Minato's Reluctant Return to the Village

Early 48th year of Konoha.

Inside the village, Orochimaru called the shots; he held absolute control over the village's administration.

Outside the village, however, Minato held the reins, as the border defense forces were mostly his.

Inside the Hokage Office.

"Obito, what about the half of your body?" Orochimaru stared at the Obito standing before him.

Ever since Obito returned to the village with Minato, he had been quite conspicuous. Wanting to become Hokage, he had been performing good deeds incessantly. Among the elderly in the village, who didn't know Obito?

Minato's student was courting the favor of the elderly? It immediately triggered Orochimaru's nerves, leading him to pay closer attention to Obito.

That was when he discovered that Obito's body was very strange!

Zhengyi trained six days a week, giving his body one day of rest, as many Konoha ninja did.

But Obito trained seven days a week, like a machine that never knew fatigue!

Obito's original intention was to make up for the lost time he had wasted while with Madara, but in his carelessness, he had exposed the recovery rate of this body.

"Ah, Lord Hokage, I was saved by someone at the time..."

Obito had no choice but to gloss over Madara's existence and explain his origins to Orochimaru.

"Is that so?" Orochimaru always felt that Obito was hiding something from him. If he let his imagination run wild, could this Obito be an impostor, while the real Obito was already dead?

"This half of your body, Obito—I have an opportunity to help you restore your original appearance. Do you want it?" Orochimaru suddenly became interested in Obito's body.

"I do! Of course I do, Lord Hokage, you really are a good person."

Obito had had enough of this battle-damaged half-face. He was afraid his appearance would frighten Rin, so despite being back for so many days, he hadn't dared to go see her.

He really...

What would I do without Rin?

If I reveal my true self...

Will I be held close?

The White Zetsu fused into Obito's side felt desperate and helpless.

Is this the fate of us White Zetsu?!

White Zetsu count minus one.

"So this thing is called a White Zetsu? Its body structure is truly marvelous." Orochimaru strangled the White Zetsu to death and examined the corpse, licking his lips with a wicked charm.

Without the White Zetsu fusion, Obito was missing half his body and looked quite strange; it was a miracle he was still alive. Orochimaru's curiosity about Obito's body deepened, and upon examination, what did he find?

Hidden within Obito's body were Hashirama Cells.

Heh, Obito had lied.

Hashirama Cells were not something an ordinary person could master.

Konoha had once conducted experiments with Hashirama Cells, and everyone injected with them—even members of the Senju clan—could not withstand the sheer vitality and had died on the operating table.

Was it because of the Uchiha?

Orochimaru felt that even he couldn't fully master Hashirama Cells yet, and there was no one in the ninja world who understood cellular research better than him.

Therefore...

It could only be because Obito was an Uchiha.

He should focus his research on the Uchiha.

"Go back now."

Zhengyi felt that Konoha's population of several tens of thousands was still too small. A small population meant fewer taxes and less consumption in the future; they had to encourage childbirth!

Konoha was in an economic upturn, bolstered by the technological research Orochimaru tossed out from time to time!

Every villager in Konoha firmly believed in one thing: tomorrow would be better.

Ever since Minato and the others returned, the birth rate in the village had risen directly; it was as if many people had agreed to have children recently.

Many women's bellies were gradually growing, and they were undergoing various check-ups at the hospital.

Minato and his group remained in the village.

Shikaku had no choice; they didn't have the grandiosity to challenge the nobles like Zhengyi did, because they themselves were nobles of Konoha, unlike Orochimaru and Zhengyi, who came from commoner backgrounds.

Thus, Minato held military power but no land, which was a major disadvantage; Minato still had to return to the village to develop his standing.

Jiraiya continued to travel abroad, wandering everywhere.

As long as his military power remained, Minato was safe. Shikaku advised him to contend with Orochimaru within the village.

Wait for an opportunity to settle the outcome in one battle.

Endurance! It meant being open-minded and holding one's ground!

To be honest, Minato truly detested this side of Shikaku, but looking at Shikaku's resolute gaze, knowing it was all for his own good, what could he possibly reproach him for? There was still so much he needed to learn from Shikaku.

How could Orochimaru possibly believe what Obito said?

He entrusted Konoha to Zhengyi and privately led the Anbu to the vicinity of Kannabi Bridge to investigate the underground site where Obito had gone missing.

"Lord Hokage! Over here!!"

The Anbu had discovered a passage, and after Orochimaru entered, he found the place where Madara had once lived.

He scanned the pitch-black cavern, his eyes filled with a desire for inquiry.

Who exactly had lived here?

It was evident that the former occupant had moved out in a great hurry, having wiped away traces of their life, yet failing to completely bury the cave.

"Back when Zhengyi went to steal the Hashirama Cells, what he saw was Hashirama's body, missing only a single piece."

Orochimaru pondered.

That missing portion was from the Hashirama Cell experiments the Third Hokage had once ordered, all of which had been destroyed afterward.

This proved that whoever had obtained the Hashirama Cells on Obito's body had acquired them while Hashirama was still alive.

According to Orochimaru's research on Hashirama Cells, they were exceptionally active after Hashirama turned seventeen, reaching their peak; thus, anyone who had harmed Hashirama before the age of seventeen could be ruled out.

As for who could have wounded Hashirama after he turned seventeen.

There was only that man.

Is it you?

Uchiha Madara.

The world claimed Uchiha Madara was dead, but what if... what if Madara's death back then had merely been a feigned death? As far as he knew, the Uchiha possessed a dōjutsu called Izanagi, a technique capable of rewriting reality at the cost of losing one eye.

If that were the case.

Then that would be truly marvelous.

Then...

Madara...

What is the purpose for which you have clung to life?

Would we be like-minded friends?

Black Zetsu knew the matter of the cave would be exposed.

It was fortunate that he had moved Madara away.

Looking at Madara, who was "powered down" and hooked up to the Demonic Statue of the Outer Path, Black Zetsu missed his mother.

To resurrect his mother, he had truly endured so much hardship and exhaustion.

"What should we do?"

The one asking Black Zetsu was a cold-hearted White Zetsu.

Since Obito had now returned to Konoha, who would go to capture the Tailed Beasts?

"What are Madara's eyes doing lately?" Black Zetsu asked.

Madara's eyes referred to none other than Nagato Uzumaki, who, along with Yahiko and Konan, had established the Akatsuki organization and was currently striving for peace in Amegakure.

As of now.

The results were mediocre, and they were not attracting much attention.

This Nagato was a soft-hearted fool who only listened to Yahiko.

This Obito was a lovesick idiot; unless Rin died right in front of him—but now, whether Rin lived or died was irrelevant, because a death capable of shattering Obito and making him harbor hatred for the world was not something that could be easily orchestrated.

A pair of useless trash!

Spending all day on romance and affection; was love really that important?

And then there was this Madara, mentioning Hashirama every single day, and now just dying and sleeping like this, leaving all the problems to him—if that was the case, what use were you?

"A bunch of useless things, not one of them is reliable."

To make matters worse.

Madara's lifespan had reached its end, and he died this winter.

Black Zetsu: "!"

Madara was dead, Obito hadn't come over, what kind of hellish start was this?!