No one knew how long he had been asleep in the darkness.
Obito opened his eyes and found himself lying on a stone bed. A cloak covered half his body, and something strange seemed to have been stuffed inside it.
He sat up and saw Madara Uchiha, who had been waiting beside him for quite some time.
A scythe lay at Madara's feet. There might even have been traces of Hashirama's blood on it; its record at the Valley of the End spoke for itself.
Obito nearly jumped out of his skin, thinking the Grim Reaper had come to claim his life.
Once the misunderstanding was cleared up, Obito learned that the man before him was Madara, the old ancestor of the Uchiha.
"Then, old man, would you like some protein powder?"
Only then did Obito notice that his bag had fallen here with him. Seeing how Madara was as thin as a skeleton, kindhearted Obito decided to help him bulk up.
"Protein powder?" Madara seemed to have heard of it.
Since food wasn't important, White Zetsu never reported on it. But the Swirl-faced White Zetsu who enjoyed admiring poop had once been curious about what poop made from protein powder looked like. Madara might have heard the name back then.
"Can two scoops of this really replace a pound of beef?"
"Yeah, this is Zhengyi's old—" Obito started to boast about how their Konoha had produced a genius like Orochimaru.
Then he suddenly realized something.
Hadn't he left Rin in Zhengyi's care?!!
?!!
But he'd thought he was going to die back then!
"Ahhh! Old man, I can't talk to you anymore. Just take the protein powder as repayment for saving my life. Hurry up and tell me how to get back." Obito bounced around in a panic. If he got back a few days late, would he only make it in time for Rin's wedding?
Rin had always had a bit of a crush on that bastard Zhengyi!
And on top of that! He'd given Zhengyi his Three-Tomoe Sharingan!!
He'd lost out big time!
"No. Your body still needs time to recover." Madara shook his head, then went to ask White Zetsu to mix up some protein powder for him.
Two scoops could replace a pound of beef—what a rare treat. He'd never had any when he was young. If he'd eaten this every day back then, wouldn't he have beaten Hashirama into the ground long ago?
After all, supplies had been scarce during the Warring States period. When famine struck, he'd even had to save food so Izuna could grow.
"Come on, old man! Just let me go back. I, Obito, will definitely repay your great kindness!"
"Nope."
"Um, Madara-sama, can I try some protein powder too?" the Swirl-faced White Zetsu asked coyly.
"Sure." Obito nodded. We're all brothers here; everyone's a brother.
"But I don't have a mouth." The Swirl-faced White Zetsu grinned cheekily.
"Dummy." Obito.
It smelled milky. After Madara finished the protein powder, he really did feel a warmth in his lower abdomen. Hmm? This stuff actually worked?
Wait?
"There's... poison in this." The aged Madara promptly passed out.
He was furious. He hadn't even gotten around to tricking Obito, and Obito had tricked him first.
This tub of protein powder had been prepared for Minato, after all. The "poison" in it was no joke. It had also been mixed with water, so it would be absorbed even faster.
Having been poisoned once before, Obito had built up some resistance this time. He passed out after Madara. Poor kid died thinking there was something wrong with his own body, not the protein powder. Before sleep overtook him, he drank all the water.
"Lord Madara!"
"Obito!!"
Something big had happened in Kirigakure recently.
For Konoha, it was a joyous occasion.
The Genin Might Duy and his son, Might Guy, had each opened the Eight Inner Gates: one opened the Seventh Gate, and the other the Five Gates.
The father and son joined forces and left only three of the Seven Ninja Swordsmen alive.
Faced with the astonishment of his Konoha comrades on the Kirigakure front, Might Duy wanted to say that he owed it all to Zhengyi!
He'd met Zhengyi on the Kumogakure front, where Zhengyi had given him food and water and taught him how to train properly.
He planned to apply for a transfer as soon as the Third Shinobi World War ended. He'd quit being a ninja and become a full-time fitness instructor at Zhengyi's Gym. It was full of like-minded friends! He'd already sold more than a dozen sets of his green jumpsuits.
Duy loved praising people, so whenever someone asked, he praised the next generation of Konoha, saying the two he had the most faith in were his son and Zhengyi.
Finally!
Zhengyi had finally made a name for himself among the Konoha Ninja.
Two people were chatting.
They both regretted that after Ōnoki saw Kumogakure amassing troops on Konoha's border, he no longer wanted a ceasefire and planned to take advantage of the situation.
The vanguard Jiraiya had sent to the Kumogakure front hadn't even withdrawn before the Fourth Raikage specifically targeted them, leaving only two or three survivors.
"So, this Zhengyi—is he...?" Fugaku had heard the name and wanted to know what was going on.
"Maybe..." Minato sighed. He didn't know where to begin. "I don't know whether Zhengyi's existence is good or bad for Konoha."
He was good at reading people, too.
He could tell that Zhengyi was different from the nobles. He opposed feudalism and championed freedom, prosperity, equality, and human rights...
But Minato could also see that Zhengyi was essentially no different from the nobles. He was still exploitative.
"As for us Uchiha, it's..." Fugaku trailed off and gave a helpless laugh. The village had recently planned to add a tax on the rich, led by Orochimaru.
They'd even come up with something called an inheritance tax.
When a father died, the village would take a certain amount based on the value of his estate.
Most Uchiha were wealthy people who had inherited their fortunes from their ancestors, so the rich tax would take a cut from them.
Now so many of their brothers had died fighting for Konoha in Kirigakure! And the inheritance tax would take a cut from them, too! Were they trying to drive the Uchiha into rebellion?!
Zhengyi was making progress on all fronts: Kumogakure was seizing military authority, while Orochimaru was squeezing the ninja clans' military funds.
The strong men of every clan were out fighting, leaving their widows and orphans at Orochimaru's mercy. If the strong men were disheartened, so be it; they didn't support him anyway. At worst, they could bring Minato back with them.
Zhengyi and Orochimaru had actually been secretly researching whether it was feasible to establish a new ninja village elsewhere, behind Danzo's back.
They'd call it New Konoha!
It would symbolize the arrival of a new era.
Still, they didn't want to start a business if they could become Hokage. Starting a business was too hard, and the pressure was especially intense.
"Isn't there anyone in the village who can do anything about him?" Fugaku asked.
"Zhengyi's tied this whole thing to loving the village. If you don't pay taxes or contribute military funds to the village, then you don't love the village. With such a huge label hanging over you, who'd dare wear it?" Minato shook his head with an amused smile.
Minato felt the main reason was that the village's guiding principles still came from the First: the villagers were the foundation of the village. Zhengyi hadn't gone out of his way to target the villagers.
"Then he's pretty ruthless."
Before you continue