The War Eruption Had Long Been Foreseen

As Minato Namikaze's disciple, Kakashi naturally knew some insider information, but there was nothing he could do now.

"Did I?" Kakashi scratched his head, pretending to be confused.

Might Guy, who always remained full of energy, was not stupid. Seeing that Kakashi did not want to talk, he casually gave a thumbs-up.

"Kakashi, let's have a youthful showdown!"

"Please don't."

Kakashi was dragged away by Might Guy, unwilling to go.

A spatial vortex slowly appeared in the shadows of the street, and Uchiha Obito emerged from it, wearing an orange spiral mask.

"Kakashi." Beneath the mask, Uchiha Obito's gaze was filled with complicated emotions.

Uchiha Obito often came to Konoha to pay respects to Rin, and he would drop by to see Kakashi every time.

Even though he knew Rin had acted of her own free will, Uchiha Obito still could not forgive Kakashi for killing her with his own hands.

"A false and boring shinobi world. But soon, we'll be able to reunite in a new world."

"Rin."

"And... Kakashi."

Egawa Coastal Defense Line.

The surging sea had been dyed red with blood, while corpses drifted like plankton, battered back and forth by the huge waves.

Shouts of slaughter, the clash of weapons, and cries for help blended together. The defense line was in a precarious state.

Facing Kirigakure's fierce, large-scale assault, Konoha's defensive forces seemed somewhat weak.

However, with the Uchiha Ninja led by Hirota Uchiha fighting desperately, part of the defense line was temporarily in no danger of falling.

People were dying on the battlefield every moment. The Uchiha were no exception, and the hundred-man force of Uchiha Ninja was steadily shrinking.

Yet Hirota Uchiha, who was leading the team, would never retreat out of fear of death.

Although he had not fought for a long time and seemed rusty, the wounds covering his body proved his bravery.

Standing silently at the very front, Hirota Uchiha was making one thing crystal clear to everyone.

The Uchiha Clan had no cowards.

Seeing this, the nearby Konoha Ninja immediately grew more spirited.

Having Uchiha Ninja as comrades truly put them at ease.

"Captain, we should withdraw first. If we don't, we'll all die here."

Uchiha Shin and Uchiha Tadashi fought desperately to protect Hirota Uchiha.

Both were Chunin who had awakened only the One-Tomoe Sharingan. However, their potential was the best among the hundred, and they were still fairly young.

Among the hundred, there was only one Elite Jonin who had awakened the Three-Tomoe Sharingan. That person was Hirota Uchiha, who was leading the team.

These hundred were basically Uchiha Kyu's carefully cultivated stock. Only those clan members who survived the battlefield could become true members of the Uchiha Clan.

Hirota Uchiha finally remembered that he had not come here to throw his life away, so he hurriedly issued an order.

"Withdraw while fighting, but don't let the enemy tear open a gap in the defense line."

"Yes, sir." Uchiha Tadashi hurried to notify the others.

This sudden attack by the Mist Ninja was Uchiha Obito's doing. Going to Konoha to pay respects to Rin also allowed him to obtain Konoha's military intelligence.

Corrupted Uchiha Obito's schemes had been nearly flawless. Unfortunately, he was forcibly redeemed in the end, which cut his strength in half, and finally he simply threw his life away.

Hirota Uchiha led his clansmen in retreat while fighting. His battle instincts gradually returned, and his strength even began to recover.

"As expected, staying in Konoha for too long nearly made me forget how to fight."

The Three-Tomoe Sharingan in Hirota Uchiha's eyes was blood-red and demonic. He killed two ordinary Jonin caught in genjutsu with a single slash.

An Elite Jonin with the Three-Tomoe Sharingan was terrifyingly powerful on the battlefield.

Uchiha Tadashi returned, drenched in sweat.

"Captain, we just received word that we need to temporarily abandon this defense line and head to the final defense line to hold it while waiting for reinforcements."

"Captain, go first. Tadashi and I will cover your retreat."

Uchiha Shin stepped directly in front of Hirota Uchiha, forcibly taking the enemy's attacks head-on. With both hands, he unleashed Fire Release and temporarily drove the enemy back.

