Naruto : Uchiha : Chapter 48

"This isn't a simple fight between two shinobi where you may show a little mercy to a dying man Naruto. This a fight between nations, as soon as that man's eyes focused on you the first thing he saw was the Leaf symbol donned upon your headband.

That was all that he needed to want to end you and leave a small mark in his dying breath for his village." he explained sternly, watching the boy's eyes squirm around but he held them firm by cupping his cheeks in his palms and making him look into his own even more forcefully.

...

"Naruto we are almost at war…" he whispered, shocking even the two genin behind him. Just as Sakumo was about to argue about the treaty of neutrality and logic he was cut off by Sasuke's stern voice.

"The last few missions we have been doing over the past few months, just what were they?" Sasuke asked while glancing back at the strategic head of his team who pursed his lips and jogged his memory back to the moments ever since they were a team.

"We have been bringing by supplies stocked outside of the village into our secure warehouses from our nearby farming villages, occasionally a couple of inside village missions regarding some filing and…" his words were cut off by Sasuke in between.

"When does a shinobi village start to restock it's supplies?" he asked and Sakumo's eyes widened while his blood ran cold upon realization of the meaning behind his words.

The instructor turned his eyes back to the blonde who was looking at him as if he weren't even conscious but Sasuke knew they had to hear this to be prepared.

"Look around you Naruto…" he spoke in but a soft whisper, while the blonde looked around the completely destructed grounds littered with several corpses and fumes of smoke from the aftermath of a small skirmish.

"…we are at the most tense situation with the other nations than ever in the past decade or so. The Hokage knows it, but is keeping tight lipped about it to the civilians so as to not create any hurried reactions or destabilization within our walls.

The higher ranked shinobi know it too, we are almost on the verge of war Naruto, and this is what it will look like when the final spark that ignites the flames shall be sparked." he spoke in a comforting tone, doing anything but what his voice had intended to do for the blonde.

Once more he brought those darting and frightened eyes to look onto his own and slapped his cheeks gently to make them gain a bit of focus and concentration that they had ceased.

"You are the one that worries me the most child. Even now, as soon as you saw a man hurt you ran out, not caring in the least whether it was an enemy or an ally.

You need to understand that not everyone will think like you, the world isn't what it seems. This is what will become of most of these lands in the coming time. You need to harden up Naruto…" he trailed off seeing a small drop prickle the corner of those beautiful eyes and pulled him into his chest for a comforting hug.

"Sensei-" the boy sniffled, before clutching his shirt tightly in his fists and burying his face into his chest in agony when he finally let it all sink in his heart and accepted the truths in it.

"Kindness will only lead you into despair, and finally to death in the coming times children. This scouting mission was a choice I had to make, to let you see this, or not if I believed you truly were ready.

But I want you kids to be ready for anything, for I will not always be around when what awaits us is truly upon our heads. We will be short on manpower, and quite possibly, me going with you on missions will be scarcer than ever before.

So promise me, that you will always be ready to do what it takes when the time calls for it…" he asked seriously, and got a small nod from the sniffling boy in his arms and glanced back to see his other two students crying too and nodding in tears while wiping their runny noses before he motioned for them to come to him with an open arm.

He coddled all of them in his arms. Kissing their heads gently and breathing out a tired sigh while letting the three children…no shinobi now, crying their hearts out in his arms.

For what it was worth, he was glad to be their teacher even if he was the one who had to make them see this. But he won't let them die just because they weren't ready or froze up on the field like the countless others who died each day out in the world.

He loved these idiots too much for that.

...

A few days later…

The path leading through towards the great walls of the village hidden in the leaves could be seen upon the horizon by our favorite group of shinobis who had now taken a slow and serene walking pace to cover the rest of their distance in a comfortable silence.

Sasuke couldn't help but notice how serious these four had become in the past few days ever since their last scouting mission. It tore him up to not see them as lively as before, even if their antics returned a few times in between when they forgot all about it, it was still different from before.

Their eyes were different than before.

"Welcome back to the village Sasuke-sama…" the elder Sarutobi gave a curt nod to the gate guard as he signed his team in who stood silently behind him.

He turned around, looking at the three curious eyes waiting for him to go on while they followed him in for the reporting process.

Not today…

"Go on home you three, I'll take care of the report to the Hokage. Get some proper rest and sleep, you deserve it." his tone suddenly changing into a warm and fatherly one, he patted each of his genin's heads getting small smiles from them before they nodded and walked off towards their homes.

Sasuke watched them go and himself turned his eyes around towards the middle of the village, straight upon the largest structure residing there and his feet started making way to his destination.

...

Hokage Office

This time the jounin instructor of Squad seven didn't bother to use Shunshin to get to his destination, instead taking the classic way by feet and walked through the hallways of the tower while getting several smiles and nods of recognition from everyone around him.

The receptionist at the table outside of the main office smiles seeing him come towards her.

"Sasuke-sama, Hokage-sama is a bit busy right now but if you can wait for a few minutes…" her words trailed off when he walked past her without even noticing her presence in the first place. He raised his fist and gave a couple of knocks only to hear an annoyed voice stating he was busy from behind the door.

"It's me." he stated simply, getting a moment of silence from the inside while he waited outside patiently and took this time to light up a cigar upon his lips.

"Come in." came a tired answer from the inside and he twisted the door knob before closing the door shut behind him and left a gaping and baffled secretary behind him.

His eyebrow rose in surprise when he saw Tobirama sit on the couch with a cup of tea instead of taking his usual seat while his eyes were closed. He pulled out a chair and Tobirama didn't even bother opening his eyes to look up at his guest and took another sip of his tea.

"They did it." Sasuke spoke simply, taking the first initiative to break the silence that had befallen the room with his presence.

"I see…" Tobirama replied, taking his last sip and putting aside his cup to focus all his attention upon his friend.

"All of them?" came his question straight after the first one, and got a simple nod from Sasuke. He hummed in thought, taking in the man's reply and running it through his head before giving a tense nod.

"Very well." Tobirama spoke curtly, making his friend put down the written report contained within a scroll being placed upon the scroll holder over his desk.

"Don't give them any missions for a week, I request-" he was cut off in between his tired plead when Tobirama raised his palm to make him fall silent.

"I'm not going to…" his ever stoic voice stated matter of factedly, while Sasuke merely raised a curious eyebrow.

Tobirama stood up, walking to his desk and pulling out the last drawer within his desk that contained some scrolls and pulled out one of them, throwing it to the elder Sarutobi who caught it deftly within his palms.

"What's this?" Sasuke asked, flipping the cigar in his lips to the left side in order to get a better view of the scroll that held the seal of Iron Country placed upon it.

"Read it." Tobirama simply said, his tone dismissive and Sasuke knew he won't get anything more from the man.

Tobirama walked to the window in his room, his hands held behind his back while he gazed at the village he had sworn to protect with stern and stoic eyes.

...

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