Planting the Flag Before the War

After their conversation, Kurenai had Tetsuo and Hamasu stay at their house, and the four of them shared a meal together. It was the first reunion of the four classmates in years.

After the meal, Tetsuo took Hamasu and left.

"Goodbye, Aniki and sister-in-law."

Once the two brothers departed, the house became Shintaro and Kurenai's world.

Even though it wasn't the first time they had to part ways, they still couldn't escape the sadness that came with it.

They silently finished cleaning up the table and chairs, then sat on the sofa, leaning on each other.

"Don't move, let me lean on you for a bit."

Kurenai's eyes were filled with tears as she leaned on Shintaro, savoring the last moments of tenderness before their separation.

Shintaro's heart was deeply moved, and he adjusted his posture so Kurenai could lean more comfortably.

Throughout his years in this world, aside from the time spent with his parents outside the village during his childhood, the life he shared with Kurenai was the most comforting.

In Shintaro's eyes, Kurenai was still just a young girl, but a girl like her gave him a sense of belonging, preventing him from feeling like an outsider in this world.

For a moment, Shintaro's throat tightened, and he said, "After this war, let's get married."

Perhaps he said this because he was unaware of the ominous implications of what is known as "planting a flag."

But even if he knew, he would still choose to say it because, with his strength, he was unafraid of such things, and his current emotions were so intense that he had to express them.

"Get married?!"

"Isn't it a bit too soon..."

Kurenai was never one to shy away from emotions, but now her cheeks were flushed, her skin as red as the evening clouds.

Shintaro turned to the side, wrapped his arms around her shoulders, and pressed his forehead against her slightly curly black hair, softly asking in her ear, "Don't you want to?"

"It's not that, it's just... I'm not of age yet..."

Shintaro understood her concern and explained, "We're both fifteen. By the time the war ends, we'll naturally be of the right age."

"Although this war won't escalate into a great ninja war, it won't end quickly either. It may take three years... Even though I truly don't want to part from you, I have no choice."

"They say that a long parting is better than a new marriage. Since separation is inevitable, let's get married when we meet again."

"I can hardly wait..."

At fifteen, Kurenai had already grown into a beautiful woman, and everything that should have developed had developed, like a rose in full bloom, soft and lovely, pure and beautiful.

As a result, Shintaro's breath quickened, and he greedily inhaled the faint fragrance emanating from Kurenai's body.

The breath that escaped brushed against Kurenai's slender, white neck, making her feel ticklish, yet she couldn't break free from Shintaro's embrace.

"I promise you... Shintaro..."

"First... let go... it tickles..."

Shintaro let go of her with a smile, sighed, and his eyes cleared, "Alright, after all, I'm not in a rush."

His words were so teasing that Kurenai playfully hit him, saying with embarrassment and frustration, "Really, where did you learn to say things like that?"

Shintaro spread his arms wide and said confidently, "I learned it from the erotic books Kakashi reads every day."

"Hmph, I didn't expect a genius like Kakashi to read such books. You better not read them in the future, or you might pick up bad habits."

"Okay, okay, I'll listen to you."

The playful banter and the prospect of a future marriage managed to ease Kurenai's worries about Shintaro's impending battle.

The two spent their last night before the war peacefully.

❀❀❀

The next morning, Shintaro assembled at the Hokage building and set off for the northeastern border of the Land of Fire with five hundred other Konoha ninja.

When the last ninja world war had just begun, he had immediately rushed to the northeastern Land of Fire to fend off the Kumogakure invasion.

Back then, he was just an ordinary soldier, at best, a novice ninja.

But now, only a few years later, Shintaro was once again heading to the northeastern Land of Fire, but his identity was vastly different.

This change in identity was fundamentally due to the increase in his strength and reputation.

In the past, those who could lead troops alone were often powerful individuals at the level of the Sannin.

Now, the reputation of the White-Haired Demon Eyes was on par with the three Sannin, and his strength was even greater.

What was even more terrifying was that Shintaro was only fourteen years old.

It was no surprise that the top advisors of Konoha, led by Danzo, saw him as a significant threat.

"Aniki, how long do you think this war will last?"

As Shintaro's right-hand man in the Uchiha Clan, Tetsuo and Hamasu followed him. This time, Tetsuo asked the question.

"Around two or three years, why?"

Hamasu nodded, then blushed as if thinking of something, "It's nothing..."

Shintaro had never seen Hamasu, who was always clever and practical, show such a simple and shy expression.

At this moment, Tetsuo was very honest and spilled his brother's secret.

"My little brother has been getting close to Uncle Teyaki's daughter lately. It seems I'm going to have a second sister-in-law."

He spoke with a sincere smile, but his head was quickly smacked by Hamasu's large, unforgiving hand.

"Brother, you don't even know your own zodiac signs yet."

"Oh? What's going on? I also love the pancakes made by the uncle who was let go. When did you meet his daughter? Do you like her?"

Shintaro smiled faintly and looked at Tetsuo beside him.

Hamasu didn't dare treat Shintaro's question as carelessly as he would his brother's foolishness, so he could only answer obediently.

"I think she's pretty sweet. Even though her eyes are small, her smile is very lovely. I want to confess to her after the war."

"I just don't know if she'll agree..."

As Hamasu spoke, he became conflicted, and Shintaro lamented that indeed even heroes struggle when it comes to love. Even someone as sharp as Hamasu could fall under the pressure of affection.

"Haha, I think she will." Shintaro patted Hamasu on the shoulder and said, "In the Uchiha Clan, regardless of gender or age, everyone admires strength. The two of you are stronger than many of the ninja in the clan and even in the village. You've both become Jonin at a young age. Based on that alone, Uncle Teyaki's daughter won't reject you."

Hearing this, Hamasu felt a surge of confidence. Indeed, compared to Shintaro, the two brothers were nothing, but compared to others, he still had faith in himself.

In the current Uchiha Clan, aside from the patriarch and Shintaro, the next strongest were Tetsuo and Hamasu. Even some of the veteran Jonin in the clan were on par with them, at best.

Although Shisui and Itachi were very talented, they were still too young and lagged behind the two brothers.

"Alright then, I feel reassured. I'll confess my feelings once the war is over."