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In the night sky, brilliant stars dotted the pitch-black darkness, making the ancient night no longer feel lifeless. A bright, full moon hung high in the sky, its cold light rendering the surrounding scene less desolate than usual. Under this pale moonlight, the surface of a winding river shimmered, resembling a small starry river, reflecting the moonlight and the traces of stars.
A gentle breeze swept by, causing the branches on both sides of the riverbank to sway lightly, as if they were night spirits, brimming with vitality. At that moment, under the illumination of the moonlight, a young figure lay reclining on the slope of the riverbank.
Despite wearing the formal attire symbolizing the Uchiha clan leader, Fugaku didn't care at all. He simply lay on the grass, feeling the slight caress of the grass beneath him. Occasionally, when a breeze passed by, a look of comfort appeared on his face, almost like that of a naive boy.
However, most of the time, his calm eyes were fixed on the shimmering river, with an occasional flicker of light passing through his gaze. But no one knew what he was truly thinking. As he immersed himself in this comfort, which might be difficult to experience again in the future, some slight noises from the path above the riverbank instantly caught his attention.
"Shhh…"
He suddenly sat up straight and turned his head, his black and white eyes instantly transforming into the blood-red Three Tomoe Sharingan, his gaze coldly directed toward the source of the sound.
"Sorry, I'm really tired and accidentally disturbed you. My apologies."
A voice filled with apology slowly emerged from the grass on the upper side of the riverbank.
In Fugaku's eyes appeared a dirty figure, seemingly slightly hunched over from exhaustion. However, under the glow of the moonlight, the intruder's blonde hair was somewhat conspicuous, and the warm, clean smile on his face gave off a feeling of a gentle spring breeze.
Fugaku, seeing the young man who had intruded and disrupted his final moment of peace, gradually let the red hue in his eyes fade, restoring his black and white gaze.
Seeing this change in Fugaku's eyes, the intruder's slightly squinted eyes suddenly opened wide. His deep blue eyes curiously examined Fugaku as he softly exclaimed, "Oh, is that the Sharingan... are you from the Uchiha clan?"
Fugaku did not respond to the question but merely glanced at the young man before turning back to continue gazing at the tranquil river. Being ignored, the young man awkwardly scratched his nose but didn't get angry. He softly said, "My apologies, this is my first time seeing the Sharingan that Jiraiya-sensei mentioned. I was impolite."
Upon hearing this, Fugaku's body slightly stiffened. He turned back, his eyes scrutinizing the young man, who had a relaxed smile, and silently pondered.
'This guy calls Jiraiya his teacher? A disciple of one of the Sannin?'
Thinking this, he hesitated for a moment before coldly replying, "It's alright. I just assumed it was a ninja from an enemy village, so I was a bit on guard."
He then looked at the young man and asked, "You're Jiraiya's disciple. Why are you in such a sorry state?"
After thinking for a moment, he chose this word to describe the young man's current appearance.
Hearing Fugaku's question, the young man looked at his dusty self and revealed an embarrassed smile, softly saying, "Because of the information brought back by Jiraiya-sensei and others, I thought about the village facing that senior soon, so I was preparing to experiment with a jutsu I've been conceptualizing. I hoped it would be useful when the war started, but it seems the results aren't very promising."
Fugaku remained silent for a moment after hearing this, then stiffly said, "That senior? Sōsuke? Do you think Sōsuke is someone worthy of your respect? That guy... he's a ninja who betrayed Konoha."
Hearing this, the young man's half-closed eyes opened slightly. His deep blue eyes fixed on Fugaku, his smile slowly fading, and he seriously replied, "While you're right, the achievements that Senior Sousuke made for Konoha cannot be erased. Otherwise, Senior Sousuke would never have been chosen as the Fourth Hokage."
Fugaku's gaze grew colder at the young man's words. He snorted and said, "Hmph, it's all just an illusion. Even he admitted it himself; his name is Aizen, and he has abandoned the name Sōsuke. Does Jiraiya have no concern about having a disciple like you, who might cause misunderstandings in the village?"
The young man suddenly fell silent for a moment after hearing Fugaku's words. After a while, he spoke, "That's also the answer I seek. I want to stand in front of that senior and personally ask why he made such a choice."
He then raised his head, looked at Fugaku with a serious expression, and softly said, "As for Jiraiya-sensei, whether it's Aizen or Sousuke, they are both lifelong friends to him. This isn't something that can be changed because of the village."
Hearing these words, Fugaku's face turned slightly colder. He looked at the young man and coldly said, "So, is this what one of the Sannin, Jiraiya, really thinks?"
He then slowly stood up, his eyes fixed on the young man, his black and white eyes gradually transforming back into the blood-red Three Tomoe Sharingan.
"Let me see it, then. Someone like you, who holds such respect for that man, what kind of strength do you have? State your name."
Hearing Fugaku's words, the young man's previous smile disappeared. His face turned serious as he looked at Fugaku and solemnly replied, "Namikaze Minato. And you? With Sharingan at your age, you can't be an unknown figure."
Fugaku snorted coldly at this and replied, "That's something you'll learn if you manage to defeat me."
As soon as he finished speaking, he quickly formed hand seals and coldly said, "Fire Style: Phoenix Flower Jutsu!"
His chest swelled as he exhaled sharply. A spiraling flame rapidly shot out of his mouth, and in mid-air, the flame scattered into countless tiny fiery shards, rapidly flying toward Minato.
Faced with this, the exhausted Minato quickly scanned his surroundings, his expression serious. In an instant, he threw a peculiar-looking kunai to his right.
"Whoosh!"
The kunai left his hand and struck the ground on the right.
"Boom!" "Boom!" "Boom!"
Countless small flames hit the ground, but as Fugaku saw this, his blood-red eyes suddenly narrowed, and his pupils quickly scanned the distance, secretly astonished.
'Impossible, how did that guy dodge my attack!?'