Eat First, Bathe First, or...

"It's fine. What's done is done. Whether we want to admit it or not, Obito sacrificed himself for us and for the village. He is a hero."

With her tear tracks still fresh, a brilliant smile appeared on her face. Nohara Rin chuckled and asked teasingly.

"What about you? Being by the side of the legendary Sannin, you must have learned some powerful ninjutsu. You'll have to protect me when the time comes, Anko."

"Wahahaha! I, the great Anko, have learned some incredible ninjutsu from Master Orochimaru. Protecting you will be a piece of cake."

Just as she was about to sit down, Anko glanced at the ramen bowl nearby. A flicker of suspicion crossed her eyes, and she subconsciously sniffed the air. A faint, lingering scent of fresh grass and trees immediately caught her attention.

"Hey, Rin, the guy who was sitting in this seat just now... could it have been Uchiha Hanazuki?"

"Yes. Because I wanted to ask Hanazuki about Obito, so I..."

Bang!

Rin jumped up like a startled rabbit, only to see Anko gritting her teeth, her expression filled with the listless frustration of a salted fish.

"That guy—I don't know whether to call him a blockhead or a jerk. He looked at me like I was an idiot and kept brushing me off. I can't understand what that bastard is thinking. Damn it!"

"Calm down, Anko, calm down..."

At that moment, unable to help but recall that gentle smiling face, Rin looked at Anko's troubled expression, lost in thought.

"Is it that obvious?"

The story branches off here.

Deep beneath the Cemetery of Mountains, inside a secret chamber sealed off by rock.

Obito, who was desperately undergoing rehabilitation, had eyes full of anticipation, hope, and dreams. He seemed unable to wait for the moment he could return to the village.

Just you wait! The Sharingan only unleashes its true power when the pair is reunited. As long as Kakashi and I join forces, we can protect the village, protect everyone, and protect Rin. You must wait for me, Kakashi!

The fighting spirit in his eyes never faded. Obito actively exercised his muscles, which had grown slightly atrophied from lying in bed, but the strange old man's words echoed in his ears once again.

"It is useless. Unless you sever this chain of hatred, even if you manage to leave, everything will be in vain. The hatred of ninjas will not cease with the end of war. Accompanied by countless sacrifices, a new cycle of hatred is bound to repeat..."

Obito shook his head helplessly. This eccentric old man who called himself Uchiha Madara kept spouting things he couldn't understand. Besides, he knew all the old men and women of the Uchiha clan, and this guy in front of him was most likely a rogue ninja from Konoha.

Although he relied on him to stay alive, he would return to Konoha sooner or later. Even though he felt guilty for being unable to repay the man for saving his life, only returning to his comrades' side would bring him peace of mind.

The guilt and the longing to leave could not be hidden from Uchiha Madara's eyes. Despite his aged body and having walked toward death twice, those eyes that saw through the darkness remained bright.

At midnight, when all was silent, a new White Zetsu emerged from the ground.

"Lord Madara, Uchiha Hanazuki has returned to Konoha Village. What shall we do?"

Cough, cough, cough...

With his aged body and murky, listless eyes, Madara, like a candle in the wind, remained silent for a long time. After a while, he murmured in a low voice.

"It is merely a pair of self-sealing eyes. Although such brats with low probability appear occasionally, the difference between them and my true eyes is as vast as heaven and earth. They do not even measure up to half of mine."

"It is a pity that a hundred years of time and history have left me to merely linger on. But this is only a temporary silence. When I awaken from my long slumber, that will be the moment when all of this comes to an end."

As he spoke with agitation, Uchiha Madara fell into a fit of coughing. His frail, withered form could not support the insignificant ambition he held in his eyes—the path to true peace.

"The era of ninjas shall be ended by my own hands!"

As he spoke, veins bulged from his thin, branch-like arms, and the ancestral... no, the Uchiha maniacal laughter that began with Madara erupted once more.

"Yes, Lord Madara. In addition to Uchiha Hanazuki, we have also identified the child and the rival he values and cherishes most: Nohara Rin and Hatake Kakashi..."

Meanwhile, inside Konoha Village, after the last dango shop closed for the night, Rin watched with worry as Anko devoured over a hundred skewers of various dumplings, washing them down with constant gulps of red bean soup. She was too shocked to speak.

"That jerk, brushing off Master Orochimaru is one thing, but he brushed me off too! He doesn't even think about who his first friend was, or who took him out to skip class when he was being scolded by the teacher."

Anko continued to ramble on, but Rin was filled with awkwardness, subconsciously looking up at the sky.

If I go home this late, I'll definitely get scolded. But with Anko like this, it's just...

"Um, Anko, it's getting late. We have a mission tomorrow. I'm so sorry, but I have to go."

It wasn't until Rin ran around the corner without looking back that a dazed Anko finally reacted, stomping her feet and shouting.

"You disloyal brat! Is this how you treat your best friend?! Jerk, one after another, they're all like this... Sigh, what's the point of going home? It's not like there's anyone there anyway..."

The moonlight was hazy, and the stars were brilliant.

Without realizing it, Anko wandered the streets aimlessly. When she looked up again, she found herself in front of the overgrown, neglected Hanazuki residence.

"This is..."

Standing before the gate, Anko hesitated for a long time before slowly pushing the door open. The slightly aged wooden door was not locked.

Looking down the hallway from the entrance, the dim candlelight in the living room piqued her curiosity.

It's so late, is that guy still awake?

From the shadows behind the door, transparent ribbons hidden in the dark approached silently. Her heart filled with sudden terror. Anko raised her right hand, and several snakes flew out like sharp blades.

"Hidden Shadow Snake Hands!"

"Nine-Faced Svaha: Celestial Maiden."

After a brief standoff, Anko, bound like a rice dumpling, was tossed onto the floor by the Celestial Maiden. Just as she prepared to use the Rope Escape Technique to break free, a familiar voice interrupted her actions.

"Good grief. I thought it was some bug from the Anbu or the Police Force. I didn't expect it to be a little snake who loves red bean soup and dumplings. Even if it is you, you should at least respect someone's personal privacy."

"How many times have I told you? Ring the doorbell before you come in."

"Stop nagging! You bastard Hua Yue, you knew I was here the whole time, didn't you? Besides, that... that's not what I wanted to hear."

Anko argued her case, her clear brown eyes tinged with a faint sense of disappointment. As she looked up, she was met with that handsome face, currently wearing a smile that held a hint of teasing.

"Is that so? Then, welcome back, Anko. Would you like to have dinner first? Or perhaps take a bath? Or maybe..."

"Wait, what are you doing? No, I was wrong, don't—aaaaahhhhh!"