Naruto looked at the people standing beside him and gave a hearty smile. He would let all that hidden wariness and whispered gossip drift away on the wind.
Madara himself had no idea that, while plotting to rule the world in this new life, he had also changed Naruto's originally miserable childhood.
Time flew by, and nearly a year passed in the blink of an eye. Madara Uchiha, now a Jōnin, continued building his standing in the village. In this life, time was on his side. He had no need to rush into anything; he only needed to quietly gather his strength.
One day, enjoying a rare moment of leisure, Madara Uchiha had just brought Naruto and Sasuke home from the Ninja Academy when he suddenly sensed an extremely familiar presence—Obito Uchiha, his "beloved pupil" from his previous life, had arrived in Konoha.
Although Obito Uchiha no longer belonged to Konoha, the special space-traversing ability of his Sharingan made slipping through the village's protective barrier exceedingly easy.
"Sasuke, I have something to take care of. I'm heading out for a bit. You and Naruto stay home."
After giving Sasuke those instructions, Madara Uchiha left alone. His beloved pupil had returned to Konoha, and as his teacher, he ought to go welcome him.
By now, Obito Uchiha must have fully adapted to the Hashirama Cells in his body. Combined with his Sharingan's Kamui, they would make him difficult to subdue even with Madara's Flying Thunder God Technique. Yet Madara Uchiha felt no unease whatsoever.
For one thing, Madara had absolute confidence in his current strength. The notion that someone at Obito's level could threaten him was laughable. For another, Madara had placed a cursed seal on Obito's heart to control him. Though he had been reborn in Itachi's body, he had