Placing Izumi in the Land of Waves made Zhang Miao feel at ease. After all, the Land of Waves was under the protection of Yoshi, who possessed the Eternal Mangekyō Sharingan, a power comparable to Itachi in his prime!
In the current shinobi world, besides Zhang Miao and Nagato, who was secretly developing "Akatsuki," there was no one who could match the strength of Yoshi at the 8-star level. Entrusting him to guard the Land of Waves, Zhang Miao felt completely assured.
So, upon confirming Izumi's safety, Zhang Miao swiftly returned to Konoha. Before dawn, he reached his home and dove straight into his warm bed, snoozing away.
After an unknown period, notifications from the two systems suddenly echoed in his mind.
"Ding! Congratulations to His Holiness for obtaining 9-star Sage of Six Paths-level, Uzumaki Naruto Ninja Fragment x5!"
"Ding! Congratulations to His Holiness for obtaining 8-star Super Kage-level, Jiraiya Ninja Fragments x20!"
Zhang Miao was no stranger to these notifications. Precisely speaking, ever since he returned to this home in Konoha a year ago, he heard these notifications every morning.
Accompanying these system notifications was Naruto's distinctive loud voice.
"Wow! Big Brother, you're back?"
Upon hearing this loud exclamation, Zhang Miao immediately opened his eyes and saw Naruto leaping towards him with open arms.
Seeing this, Zhang Miao decisively extended two fingers and precisely poked Naruto's forehead as he pounced. Then, he grinned.
"Good morning, foolish little brother!"
Zhang Miao's move, the "double-fingered poke to the forehead," was undoubtedly learned from Itachi, who had already defected. Zhang Miao had used this move on Naruto more than once before. But this time, after executing it, his expression changed slightly. He withdrew his fingers and asked Naruto.
"Naruto, did Sasuke go to school yesterday?"
Zhang Miao always referred to Sasuke as "Sasuke," and Naruto knew this. So, upon hearing the question, Naruto rubbed his forehead and pouted while answering Zhang Miao.
"Sasuke? I heard something happened at his home, so he took the day off."
"Day off?" Upon hearing Naruto's reply, Zhang Miao furrowed his brow slightly. "It seems Itachi's Tsukuyomi inflicted quite a damage on Sasuke. He should still be lying in Konoha's hospital."
With this thought, Zhang Miao immediately sat up in bed, reached out to ruffle Naruto's hair, and said, "Alright, everything's fine now. Naruto, hurry up and go to school!"
"Go to school?" Upon hearing Zhang Miao, Naruto seemed to remember something. He widened his eyes suddenly. "That's right, I have to go to school! Oh no... Big Brother, I'm off, I'll be late!"
As he spoke, Naruto hurriedly jumped onto Zhang Miao's windowsill, then leaped off, disappearing from Zhang Miao's sight.
Seeing this, Zhang Miao could only shake his head helplessly.
"This guy is as impetuous as in the original story. Can't do anything with him!"
Though he said there was nothing to be done, Zhang Miao's face displayed a doting expression as he watched Naruto leave. He then got out of bed and headed downstairs to the living room.
As he descended, he saw Kushina arranging breakfast on the table, while Minato was reading a newspaper.
Seeing this scene, Zhang Miao grinned and waved at the two.
"Good morning, Minato, Kushina!"
"Morning!"
Upon hearing Zhang Miao, Minato put the newspaper down and smiled at Zhang Miao. "I saw Naruto going upstairs to call you earlier. Where is he?"
"Jumped out the window!"
Zhang Miao had no intention of covering for Naruto and shrugged.
"For such a guy who jumps out of windows instead of using doors, Kushina, you can't indulge him. Make sure he knows I'm not someone to be messed with!"
Seeing Zhang Miao deliberately "teasing his little brother," Kushina was obviously not fooled. Instead, she glared at him unkindly.
"How can you be like this as an older brother, immediately bullying him upon your return? Anyway, sit down and have breakfast quickly!"
"Hehe!" Hearing Kushina's words, Zhang Miao grinned widely, quickly sat at the dining table, and clasped his hands together. "Let's eat!"
With that, Zhang Miao began to eat heartily. Seeing him enjoy his meal, Kushina and Minato exchanged a smile and also started their breakfast.
After finishing the warm breakfast, Kushina went to the kitchen to wash the dishes, while Zhang Miao and Minato sat in the living room, sipping tea.
Minato lifted his teacup, took a sip, and when he set it down, he couldn't help but let out a long sigh.
"Ah, I never expected such a thing to happen to the Uchiha clan. It's all my fault for not considering everything thoroughly. Otherwise, they wouldn't have ended up like this!"
Even though the higher-ups in Konoha had officially declared that the Uchiha clan was exterminated by the rogue ninja Itachi, this explanation might suffice for the ordinary villagers but not for Minato.
After all, Minato was a former Hokage. Though his term was short, he had a clear understanding of the tensions between the Uchiha and Konoha.
Therefore, he was well aware that the Uchiha clan's demise was related to Konoha!
But while knowing this, he understood that interfering was impossible. It was precisely because of this that Minato felt that if only he had been more capable back then, perhaps the Uchiha clan wouldn't have met this fate.
Upon hearing Minato's words and seeing his remorseful expression, Zhang Miao couldn't help but raise an eyebrow.
"In my opinion, the Uchiha clan brought this upon themselves. Arrogant, thinking themselves superior. Moreover, I warned Fugaku earlier, but he didn't listen. Who else can be blamed for the current situation?"
"You warned Fugaku?" Hearing Zhang Miao, Minato's eyes immediately showed a hint of surprise. "You mean... you knew about this?"
"More or less!"
Seeing Minato's surprised expression, Zhang Miao nodded immediately.
"The Uchiha planned a coup. They even sent Itachi to infiltrate the Anbu as a spy. Unfortunately, Itachi ultimately chose Konoha. On the eve of the Uchiha clan's planned coup, he took someone with him and together, they wiped out the Uchiha clan. That's how it happened!"
Zhang Miao's explanation was concise, but upon hearing it, Minato was once again taken aback, taking a while to process it.
"Eh... You mean the Uchiha clan was annihilated by two people? How could they have such great abilities? And who is the other person?"
Seeing Minato's surprised expression, Zhang Miao grinned, revealing a row of gleaming white teeth.
"Hehe, speaking of the other person, you know him too. He's your fine disciple, the one who once extracted the Nine-Tails from Kushina's belly, leaving me and Naruto alone for several years – Uchiha Obito!"
At this point, Zhang Miao's smile suddenly turned sinister, and his fists clenched audibly.
"I tried to kill him that night, but he escaped using Izanagi. And he's still somewhat useful now, so I'm keeping him for the time being. But in another two years, I'll definitely finish him off myself!"
Minato: "..."