Uchiha Jin fell into brief contemplation instead of immediately answering Uchiha Fugaku.
He turned to Hyuga Hizashi.
"How far is the first reinforcement unit?"
Hizashi calculated quickly. "Large-scale troop movement is slower than ours. At minimum, they're over half an hour out."
Jin nodded.
"Their commander is your elder brother, Hyuga Hiashi. You have a way to contact him, correct?"
"We do," Hizashi replied without hesitation. "The Hyūga have their own communication system."
Ancient clans did not survive for millennia without contingencies.
"Good. Inform Hiashi immediately. Redirect the entire unit to Kikyō Mountain."
"Yes."
Hizashi wasted no time. He pulled out a specialized scroll and began transmitting coded instructions.
Jin then looked at Fugaku and gestured toward Tōdai and the bound Cloud prisoners.
"Speed is everything now. Bringing them along will slow us too much. Take the Tenth Division and escort the captives back to the village."
Logically, executing Tōdai here would be the simplest solution.
But strategically?
A Kumogakure elder and high-value prisoners were bargaining chips too valuable to discard.
They would matter later.
Fugaku hesitated.
"We're already outnumbered. Splitting our forces makes you more vulnerable."
"And if we keep them," he added, "they may restrain the Raikage's actions."
Jin shook his head.
"In a battle of thousands, fifty more or less changes nothing."
"And if it were only Kumogakure, perhaps hostages might matter."
"But Iwa and Suna are watching."
"And A?" Jin's eyes hardened. "If he holds absolute military superiority, hostages won't restrain him. They'll provoke him."
Fugaku still looked unconvinced.
"Then I'll take the strike force. You return. You are the clan head—"
Jin laughed lightly.
"Don't be dramatic. This isn't as dire as you think."
"As long as the village is informed immediately, reinforcements can reach Kikyō Mountain within a day."
"That means we only need to hold half a day."
"Our odds are still good."
Then he turned to Tobi.
"Contact Kenji. Get the intelligence to Minato Namikaze immediately."
Tobi nodded and relayed the message through White Zetsu.
"That's settled. First, Fourth, Seventh Divisions—move. Hyūga Archer Corps with me."
Without allowing further debate, Jin departed with over two hundred shinobi toward Kikyō Mountain.
Fugaku could only sigh.
He abandoned further battlefield cleanup and led the Tenth Division back toward Konoha with the captives.
Meanwhile — Konoha Outskirts, Near the Orphanage
Beneath the shadows of the forest bordering the Konoha Orphanage—
A White Zetsu emerged abruptly from a tree trunk.
"Kenji, there's trouble!"
Obito Uchiha nearly jumped out of his skin.
"Idiot! Don't scare people like that! And stop calling me Kenji!"
White Zetsu tilted its head.
"You're not Madara Uchiha anymore. You're not Tobi. And you haven't gone back to being Obito yet. So what should we call you?"
"Tobi said that's your new codename."
Obito's teeth ground audibly.
Ever since Tobi had interacted with Jin, the nickname "Uchiha Kenji" had spread among the White Zetsu.
Thankfully, they didn't understand its meaning.
Otherwise, he'd never live it down.
"Fine," Obito muttered. "What happened?"
White Zetsu relayed everything in detail.
Jin's instructions.
The mobilization.
The threat to Kikyō Mountain.
Obito's expression shifted immediately.
This wasn't politics.
This was survival.
"I understand. Keep watching the orphanage."
Without hesitation, his body twisted and vanished into Kamui space.
Moments later, he appeared outside the Hokage Tower.
He frowned.
Minato was inside.
In a meeting.
Too many eyes.
Too many complications.
And his identity—
Still hidden.
How would he gain Minato's trust?
After long consideration, Obito exhaled slowly.
There were moments when secrets mattered.
And moments when they didn't.
Konoha's survival outweighed everything.
If Jin had sent him personally, then Jin had already accounted for this.
Decision made.
Obito retreated briefly into Kamui space.
He removed his mask.
Stripped off the disguise.
Put on traditional Uchiha attire bearing the clan crest.
Then—
From a neglected corner—
He retrieved an old Konoha forehead protector.
Dust brushed away.
Metal gleamed faintly in the dawn light.
He tied it around his forehead.
His gaze sharpened.
Resolute.
He stepped out of Kamui space and into the open.
Konoha shinobi—
Uchiha Obito has arrived.
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