A timid voice reached his ears.
Uchiha Tatsumi narrowed his eyes, studying the girl in ragged clothing.
The moment she stepped into the cave, he recognized her—Konan.
Her appearance was distinctive: blue hair tied in a bun, and an origami flower clipped to the side. She looked five or six years old, but the icy demeanor associated with her future self hadn't yet formed.
Their eyes met briefly before the girl dropped her gaze.
"C-could you spare some food… Lord Ninja?" she asked hesitantly.
Mikoto walked up beside Tatsumi, surprised. This close to a battleground, running into a wandering orphan was rare.
Rope Tree turned to Tatsumi, eyes questioning but silent.
Tatsumi understood immediately. They were deep in enemy territory, constantly pursued by Iwa-nin. If their location was exposed, they'd be dead within hours.
The most logical course was to eliminate the child. Mercy had no place on the battlefield—especially if the other party might compromise your safety. Even if that party was just an orphan.
Seeing Tatsumi remain quiet, Rope Tree began to rise, assuming he was simply unsure.
Tatsumi grabbed his arm and shook his head. "She's just a stray. It's fine."
Rope Tree blinked, then nodded and sat down.
But Tatsumi's reason wasn't sentimentality, nor was it a desire to "preserve the timeline." His mere existence had already distorted the future.
The real issue was that the girl wasn't alone—and her companions had powerful connections. Ones they couldn't afford to provoke.
Yahiko and Nagato were likely waiting just outside the cave.
And killing Konan meant killing them, too.
But... could they even kill Nagato?
Nagato was the pawn of Uchiha Madara. The real one. The man who had given him the Rinnegan. If anything happened to that "precious toy," Madara might already be watching from the shadows.
No. There was no way Tatsumi would risk it. Nagato, wielder of the Rinnegan, wasn't someone you messed with. Even now, at this age, his latent power was terrifying.
What if he suddenly awakened that power in a burst of emotion? One Shinra Tensei and the entire cave could collapse.
Even if Tatsumi, Mikoto, and Rope Tree managed to flee, there was no way they could eliminate Nagato. And if he lived... he'd never forget. He'd come for them in the future—with the Six Paths of Pain at his command.
Just look at what happened to Hanzo.
A ninja needed foresight. A hot-headed shinobi wouldn't survive long in this world.
So no, Tatsumi had no intention of fighting them.
He'd just bide his time, grow stronger. When Madara finally died, the future conflicts would be decided by strength. And he didn't plan to lose to the future Nagato.
"It just so happens we cooked dinner," Tatsumi said, eyes locked on Konan. "You can join us."
"Oh?" Rope Tree shot him a strange look.
Tatsumi, being generous? Was he interested in the girl? At her age?
Konan's frozen expression thawed slightly, a small smile forming. Just moments earlier, she'd nearly turned and run.
She waved toward the cave entrance. "Yahiko, Nagato—come on in."
A boy with spiky orange hair stepped in, followed by a red-haired child with long bangs covering half his face. He cradled a small, scruffy puppy in his arms, which licked the air as it smelled food.
"I'm Yahiko," the orange-haired boy said brightly, taking the lead.
Though he was only five or six, he was already friendly and confident.
That part reminded Tatsumi of Rope Tree.
Konan gave a polite bow. "My name is Konan."
Nagato remained silent, his gaze downcast. Yahiko gently nudged him and chuckled. "He gets shy around strangers. His name's Nagato."
Tatsumi nodded. "I'm Tatsumi. This is Mikoto, and that's Rope Tree."
He stood and made room on the bench. The three sat down carefully, the wooden seat creaking under the added weight.
"Wow, it smells amazing," Yahiko said, eyes wide at the steaming food on the table. "It's been forever since I smelled something this good."
"How did you find us?" Tatsumi asked, his tone even but sharp.
He didn't believe it was a coincidence. If Iwa-nin hadn't tracked them down, how had these three?
Yahiko stiffened under the scrutiny, then stood up and bowed. "S-sorry! We've been searching for you."
"We saw Rope Tree in a nearby town stealing food," he explained, pointing at him. "Since we know the area, we figured you'd be hiding in the caves. So we checked them one by one."
Rope Tree's face darkened with embarrassment.
Tatsumi sighed. Why is this guy such a liability?
Konan quickly bowed, her voice flustered. "Please forgive us, Lord Ninja."
Tatsumi remained silent. These three hadn't yet met Jiraiya. Their plan to seek out a Sannin hadn't formed yet. But having seen a young ninja like Rope Tree stealing food, they'd probably thought he was approachable—and decided to follow him, hoping to learn ninjutsu.
Tatsumi knocked on the table, deep in thought. Was this fate? Or was Madara manipulating things again?
Either way, one thing was clear: Uchiha Tatsumi was now on Madara's radar.
And being on that man's radar never ended well.
Nagato was one example.
So was Obito.
Tatsumi exhaled slowly and waved a hand. "Don't worry about it. Eat."
A faint thunder rolled in the distance as Konan, still clutching her bowl, glanced toward the trio seated around the fire.
The boy with black hair and short bangs had handsome features—but his eyes held a sadness that seemed older than his years.
The girl next to him was serene, elegant—Mikoto's quiet beauty matched the warmth of the meal.
As for the brown-haired boy with a round face and energetic movements… Konan narrowed her eyes. He gave off strong idiot energy. She naturally chose to ignore Rope Tree.
While Konan studied them, Nagato and Yahiko devoured the food like starving wolves, drawing a bead of sweat from her temple.
"It's delicious! Can I have another bowl?" Yahiko beamed.
"Me too!"
"Bowl!"
…
"Ahh, I could cry," Yahiko said after eating, patting his full belly. "It's been ages since I had a real meal. Konan, you need to learn to cook like this."
Nagato and the little puppy both nodded solemnly.
Konan tugged at Yahiko's sleeve, motioning subtly toward Tatsumi, who had stepped outside the cave.
After some observation, she'd realized something: the other two listened to him.
Tatsumi stood at the edge of the cave, gazing at the rain-soaked grass underfoot. The steady drizzle darkened the earth beneath his sandals.
Being watched by Madara… it made it hard to breathe. He felt smothered by the weight of the future.
I'm just a ten-year-old kid… What am I supposed to do?
Behind him, the sound of rain shifted. Leaves rustled louder than the droplets. Footsteps approached.
Then came a quiet voice, determined and clear:
"Please… teach us ninjutsu!"
A fresh rumble of thunder echoed across the dark sky.
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