Under the dim moonlight, Naruto lay on the grass without a trace of breath. Houka, crouching beside him, suddenly collapsed to the ground with a thud.
"Houka? Houka?"
Minato Namikaze nudged Houka, but the latter showed no response at all.
Minato Namikaze's expression changed. "Don't tell me you really met the Sage of Six Paths?"
After a moment of hesitation, Minato Namikaze formed Hand Seals and created a Shadow Clone, having it carry Naruto and Houka away at top speed.
Konoha.
Orphanage underground laboratory.
Yakushi Nonō was replacing Obito's right Mangekyou eye. Just as she reached the final stage, Yakushi Kabuto, who lay unconscious on a nearby bed, suddenly jolted awake. He panted heavily, cold sweat streaming down his face.
"I... didn't die?"
Yakushi Kabuto propped himself up and assessed his condition. Then he stared in disbelief at his completely intact lower body. "Such severe injuries... was it One's Own Life Reincarnation?"
"Kabuto, you're awake." After carefully completing the final neural connection, Yakushi Nonō let out a soft sigh of relief. "Obito, the surgery is over."
"Thank you, Sister Yakushi."
Obito rose from the floor. The nerves around his right eye socket were still numb, so he gently used his hand to close his right eyelid.
"Director, Obito."
Yakushi Kabuto jumped down from the bed. "Am I in Konoha? This is... the Orphanage's underground laboratory?"
"That's right. To save you, I used up the ocular power of several Mangekyou." Obito puffed out his chest as he claimed credit.
Yakushi Kabuto instinctively checked the scrolls he carried and, sure enough, found that the scroll containing the Mangekyou was gone. Obito must have taken it while he had been badly injured and unconscious.
"Thank you, Obito, but you still need to return the scroll to me." Yakushi Kabuto held out his