"You two go first. I'll cover you."

"Fire Release: Fire Dragon Tornado."

Hirota Uchiha pulled the two of them away and rapidly formed hand seals.

A flaming dragon's head roared toward the enemy like a gale. Flames surged violently, frightening the enemy into hastily dodging in all directions.

"Clan Head, Hyuga Hiashi sent someone with word that the first defense line of the Egawa Coastal Defense Line has already been breached by the Mist Ninja."

Fugaku Uchiha hurried in from outside and handed the intelligence to Uchiha Kyu.

Uchiha Kyu's expression remained calm, his eyes utterly impassive. He could not even be bothered to read the report. "How many casualties?"

Fugaku Uchiha shook his head, also worried about the casualties among the clansmen on the front line.

"We haven't received any word from Hirota yet. It shouldn't be too serious."

Uchiha Kyu knew that Uchiha Obito would never let such an opportunity to weaken Konoha pass him by.

"Now that Kirigakure has made a move, I believe the other three great shinobi villages won't be willing to remain idle either."

"This war is an opportunity for the Uchiha Clan. There's no need to be too nervous."

"Only between life and death can the Uchiha Clan produce more strong fighters, not merely geniuses."

The outbreak of war had occurred exactly as he expected, which was why he had requested three hundred slots in advance and arranged for clan members to undergo life-and-death training on the front lines.

More precisely, if Uchiha Obito had not initiated the war, he would have started it himself.

"I understand. This is what you meant by 'better a short pain than a long one.'"

"Our generation is fighting for the next generation's living environment and for the clan's honor."

Fugaku Uchiha thought of his own son and suggested sending Itachi to the battlefield as well.

However, Uchiha Kyu had other plans for Uchiha Itachi and temporarily refused.

Not long afterward, Uchiha Kage came to report that the Fourth Hokage, Minato Namikaze, had convened an emergency meeting and invited the heads of Konoha's various clans to attend.

Konoha had been established by the shinobi clans. Though Konoha had raised the status of ordinary shinobi, it was still ultimately the Konoha of the shinobi clans.

Without the shinobi clans, Konoha would have vanished during the several wars after Hashirama's death.

When Uchiha Kyu arrived at the Hokage Building and saw the clan heads glaring at him with hatred, he responded with a contemptuous, scornful smile.

This world was ultimately a world of Kekkei Genkai. Without the Hokage's support, these clans were no match for the Uchiha Clan.

Their younger generations had essentially been slaughtered by the Uchiha. To recover their strength, they could only rely on time to produce a new generation.

"Don't be impulsive."

Shikaku Nara stopped the hot-tempered Choza Akimichi. The Uchiha of today were not people they could afford to provoke.

They could only endure patiently, wait for the Uchiha Clan to fall into decline, and then ruthlessly kick them while they were down.

Shibi Aburame, whose entire body was wrapped in clothing, could only stand in an unnoticed corner and glare at Uchiha Kyu through his sunglasses with murderous intent.

Minato Namikaze could only pretend not to see it and shift the topic to Kirigakure's surprise attack on the Egawa Coast defense line.

Hiruzen Sarutobi, who had originally been badly wounded in the ambush, sat silently to one side. His expression was calm, as though nothing had happened before.

Konoha's two advisers sat on either side of Hiruzen Sarutobi like mutes.

Shikaku Nara now had serious grievances against the Hokage as well, so he chose to remain silent.

The other clan heads naturally banded together for warmth and followed Shikaku Nara in watching from the sidelines.

After receiving a signal from Uchiha Kyu, Hyuga Hiashi coughed twice and drew everyone's attention back.

"Kirigakure's strength cannot be underestimated. Why not have the Uchiha Clan Head go to the Egawa Coast and take command? That's the only way to ensure that nothing goes wrong on the front line."

Uchiha Kyu rose without hesitation and faced everyone with a resolute gaze. "For Konoha's safety, the Uchiha Clan naturally cannot shirk its duty."

This was the result the two of them had just discussed.