Not far away, Minato and Nawaki felt like they were full before they even started eating.
Dear heavens, if I've committed a sin, just strike me with lightning as punishment!
Don't make me suffer through watching these two shove their affection in my face!
I'm going to burst from all this forced sweetness.
"Minato, Nawaki, come on, I made some for you too."
"Sigh~ coming!"
Who cares about being single? Fill the stomach first, then worry about it!
As much as the love was overwhelming, hunger was a real problem.
What a couple of hopeless fools.
Xin looked at them with disdain.
Just moments ago, they were acting all disgusted, pretending to cringe.
But now, as soon as they heard there was food, they rushed over without hesitation.
Nawaki being a clown was expected, but even you, Minato?
Turns out, being a clown is contagious.
Due to the large number of people, it would take the entire group two days to reach the front lines in the Land of Whirlpools. If it were just a small squad traveling at full speed, they could have made it in a day.
"Xin, could we talk for a moment?"
On the way, Uchiha Fugaku, who was personally leading the support troops, approached Xin.
"Sure."
At this point, Xin no longer needed to avoid being associated with the Uchiha clan. As long as he didn't officially rejoin the clan, the Third Hokage wouldn't use it against him.
"I heard your wife gave birth to a healthy baby boy."
"Yeah."
Mentioning this brought a rare, warm smile to Fugaku's usually stoic face.
"Itachi. His name is Uchiha Itachi."
Without Mikoto, Uchiha Fugaku had gotten married much earlier than in the original timeline.
So, their child was born earlier too.
Perhaps it was fate. The dutiful son had still come into this world and was named Uchiha Itachi.
Though now, Itachi was a little older than he was in the original series.
He was about the same age as Shisui Uchiha.
Ignoring the looks from the nearby Anbu ninja, Fugaku and Xin distanced themselves from the group, walking at a leisurely pace.
Looking up at the blue sky, Fugaku sighed deeply.
"I once thought my father was too stubborn, that he mishandled many things, especially the relationship between the village and the clan. But now that I'm in his position, I realize things aren't nearly as simple as I imagined."
A family with three different factions-how could it be simple?
Xin couldn't help but admire the Uchiha's complexity.
But if the Uchiha could unite as one and Fugaku stopped being so cautious, would the village still dare to target them so blatantly?
At that point, even the Third Hokage wouldn't be able to sleep peacefully.
For example, if the Uchiha caused some unrest during the war, the higher-ups would be in big trouble.