Set Up by Capital

Thud.

Seeing Namikaze Minato finish off the enemies, the string that had been pulled tight in his heart finally snapped.

Exhaustion surged like a tide, engulfing Kakashi's body and mind, and he collapsed on the spot.

"Kakashi!"

Nohara Rin cried out.

She hurriedly checked on Kakashi's condition, and only breathed a sigh of relief when she realized it was merely extreme exhaustion.

"Genma, you carry Kakashi."

Namikaze Minato said.

It wasn't convenient for the two girls, Nohara Rin and Kurenai Yuhi, and Kiyohara had just exerted the most effort, leaving him severely drained.

Thus, the heavy responsibility of carrying Kakashi fell to Genma Shiranui.

"Yes, Lord Minato."

Genma Shiranui nodded and went to hoist Kakashi onto his back.

"Are we leaving now?"

Kiyohara asked once he saw Kakashi being carried.

"It's too late tonight. We'll rest for the night and go destroy the bridge tomorrow."

Namikaze Minato said.

"I see..."

Kiyohara thought for a moment, but ultimately decided not to voice the doubts in his heart.

That was, why did no one go to collect Obito's body?

Neither Kakashi, Nohara Rin, nor Namikaze Minato had mentioned this matter.

Even in the Kakashi Gaiden, Namikaze Minato had swept away the enemies on the scene just as he did now, which meant they weren't exactly pressed for time.

If Namikaze Minato had arrived at the first opportunity and found a way to clear the rubble to take Obito's "corpse" back for burial, it's likely that so much of what happened later would never have occurred.

Even if he had run into Uchiha Madara, Namikaze Minato possessed the Flying Thunder God, so escaping wouldn't have been a difficult task.

Uchiha Madara was powerful, certainly, but he was far too old now, relying entirely on the Demonic Statue of the Outer Path to keep himself alive.

Even if he used some forbidden technique to temporarily restore his strength, he couldn't possibly travel too far to pursue Namikaze Minato.

The Flying Thunder God didn't have the long startup time of Kamui.

In the end, Kiyohara didn't say anything unnecessary.

This matter wouldn't bring him any benefits.

If a real fight broke out, Namikaze Minato could get away, but he, Kiyohara, might not be able to.

Before leaving, Kiyoshi didn't forget to loot the bodies.

After finishing looting the Iwagakure ninja, Kiyohara didn't have time to count his gains and had to hurry off to follow the others.

At the same time, located deep below, Uchiha Madara slowly opened his eyes, his Three Tomoe Sharingan seemingly staring at something in the darkness.

Sure enough, where he gazed, the wall rippled like water, and a White Zetsu brought over Obito, who now only had half a body.

His cross-section was covered by a thin layer of white flesh, which had staunched the bleeding.

"I have brought him, Lord Madara."

One White Zetsu carried another shorter White Zetsu behind him; its stature was similar to Obito's.

"Begin the surgery."

Uchiha Madara's voice was aged, his long, pale hair draped behind his waist.

"Yes, Lord Madara."

The lead White Zetsu sliced half of the smaller White Zetsu's body, the dimensions perfectly matching the part Obito was missing.

Soon, the suturing surgery began, starting to fuse Obito's ribs and internal organs with the other White Zetsu.

The White Zetsu contained a massive amount of Hashirama Cells, which rapidly restored the connected areas; it seemed to have a high compatibility with Obito.

"This brat..."

Uchiha Madara felt that Obito's ability was somewhat interesting; he hadn't been crushed by the rocks, but had instead seemed to pass through them, falling to the level below.

"Lord Madara, why must you be so fixated on the Uchiha clan? I think that ninja named Kiyohara is also quite excellent, isn't he?"

The White Zetsu asked, somewhat confused.

It could be said that ever since the Third Shinobi World War began, Uchiha Madara had dispatched them to monitor a large number of Uchiha clan members.

All of this was to select a suitable candidate.

Yet today, the White Zetsu discovered that the Sharingan could also be transplanted into outsiders; that brat named Kakashi had successfully transplanted Obito's left eye.

In that case, wouldn't transplanting a Sharingan into Kiyohara or someone as talented as him allow them to be used just like an Uchiha?

After all, both are simply using the same ability to drive the Sharingan.

"You don't understand the power of the Uchiha."

Uchiha Madara glanced indifferently at White Zetsu.

Beyond the Three Tomoe lies the realm of the Mangekyou Sharingan.

It is a pity that among this generation of disappointing descendants, there is no one left capable of awakening it.

Only by awakening the Mangekyou can one truly be said to have mastered the power of the Uchiha.

"However, this brat Kiyohara..."

Uchiha Madara also knew that Kiyohara possessed great talent, capable of trading blows with many Iwagakure ninja and progressing rapidly.

Unfortunately, his surname is not Uchiha.

"He is talented, yes, but he is an outsider after all."

Uchiha Madara shook his head.

Those who are not Uchiha, even if they receive a Mangekyou transplant, cannot awaken the Mangekyou Sharingan through their own power.

Many of his subsequent plans would require the Sharingan, and for an outsider to receive a transplant, the result would most likely be purely negative; as a commoner, Kiyohara's shortcomings were too obvious.

"If they aren't Uchiha, are they completely useless?"

White Zetsu nodded, deciding to execute future orders according to this standard.

"No, Kiyohara still has his uses; he is just as important as Kakashi."

Uchiha Madara said with an enigmatic tone.

To unlock the Mangekyou Sharingan, one requires intense emotional stimulation.

According to the intelligence relayed by White Zetsu's informants, Uchiha Madara was well aware that Obito had feelings for Nohara Rin.

This included the incident where Kiyohara touched Nohara Rin's hand, which had sent Obito into a fit of rage.

Therefore, as long as Obito were to lose Nohara Rin forever, he would inevitably suffer the most intense emotional trauma.

That is, death.

"They can draw out the darkness within Obito's heart and force him to taste the ultimate agony."

Uchiha Madara said.

"I see."

The simple-minded White Zetsu nodded, half-understanding.

Did Lord Madara mean to have Kiyohara take Nohara Rin away, making Obito feel the pain of losing his beloved?

As expected of Lord Madara, White Zetsu thought with admiration, easily conceiving plans that they could never imagine.

The night deepened.

On a grassy plain, Kakashi lay on a rock beneath a giant boulder.

His eyelashes fluttered gently, and he opened his eyes in a daze.

"Where is this... am I dead?"

This was Kakashi's first thought.

"You're awake, Kakashi."

The surgery was a success; you are a girl now.

Kiyohara didn't say the second half of the joke, simply watching Kakashi.

Kakashi's face was filled with sorrow, thinking of his past with Obito, and he couldn't help but shed a few tears.

A man does not shed tears easily, only when he has reached the depths of heartbreak.

Kiyohara slowly shook his head; the unique "bonds" between men in Konoha were just like this.

"It's all my fault."

Kakashi blamed himself in his heart.

"No, you did very well."

Kiyohara patted Kakashi on the shoulder.

There was no helping it; they had been set up by the powers that be.

Uchiha Madara was monitoring the Land of Grass at all times, keeping an eye out for suitable candidates; one could only say that this was Obito's destined fate.