A timid voice reached my ears.
Uchiha Tatsumi narrowed his eyes, looking at the girl in worn clothes.
From the moment she entered, he had already recognized her identity—Konan.
Her appearance was distinctive—about five or six years old, with blue hair. But her demeanor was completely different from the cold and composed woman she would later become.
Their eyes met briefly before the girl lowered her gaze.
"Um… can you ninjas give us some food?" she hesitated before repeating her request.
At that moment, Mikoto walked up to Uchiha Tatsumi, surprise evident on her face. They were already near the battlefield, and encountering wandering orphans here was rare.
Tsunade's younger brother, Nawaki, glanced at Uchiha Tatsumi. Though he said nothing, Tatsumi immediately understood his meaning.
Indeed, they were in the middle of a battlefield, pursued by Iwa-nin. If information about their location leaked, they would all be finished.
The safest option was to kill these children. Pity was a luxury a ninja could not afford—especially when potential threats, no matter how small, could endanger their own survival.
Even if the other party were innocent orphans.
Nawaki, assuming Tatsumi was hesitating, moved as if to act.
Uchiha Tatsumi grabbed his wrist and shook his head. "They're just wandering orphans. It's fine."
Nawaki was stunned for a moment, then nodded and sat back down.
Of course, stopping Nawaki wasn't because Tatsumi had suddenly grown soft or wanted to change the future. His mere existence had already thrown many things into disarray.
No, the real reason was that these children had too complicated a background. They couldn't afford to provoke them.
Nagato and Yahiko were hiding nearby, just behind Konan. If they tried to deal with her, they'd have to handle all three at once.
But… could they really kill Nagato?
Or rather—did Tatsumi dare to kill Nagato?
Nagato was Madara's little pawn.
If anything happened to his "precious toy," then their lives would be forfeit. For all he knew, Madara might be watching them even now.
Attacking was simply not an option. Killing Nagato, who possessed the Rinnegan, was not something that could be done on a whim.
For all Tatsumi knew, Nagato could suddenly awaken and blast them all away with a Shinra Tensei. He wasn't about to gamble with Mikoto and Nawaki's lives.
Even if they managed to escape, but failed to kill Nagato, his vengeful nature would ensure that they paid for it in the future.
Wasn't Hanzo proof enough of that?
A ninja had to be perceptive. A ninja who didn't know when to fear the strong and bully the weak was not a good ninja.
Without overwhelming strength or protagonist-level plot armor, offending the wrong people would only lead to an unmarked grave.
Tatsumi had no reason to make enemies of them now.
He would wait.
When Madara died, then, if conflicts arose, it would all come down to strength. And Tatsumi didn't believe for a second that he would lose to the future Nagato.
"We just finished making dinner. You can eat with us," Tatsumi said, looking at Konan.
"Huh?" Nawaki gave him a strange look.
Tatsumi, since when are you this generous?
…Wait, could it be?
Could he have taken a liking to this little girl? She's only five or six years old! You really have the heart to go that far?!
Konan, who had been tense, finally smiled. A moment ago, she had nearly run away in fear.
She turned and waved toward the entrance. "Yahiko, Nagato, Little Dot, come quickly!"
A blond-haired boy entered first, followed by a quiet, red-haired child. His long hair partially covered his face. A small yellow dog in his arms wagged its tail, tongue lolling at the scent of food.
"Um, my name is Yahiko." Yahiko stepped forward and introduced himself.
He was only five or six, but seeing that the older ninjas seemed friendly, he quickly warmed up to them.
It reminded Tatsumi of Nawaki.
Konan politely bowed. "My name is Konan."
Yahiko nudged the silent redhead beside him before scratching his cheek awkwardly. "Don't mind him. He gets quiet around strangers. His name is Nagato."
Tatsumi nodded. "I'm Tatsumi. This is Mikoto, and this guy is Nawaki."
Then, he stood and made room for the three of them.
The children bowed politely before sitting at the edge of the table. The wooden chairs creaked slightly under their weight.
"Wow, it smells amazing!" Yahiko exclaimed, eyes widening at the food piled on the table. "I haven't smelled anything this good in forever!"
Tatsumi narrowed his eyes slightly. "By the way, how did you find us?"
He didn't believe it was pure coincidence. The Iwa-nin had searched the area for days without finding their hideout.
At his sudden question, Yahiko and the others froze.
"A-ah, I'm sorry!" Yahiko stood abruptly and bowed. "We were looking for you!"
"Hm?"
"We saw him stealing food in town a week ago." Yahiko pointed at Nawaki.
"We know this area really well, so we searched every cave until we found you."
Nawaki's expression darkened.
Tatsumi felt betrayed.
Nawaki, you traitor! How could you sell out your teammates like this?!
Seeing their reactions, Konan quickly apologized. "I'm sorry, ninja-sama!"
Tatsumi sighed. These three hadn't met Jiraiya yet, so they hadn't developed the idea of seeking out the Sannin as teachers.
Instead, they had spotted Nawaki—someone young but clearly a ninja—and figured he might be easier to talk to. So they had tracked them down, hoping to learn ninjutsu?
Tatsumi tapped the table, deep in thought.
Was this Madara's doing? Or just coincidence?
Either way, his presence had already altered the future significantly.
And one thing was certain—he had now entered Madara's sight.
That thought unsettled him.
People who attracted Madara's attention rarely had happy endings.
Nagato. Obito.
Every single one of them had been manipulated into tragedy.
Seeing the three children's uneasy expressions, Tatsumi waved a hand. "It's fine. Eat."
In the distance, thunder rumbled.
As Konan quietly sipped her soup, she stole glances at the three older ninjas.
That black-haired boy… He looked handsome, with short hair and sharp features. But there was a certain melancholy in his expression.
The girl next to him was beautiful, giving off a serene, quiet aura. And the food she made was delicious.
As for the brown-haired boy…
He seemed… like an idiot.
So she naturally ignored Nawaki.
While Konan observed, Yahiko and Nagato devoured their food like starving wolves. Their little dog, Little Dot, wagged its tail excitedly.
"Delicious! Another bowl!"
"I want more too!"
"Woof! Woof!"
…
"Wow… I think I might cry," Yahiko sighed, leaning back and rubbing his full stomach. "Konan, you should learn how to cook like this!"
Nagato and Little Dot both nodded.
Konan nudged Yahiko, subtly gesturing toward Tatsumi.
After watching them, she was certain.
The other two listened to him.
Tatsumi stepped outside, feeling the wet grass sink beneath his feet.
The realization that he had caught Madara's attention made his chest tighten.
I'm just a ten-year-old kid…
The rain grew heavier. The sound of rustling leaves blended with distant thunder.
Then, footsteps behind him.
"Um… please teach us ninjutsu!"
Another thunderclap echoed across the sky.
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