"I know. That's why we've cultivated new varieties of rice, wheat, vegetables, and fruit. We've researched ways to raise livestock and breed new varieties... We've established bases and used food to gather refugees and put them to work for me. We teach them to read and write and about revolutionary ideas, and tell them about the importance of what we're doing and the bright future ahead."
"Now I have seven or eight bases, and even the smallest has nearly a thousand people... I want you to help me manage and protect them. With your Flying Thunder God Technique, you can travel from one base to another in no time. Most importantly, no one else knows that you've been resurrected besides the four of us."
"I've also been recruiting people in Konoha and getting them to join the revolution. Itachi and Shisui have joined, more or less, and so has Tsunade. Jiraiya has joined too, and he's gone off to travel around the Ninja World and spread our ideas. The Third Hokage is very interested as well, but his age makes him hesitant."
"So, Minato Namikaze. What will you do? If you agree, you won't be able to become Hokage again."
What could Minato Namikaze do? Of course he agreed.
It wasn't just out of gratitude. He'd also heard from Shisui Uchiha and Itachi about what Naruto had gone through in the past, and how Fei Shi had cleverly dealt with Danzo's schemes.
But he'd also heard there were still people badmouthing Naruto.
When he sealed the Nine-Tails, he'd known Naruto wouldn't have an easy life. Even with Fei Shi and the Third Hokage looking after him, there'd still be people who'd try to harm him.
But as parents, knowing it might happen and thinking about it were one thing; feeling angry and disappointed in the villagers was another.
Was he supposed to laugh after being resurrected and learning what Naruto had been through, and say, "I knew this would happen. See? I was right!"?
As Hokage, he'd already died once protecting the village. There was no need for him to take the Hokage Position again.
"I agree, but Naruto..."
"Naruto will stay with me. You and Kushina can go. We can't let anyone else know you've been resurrected yet. You can come by once every seven days. Naruto's a sensible kid. He'll understand."
"Ah..." Minato sighed. "If possible, I'd rather he weren't so sensible. He's only four."
Fei Shi patted Minato on the shoulder to comfort him, then said something that made Minato's scalp prickle and left him utterly unwilling to hear it.
"Your son is the Child of Prophecy."
"Heh... Heh-heh... I'd like to congratulate Master Jiraiya on not having to run around like before, but I don't know how to say it."
Yes, what parent didn't want their children to grow up happily and safely, with everything going smoothly and no obstacles in their way?
But he knew how heavy the Child of Prophecy's burden was. The fate of the entire Ninja World rested on Naruto's shoulders. He was still just a child.
"Have faith in him, Minato. He's your son, after all."
"Uh, right! Naruto's my son! Just like I believe he can control the Nine-Tails and grow even stronger."
"Then, Minato, for peace! For the future!"
Fei Shi took out a bottle of Flying Moutai. He didn't dare drink the Han Emperor; it was too expensive.
"You're not old enough to drink, are you?"
"Who in Konoha can stop me? Who'd dare?"
"Fine! Let's drink!"
"How's it going, Black Zetsu? Have you figured out Fei Shi's actual strength?"
Inside Madara Uchiha's old base, Obito Uchiha met up with Black Zetsu to discuss Fei Shi, someone beyond their control.
"All I can say is, don't get into a fight with him. And send Nagato a message to be careful. Before the plan begins, he shouldn't provoke Konoha or touch anyone from those places."
Then he listed Fei Shi's bases.
"..."
"Just how strong is he?"
"He can stand against an entire shinobi village on his own."
Obito fell silent.
Could a fifteen-year-old really be that strong? Was there still any chance of Infinite Tsukuyomi succeeding? (The protagonist's age was written incorrectly in earlier chapters.)
"What about Nagato? Could Nagato, with the Rinnegan, beat him?"
He has the Tenseigan, and developed it himself. What do you think?
Black Zetsu grumbled to himself, but of course, he couldn't say that out loud.
First, because of his current identity as Madara's will. Second, it would be a serious blow to morale.
It was a dōjutsu on par with the Rinnegan. Who knew how Fei Shi had managed to develop it?
"If the Rinnegan were Nagato's own, he could do it. Since it isn't, it'll be hard for him to use its full power."
Obito's heart sank, and his expression darkened.
"Is there really no one who can stand against him?"
Black Zetsu could only nod helplessly. Though he didn't want to admit it, Fei Shi's terrifying strength unsettled him.
He'd even considered whether they should recruit Fei Shi into Akatsuki. To show their sincerity, they could give up on capturing the Nine-Tails and use only a portion of its chakra instead.
But Black Zetsu still wasn't sure. He'd read Fei Shi's books, after all, and even as a schemer with a thousand years of experience, he had to admire Fei Shi's ideas and principles.
If Fei Shi had been born in the Sage of Six Paths' era, all the wars that came afterward might never have happened.
But there were no "what ifs."
Although he admired Fei Shi, their goals were different. He wanted to gather the Tailed Beasts through war, revive the Ten-Tails, and free his mother.
"Then what about the Nine-Tails? We'll have to face this enemy sooner or later."
"Let's use a portion of the Nine-Tails' chakra instead. The brothers Kinkaku and Ginkaku from Kumogakure were once swallowed by the Nine-Tails and ate its flesh. The Nine-Tails later spat them out, and because they'd eaten its flesh, they could use Nine-Tails Chakra. We'll find a way to learn Konoha's Impure World Reincarnation Jutsu and summon those two."
Sigh...
"Fine. It's our only option."
Obito sighed inwardly. Was it really so hard to bring the girl he loved back to life in the world of Infinite Tsukuyomi?
Had that brat from back then really grown strong enough to leave him looking up at him?
Forget it. Better not to start a conflict. He'd warn Nagato.
"Ah! We can only see each other once every two weeks?! I don't want to, I don't want to! Waaaah! Big Brother Fei Shi, I don't want you to make them leave! Waaaah!"
"Quit crying, you brat! Didn't you hear what I said? Someone wants to harm your father. Even though your father's been resurrected, people might still frame him. If he stays in Konoha too long, he'll definitely be discovered. So I can only have them stay outside Konoha. You'll stay here and train. Your parents will come visit you regularly."
Though Kushina Uzumaki didn't want to be separated from Naruto, she didn't refuse Fei Shi.
One reason was to conceal their resurrection, and the other was that Fei Shi needed help.
When their benefactor asked, she felt the same way as Minato.
Besides, the work he wanted them to do wasn't dangerous. It might be tiring, but no one was likely to get hurt.
"Naruto, be a good boy and listen to your big brother Fei Shi, okay? He brought your mom and dad back to life, so he's our family's benefactor. And now he needs help, so we're going to help him. There are bad people in Konoha too. They want you to lose your parents again, so we have to hide for now. We'll come visit you regularly. You're a man, so promise me you won't cry, okay?"
"Okay!"
Before you continue