They were off!
The group headed for Konoha's Northwestern Battlefield packed their things and met at the Konoha Gate.
Gua's dad and mom came to see him off.
They only pressed a bag of Soldier Pills into his hands-spicy ones, at that.
Nai had worked overtime to make them especially for him.
As shinobi, they were familiar with these common supplies and could make most of them by hand. It simply wasn't worth the effort much of the time, so they bought them in bulk.
But Nai worried that Gua wouldn't be able to stomach those Soldier Pills that tasted like shit.
"Be careful on the battlefield. Stay close to Clan Leader Fugaku. If anything happens, go to him right away. Don't try to shoulder everything alone..."
Nai kept fussing over him.
She held Gua by the shoulders as she gave him instructions.
Gua nodded over and over.
"Uh-huh~"
"Uh-huh~"
"Uh-huh~"
"I know~"
"I know~"
Uchiha Oyama stood beside Kabuto and patted his shoulder. "Kabuto, you're a big boy now, but once you get there, you still need to learn to protect yourself, understand? If someone beats you up, learn to run. Losing face is fine, as long as you don't lose your life. Your dad's pride isn't worth much anyway."
Kabuto felt like laughing.
In the end, he couldn't hold it back and laughed.
As he laughed, tears spilled from his eyes.
"I understand."
Uchiha Oyama and Uchiha Nai pushed the two children over to Fugaku.
"Clan Leader, sorry for the trouble."
Nai bowed deeply to Fugaku.
Fugaku nodded.
"Don't worry. They're only going to gain some experience. They won't have to go anywhere near the front lines."
Nai nodded, then bowed her head again. "Still, sorry for putting you to all this trouble, Clan Leader."
Fugaku nodded.
He