But today they didn't encounter any elderly needing help, so the two of them went home smoothly.
The next day, Shisui and Obito gathered together to train in the Southern Border Forest.
On the way to breakfast, Obito helped an old woman, and Shisui noticed Obito smiling after helping her.
After smoothly arriving at the Southern Border Forest, Shisui no longer paid attention to Obito but concentrated on cultivation.
When returning in the afternoon, he continued to observe Obito.
However, this time it was more troublesome than yesterday. They encountered an old man carrying a large hemp bag who came to visit his relatives in Konoha.
The old man was from a village near Konoha. His daughter married into Konoha, and recently, the crops in the field had a good harvest, so he wanted to let his daughter's family have a taste.
The hemp bag the old man was carrying wasn't much. It might be heavy for an ordinary person, but for ninjas with Chakra, it was nothing.
However, after they took the old man to the place, they found that his daughter's family had moved. To not waste the old man's goodwill, Obito asked around from house to house nearby and went looking. By the time they found the family, it was very dark.
Shisui realized why Obito's time of arrival at the Southern Border Forest was inconsistent. If he frequently encountered such situations, it was indeed hard to be punctual.
"Thank you so much. These are not worth anything. Take some back home." The old man said gratefully, intending to share the contents of the hemp bag with Obito and Shisui.
"No need, grandpa. Even without us, you would have found them eventually." Obito chuckled and refused politely.
After refusing the reward, Obito and Shisui returned to the Uchiha clan's land and went home.
Lying in bed, Shisui was still reflecting on his memories of Obito over the past two days.
After carefully observing Obito, Shisui genuinely felt that Obito was a unique Uchiha, unlike any Uchiha he had seen before, to the point of hardly seeming like a Uchiha.
Most of the time, Obito seemed very careless. Among his peers, he was considered outstanding, yet he could still trip or bump into things without paying attention.
Moreover, Obito rarely controlled his emotions; various emotions were almost always displayed on his face.
In noticing those needing help, Obito's observational skills were maxed out; he could see what Shisui couldn't.
After observing for three days, Shisui found Mokgetsu.
"Sensei, if Obito's Breathing Technique improves because of his enthusiasm for helping others, I fear I can't learn it. I can't genuinely and sincerely seek out strangers who need help as he does." Shisui said honestly.
Shisui didn't reject helping others, but he couldn't reach Obito's level.
Hearing Shisui's words, Mokgetsu smiled, ruffling Shisui's hair, and said with a smile:
"You can learn from Obito without needing to imitate him. Perhaps you may be kinder at heart than you imagine."
Mokgetsu didn't know exactly what Shisui and Obito did, but he could see that although Shisui's Breath of Flame wasn't progressing as quickly as Obito's, it wasn't slow either.
...
On Monday noon, Mokgetsu received news about a Jonin meeting being called again.
Since it was at the Ninja Academy, this time Mokgetsu went by himself.
Minato and Kushina arrived slightly earlier than Mokgetsu, and they were already inside when Mokgetsu reached the meeting room.
Mokgetsu stepped forward to greet them.
"It's only been a few days, and there's another meeting." Kushina expressed her exasperation.
Mokgetsu smiled but didn't join in on the complaints. There were too many people here, and some things shouldn't be said casually. Unlike Kushina, Mokgetsu couldn't afford such liberties—complaining about meetings to the extent of cursing wouldn't be much of an issue for her.
Having acquainted himself with some Jonin during the last meeting, Mokgetsu continued to familiarize himself this time, chatting just a bit.
Once everyone had arrived, Hiruzen explained the reason for the quick convening of this second Jonin meeting.
"The Hidden Cloud Village from the Land of Thunder has declared war on us," Sarutobi Hiruzen said, his expression solemn.
"The Hidden Cloud Village, aren't they currently invading the Land of Wind and warring with the Hidden Sand Village?" a Jonin expressed shock.
Though the Third Kazekage of the Hidden Sand Village vanished, it still had the foundation of one of the Five Great Ninja Villages. It's unlikely the Hidden Cloud could defeat the Hidden Sand Village quickly.
At this moment, for the Hidden Cloud to declare war on Konoha meant only one possibility: the Hidden Cloud intends to fight on two fronts and attack both Konoha and the Hidden Sand.
