Uchiha Madara!!

When the four returned to the village,

it was already morning.

Though it was still early, the village was already bustling with activity.

Wandering merchants who traveled between the various countries streamed into Konoha one after another,

and although they were drifters,

they still had considerable wealth at their disposal.

They could be called the wealthiest people in the village.

After the four gave the Fourth Hokage, Minato Namikaze, a brief report on the mission at the Hokage Building,

everyone went their separate ways to get some rest, except Kakashi.

After all, the four had traveled day and night without stopping, and hadn't had a proper rest the entire way.

Even Might Guy had no intention of heading to the training ground for a workout.

All he wanted now was a good night's sleep.

After saying goodbye to the other two, Yatsuhashi finally took off his Anbu mask.

He rubbed his aching shoulders.

Then he headed back to his rented apartment.

Yatsuhashi couldn't help reflecting ruefully,

Even a ninja couldn't withstand traveling nonstop for days on end!

Yatsuhashi hadn't even reached for the door of his apartment when it opened by itself.

He sensed that familiar presence once again.

"Ninja Art: Hidden Shadow Snake Hands!"

In the blink of an eye, a purple-scaled snake had coiled around Yatsuhashi.

Mitaraishi Anko stood inside the room, glaring angrily at him.

"Where have you been these past few days?"

Ever since they'd last parted, she hadn't seen Yatsuhashi anywhere.

And Yatsuhashi hadn't come to visit her at the newly established Ninja Academy, either.

How could Anko not be angry?

Even the purple-scaled snake kept flicking its moist tongue at Yatsuhashi.

"Uh..."

Yatsuhashi helplessly reached out to touch the purple-scaled snake as it flicked its tongue at him,

then gently closed its mouth with his hand.

"Anbu assigned me a mission."

At the mention of the Anbu,

Anko's expression finally softened a little,

though she still puffed out her cheeks.

But Yatsuhashi could clearly feel

that the purple-scaled snake had noticeably calmed down.

It even nestled affectionately in Yatsuhashi's palm, looking incredibly intimate.

"Hmph!"

Anko shot her purple-scaled snake an exasperated glance,

then manually released the jutsu she'd cast.

"W-wait!"

But Anko paid no heed to Yatsuhashi's protest.

She coiled around him like a giant snake.

The two of them tumbled onto the bed in the rented apartment.

Not only had Anko's entire body turned serpentine,

but venomous fangs had even grown in her mouth.

Now she opened her mouth wide and sank her teeth into Yatsuhashi's exposed neck.

Yatsuhashi's heart clenched,

since Anko had him wrapped up tight, leaving him no room to fight back.

Luckily, just as those sharp fangs touched his skin,

they quickly retracted,

turning back into the girl's distinctive pearly teeth.

A clear bite mark appeared on Yatsuhashi's body.

"If you're going to be gone this long again, you'd better tell me..."

As she finished speaking, Anko raised her little fist,

and glared at Yatsuhashi as she threatened him.

But her bright, lovely look only added a different kind of allure.

Just as the mood between them began to heat up,

"Cough, cough!"

An extremely ill-timed cough came from the doorway.

Kakashi was leaning against the doorframe of the apartment. No one knew when he'd arrived.

"Whoosh!"

Anko sprang away as if she'd been shocked, her cheeks turning bright red.

Kakashi pressed a hand to his forehead. "Yatsuhashi, Lord Hokage asked me to come find you..."

It wasn't his fault,

since Yatsuhashi and Anko had left the door open in broad daylight.

Seeing this, Anko ducked her head and hurried past Kakashi.

"I-I'm going to the Academy!"

With that, she quickly fled the scene.

That left Yatsuhashi all alone.

He sat on the edge of the bed, touching the bite mark on his neck as he stared into space.

"Sorry, Lord Hokage asked me to pick up Inuzuka Yuka's scroll."

As it turned out, ever since that day,

Inuzuka Yuka had also been searching for Yatsuhashi.

She had failed at ninjutsu practice when she was a child,

leaving her fused with her Ninja Dog, "Sumaru."

As a result, Inuzuka Yuka spent nearly every moment absorbed in research,

trying to find a way to undo the human-beast fusion.

That was why she carried so many experimental tools with her wherever she went.

After failing to find Yatsuhashi for days on end,

Inuzuka Yuka had no choice but to ask the Fourth Hokage, Minato Namikaze, for help.

As it happened, Yatsuhashi and the others had just returned from their mission that day.

So Minato Namikaze had sent Kakashi, whom Yatsuhashi had parted from only moments ago, to collect Inuzuka Yuka's scroll.

Kakashi took the scroll from Yatsuhashi.

