The Wager Between Madara and Obito

The sky was gray, and rain fell slowly from above.

In the Konoha cemetery, Haori stood in the Uchiha clan's formation, dressed in black.

He kept his head lowered like the others, all of them silently observing a final moment of mourning.

The rain began to fall halfway through the funeral, as if the heavens themselves were weeping for those who had perished on the battlefield.

Even Might Guy and the others, who had been boisterous and lively with Haori before, had become exceptionally somber.

After all, on the battlefield, everyone had witnessed the departure of comrades, or even their closest loved ones.

"At least everything is coming to a temporary halt."

Haori muttered to himself with his head bowed; he knew very well that the war was only ending for the time being.

It was impossible to truly end all conflict unless the entire ninja world was unified and subjected to necessary, strict management.

Only then could conflict be minimized, with problems resolved through internal negotiation.

Or, perhaps, if everyone were gone, there would be no more disputes over interests.

"After all, as the saying goes: wherever there are people, there is a world of strife."

Haori thought to himself. In truth, he really didn't understand why Senju Hashirama had rejected the ideas of Uchiha Madara.

It was clear that at the time, all the villages had just been established; if he had been willing, he could have conquered them all.

Yet, he chose to settle in a corner, claiming that this was the ultimate peace.

It seemed he never considered that the peace of the ninja world existed solely because he was strong enough that no one dared to provoke him.

Furthermore, he did something even more incomprehensible—distributing the Tailed Beasts. One could say that the greatest traitor in Konoha was actually him!

If the current ninja world had turned out this way, it was, frankly, because of him.

"But thinking about it carefully, one can see from the original story that he really wasn't 'very smart'."

Pursing his lips, Haori stopped dwelling on these questions.

It was truly inappropriate to criticize the First Hokage for being foolish, especially since he had obtained some necessary information during the funeral just now.

It seemed that during the time he had been away digging up graves, rumors had indeed surfaced in Konoha about nominating a Fourth Hokage.

Even standing far away, Haori had heard clansmen whispering and discussing this matter with Uchiha Fugaku.

"Now it just depends on how that old man Uchiha Setsuna will respond."

Standing quietly in the crowd, Haori waited for the funeral to conclude.

In fact, Konoha had already held several such funerals.

Whether it was to truly cherish the fallen heroes or a political show to demonstrate the high-level officials' recognition of the sacrifices made, it was necessary; after all, it helped to consolidate public sentiment to a greater degree.

With the Third Hokage's final speech in the rain, this funeral and memorial service came to a smooth end.

Haori did not linger; although the constant rain wouldn't affect him, it still made him feel uncomfortable.

Besides, Asuma had mentioned Uchiha Hikari earlier, and even if he knew Konoha wouldn't investigate the Uchiha's affairs in detail, let alone go around asking questions, he couldn't handle others constantly prying—especially with that look in Nohara Rin's eyes, even after he explained that she was just a comrade he had performed a mission with.

"Haori-kun."

Just as he was about to leave, he suddenly heard someone call his name.

Turning around, he saw Namikaze Minato walking toward him with Kakashi and Nohara Rin.

"Jonin Minato, hello."

Haori nodded at Namikaze Minato very politely.

"I heard long ago that Jonin Minato had returned. I must thank you for your help; otherwise, I wouldn't have been able to learn such exquisite sealing techniques."

"Haori-kun is being too modest. Kushina told me that your talent for sealing techniques is excellent."

Namikaze Minato shook his head, his expression remaining sunny and open.

"Also, thank you for everything you've done, Haori-kun. I've already heard some things from Kakashi."

Haori was stunned for a moment upon hearing this, then realized what he meant.

It seemed Kakashi had told him about the warning he had given him regarding the possibility of an Uchiha looking for him.

"There's no need for that, Jonin Minato. Kakashi and I are friends."

Haori found it amusing, but he put on a serious expression.

"Jonin Minato, there is no need to dwell on this matter. I think it would be better to talk about the situation on the front lines. After all, we are all waiting for the war to end."

"It is something to be happy about that Kakashi has a true friend."

