The Third Hokage Arrives

The successive battles in the Land of Rain had severely depleted the shinobi forces of several nations. The Uchiha clan had not been spared.

From the chaos in the Land of Rain until now, the Uchiha had been reduced to a shadow of their former strength.

Fugaku could only do what he could to strengthen a few clan members, give them a better chance of surviving, and reduce the likelihood of more Uchiha dying.

The entire camp fell silent. Only the occasional patrol of shinobi passed through.

Patrol Ninja guarded the camp, while the snakes Orochimaru had released lurked underground in every corner. Between them, they could keep watch over most of the camp and prevent a surprise attack.

Uchiha Sabon's tent was Tent Number Fifteen. Four Uchiha had originally lived there, but two had died in battle. Now only Sabon and Uchiha Morihide, a clansman with a Two-Tomoe Sharingan, remained.

Fugaku stood quietly outside Tent Number Fifteen. Low breathing came from within. Both men seemed exhausted from the day's fighting and were sleeping soundly.

He gently lifted the flap and slipped inside. Neither man woke. The day had clearly taken a lot out of them.

The two empty beds had been kept spotless. It seemed the four clansmen had gotten along well enough.

Fugaku walked slowly to Sabon's bedside and swiftly lifted one of his eyelids. Sabon's unfocused gaze met the slowly turning Mangekyo Sharingan.

Fugaku took control of him without resistance.

In Sabon's mind, he was back on the battlefield that afternoon, surrounded by Stone shinobi and Konoha shinobi locked in combat.

After several battles, only Sabon and a Konoha Chunin named Gotō remained from their squad. Over the past few days, the two had become friends who could talk about anything.

On the battlefield, they followed Elder