

Jin nodded and greeted them politely. "Hello, Sister Morikawa Hotaru. Hello, Brother Furuno Tetsuji."

"Hello, little brother. Did you just graduate from the Ninja Academy? You look so small, so cute! You'll definitely be a handsome little guy in the future! You're going to the battlefield at such a young age. It's all right, big sister will protect you..." Morikawa Hotaru began chattering nonstop.

Furuno Tetsuji, standing to the side, got a headache from listening and could not help cutting her off. "Hey, hey, what are you doing, Hotaru? This is a battlefield!" At the same time, he carefully sized up Jin...

Fine, this guy really was a little handsome, and compared to the other members of the Uchiha Clan, he looked a bit more pleasant... but Furuno Tetsuji still could not help complaining, "Captain, is our squad some kind of nursery? What can someone this little even do?"

Minato cut him off sternly. "Tetsuji! We are teammates who can entrust our backs to each other! If you have any complaints, you can go report them to Lord Sakumo, but right now, I am the captain!"

Under Minato's pressure, Furuno Tetsuji had no choice but to shut his mouth, though he remained unconvinced inside.

Jin did not take it to heart. After all, he really was very small...

"Now everyone, introduce your abilities. I'll go first." Minato Namikaze brought out the authority of a captain. "Minato Namikaze, skilled in the ninjutsu Flying Thunder God. Chakra natures: wind, earth, water, fire, and lightning, with wind as my main nature."