In mid-August, as intelligence agents relayed information back to Kumogakure, Konoha adjusted its supply lines, and the Land of Hot Water prepared accordingly, as requested by its allies.
Although the exact events surrounding the Jinchuriki remain unknown, it is certain that the Fourth Raikage A, has restored order to the village.
Not only that, the Fourth Raikage even showed signs of letting go of his hatred, Iwagakure took the initiative to return the Third Raikage's body, with the two sides temporarily reaching a reconciliation.
The Konoha Ninja once again sensed the impending battle; in this final showdown, all three sides began to intensify their preparations for supplies.
With Kakashi, the temporary captain, going to the front lines again, Obito Uchiha were able to relax once more.
As young Chunin, they were mostly assigned patrol and protection missions.
After Kikyo Castle was attacked, the village increased its patrols, and with Byakugan ninjas supporting them, missions were usually quite easy.
When Obito Uchiha returned to the village at noon, he saw Rin Nohara's worried expression and felt a pang of sadness. He knew the girl was worried about Kakashi: "Rin, there's no need to worry about Kakashi."
"Although that guy isn't as strong as me after I Sharingan, he's still quite strong compared to the Iwagakure Ninja!"
"My elders told me that after the Tenchi Bridge was repaired, there were far fewer battles in the Land of Grass."
" Kakashi will definitely be fine. At most, he'll get some complaints from others. After all, he's such a jerk; he always enjoys seeing people get hurt!"
With his hands behind his head, Obito Uchiha head back and muttered to himself, "This guy is an absolute idiot!" His act of Sharingan almost exposed the White Zetsu monitoring him:
"I wonder if Lord Madara's plan will work."
Namiashi Raidō sighed helplessly.
Among the Uchiha ninjas, only Obito could be this oblivious.
However, after spending more time with him, he realized that Obito was kind-hearted and a trustworthy partner.
"Get some rest. The village is gathering supplies; next month might be the last battle of the year."
"We'll most likely receive some patrol assignments as well, so remember to be prepared."
Rin Nohara responded energetically, while Obito, looking resentful, muttered, " Minato-sensei always abandons us, and Kakashi is the same."
"They could have fought side by side."
" Obito! Don't say that, they were all doing it to protect us."
Rin Nohara turned to Obito and answered earnestly, then, recalling the news she had recently received, added softly, " Minato-sensei's comrades also perished in the recent mission."
" Obito, don't be reckless!"
Obito exclaimed in surprise, "Ah!" He hadn't even noticed this. Realizing he hadn't paid attention to his teacher's life, he felt a pang of guilt and said, "It's my fault. Minato-sensei must be very sad, after all, he's been a comrade-in-arms for many years."
After discussing in hushed tones for a while, the three parted ways, with Obito following Rin Nohara to Konoha Hospital.
Suddenly, they encountered an elderly woman dragging a huge suitcase on the road. Rin Nohara hesitated, wanting to say something, Obito rushed over, took the suitcase from her, and turned to the girl, saying, "Rin, after I get this old lady to her destination, I'll come find you right away!"
"Kind child, thank you for your help."
The old woman with the cane bowed to thank him, Obito energetically dragged his luggage bag. The two walked further and further away, and Rin Nohara sighed quietly, muttering to herself, " Obito always seems to run into old ladies."
When they arrived at a remote house, Obito was exhausted and covered in sweat. The old woman kindly offered him candy, encouraging him with a smile, "Take it, kind boy, we're so grateful for your help."
"Haha, I'm going to bear this clan crest as I become Hokage..."
Taking advantage of the contact between the two, White Zetsu successfully possessed Obito's body. "I hope you won't disappoint Lord Madara!"
In a hidden stronghold deep underground on a small island in the eastern part of Kirigakure, Madara Uchiha leaned against the Demonic Statue of the Outer Path, quietly listening to the White Zetsu's report.
Perhaps due to the limited time remaining, Madara Uchiha was more focused on his own plan. After hearing a general overview of the situation on the Land of Grass battlefield, he gave instructions. "As soon as the executor receives the mission, you will help the Iwagakure Ninja break through the defenses."
"Put him in a life-or-death situation. If he still can't open his eyes, then let him die there."
"Don't worry about the injury. Once we return to the nearby Land of Iron peninsula, I will use the Demonic Statue of the Outer Path to complete the surgery for him."
"Since the proxy couldn't control Hashirama Cells, they dug out those Sharingan."
"Once he masters this power, let him witness that girl's death."
"The kinder and more loving you are, the easier it is to awaken the Mangekyō Sharingan."
"If you can't do it, take the Sharingan and abandon him. You go and guide Nagato."
Having spoken too much in one breath, Madara Uchiha took deep breaths; his body was almost at its limit, but fortunately, the plan had already been arranged.
" Lord Madara, the possession has been successful, and I can check on the agent's situation at any time."
" Hashirama, I'm sure I'll win this time..."
White Zetsu could only wait as Lord Madara began his " Hashirama Time" again. The closer Madara Uchiha got to death, the more he enjoyed reminiscing.
"What should we do with the guy who stole the Demonic Statue of the Outer Path's energy?"
