The Gift and the Ambush

"Really? I don't believe it…"

Hearing those five words, Fuma's fists clenched, his gaze turning dangerously toward Obito.

"I didn't expect that even in another world, I'd hear words so irritating…"

*Smack!*

Konan landed gracefully beside Obito, rolling her eyes and tapping him on the head with a hint of annoyance.

"Fuma praised you a little, and here you are acting all modest. When you get home, won't you be wagging your tail like you're on top of the world…"

Obito scratched the spot where Konan had just hit him, looking at Fuma sheepishly. "I just didn't expect the clan leader to praise me like that…"

Fuma sighed, feeling a wave of exhaustion. He thought to himself, "If there were a name for a loyal puppy, in the shinobi world, it would definitely be Uchiha Obito…"

Fuma clearly noticed that when Konan patted Obito on the head, a glint of excitement flashed in his eyes.

Patting Obito on the shoulder, Fuma said with resignation, "No need to call me clan leader. From now on, you can just call me Fuma like Konan and the others do."

Watching Konan scold Obito, Fuma suddenly thought of a little guy who had been missing for a while—Nawaki.

Originally, Fuma had brought Konan to the Uchiha clan, hoping Nawaki could look after her and perhaps exchange ideas about explosive tag techniques.

But on the day Konan returned to Konoha, she ran into Obito next door, and since Nawaki wasn't in the village, Fuma didn't intervene, allowing Obito to take the lead.

In this situation, Fuma could only say, "Fate, it's truly wonderful in mysterious ways…"

"By the way, what has Nawaki been up to? I haven't heard any news about him in a long time," Fuma asked Minato curiously.

Minato hesitated, glancing at Obito and Konan nearby, and shook his head slightly, as if it wasn't something he could openly discuss.

Fuma understood immediately; Nawaki had likely been taken to Kirigakure by Orochimaru.

With Konan and Obito at their current age, they shouldn't know too much. They were still young, with limited experience, and their understanding of the shinobi world's complex abilities was minimal.

Even if they had the intent to keep secrets, they could unintentionally slip details.

It was like Kakashi in the original timeline, who spoke to gravestones, inadvertently exposing Kushina's due date, which led to Minato's family's tragedy—a disaster far greater than any shinobi war.

"Details decide success or failure…" Fuma nodded approvingly at Minato.

Since that tailed beast bomb attack, he had become more cautious, making Fuma feel more at ease about entrusting him with matters in the future.

Looking at the curious Obito and Konan, Fuma patted their heads and then opened a sealing scroll.

As the smoke cleared, three strange-looking swords appeared, trophies Fuma had taken from the Seven Ninja Swordsmen of the Mist.

To Fuma, these swords were just toys. But for Konan and Obito, still in their growth phase, they would make excellent training tools and help broaden their horizons.

Minato, with a soft smile, introduced the puzzled young ones to the swords.

"These are swords from the Seven Ninja Swordsmen of the Mist. Not only are these shinobi Mist's elite, but each also wields a sword tailored to their ninjutsu."

"Legend has it that the seven of them together could conquer a small country in one night…"

"This is the Longsword: Sewing Needle. It can pierce through anything and stitch it back together. With its long attack range and great lethality, a steel wire is attached to the blade for covert attacks."

"This one is the Blastsword: Spray. This sword can summon countless explosive tags, with immense destructive power. It's said to self-destruct, unleashing unimaginable force."

"Finally, we have the Greatsword: Samehada. It can absorb the opponent's chakra and inject it into the wielder's body, stimulating cellular regeneration."

Minato chuckled softly. Before he returned, the internal strife within Kirigakure had intensified to the point that it even baffled Orochimaru, who had finally found the cause.

Fuma handed the Blastsword: Spray to Obito, motioning for him to take it.

"Konan's ninjutsu is deeply connected to explosive tags. With this sword, your teamwork will become even stronger."

