War Erupts

The next morning, Tsunade, having slept for only two hours, opened her eyes in exhaustion. Though she was dead tired and felt as if her body were falling apart, she reached out blindly to her side, only to find that the little rascal she loved and hated so much was gone. She couldn't help but open her eyes to check; the bedroom was quiet, and she was all alone.

She pulled the covers over her head, intending to catch a bit more sleep, but the lingering scent of last night's battle still clung to the bedding. Suddenly recalling the various positions she had been put into, she sat up with a faint blush, her delicate collarbones exposed.

Glancing around, she saw her pajamas tossed on the floor. After a moment of thought, she looked toward the bedroom door, quickly threw off the covers, and scrambled to put on her clothes.

"Hah..." After finishing the movement, she suddenly furrowed her delicate brows, crossed her legs, and hurried toward the bathroom.

"Damn bastard!"

Obito was humming a tune in the kitchen downstairs, preparing breakfast. Fried eggs, ham, and porridge—simple, but it was his heartfelt gesture.

After finishing breakfast, he went upstairs and found that Tsunade was already up. Obito opened the windows and changed the sheets and quilt cover. Once everything was tidy, Tsunade walked out of the bathroom with her hair still damp, shooting a glare at Obito.

Obito shrugged and gave a flattering smile. "Let me dry your hair. Breakfast is ready; we'll eat once it's dry."

Tsunade was quite satisfied with her little man's performance. The corners of her mouth curled up slightly as she enjoyed Obito's service.

After breakfast, the two got ready, and Obito used Kamui to take Tsunade directly to her office.

A proper chauffeur service, indeed.

"I'll come to pick you up tonight," Obito said, planting a kiss on Tsunade's cheek.

"Mm, hurry off now, don't distract me from my work," Tsunade said, giving him a push, though the tone sounded more like flirtatious banter than a dismissal.

Obito left Konoha Hospital and headed toward the Hokage Building. He needed to show his face there, then go find old man Madara. Why had things suddenly become so busy?

When he arrived at the Hokage Building, he sensed that the atmosphere was off. The ninjas looked grave and walked with hurried steps, as if something major had happened.

Connecting this to the timeline, Obito's heart stirred. Was the Third Shinobi World War about to begin?

"Lord Obito, the Third Hokage has called an emergency meeting. Please head to the conference room," a young ninja he didn't recognize said as he ran past.

"Understood," Obito nodded.

Walking into the conference room, he saw the Third Hokage, the two elders Koharu and Homura, Orochimaru, members of the Uchiha clan, the Hyuga clan, and all the famous Jonin of the village. Aside from those out on missions, almost everyone was here, though he didn't recognize many of them. People continued to trickle in, and soon Tsunade arrived as well. Seeing Obito, she walked straight over and sat down beside him.

After waiting a few more minutes, the Third Hokage signaled, and the two Anbu standing at the door closed the conference room gates. The people inside ceased their chatter. The entire room became so quiet you could hear a pin drop.

"I have summoned you all urgently because there is a major matter to announce. We have just received intelligence from the front lines: Sunagakure is massing a large number of troops at the border! War is now inevitable!" the Third Hokage said in a steady, resonant voice.

"Starting today, all departments are to cancel all leave. The logistics department is to accelerate the production of war supplies. Shikaku Nara will be in charge!"

"The medical department is to mobilize one hundred medical ninjas to head to the front lines. Tsunade will be in charge!"

Report the above work to the two elders, Koharu and Homura!

"The Root and the intelligence department will be under the command of Orochimaru, with Inoichi Yamanaka assisting and reporting directly to me!"

"I appoint Jiraiya as the front-line commander-in-chief, and Minato Namikaze as the deputy commander. Jonin are to organize their respective squads and prepare for battle!"

Obito sat below, listening as the orders were issued in an orderly fashion. These were details not known from the anime; the clear division of labor and the abundance of talent showed exactly why Konoha was the most powerful of the Five Great Shinobi Villages.

The meeting lasted for about an hour before it concluded. Those who received orders left in a hurry, while Obito felt like a mere mascot.

The Uchiha clan was treated as if they were just going through the motions, receiving no appointments. What was different from the past was that no one raised any objections; they simply looked toward the figure sitting at the front.

Obito could guess the Third Hokage's intentions well enough. For Konoha, war was never a crisis, especially against the relatively weaker Sunagakure.

Jiraiya as commander-in-chief, Minato as deputy. Was he already paving the way for Minato?

In the original story, it was precisely during the Third Shinobi World War that Minato stood out, eventually defeating Orochimaru to become the Fourth Hokage.

Originally, the person most qualified to be Hokage should have been Jiraiya—he had superior strength, a legendary war record, and was a student of the Third. But Jiraiya's ambitions didn't lie there; he was searching for the Child of Prophecy.

Thus, passing his political resources to his student, Minato, was a logical progression.

As for himself, a candidate for Hokage could be a candidate for the Fourth, or equally a candidate for the Fifth. Word games were the specialty of these old schemers.

Obito took Tsunade's hand and rose to leave the conference room, and all the Uchiha Jonin behind him stood up in unison to follow.

Koharu and Homura's faces darkened, and they let out a cold snort.

Orochimaru licked the corner of his mouth with a meaningful expression before rising to leave.

The Third Hokage sat in silence, puffing on his pipe, the smoke obscuring his expression. Koharu and Homura exchanged a glance and left together without a word.