"Those damn Hidden Cloud savages, they're truly detestable!" Kushina cursed bluntly.
Upon hearing this news, Mokgetsu wasn't surprised as he knew eventually, Konoha would face assaults from the four major Ninja Villages. Declaration of war was just a formality, things hadn't really started yet.
Mokgetsu could somewhat deduce the intentions of the Hidden Cloud Village ninja.
Before the disappearance of the Third Kazekage, there had already been considerable friction between the Hidden Cloud and Konoha, suggesting the Hidden Cloud had intentions toward Konoha.
However, because the situation at the Hidden Sand Village was critical, directly causing the disappearance of the Kazekage, the Hidden Cloud first took action against the leaderless Hidden Sand Village.
If the Hidden Rock hadn't declared war on Konoha, Mokgetsu speculated that the Hidden Cloud wouldn't have declared war on Konoha without gaining a significant advantage over the Hidden Sand.
But given that the Hidden Rock did declare war on Konoha, things were different. Though the Hidden Cloud initiated a two-front war, Konoha, facing the Hidden Rock, also had to engage in a two-front conflict.
The Third Raikage wouldn't assume that a similar situation would see the Hidden Cloud being weaker than Konoha. If that were the case, the Hidden Cloud wouldn't be so bold in the Ninja World.
Mokgetsu figured that the Third Raikage's plan was to deplete Konoha's forces while battling the Hidden Sand, then defeat the Hidden Sand, move on to Konoha, and finally confront the Hidden Rock fighting Konoha, aiming to dominate the continent.
Mokgetsu could only say that their ambition was significant, but they overestimated their own strength and underestimated Konoha's power and the Hidden Rock's ambition.
Looking at the eventual course of the Third Ninja World War, it wasn't hard to deduce Onoki's immense ambition. If not for the sheer prowess of the Third Raikage, a significant number of the Hidden Cloud ninjas might have perished under the Hidden Rock's encirclement.
"We should send spies to disrupt their operations against the Hidden Sand," Danzo suggested.
If enough Hidden Cloud ninja are engaged with the Hidden Sand, then Konoha need not worry excessively about the pressure from a two-front war.
Nara Shikaku fell into contemplation, realizing that the Hidden Cloud's potential attack on Konoha could be more accessible than the Hidden Rock's.
For the Hidden Cloud to advance on Konoha, there are generally two options: entering from the Land of Hot Water to the northeast, or from the Land of Rice Fields directly north.
The ninja forces of the Land of Hot Water are weak, and the Land of Rice Fields is even weaker, lacking a Ninja Village entirely.
This indicates that Konoha's defensive territory is vast, necessitating vigilance along the borders with both the Land of Rice Fields and the Land of Hot Water.
"We must prevent the Hidden Cloud from defeating the Hidden Sand, while also bolstering our border defenses," Nara Shikaku declared.
This time, he agreed with Danzo's proposal; the Hidden Cloud couldn't be allowed to fully shift their attention to assaulting Konoha.
Mokgetsu sensed that the atmosphere in this meeting was heavier than the previous one, with many Jonin showing very serious expressions.
"The Hidden Sand and the Hidden Cloud are already at war, and the Hidden Rock will soon likely clash with the village. It seems the Third Ninja World War is about to break out," Minato said, filled with concern after the meeting ended.
Though Minato had rich mission experience, he had never lived through a Ninja World War. When the Second Ninja World War ended, he was still studying at the Ninja Academy.
Even so, just by reading the documented text, he could feel the brutal nature of the Ninja World Wars. Many ninjas died in battle, and even a village's shadow could perish in the warfare.
Kushina's special status meant that once the war intensified, she would definitely be on the battlefield, which was Minato's main concern.
"Those Hidden Cloud barbarians truly love to stir chaos!" Kushina's face soured as well.
However, Kushina wasn't worried about being sent to the battlefield; she was reminded of her country destroyed by war.
Kushina detested war. She had personally witnessed how her nation and village vanished amidst the chaos of battle, and the memory remained vivid even now.
"Obito's training mission, student exam rewards, Class 1-A's improvement rewards..." Mokgetsu quietly contemplated the rewards close to him.
Before the oncoming war, he realized his current strength wasn't enough to ensure his survival amidst the conflict.