Madara Uchiha!!

By the time the four of them returned to the village, it was already morning.

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

Wandering merchants traveling between various nations had poured into Konoha one after another.

Even though they were nomadic traders, they still held a significant amount of wealth in their hands.

It could be said that they were undoubtedly the wealthiest group of people in the village.

After the four of them gave a brief report on the mission to the Fourth Hokage, Minato Namikaze, at the Hokage Building, everyone except Kakashi dispersed to get some well-deserved rest.

After all, the four of them had been traveling day and night without a proper break.

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

At this moment, he just wanted a good sleep.

After bidding the others farewell, Yatsuhashi finally took off his Anbu mask.

He rubbed his sore shoulders, preparing to return to his rented apartment.

Yatsuhashi couldn't help but sigh inwardly; even a ninja couldn't handle days of non-stop travel!

Yatsuhashi walked up to the door of his apartment, but before he could open it, the door swung open on its own.

He once again sensed that familiar aura.

"Ninja Art: Hidden Shadow Snake Hands!"

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

Anko Mitarashi stood inside the room, glaring at Yatsuhashi.

"Where have you been these past few days?"

Ever since they last parted ways, she hadn't seen a trace of Yatsuhashi.

And Yatsuhashi hadn't gone to the newly built Ninja Academy to find her either.

How could Anko not be annoyed by this?

Even the purple-scaled snake kept flicking its wet tongue toward Yatsuhashi.

"Uh..."

Yatsuhashi helplessly reached out to touch the purple-scaled snake that was flicking its tongue at him, then gently closed its mouth with his hand.

"The Anbu assigned me a mission."

Upon hearing the word "Anbu," Anko's expression improved significantly, though she still puffed out her cheeks.

However, Yatsuhashi could clearly feel that the purple-scaled snake's mood had visibly stabilized.

It even nuzzled against his palm quite affectionately, appearing incredibly intimate.

"Hmph!"

Anko glanced at her purple-scaled snake with a sense of frustration before manually dispelling the ninjutsu she had cast.

"Wait... wait a second!"

However, Anko didn't listen to Yatsuhashi's protest.

She coiled herself around Yatsuhashi like a giant snake.

The two of them tumbled onto the bed inside the apartment just like that.

Not only was Anko's entire body snake-like, but even venomous fangs had sprouted in her mouth.

At this moment, she bit down fiercely on Yatsuhashi's exposed neck.

This made Yatsuhashi's heart tighten; after all, with his entire body tightly bound by Anko, he had no room to resist at all.

Fortunately, those sharp fangs retracted just in time the moment they touched his skin, reverting back to the girl's unique, pearly teeth.

A clear tooth mark stood out prominently on Yatsuhashi's body.

"Next time you go out for this long without telling me..."

As she finished, Anko raised her small fist, threatening Yatsuhashi fiercely.

Yet, her bright, spirited expression only added a touch of unexpected charm.

Just as the atmosphere between the two began to heat up.

"Ahem!"

An extremely ill-timed cough came from the doorway.

Kakashi was leaning against the doorframe of the rental apartment, though no one knew how long he had been there.

"Whoosh!"

Anko sprang away as if electrocuted, her face flushing bright red.

Kakashi rubbed his forehead. "Yatsuhashi, the Hokage sent me to find you..."

He couldn't be blamed for this; after all, Yatsuhashi and Anko hadn't even bothered to close the door in broad daylight.

Seeing this, Anko lowered her head and darted past Kakashi at top speed.

"I, I'm heading to the academy first!"

With that, she quickly fled the scene.

Only Yatsuhashi was left behind, sitting alone on the edge of the bed, staring blankly while touching the tooth mark on his neck.

"Sorry, the Hokage sent me to retrieve Inuzuka Yuka's scroll."

As it turned out, ever since that day, Inuzuka Yuka had also been searching for Yatsuhashi's whereabouts.

Because she had failed a ninjutsu practice session when she was young, she had remained in a state of fusion with her ninja dog, Sumaru.

Consequently, Inuzuka Yuka spent almost every waking moment immersed in research, attempting to undo the human-beast fusion on her body.

This was the reason why Inuzuka Yuka carried so many experimental instruments with her at all times.

After failing to find any trace of Yatsuhashi for several days in a row, Inuzuka Yuka had no choice but to helplessly seek help from the Fourth Hokage, Minato Namikaze.

It just so happened that Yatsuhashi and his team had returned from a mission today, which was why Minato Namikaze had sent Kakashi—who had only just parted ways with them—to retrieve Inuzuka Yuka's scroll.

Kakashi took the scroll from Yatsuhashi's hand.

"If there's nothing else, I'll be going now."

