Obito's Grief

After finishing his conversation with the Third Hokage, Muzan returned to the home he had been away from for so long.

Without realizing it, he had been gone for a month. Yet there was no dust inside; it looked like someone had cleaned the place.

"Kakashi? That guy really is diligent."

Only Kakashi could have found time to come home. The Hidden Cloud Village, Konoha's greatest threat, had already ceased its attacks, and every front had stabilized.

Minato-senpai's task was to provide support and relieve pressure on the fronts, so this was a rare period of leisure.

Kakashi had just returned from buying groceries. Seeing the front gate open, he hurried inside and found Muzan sitting in the courtyard.

He was still the same as before, reclining against the large tree and letting its shadow cover his body.

"You came back awfully late. Worse still, you didn't prepare any food for me! That's a younger brother's dereliction of duty!"

There was none of the passion one might expect from brothers reuniting after a long separation. What there was, was Muzan's loving iron fist.

"You bastard! You were gone for so long, I thought you'd died."

Seeing how exhausted Kakashi looked in both body and mind, Muzan had been about to show some concern. After hearing that, he gave him another punch.

Furious, Kakashi set down the groceries and charged at him with a kunai, wishing he could kill Muzan ahead of time.

The result, however, was that he lay on the ground without a will to live, having been thoroughly beaten by Muzan.

Muzan pulled Kakashi up and examined him carefully. Only after confirming that he was uninjured did he feel at ease.

"It seems you've improved a lot lately. Have you been practicing the Hatake Sword Technique?"

Faced with Muzan's question, Kakashi suddenly turned his head away, unsure how to answer. He had never managed to extend his Hatake Sword Technique into slashes, leaving his swordsmanship awkward and incomplete.

"Forget it. Train properly with me for a while."

"I don't have time today."

Kakashi looked at the groceries on the ground, and only then did Muzan notice that there was rather a lot of food—far too much for just the two of them.

Sensing his low spirits, Muzan crouched down and put the vegetables back into the basket, asking in passing:

"What happened?"

"Obito's grandmother passed away. I've been helping Obito's family handle the funeral arrangements these past few days, and I specifically asked our teacher for leave."

An old woman's death did not stir any waves in Konoha. After all, she had simply died of old age.

As Kakashi's brother, and someone who knew Obito, Muzan should also pay a visit.

When the two arrived at the outskirts of the Uchiha Clan compound, they found an area inhabited by ordinary Uchiha clansmen. It was also where Obito lived.

At the very front stood a dilapidated house. Rin was helping Obito sort through things, and they planned to hold the burial today.

Yet no one around them was offering help. Obito had been called the Uchiha Clan's failure by many people, while an old woman had few connections to begin with. It was only natural that the place was so deserted.

But beneath that outward normalcy, Muzan caught an abnormal scent.

"These people really do get everywhere."

A faint trace in the air shattered the peace of the place.

White Zetsu!

Ever since devouring one White Zetsu last time, Muzan had not seen any trace of them for a long while. He had not expected them to still have not abandoned their plan and to be watching Obito at all times.

After all, Obito Uchiha was Madara's most important link, as well as the ideal candidate to carry out his resurrection plan.

Muzan had thought they were watching from somewhere nearby, but after looking around, he found no trace of White Zetsu. He wondered whether they were hiding deep underground.

But the moment he pushed open the door, the entire courtyard was filled with the scent White Zetsu had left behind.

"As expected of Madara Uchiha..."

He had actually reached this far. Beneath his black robe, Muzan's crimson eyes fixed on the coffin before him.

Konoha practiced burial, so the old woman's corpse had been preserved intact. Under Muzan's observation, however, the body was a disguise.

Obito's grandmother had likely died long ago.

The one who had lived with Obito all this time was White Zetsu sent by Madara Uchiha. Taking advantage of the chaos caused by the war, most ninja had gone out on missions. Even Obito carried out missions every day, so he had never discovered that the person was a fake.

Muzan had no intention of telling anyone about this. Obito, already burdened by darkness, likely would not be able to accept the news. More importantly, it would alert Madara Uchiha too soon. The time was not right yet.

Both he and Madara were plotting around the Third Ninja War. So long as Madara did not interfere with his plans, Muzan had no desire to confront that old man.

"Brother, what's wrong?"

For someone who spent every day with him, Kakashi knew that whenever Muzan wore that expression, he was thinking something over. But what was so special about the coffin?

"Nothing. I was just thinking about how to comfort Obito. The death of a family member must be a serious blow to him."

He looked back at Obito. The other boy was silent and withdrawn; losing someone so close to him truly was difficult.

They were all in the same room. Though Obito was in low spirits, he still heard Muzan's words. He stood up and thanked him.

"Thank you, but I'm fine. Grandma passed away naturally and didn't suffer while she was alive. I'll be okay after some time."

The negative impact of losing a loved one could not be shaken off in a short while. Fortunately, she had passed away naturally.

Rin stayed by Obito's side, making him feel a little better. Being cared for by the girl he liked filled Obito with fighting spirit. At that moment, he swore:

"Grandma wanted me to become a powerful ninja. I'll work hard and become Hokage! Rin! When that happens, marry me!"

"Idiot, you won't become Hokage just because you want to."

Kakashi slapped Obito on the head. Feeling his palm make contact, he realized that hitting people was actually quite satisfying. No wonder Muzan liked violence!

"Damn it, Kakashi! Stop showing off here!"

The friendship among the three had already formed a deep bond. At an appropriate moment, Rin looked at Muzan and said:

"Muzan beside you is your rival, too. Don't forget who Muzan's teacher is, so you need to work even harder, Obito!"

Many ninja from their generation believed that the position of the Fifth or even Sixth Hokage would fall to Muzan.

He was powerful and Orochimaru's disciple. If Orochimaru inherited the title of Hokage, Muzan would most likely become a Hokage candidate as well.

"Hmph! Minato-sensei has great prestige too!"

Unwilling to be outdone, Obito tried to force out an explanation, only to suddenly realize that he truly could not compare to Muzan—the blow dealt by an academic genius.

They did not dwell too much on the matter. There were still many things to arrange for Obito's grandmother, while Muzan was thinking about how to silently dispose of the other party.

The White Zetsu lying in the coffin was not dead. If it made a sound while he devoured it, anyone who heard it could easily misunderstand.

Since no relatives or friends had come, the funeral was very simple.

But the heavens did not cooperate. The drizzly weather made the already mournful atmosphere of the funeral even sadder.