"Teacher Minato, why didn't you take me with you?"
Obito's eyes dimmed.
He knew there could've been all sorts of reasons. Maybe Minato hadn't seen him in time, or hadn't recognized him. Maybe Minato was worried about Jiraiya. Minato...
But he hadn't been taken along. That was that.
He was already dead to the Leaf Village. Who could possibly still remember him?
Grandma?
His grandma had died long ago.
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Rin?
Obito couldn't lie to himself. Rin liked Kakashi!
"Obito, you actually dared to run away! I ought to bury you!"
Fish Ball charged over in a fury, waving her cat claws.
On the other side, Madara recognized the Ninjutsu Minato had used.
"Flying Thunder God!"
Madara's expression darkened. "That brat Tobirama's technique! Minato Namikaze, well done. Very well done."
The person Madara had hated most in his life was undoubtedly Senju Tobirama.
Senju Tobirama had stabbed his younger brother with Flying Thunder God Slash, causing Izuna to die in his prime.
Later, he'd persuaded Hashirama not to let Madara become the Second Hokage, then altered Leaf Village's textbooks to erase all mention of Madara's deeds.
He'd done every rotten thing imaginable!
If Hashirama Senju hadn't protected Senju Tobirama so well, Madara would've killed him long ago.
Liao Wu came over and egged him on. "Minato Namikaze's Flying Thunder God technique is a serious threat to you, Old Ancestor. We should just go to the Leaf Village and hunt him down."
"Kill Minato Namikaze and take his wife."
"Get lost!"
Madara kicked Liao Wu.
Madara considered himself invincible in the Ninja World, but he didn't think he could do whatever he pleased.
If the Leaf Village's tens of thousands of Ninja Army troops unleashed every Secret Technique and Forbidden Technique at once, even Madara would have to avoid their full force.
After all, he was still only human.
He could bleed, grow tired, and be sealed.
Until you became one of the Six Paths, you were still an ant!
Madara looked at Liao Wu and suddenly realized something. "You're a clone, aren't you? Where's your real body?"
Liao Wu's Clone replied, "He went to the bathroom. Everyone's gotta go sometime!"
"Hmph!"
Madara snorted, then looked toward the Land of Rain. "Let's go. It's time to retrieve my eyes."
Suddenly, Madara spat out a mouthful of blood.
Liao Wu froze, then rejoiced inwardly. Madara Old Demon was injured!
Black and White Zetsu, who had appeared beside Madara, also froze.
Madara caught the blood in his palm. It was black blood tainted with Snake Venom. The Hashirama Cells inside Madara's body had sensed it and expelled it.
Madara's expression darkened. "Orochimaru. Well done, Orochimaru. I really shouldn't underestimate his poison!"
"I'll purge the poison from my body first. Nagato, you can't escape."
The Border Canyon near the Land of Fire, in the Land of Grass.
The Third Hokage had brought a large force of Ninja, Anbu, and elite shinobi from the various clans to set up camp there.
The Sarutobi, Senju, Ino-Shika-Cho, Inuzuka...
The only ones missing were the Uchiha.
As soon as he received Tsunade's message, the Third Hokage had led the elite forces out in a hurry, heading for the Land of Grass.
Madara Uchiha was a legendary Ninja on par with the First Hokage. The Third Hokage couldn't afford to be careless.
He'd even ordered the front lines to abandon the war against the Mist Village and recall every Ninja squad.
The senior members of the various clans followed the Third Hokage, all of them puzzled.
What could have happened to make the entire village rush out in such a panic? The Third Hokage hadn't said.
All they could do was speculate.
Maybe someone had kidnapped Lao Feng, the Third Hokage's, and that was why he was in such a hurry.
After running all the way to the border, everyone was exhausted, so the Third Hokage ordered the army to stop and rest as quickly as they could.
Madara Uchiha's situation was urgent, but the more critical the moment, the less sense it made to rush.
Ninja weren't made of steel. They needed supplies and rest, too.