"Yes, Lord Madara, we can't find any trace of them."
"There is no Mangekyō Sharingan among the Uchiha Clan."
Madara Uchiha listened to the White Zetsu's excited chatter, a faint sense of unease crept into his heart. "Whoever he is, unless he awakens the Mangekyō Sharingan, he's destined never to see the inscription on the stone tablet."
"Once we get back, we'll awaken some more White Zetsu. At this point, there's really no need to cherish this energy."
Upon hearing that more companions would be arriving, the White Zetsu chattered incoherently. Madara Uchiha, seeing this, took a few more breaths and muttered to himself, "Looks like I should create another top-tier..."
At the end of August, Shu Furukawa, who will soon turn 12, has been practicing new techniques intensively.
In the Shikkotsu Forest, Shu Furukawa, who had entered Sage Mode, controlled the huge, jet-black wings behind him. The wings, made of Iron Sand, looked heavy, but were actually very flexible to manipulate.
"Call..."
With a flap of his wings, Shu Furukawa rapidly ascended, hovering in the air. Fine, jet-black Iron Sand Senbon appeared on his wings and shot towards the ground at a speed imperceptible to the naked eye.
"Boom!"
After a loud bang, the black Iron Sand Senbon the ground began to swell, and a wide range of sharp spikes emerged from the ground. With a thought, Shu Furukawa vanished into thin air.
Using the Flying Thunder God, he returned to the ground, and the wings behind Shu Furukawa merged into the Iron Sand. The Iron Sand gradually fell to the ground as the conversion of Senjutsu Chakra ceased.
"Once you can fly, Lord Xiu won't have to worry about the opponent's wide-range ninjutsu."
"Flying does make up for some shortcomings, but the power of ninjutsu can only deal with some ordinary ninjas."
Shu Furukawa, sitting in front of the Katsuyu's main body, gave a brief response. Seeing that the other party had split off another small clone, he said with some regret, "I still don't have a suitable Barrier Ninjutsu. Sealing off space is indeed very difficult."
"Lord Xiu has done enough; the other side shouldn't have gathered much intelligence."
All the techniques that Shu Furukawa revealed were ordinary ninjutsu, except for his Lightning Release, which was somewhat more powerful. Apart from that, he possessed a massive amount of Chakra.
Regardless of whether the other party intentionally collected them, the Dango series of ninjutsu, Flying Thunder God, and Senjutsu have never been made public.
There were no more White Zetsu figures on the battlefield in the Land of Grass. Considering the timing, Shu Furukawa felt that Madara Uchiha was about to make his move.
"Lord Xiu, the White Zetsu Clone has also completed its charging and is ready to be used at any time."
"After successfully acquiring chakra, you must also absorb the energy from the roots of the Divine Tree, but the number of spirits that split off cannot be too many."
The Katsuyu gently suggested from his shoulder, and Shu Furukawa responded. If nothing unexpected happened, Kumogakure launched a surprise attack, he would be sent to the front lines in the Land of Hot Water.
The Flying Thunder God Formula has been set up. As soon as the Demonic Statue of the Outer Path returns, he can travel to the Land of Iron Peninsula at top speed. "Hopefully, I can complete another transformation."
Konoha mobilized once again for the final battle of the year. Everyone was full of confidence, hoping to lay the foundation for decades of peace and development in the future.
Despite taking on more and more work, Tsunade, when she cheered up, still had the energy to choose a new house after work.
Shizune was a little reluctant when she heard that the teacher planned to leave the Apartment to her, but thinking about the possibility of having time alone together, the girl eventually accepted the arrangement.
The Hokage has a fixed residence, and Tsunade Teuchi to buy another house with a garden. These properties are mostly located on the east and west sides, and have a larger area, but the supporting facilities are not very complete.
Back in the Apartment that evening, Shizune happily shared her thoughts. "Teacher, that traditional courtyard house is so beautiful! It's completely different from the Apartment, but it's just too far away."
"I still want to continue living with the teacher, ideally all three of us."
Shu Furukawa chuckled in the kitchen, teasing the girl as he prepared ingredients. " Tsunade- sensei is about to become Hokage, she needs to have her own life too. Shizune, we're not children anymore."
Shizune, she only heard the last sentence and immediately lowered her head in embarrassment. Thinking of the love stories she usually read, she almost felt steam rising from her head.
Tsunade's heart skipped a beat. She glanced at Shu Furukawa, who was focused on cooking, before gently patting Shizune's head as usual. "You need to learn to take care of yourself from now on. If I'm too busy with work, I might not have time to look after you."
"What?! The teacher is also being 'taken care of' by Xiu, she's suffocating!"
Shizune muttered a complaint before Tsunade close. She hadn't thought it was wrong before, but now, looking back, she realized she had indeed gone too far. "Kid! A disciple cannot disobey his teacher."
"I'm just too busy, I don't have time to do housework..."
Upon hearing these words, Shu Furukawa turned to look at the two of them. Tsunade away, her eyes darting around. Recalling the wild thoughts she had after each training session together, she couldn't help but take a deep breath to calm herself down.
"Ah, the teacher is really suffocating!"