The next morning, Tsunade opened her eyes wearily after only two hours of sleep. She was exhausted, her whole body felt as though it had fallen apart, and she drowsily reached out beside her with her eyes still closed. When she didn't find the little rascal who made her both love and hate him, she couldn't help opening her eyes to look. The bedroom was quiet, and she was all alone.
She pulled the covers over her head, intending to catch a few more hours of sleep. The lingering traces of the previous night's battle were still in the bed... Then she suddenly remembered all the positions they'd put her in last night. Blushing, she sat up, revealing her delicate collarbones.
She glanced around. Her pajamas had been thrown on the floor... Tsunade thought for a moment, then looked at the bedroom door. Quickly throwing off the covers, she picked up her pajamas and slipped them on.
"Phew..." Once she'd finished, she suddenly furrowed her delicate brows, pressed her legs together, and hurried toward the bathroom...
"Damn you, you bastard!"
Obito hummed a little tune as he prepared breakfast in the kitchen downstairs. Fried eggs, ham, and rice porridge—it was simple, but it came from the heart.
After breakfast was ready, he went upstairs and found Tsunade had gotten up on her own. Obito opened the window and changed the sheets and duvet cover. Once everything was tidied up, Tsunade emerged from the bathroom with her hair still wet and glared at him.
Obito shrugged and smiled ingratiatingly. "Let me blow-dry your hair. Breakfast is ready. Once your hair's dry, we can eat."
Tsunade was quite pleased with her young man's attentiveness. The corners of her mouth lifted slightly as she enjoyed Obito's service.
After breakfast, they got ready. Obito used Kamui to take Tsunade straight to her office.
The full private-car treatment...
"I'll come pick you up tonight." Obito kissed Tsunade on the cheek.
"Mm. Hurry up and go. Don't interfere with my work." Tsunade gave Obito a little push, though her tone sounded more like playful flirting.
Obito left Konoha Hospital and headed for the Hokage Building. He'd show his face first, then go find old Madara. Why had he suddenly gotten so busy?
When he reached the Hokage Building, he sensed that something was amiss. The ninjas looked grave and hurried about as if something major had happened.
Thinking of the timing, Obito's heart stirred. Is the Third Great Ninja War about to begin?
"Lord Obito, the Third Hokage has called an emergency meeting. Please come to the conference room," said an unfamiliar young ninja, hurrying over.
"Got it." Obito nodded.
When he entered the conference room, he saw the Third Hokage, the two elders Homura and Koharu, Orochimaru, and the famous jonin from the Uchiha and Hyuga Clans. Apart from those on missions outside the village, almost all the jonin were there, though Obito didn't know many of them. More people continued to file in, and before long, Tsunade arrived as well. When she saw Obito, she walked straight over and sat beside him.
After about another few minutes, the Third Hokage gave a signal. The two Anbu standing by the door shut the conference room doors, and the people inside stopped talking. The room fell so silent that you could hear a pin drop...
"I called you all here on short notice to announce something important. We've just received intelligence from the front lines: Sunagakure has gathered a large number of troops at the border! War is now unavoidable!" the Third Hokage said in a steady, resonant voice.
"Starting today, all departments will cancel all leave. The logistics department must step up production of supplies for the war effort. Shikaku Nara will be in charge!"
"The medical department will select one hundred medical ninjas to prepare for deployment to the front lines. Tsunade will be in charge!"
"Report on the above matters to the two elders, Homura and Koharu!"
"Orochimaru will be in charge of Root and the intelligence department, with Inoichi Yamanaka assisting. Report directly to me!"
"Jiraiya is appointed commander-in-chief at the front, with Minato Namikaze as his deputy. The jonin will organize their respective squads and prepare for battle!"
Obito sat below, listening as one order after another was issued in an orderly fashion. These were things he'd never learned from the anime. The clear division of responsibilities and abundance of talent made it easy to see why Konoha was the strongest of the Five Great Hidden Villages.
The meeting lasted about an hour before it ended. Those who'd received orders hurried out, while Obito seemed to be nothing more than a mascot.
The Uchiha Clan had similarly gone through the motions, receiving no appointments at all. Unlike before, though, no one voiced any objections. They simply turned their gazes toward the figure seated at the front.
Obito could guess most of what the Third Hokage was thinking. War had never been a crisis for Konoha, especially when its opponent was the relatively weak Sunagakure.
Jiraiya as commander-in-chief, Minato as his deputy. Was the Third already paving the way for Minato?
In the original story, Minato had risen to prominence during the Third Great Ninja War, defeating Orochimaru to become the Fourth Hokage.
Jiraiya should have been the most qualified to become Hokage. He was extraordinarily strong, had an impressive record, and was the Third Hokage's student. But Jiraiya had no interest in the position; he was more focused on finding the Child of Destiny.
So passing his political support on to his own student, Minato, was only natural.
Obito, as a Hokage candidate, could be a candidate for the Fourth Hokage—or just as easily the Fifth Hokage. That kind of wordplay was the old schemers' specialty.
Obito took Tsunade by the hand and stood to leave the conference room. Behind him, all the Uchiha jonin stood and followed him out.
Homura and Koharu looked sullen and gave a cold snort.
Orochimaru licked his lips meaningfully, then got up and left.
The Third Hokage silently smoked his pipe, the smoke hiding his expression. Homura and Koharu exchanged a glance, then rose and left at the same time...
Before you continue