Day Three.
Clear skies.
Jin sat on the chair set up outside the shop, staring blankly at the sky.
After spending the past two days training in the new internal energy technique, his brain felt like it was turning to mush.
Now, he planned to take a break and relax a little.
Yashiro had already left yesterday.
Currently, the Uchiha clan district was almost deserted, with only a few ordinary civilians remaining.
When the young clan leader heads to the front lines, it's not possible for the Uchiha clan to send just a handful of people.
Naturally, around seventy percent of the clan's shinobi had been deployed as well.
The scale was impressive, and it wasn't just the Uchiha who were aware—many in Konoha knew that Fugaku had gone to the front lines.
Only a few Uchiha remained to maintain order in Konoha.
It gave Jin a strange, intentional kind of feeling.
As for Konoha itself, no one seemed particularly worried.
At this point, there weren't many who dared cause trouble in Konoha.
Whether the Uchiha were present or not made little difference. In fact, when they were around, they often made the villagers uneasy.
Even when Jin changed clothes to wander outside, he rarely heard anything good said about the Uchiha.
"I mean, everyone's gone off to fight on the front lines, so why are you still lounging around here so leisurely?"
Uchiha Nokori handed Jin a freshly prepared bento.
He had seen how the clan's shinobi were all busy, with many dispatched to the front. The other shinobi in the village were the same—now, it was rare to even see a ninja around Konoha.
In contrast, Jin still looked completely relaxed.
"You think I want this?"
Jin sighed helplessly.
It wasn't his choice—it was because of White Fang. Since the village was propping up White Fang, and Jin was his teammate, he couldn't leave unless White Fang moved.
Although it looked quite safe right now.
But once White Fang got assigned a mission, it was sure to be dangerous.
And Jin would have to risk his life as well.
"If you're a shinobi, it's natural to contribute to the village—there's no 'want to' or 'don't want to.'"
Nokori grumbled under his breath.
Jin looked at the kid, who had grown a little taller. He himself had grown too, though not as quickly as a child would.
"Why aren't you using that tone you had before? It sounds weird to me now."
Back then, he used to call him a 'waste' quite cheerfully.
What changed?
Not calling him that anymore, huh?
"You're a genius of the Uchiha now. You're no waste."
Nokori turned his head away.
Who would have thought that Uchiha Jin could turn things around?
"That's true enough," Jin said, shaking his head.
He didn't know what else to say.
He looked at the bento Nokori had brought over.
It was filled with well-prepared side dishes.
A waste would be looked down on by even the Uchiha kids, but a genius? They'd be met with kindness wherever they went.
That was the Uchiha way.
"What a beautiful day."
Jin gazed at the sky, sighing.
He had no idea how much longer he could enjoy such peace.
Watching Jin's leisurely demeanor, Nokori found it hard to imagine that this man was said to be a genius on par with the Second Hokage.
He didn't look the part at all.
But then, seemingly thinking of something, Nokori clenched his teeth and took out a stack of papers, handing them over.
"Can I get your autograph?"
"Huh?!" Jin scratched his ear, leaning in as if he hadn't heard clearly.
"What did you say?"
"I said, can I get your autograph!!" Nokori shouted.
"Why so loud? You think I'm deaf or something?"
Jin scooted away from Nokori in disdain.
"Besides, if you're asking someone for a favor, shouldn't you be a little more polite?"
Nokori's face turned bright red, purely out of frustration with Uchiha Jin.
How could a guy like this look like someone who's just had a little success?
He closed his eyes, thinking of his classmates' eager expressions.
He shouldn't have mentioned knowing Uchiha Jin in the first place.
Now he had to deal with this nonsense.
"Big brother Jin, could you please give me your autograph?"
Nokori put on a forced smile.
After all, Uchiha Jin was too famous now. If he could get Jin's autograph, he could boast for quite a while.
"Hahaha," Jin laughed, patting Nokori on the shoulder. "You should have said so earlier! An autograph, right?"
"Yeah."
Nokori looked at him expectantly.
"Nope."
Poof!
Jin disappeared in a puff of smoke, along with the bento on the table.
Nokori stared blankly at the empty chair Jin had just been sitting in, his face frozen in shock.
Soon, his anger flared up.
"UCHIHA JIN!!"
Walking out of the Uchiha district, Jin heard Nokori's voice echoing from afar and smirked.
Did Nokori really think Uchiha Jin didn't hold grudges?
"Wants an autograph, huh? Keep dreaming."
Jin strolled down the street.
But seeing a figure approaching from the other end of the street, he turned and headed back.
"Why is that guy here!?"
The figure he had just seen—the only person who could make Jin turn on his heel like that—was none other than White Fang.
Unfortunately,
He soon found himself cornered in an alley by White Fang.
Scratching his head awkwardly, White Fang asked, "Am I really that scary?"
"Heh," Jin sneered twice, letting White Fang interpret it himself.
If White Fang was coming to find him, it was definitely not good news.
"Alright, a mission just came in."
Just as he thought.
Jin sighed in resignation. He had no way to escape anyway.
"Tell me, what's the mission?"
White Fang took out a scroll and waved it.
"An S-rank mission—we're to scout the movements of the Cloud Village."
"Whoa." Jin gasped, pointing at himself. "Do you think I can handle this with my small frame?"
He had expected White Fang to bring a dangerous mission, but not one of this scale.
Scouting a village's movements?
They could very well run into their Kage, elite jonin, and countless jonin-level shinobi.
"Don't worry, I'll make sure you come back," White Fang said, with no intention of leaving Jin behind.
"Oh, thank you so much," Jin rolled his eyes. There was no point in resisting.
He was stuck.
"No need to thank me; it's a small matter," White Fang said, as if he hadn't noticed the sarcasm, and accepted the thanks calmly.
Jin looked up at the sun, now covered by clouds.
His days of relaxation were over.
...
Land of Hot Water.
Uchiha Fugaku led the way, with several Uchiha following behind him.
The group moved quickly through the mountains, soon arriving at a hidden base within the Land of Hot Water.
Since it was in a foreign country, the base was very well concealed.
Soon, they entered a secluded canyon where the base was located.
"Lord Fugaku." All the Uchiha at the base gathered.
However, the other shinobi from Konoha did not approach to greet him.
It wasn't that they had anything against Fugaku.
It was just that, for now, Fugaku still held an ordinary rank, the same as them.
Only the Uchiha showed him such respect.
The base in the Land of Hot Water had no elite jonin stationed there.
Still, the strength of the Uchiha alone was not weaker than those front lines defended by elite jonin.
Uchiha Fugaku nodded, and the others returned to their duties.
A Uchiha clan member approached Fugaku quietly.
"Young Clan Leader, the latest situation isn't optimistic. The Mist Village shinobi have been appearing more frequently."
The expressions of the surrounding Uchiha all turned serious upon hearing this.
This was definitely not good news.