However, just before leaving, Kakashi's gaze inadvertently swept over an orange novel on the table.

In particular, the large, eye-catching "Forbidden" character on its cover instantly piqued his curiosity.

"This is..."

Kakashi walked over and picked up the book. After just one glance, it was as if he had been completely sucked into it. He was instantly enthralled, unable to pull himself away.

"Um... Yatsuhashi."

Kakashi's face turned red as he closed the book. "Could I borrow this for a couple of days?"

At this moment, Yatsuhashi was still in a daze.

He nodded and agreed without even looking.

Kakashi, as if he had found a treasure, walked away satisfied with that copy of Make-Out Paradise.

Yatsuhashi looked at his rental apartment, which had become empty once again.

He let out a heavy sigh.

After the commotion caused by the two of them, it was clear that Yatsuhashi no longer had a shred of sleepiness.

The rental apartment, where he lived alone, had lost its original messy atmosphere thanks to Anko's daily meticulous tidying.

Furthermore, Yatsuhashi discovered that, at some point, many women's clothes had appeared in his apartment.

Clearly, when Anko couldn't find Yatsuhashi, she simply moved in herself.

Land of Earth, Mountain Graveyard.

The elderly Madara Uchiha slowly awakened on a massive stone throne.

Even though the Demonic Statue behind him provided a constant supply of chakra, Madara Uchiha still needed to fall into a deep sleep periodically.

He exhaled a long, stale breath, feeling his body nearing its end.

"It seems I must advance the plan; this body has already made me feel quite weary."

"Bring me the intelligence gathered during this period."

Following his command, several White Zetsu timidly approached, holding scrolls.

These were the major events that had occurred within the Five Great Nations, collected by the surrounding White Zetsu while he was in his deep sleep.

"Hm?!"

As Madara Uchiha looked at the intelligence from the Land of Water, a terrifying pressure of chakra erupted instantly, causing all the White Zetsu in the cave to tremble.

"Did I not say so?"

Madara reprimanded them, "Without my permission, he is not allowed to leave this place even half a step!"

This powerful aura pressed down on the surrounding White Zetsu, making it impossible for them to stand.

"It... it is not him."

"Yes, we have been watching him the whole time."

The surrounding White Zetsu hurriedly explained, "We have already investigated it clearly."

"There is someone in Konoha impersonating the name of Uchiha Obito!"

"Oh?"

A corner of Madara Uchiha's mouth curled into an interesting arc.

"Is there another clansman who has awakened the Mangekyo Sharingan on their own?"

"Who is it?"

The White Zetsu who had just stood up were suddenly struck dumb, and they quickly retreated a few steps.

Then, one of the White Zetsu gathered his courage and replied, "We... we are not sure."

"The information blockade in the Land of Water is too severe; we only know it is someone from Konoha, but we do not yet know exactly who it is."

"Enough!"

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

"Bring him to see me."

Soon, a figure appeared before Madara, surrounded by White Zetsu.

It was none other than Uchiha Obito, who had returned to normal after merging with the White Zetsu.

After this period of adaptation, Uchiha Obito had become completely familiar with this body of his.

It even allowed his strength to improve far beyond what it was before.

"What do you want with me?"

Obito's voice carried a hint of laziness and disrespect.

Madara Uchiha, who had been frail and aged upon his throne, suddenly vanished from before Obito.

"Too slow."

Madara whispered, already standing right in front of Obito.

"So fast!"

Obito lunged backward in a desperate retreat, but before Madara, his speed was no different from a snail's.

"Squelch!"

A withered palm, amidst the astonished gazes of the surrounding White Zetsu, pierced through Obito's chest without warning.

He quickly placed a unique binding seal right over the location of his heart.

"You, what did you do?!"

"Nothing."

Madara slowly withdrew his hand, and the shocking wound on Obito's chest healed rapidly due to the integration of White Zetsu.

"Just a precaution, that is all."

Madara slowly sat back down upon his throne.

"Until you have completely fulfilled the Eye of the Moon Plan, I do not wish for you to have any stray thoughts."

"Yes, I understand."

Obito clutched his chest, his eyes dark and sinister as he replied.

"Black Zetsu."

Madara beckoned.

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

"Go and begin executing our plan."

"As you command, Lord Madara."

Black Zetsu led Obito away from the gloomy cavern.

After they had left, White Zetsu, watching the tubes connecting Madara Uchiha to the Demonic Statue, asked cautiously, "Isn't the plan now..."

"No!"

Madara cut White Zetsu off.

"Before I depart from this world, I wish to return to the village and see those eyes."

The fact that another clansman had managed to awaken the Mangekyo Sharingan on their own had clearly piqued his interest.