Upon hearing Haori's words, Namikaze Minato nodded and patted Kakashi on the shoulder.

Kakashi nodded along as well; although Obito was gone, he had found another true friend.

"The situation on the front lines is still a bit complicated, but I think it will be resolved soon."

Namikaze Minato's expression then turned slightly more serious, and he lowered his voice to say.

"Iwagakure has accepted negotiations, and Shikaku is in charge of the matter, but we have received some news recently.

It seems that Kirigakure is making some moves; they have dispatched some elite units over here."

Having said this, Namikaze Minato stopped, as there were some things he could not disclose too much about.

However, Haori understood; this was likely Uchiha Madara's plan, preparing for the final awakening of Obito's eyes!

"It seems the ninja world will not be at peace for the time being."

Haori murmured in a low voice, a sentiment that resonated with Namikaze Minato.

"Indeed, the ninja world remains unable to find peace."

--

"I'll say this: if you want to leave, then leave, provided you can actually do it."

Inside the underground base in the Land of Grass, Uchiha Madara looked at the stubborn Obito and spoke calmly.

He naturally knew about the conversation between those two White Zetsu and Obito, as this was something he had intended all along.

He was naturally satisfied with Obito's intense emotional reaction; the more one cares, the greater the negative effect when that thing is lost.

After all, there was a strong sense of 'selfishness' in Obito's personality. From the moment he arrived here, he had only ever thought about Kakashi and Rin.

As for his clansmen, his teacher, and the Nine-Tails Jinchuriki who had taken quite good care of him, he had never mentioned them once.

"How long are you going to keep me locked up? Can't you just send me out!"

Obito gritted his teeth and shouted the question; he truly wanted to go out and see what had happened to Rin and Kakashi!

"And, did you know about their situation all along?"

"In a way, yes. After all, I have been observing the changes in the ninja world."

Uchiha Madara nodded slightly; he had no reason to refute this.

"Didn't I tell you long ago? We are both people who have been betrayed, and we are both people who have been forgotten."

"Nonsense, how could I possibly be forgotten by anyone!"

Hearing this, Obito became even more agitated.

"Especially Kakashi and Rin—they absolutely would not, and it is absolutely impossible for them to have forgotten me, impossible!"

"People are always immersed in their own worlds, thinking of the beauty within their hearts, yet unable to extricate themselves."

Uchiha Madara watched the somewhat hysterical Obito and said in a deep, pointed tone.

"Reality is bitter, whether you accept it or not, that is the fact.

You cannot compare to him; you are already 'dead,' so it is not strange that you have been forgotten or betrayed.

Perhaps, in their eyes, everything they have done is not even a betrayal.

Forgetting the past may be immoral, but isn't adapting to the changes of the world a virtue in its own right?"

"Stop talking nonsense, shut up!"

Obito's mind was becoming increasingly chaotic. Haori had always been close to Rin, and Rin had even argued with him over it before.

And now, that Haori seemed to have completely replaced him, yet he could do nothing about it—this was something he could not accept!

"It seems you are still very unconvinced, but let's make a bet."

Watching Obito's hysterical state, Uchiha Madara pondered for a moment before speaking in a low, lingering voice.

"What kind of bet?" Obito forced himself to calm down.

"I can mobilize some Kirigakure units and find a way to make them arrive at the front lines."

Uchiha Madara spoke slowly, his deep voice carrying a peculiar rhythm.

"When the time comes, you can observe their performance, or even make contact with them.

However, you must disguise yourself; at the very least, you must cover your face."

Having said this, Uchiha Madara paused before adding with profound meaning.

"You said they wouldn't forget you, that you are the most important person to them.

Well then, for the most important person, even if they can't see your face, they should be able to identify you through certain details.

If they can't even do that, I think the result is self-evident.

Are you willing to take this bet, Obito?"

Thanks to the big boss "不大不小de麻雀" for the tip, thank you, thank you!

As a newbie, I am begging for your continued reading. Right now, the daily follow-read count determines everything for a book; "nurturing" a book by not reading it often leads to its death.

Thank you to all the big bosses, Onz.