Campfire Night Talk

The night was deep.

In the camp within the border forest, most of the ninjas were already resting. The footsteps of the patrols sounded occasionally, mingled with the crackling of wood bursting in the campfire.

Inside the Fourth Hokage's temporary tent, the lights were bright.

Minato Namikaze did not sit in the seat of honor; instead, he sat cross-legged beside the brazier, holding an iron kettle and brewing tea.

"Sit, Xuan Shi."

Minato gestured to the cushion opposite him, his tone as casual as if he were greeting a neighbor visiting his home. "There is no Hokage here, only two ninjas worrying about the village."

Xuan Shi bowed slightly, removed his shoes, and sat down across from Minato.

"Thanks to you today."

Minato poured a cup of hot tea for Xuan Shi, steam rising from it. "That child Kakashi... ever since the incident with Obito and Rin, he has been too burdened. He is always prone to impulsiveness on the battlefield, as if he is seeking some kind of release."

Xuan Shi took the teacup with both hands, feeling the warmth in his palms.

"Senior Kakashi is a genius," Xuan Shi said softly. "He just carries too much. Sometimes, the living suffer more than the dead."

He raised his head, looking at Minato with clear eyes.

"Just like us, the Uchiha Clan. We live a weary life, forever burdened by the shadow of 'that man'."

That man.

Madara Uchiha.

Minato's hand pouring the tea paused slightly. He glanced at Xuan Shi with a hint of surprise.

In Konoha, the Uchiha Clan usually kept the name of Madara Uchiha in deep secrecy, often treating it as a taboo. Few Uchiha would take the initiative to mention this name in front of a Hokage, let alone with such a candid attitude.

"A shadow, you say..." Minato set down the teapot, his gaze turning profound. "Indeed. The scars Madara left on the village are so deep that everyone remains wary of the Sharingan."

"But I don't think so." Minato looked at Xuan Shi. "Power itself has no good or evil; the key lies in the person who uses it. Today's battle proved that the power of the Uchiha is a sharp sword protecting Konoha."

"Thank you for your trust." Xuan Shi took a sip of tea.

The groundwork was already laid. Now, it was time to get to the point.

"Lord Hokage," Xuan Shi set down his teacup and leaned forward slightly. "You asked me earlier today what I thought of Cloud Village's movements."

"Mm, tell me your thoughts." Minato nodded.

"I think... it's too deliberate."

Xuan Shi extended a finger and drew a line on the tabletop.

"Although Cloud Village is bellicose, the Raikage is no fool. At this critical juncture, sending a few vanguard units to their deaths has no strategic value other than to provoke Konoha."

"Unless..." Xuan Shi paused, his voice lowering a notch. "This is covering up something else. Or rather, someone wants to lure Konoha's main force—especially you—away from the village."

Minato's eyes sharpened instantly.

Luring the tiger away from the mountain.

He had considered this thought before, but he had never found concrete evidence.

"What do you think their goal is?" Minato asked.

"The Uchiha's sensory barrier recently captured some... strange spatial fluctuations near the Naka River."

Xuan Shi dropped the first bombshell.

Of course, it was a lie. But he was confident he could make Minato believe it.

"Those fluctuations were very faint and did not belong to any known ninjutsu of the Five Great Nations. It was as if... a ghost capable of ignoring barriers and piercing directly through space."

"Space-time ninjutsu?"

As a user of the Flying Thunder God, Minato was extremely sensitive to this term.

In the entire ninja world, only a handful of people could manipulate space-time ninjutsu. If someone could truly enter and exit at will, ignoring Konoha's sensory barriers...

Minato's expression turned grave.

"If such a person truly exists, and he intends harm toward Konoha," Xuan Shi continued to guide him, "then when would he choose to strike?"

He looked at Minato and said, word by word:

"Probably... when the seal is at its weakest."

Click.

The teacup in Minato's hand tapped lightly against the table, making a crisp sound. A few drops of tea splashed out, landing on the map.

Kushina's due date.

This was Konoha's highest secret, known only to the Third Hokage, himself, and a few high-ranking Anbu.

But Xuan Shi had guessed it.

And he had guessed it with impeccable logic.

"You mean..." Minato's voice was a bit hoarse, "someone wants to target the Nine-Tails?"

"The Uchiha do not want to repeat Madara's mistakes."

Xuan Shi did not answer directly, instead offering a more powerful commitment.

"It is a fact that the Sharingan can control the Nine-Tails, and that is the Uchiha's original sin. If someone truly attempts to break the Nine-Tails' seal and control it to attack the village, the Uchiha Clan will be the prime suspects."

"To clear this suspicion, and to protect the village."

Xuan Shi looked straight into Minato's eyes, his gaze burning.

"The Uchiha are willing to be the first blade to strike down that black hand."

"If such a 'Masked Man' exists, no matter who he is, the Uchiha will make him pay the price."

The tent fell into a long silence.

Only the charcoal in the brazier occasionally made a slight crackling sound.

Minato looked at the young man before him.

Reason told him that a fifteen-year-old boy couldn't possibly know so much. But his intuition—the kind honed on the edge of life and death countless times—told him that Xuan Shi was telling the truth.

That worry, that hatred for the "Masked Man," was not feigned.

After a long time.

Minato took a deep breath, as if having made a decision.

He reached into his ninja tool pouch and pulled out a kunai with a peculiar design.

It was shaped like a trident, with special paper charms wrapped around the handle, inscribed with the four small characters: "Sword of Shinobi Love."

The Flying Thunder God kunai.

This was the fastest beacon in the ninja world and the symbol of the Yellow Flash's deterrence to all nations.

Minato solemnly placed the kunai on the table and pushed it toward Xuan Shi.

"Xuan Shi."

Minato's voice became gentle and solemn.

"This intelligence is too important. If such an enemy truly exists, the Anbu alone might not be able to stop him. And... you are right; if the Nine-Tails were to truly lose control, the Uchiha would indeed face a massive crisis of trust."

"I do not wish to see that happen."

Minato looked at Xuan Shi, his eyes filled with trust and reliance.

"Keep this kunai safe. It is not just a weapon; it is a promise."

"If the Uchiha discover the traces of that person, or if some incident occurs in the village... channel your chakra into it."

Minato pointed to the technique formula on the kunai.

"No matter where I am, no matter what I am doing."

"I will arrive at the first moment."

Xuan Shi reached out and grasped the cold kunai.

The moment his fingertips touched the paper charm, he felt as if he could sense the young Hokage's burning heart for protection.

The gears of history, at this moment, finally meshed together.

The once isolated Uchiha and the Fourth Hokage, who was originally destined to fall, established a pact of life and death through this kunai.

"I understand."

Xuan Shi solemnly tucked the kunai into his clothes, keeping it close to his body.

"Lord Hokage, please rest assured."

"The eyes of the Uchiha will see through everything in the darkness for you."