The sky was overcast, and rain drifted slowly down from above.
At Konoha's cemetery, Haori stood dressed in black among the Uchiha Clan's contingent.
Like everyone else, he lowered his head and stood silently for the final moment of mourning.
The rain had begun halfway through the funeral, as if the heavens themselves were weeping for those who had fallen on the battlefield.
Asuma and the others, who had been joking around with Haori earlier, were now visibly grief-stricken.
After all, on the battlefield, they had all seen comrades—and even their closest loved ones—die with their own eyes.
"At least, everything is going to stop for now."
Haori kept his head bowed, silently murmuring to himself. He knew full well the war had only ended temporarily.
There was no way to put an end to all conflict for good—not unless the entire Shinobi World was unified and placed under strict, necessary rule.
Only then could clashes be minimized, with problems settled through internal discussion.
Or everyone could simply die. Then there'd be no more disputes over interests.
"After all, as the saying goes: wherever there are people, there's trouble."
Haori mused to himself. To be honest, he didn't really understand why Senju Hashirama had rejected Uchiha Madara's idea.
All the villages had only just been founded. If Hashirama had wanted to, he could have conquered every one of them.
But instead, he chose to keep to his own corner of the world and declared that this was lasting peace.
It seemed he had never considered that the Shinobi World was peaceful only because he was strong enough that no one dared to challenge him.
And then he did something even more baffling—dividing up the Tailed Beasts. You could say that Konoha's greatest rebel was actually him!
There was no exaggeration in saying that the Shinobi World had ended up this way because of him.
"But thinking about it, the original story did show that he really 'wasn't too bright.'"
Haori pressed his lips together and stopped dwelling on it.
It didn't feel right to call the First Hokage stupid, and besides, he had picked up some useful information at the funeral just now.
It seemed that while he had been out digging up graves, talk had indeed begun in Konoha about choosing a Fourth Hokage.
Even from where he stood, Haori had heard one of his clanmates quietly discussing it with Uchiha Fugaku.
"Now all that's left is to see how that old man, Uchiha Setsuna, will respond."
Standing quietly amid the crowd, Haori waited for the funeral to end.
Konoha had already held several funerals like this.
Whether they were genuine tributes to fallen heroes or political displays meant to show that Konoha's leaders recognized their sacrifices, they were all necessary. After all, they helped unite people.
With the Third Hokage's final speech in the rain, the funeral and memorial service came to a smooth close.
Haori didn't linger. The rain wouldn't affect him, but it still made him uncomfortable.
Besides, Asuma had just brought up Uchiha Hikari. Even though Haori knew Konoha wouldn't investigate the Uchiha or go asking questions, he couldn't keep everyone else from asking him—especially not with the look Nohara Rin was giving him. He had already explained that Hikari was just a comrade who had taken part in a mission with him.
"Haori-kun."
Just as he was about to leave, someone called out to him.
He turned and saw Namikaze Minato approaching with Kakashi and Rin.
"Hello, Jonin Minato."
Haori greeted Minato with a polite nod.
"I heard you'd returned, Jonin Minato. I should also thank you for your help. Otherwise, I wouldn't have been able to learn such sophisticated Sealing Jutsu."
"You're too modest, Haori-kun. Kushina told me you have a real talent for Sealing Jutsu."
Minato shook his head. His expression was as sunny and open as ever.
"And I should thank you for everything you've done, too. Kakashi has told me a little about it."
Haori paused at those words, then understood.
Kakashi must have told Minato that Haori had warned him someone from the Uchiha might come looking for him.
"There's no need for that, Jonin Minato. Kakashi and I are friends."
Haori found it amusing, but he replied earnestly.
"You don't need to thank me for that. We might as well talk about the front lines instead. After all, we're all waiting for the war to end."
"It's good to see Kakashi has a real friend."
Hearing Haori's words, Minato nodded and patted Kakashi on the shoulder.
Kakashi nodded as well. Obito was gone, but now he had another real friend.
"Things on the front are still complicated, but I think it'll be over soon."
Minato's expression grew a little more serious. Lowering his voice, he continued.
"Iwagakure has agreed to negotiations, and Shikaku is handling them. But recently, we've received some reports. Kirigakure seems to be up to something. They've sent some elite forces over."
Minato stopped there. He couldn't reveal too much.
Haori understood, though. This was probably Uchiha Madara's plan, meant to prepare for Obito's final awakening of the Sharingan!
"Looks like the Shinobi World won't be at peace just yet."
Haori murmured under his breath, and his words struck a chord with Minato.
"Yeah. The Shinobi World still can't find peace..."
"Look, if you want to leave, then leave. As long as you can manage it."
In the underground base in the Land of Grass, Madara looked at Obito's stubborn expression and spoke calmly.
He knew about the conversation between the two White Zetsu and Obito. After all, he had orchestrated it.
Obito's intense reaction naturally pleased him. The more someone cared, the more devastating the loss would be.
Obito had always had a strong streak of selfishness. Ever since arriving here, he had only ever thought about Kakashi and Rin.
He had never once mentioned his clan, his teacher, or the Nine-Tails Jinchuriki who had always looked after him.
"How long are you going to keep me locked up? Why can't you just let me out?"
Obito gritted his teeth and shouted at Madara. He really wanted to go out and see what had happened to Rin and Kakashi!
"And did you know about those two all along?"
"I suppose you could say that. I've been watching the changes in the Shinobi World."
Madara nodded slightly. He had no reason to deny it.
"Didn't I tell you before? We're all people who have been betrayed, and all people who have been forgotten."
"That's nonsense. How could anyone forget me?"
Obito grew even more agitated at those words.
"Especially Kakashi and Rin. They would never forget me. They couldn't! Never!"
"People always get lost in their own worlds, caught up in the things they hold dear, unable to break free."
Madara watched the near-hysterical Obito and spoke in a low voice, hinting at something deeper.
"Reality is full of suffering, whether you accept it or not. That's just how it is.
"You can't compare to him. You're already 'dead,' so it's no surprise that you've been forgotten and betrayed. They probably don't even see what they've done as a betrayal.
"Forgetting the past might be immoral, but going along with the changes in the world—isn't that a virtue in its own way?"
"Stop talking nonsense! Shut up!"
Obito grew more and more confused. Haori had always been close to Rin, and Rin had even argued with him about it.
Now Haori seemed to have taken his place completely, and there was nothing Obito could do. He couldn't accept it!
"Looks like you still don't believe it. How about we make a bet?"
Madara studied Obito's hysterical expression for a moment before speaking slowly.
"What bet?" Obito forced himself to calm down.
"I can send some Kirigakure forces over and find a way to get them to the front lines."
Madara's voice was low and measured, its cadence almost hypnotic.
"When the time comes, you can watch how they act. You can even approach them. But you'll have to disguise yourself—at the very least, cover your face."
Madara paused, then continued meaningfully.
"You say they won't forget you, that you're the most important person to them.
"Well, if someone really is that important, they should be able to recognize him from little details, even if they can't see his face.
"If they can't manage even that, I think the answer will be obvious.
"Are you willing to take that bet, Obito?"
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