Gua and his two companions diligently patrolled their territory.
Behind them,
a dark silhouette darted from one building to another.
It was Fugaku.
Despite saying he wasn't worried, Fugaku was more worried about these three children than anyone else.
Gua and Itachi went without saying. The Uchiha's future rested on them.
Uchiha Kabuto?
He was a mixed-blood.
But for Gua's sake, Fugaku let it slide.
He still had to bring Uchiha Kabuto back safe and sound. Otherwise, Gua's whole family really would come after him.
He had assigned the three of them here to give them some experience. Now that they were on the battlefield, they couldn't just loiter around the camp.
His Uchiha pride wouldn't allow it.
The outer perimeter has been reinforced from one squad of jonin to three. It should be very safe here.
That was what Fugaku thought, but he still didn't dare let his guard down as he followed them.
Before long,
the three had finished patrolling a nearby village.
They called it a patrol, but they had really only given the place a cursory sweep. They weren't even as thorough as they had been back when they patrolled the woods near the Land of Fire.
It wasn't that they didn't want to be thorough.
They simply couldn't manage it.
There were plenty of buildings here. If any shinobi actually hid inside them, the three wouldn't be able to find them.
Their main purpose was to provide an early warning of danger.
The three stopped in front of a building.
Itachi glanced at the building behind them. It had probably been an inn.
Now, however, it was deserted, its doors shut and dust gathering at the entrance.
"Let's rest here for a while."
Itachi spoke to the other two.
The three nodded,
then sat down