Growing Tension

(Haruto Pov)

I was walking towards the park holding hands with my 2-year-old son. He seemed rather excited to go to the park. He had made a couple of friends over the past couple of months, most other Uchiha, but none caught my attention.

Although Uchiha are born with greatness in their blood, not everyone can unlock that potential. Sadly many Uchiha never reached even a fraction of their true potential throughout their entire lives.

That doesn't matter right now. After all, my son just needed playmates to run around and have fun with. I knew the importance of enjoying the little bits of youth that shinobi get in this world. These happy times with friends and, more importantly, family will help him to get through the approaching dark times.

That's why I had done my best to spend time with him and grow our bond over these years. I had never been close to my father. He had always been distant and more like a footnote in my life. Learning from his horrible style of parenting, I decided to be very involved in the life of my son.

I would make sure that we would have the bond a father and son should have. One where the son can trust his father to take care of the family and only has to worry about growing up in this harsh world. Sadly with the tension growing, I had a feeling my son would have to grow up fast.

I could feel it coming. The tension had always been there, but last year something had changed. The death of Sakumo Hatake had been the trigger point. Although most of the populace had condemned him and many even felt happy at his death.

Others, including myself, understood just how important his passing was. The white fang was more than just a powerful shinobi. He was a symbol to the world of the hidden leaf's power. He was the 2nd strongest shinobi in the village, only after the 3rd Hokage himself.

The world had respected and feared the man for his raw power, skill with the blade, and keen mind. His death was more than simply the death of a man. It was a sign of weakness. With that, the other shinobi villages turned their full attention toward the hidden leaf looking for more weak points.

This led to them noticing the strange behavior of one of the sanin. The famous slug princess known for her medical prowess was now drinking, and gambling like there was no tomorrow. Of course, the Anbu did their best to stop the spies, but seeing how blatant Tsunade was, it wasn't hard to figure out something was wrong with her.

That was just another reason why the tension had been building for the past year. I believe that it will still be a couple more years till the war begins. Everyone has been preparing, and no one wants to be the first to attack.

That won't stop the inevitable. One day someone will decide that they're done waiting, and the 3rd ninja war will begin. In preparation for this, children have been graduating much earlier than normal. The average age now is 9 years old.

They were meant to be mere meat shields or distractions during the war. Even the white fang's own son graduated at 5 years old. A remarkable achievement and showing he had inherited his father's prowess. I had even seen the boy training and had to admit he was a true genius.

One meant for greatness, however… I also noticed the look in his eyes. Depression, pain, and shame are just below the surface. Something no 5-year-old should ever feel. Even with all of his potential and skill, I didn't believe the boy would ever reach the same heights as his father.

Eventually, he would burn out, and the burden the boy was carrying would crush him. A sad fact is that in this world, not many ever achieve their destiny. I came out of my thoughts as we reached the park.

My son sprinted toward a group of children and waved back at me. I showed a small smile, and body flickered onto a nearby tree to continue watching him. As I watched my son playing, I knew I had to do my best in order to help him achieve his full potential.

I had noticed that my son was smart for his age and that he had a bright future ahead of him. He was even a sensor, which made me quite happy when I found out. Being able to check your surroundings and better track your opponents were critical abilities in a battle. It will help him greatly when he participates in this war.

He would still be young, perhaps too young in other people's views, but in order for him to become great, he needed to be pushed and pushed hard. This war would allow his Uchiha blood to raise him to new heights just like it did me and all the great Uchiha before us.

More importantly, however, this war would allow me to reach the goal I had dreamed of for so long. The power of a Kage. If I could reach Kage level during this war, my son's future would be more secure, and my power in the clan will be second only to the patriarch.

In order to do this, however, I would need to gain perfect control over my sharingan, sharpen my instincts, and push my swordsmanship to the next level of mastery. I had dedicated myself to raising my son and training, but without the life-and-death battles, I had gained slight improvements at best.

Right now, my power mainly comes from my skill with the blade mixed with my lightning release and my excellent control of the sharingan. I could be better. No. I would be better. For my clan, family, and the future, I needed to be stronger.

This war would allow my son and I to achieve more of our locked potential. I know the future will be hard, but as I looked down at my son, I knew all the blood would be worth it in the end. Uchiha will do anything for love, and I intend to do just that.