I know you're in a hurry, but don't panic just yet! As far as we knew, we knew nothing, yet we'd grabbed our weapons and followed along.
You had to know who you were cutting down. What if it was a relative?
At the Ino-Shika-Cho clans' rest area.
Choza Akimichi quietly asked Shikaku Nara, the strategist of the three clans,
"Shikaku, what do you think happened? The Hokage-sama seems so... anxious!"
Choza had even used "anxious" to describe the Leaf Village's most composed elder.
Before Shikaku could reply, Inoichi voiced his guess. "Probably Iwagakure. Last time, if Minato hadn't cut off their supplies, the entire Leaf Village would've been in danger."
Iwagakure's system was entirely militarized. The village had little of anything else, but it had plenty of Ninja.
In the conflict between Iwagakure and Cloud Village, they'd worn down the Third Raikage with nothing but their tens of thousands of Ninja.
Iwagakure emphasized large-scale coordinated combat, often sending out hundreds of Ninja at a time.
Inoichi guessed that Iwagakure was trying to repeat its old tactic, sending out its entire force to invade the Land of Fire through the Land of Grass and wipe out the Leaf Village in one fell swoop.
Shikaku shook his head. "No, Inoichi. Iwagakure's exhausted. It can't be them."
Inoichi scratched his head. "If it's not Iwagakure, surely it can't be Grass Village! Is Grass Village worth mobilizing the whole Leaf Village?"
Choza laughed.
Shikaku analyzed the situation. "It's not Grass Village either. Haven't you noticed? There aren't any Uchiha Ninja in our ranks."
Choza and Inoichi looked around. Just as Shikaku had said, they couldn't see any Uchiha.
This huge Ninja force included the ones with milky eyes, the bug-raisers, and even the dog-raisers, but none of those red-eyed troublemakers.
"True. No Uchiha!"
"Shikaku, why aren't there any Uchiha? Don't tell me the Uchiha are in trouble again?"
Why "again"? Because the matter with Liao Wu hadn't died down yet, and Tsunade's involvement had made it a hot topic all over again.
In a nearby forest.
Hong asked Asuma Sarutobi, "Asuma, did you ask the Hokage-sama? What's going on?"
Asuma shook his head. "The old man didn't say. Even my big brother looked grave. It must be serious. Even I wouldn't be able to mediate this time."
Hong rolled her eyes at Asuma.
Then Asuma thought of something. "Let's find Shizune. I saw it earlier. The old man only changed his plans after Shizune went to the Hokage's Office."
Hong and Asuma found Shizune and blocked her path.
Hong asked, "Shizune, do you know what's going on? Tell us what's happened that has the Hokage-sama so on edge!"
Anko spotted them from a distance and came over with her squad, Uzuki Yugao, and Gekko Hayate.
Anko Squad joined Hong and Asuma in surrounding Shizune.
"Shizune, you know what's going on? Spill!"
Shizune backed up against a tree, shaking her head vigorously. "I can't say. The Hokage-sama told me not to tell anyone."
Anko's expression hardened. "You won't talk? Shizune, I really will let a snake bite you!"
"Don't—"
The Third Hokage asked Senju Tamajun, the Senju Clan Head and the Ninja who had delivered Tsunade to the Land of Grass on a Ninja eagle,
"Tamajun, you really saw Madara Uchiha?"
Sarutobi Shinnosuke and Yūhi Shinkō kept the others back at the edge of the forest and quietly eavesdropped.
Tamajun replied, "Yes. I delivered the Young Lady to Madara Uchiha's base. I took a look from the sky. Madara Uchiha still looked as imposing as ever!"
The Third Hokage pressed him. "What state is Madara Uchiha in now? Can he still fight?"
Tamajun suddenly dropped to his knees and told the truth. "I'm sorry, Hokage-sama. I ran away as soon as I delivered the Young Lady to Madara Uchiha."
"I didn't dare stick around. I was too afraid. No Ninja fears Madara Uchiha's power more than the Senju Clan."
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