"Well, if there's nothing else, I'll be going."

Just as he was about to leave,

Kakashi's eyes casually swept over an orange book on the table.

The large, conspicuous character "Forbidden" on its cover

immediately piqued Kakashi's curiosity.

"What's this...?"

Kakashi walked over and picked up the book.

He only had to glance at it

for it to feel as though the book had sucked him right in.

In an instant, he was completely absorbed, unable to tear himself away.

"Um... Yatsuhashi."

Kakashi blushed,

then closed the book. "Could I borrow this for a couple of days?"

Yatsuhashi was still lost in thought,

so he nodded without even looking.

Kakashi felt as though he'd found a priceless treasure. Satisfied, he left with Make-Out Paradise.

Yatsuhashi looked at the now-empty apartment

and let out a heavy sigh.

After all that commotion,

Yatsuhashi was no longer sleepy at all.

He lived alone in the rented apartment,

but Anko had tidied it so carefully every day that it had lost its original, messy feel.

Yatsuhashi also noticed that a lot of women's clothing had appeared in his apartment at some point.

Apparently, unable to find Yatsuhashi,

Anko had simply moved in herself.

Land of Earth, Mountain Graveyard

The elderly Madara Uchiha slowly awoke on his enormous stone throne.

Although the Demonic Statue behind him continuously supplied him with chakra,

Madara Uchiha still needed to fall asleep periodically.

He let out a long breath,

feeling that his body was nearing its limits.

"It looks like I'll have to move up my plans. I'm already sick of this body."

"Bring me the intelligence gathered over this period."

At his command, several White Zetsu timidly approached, carrying scrolls.

These contained major events that had taken place in the Five Great Nations while he was asleep,

gathered by the nearby White Zetsu.

"Hm?!"

Madara Uchiha looked at the intelligence from the Land of Water,

and a terrifying chakra pressure erupted, making every White Zetsu in the cave tremble.

"Didn't I tell you?"

Madara scolded them. "Without my permission, he isn't to leave this place, not even for a step!"

The powerful pressure kept the White Zetsu around him from getting back up.

"N-no, it wasn't him."

"That's right, we've been keeping an eye on him."

The White Zetsu nearby hurriedly explained, "We've already investigated it."

"Someone in Konoha is using Uchiha Obito's name!"

"Oh?"

An amused curve appeared at the corner of Madara Uchiha's mouth.

"Has another clan member awakened the Mangekyō Sharingan on their own?"

"Who is it?"

The White Zetsu, who had just managed to stand, immediately fell silent in fear,

and hurriedly backed away a few steps.

Then one of them gathered his courage and replied, "W-we don't know."

"The Land of Water's intelligence is too tightly sealed. We only know it was someone from Konoha, but not who."

"Very well!"

Madara Uchiha waved his hand, and the White Zetsu finally breathed a sigh of relief.

"Bring him to me."

Before long, a figure appeared before Madara, escorted by White Zetsu.

It was Uchiha Obito, restored to normal after fusing with White Zetsu.

After spending this time adjusting,

Uchiha Obito had completely gotten used to his new body.

His strength had even improved considerably compared to before.

"Is there something you need from me?"

There was a hint of laziness and disrespect in Obito's voice.

Madara, who had been sitting on the throne, old and frail,

suddenly vanished from Obito's sight.

"Too slow."

Madara murmured, and in the next instant, he was standing before Obito.

"So fast!"

Obito abruptly retreated,

but compared to Madara, his speed was no better than a snail's.

"Splurt!"

A withered hand,

as the White Zetsu around them watched in astonishment,

pierced through Obito's chest without warning.

It swiftly placed a unique restraining seal over his heart.

"Y-you—what did you do?!"

"Nothing."

Madara slowly withdrew his hand,

and the horrifying wound in Obito's chest

quickly healed thanks to his fusion with White Zetsu.

"Just a precaution."

Madara slowly sat back down on the throne.

"Until you've fully completed the Eye of the Moon Plan, I don't want you having any unexpected ideas."

"Yes, I understand."

Obito clutched his chest,

and replied with a sinister look in his eyes.

"Black Zetsu."

Madara beckoned.

Black Zetsu, who had been lurking underground all along, slowly emerged.

"Go and begin carrying out our plan."

"As you command, Lord Madara."

Black Zetsu left the dark cave with Obito.

After they were gone,

one of the White Zetsu looked at the pipe connecting the Demonic Statue to Madara's back

and cautiously asked, "Wasn't the plan to start now...?"

"No!"

Madara cut him off.

"Before I leave this world, I want to return to the village and see those eyes."

The fact that another member of his clan had awakened the Mangekyō Sharingan on his own

had clearly piqued his interest.