Obito took the sword excitedly, though his strength was insufficient to wield it easily, his face turning red from the effort.

Seeing this, Minato laughed heartily. "Don't worry, Obito. When it comes to physical training, I know plenty of ways to make you stronger. I went through hardships myself since I was young…"

He glanced at Fuma, his gaze filled with complicated emotions.

Obito, eager for Minato's guidance, was blissfully unaware of the intense training that awaited him…

Fuma then turned to Konan, signaling her to choose a sword as well. Konan waved her hand and said seriously, "Fuma-san, my ninjutsu doesn't require close-range combat. I'd probably just waste these swords."

Fuma nodded; given Konan's fighting style, a sword would be a burden.

Minato, without hesitation, picked up Samehada. "Fuma, I'll take this one. I could use a bit of extra endurance…"

Minato quickly performed several sealing techniques on the hilt, causing Samehada to weaken immediately, looking quite drained.

"Alright… you can have it."

Fuma wasn't particularly attached to Samehada; absorbing chakra was his own specialty, so he didn't need the sword's help.

But just imagining Minato teleporting with the Flying Thunder God Technique, then wielding Samehada in battle, was quite amusing.

With his well-built physique, which Fuma had trained since he was young, wielding Samehada would be easy for Minato, so it seemed reasonable enough…

The Longsword: Sewing Needle lay there alone, ignored.

Suddenly, Fuma thought of a perfect use for it.

"Now that I think about it, Fugaku's wedding is coming up, and I haven't prepared a gift yet. This sword should suffice—nobody else wants it, anyway…"

Beside him, Obito nudged Minato with an eager expression.

"Minato-sensei, how about I graduate from the academy early? Training directly with you has to be better than staying there, right?"

Minato shook his head, his tone meaningful. "In Konoha, don't stand out too much unless you're capable of handling most unexpected situations."

"Even though you have Fuma as support, as the younger generation, we shouldn't create trouble for him."

"The turmoil in the shinobi world hasn't settled yet. For now, just focus on training quietly at the academy. There will come a day, Obito, when you'll need to step forward."

Obito nodded, saying, "Understood, Minato-sensei. I just don't like the academy's environment, especially the Will of Fire class. After reading Fuma's book, it all just feels hypocritical and disgusting…"

This was Fuma's countermeasure for the Uchiha. He had provided a deep analysis of the Will of Fire, mixing in his own insights and criticisms to ensure ideological unity within the Uchiha clan.

The level of scheming in the shinobi world was one thing, but culturally, it was a wasteland; otherwise, Jiraiya's novels wouldn't have been so popular.

This allowed an unclear concept like the Will of Fire to gather followers willing to sacrifice everything.

Without Fuma's preemptive measure, the Uchiha's extreme personalities could lead to someone eventually betraying the clan.

Minato cleared his throat. As Kushina's boyfriend, he had contributed much to that book, [An Analysis of the Will of Fire].

After all, the mysteries of the Land of Whirlpools weren't simple and provided ample material to work with.

"Alright, Obito, train hard. Didn't you say you lost to Kakashi recently? Use beating him as a small goal to start with."

Minato teased Obito with a smirk.

Hearing Minato's words, Obito bristled with indignation, shouting:

"That cocky Kakashi, he's only smug because of his dad, White Fang. Now that I have Minato-sensei and Fuma-san, he'll be no match for me soon!"

Fuma's eyes narrowed slightly. This was another deviation from the original timeline. It seemed White Fang had held off on pushing Kakashi to graduate.

"Alright, off you go… Fuma and I have some things to discuss."

After Obito and Konan left, Minato's expression turned serious as he lowered his voice.

"Fuma, about the negotiations with the village elders regarding Kushina—are things not going well?"

"Two months ago, there was an attack on an Uchiha clan member. I broke the attacker's left arm, but the Root took him away…"

"I later checked the records. His name was Hiruko, and he's now been classified as a rogue shinobi by the Third Hokage."

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