The two sides hit it off immediately.
They invited the other great nations to form an allied army to campaign against Xuandou, claiming that he had coerced the Daimyo of the Land of Lightning and seized control of the country.
In the end, however, only two great nations responded: the Land of Wind and the Land of Earth.
Most of the others who responded were merely small nations.
Konoha and Kirigakure both remained silent, even showing signs of secretly supporting the Hidden Xuan Village.
And so, another Great Shinobi World War broke out.
In Year 73 of Konoha, Uchiha Mirai was twelve.
The Great Shinobi World War was still raging.
But the Allied Shinobi Forces opposing his father were already suffering defeat after defeat, losing vast stretches of territory and nearing the end of their strength.
That year, he successfully completed six years of study, passed his assessment, graduated from the Ninja Academy, and officially became a genin.
At the graduation ceremony, his father personally presented him with his forehead protector.
It was a metal forehead protector engraved with the Uchiha Clan's fan emblem in the center.
"Mirai, you've grown up."
His father looked at him, a trace of something complicated flashing through his eyes.
"Keep yourself safe."
"Yes, Father!"
He put on the forehead protector, an inexplicable excitement rising in his heart.
But reality soon doused that excitement.
As he grew older, he discovered what made him different.
He was simply too ordinary.
Of course, "ordinary" here meant compared with his other siblings.
Take his eldest brother, Hanyu.
His eldest brother was gentle, spoke at an unhurried pace, and always wore a faint smile.
But his talent for ninjutsu was frighteningly high.
Over the years, as the war in the shinobi world continued, his eldest brother had already accompanied