"Halt!" Tsunade frowned slightly and ordered the ANBU members, who was charging to intercept Obito to stop.
The masked man possessed a space-time ninjutsu, making him difficult to pursue.
Sending Uchiha Itachi after him made more sense.
Even if they somehow caught up, it would likely end in a destructive battle, and Tsunade didn't want unnecessary casualties so soon after taking office.
Besides, Uchiha Fugaku was already dead, and Danzō... he might as well be considered dead too.
Tsunade pondered for a moment. Although Obito hadn't revealed his full identity, she could feel his deep-seated hatred toward Konoha.
But who exactly was he? She couldn't think of anyone who fit the description.
"Start healing the wounded," Tsunade said, looking at the unconscious shinobi scattered across the ground.
She bit her lip in frustration. Even though she wore tinted glasses to block the sight of blood, the atmosphere still made her feel uneasy.
Fortunately, her recent therapy for her hemophobia had given her a degree of resistance.
"Sensei," Shinho spoke up deliberately, "You can take care of other matters. Leave the healing to me and sister Shizune."
Tsunade's heart warmed. As a medical ninja, it would look bad if she just stood there without helping, but Shinho had given her an excuse to step aside gracefully.
Shinho formed a series of hand seals, bit his thumb, and pressed it to the ground.
Boom!
A slug even larger than him appeared.
"Good evening, Master Shino," the slug greeted cheerfully.
Thanks to Shinho constantly chatting with it and telling it stories, their bond had grown stronger over time—nearly as strong as the bond Katsuyu had with Tsunade.
"Lady Katsuyu, please help heal them,"
"Understood," Katsuyu replied as its body split into many smaller slugs to tend to the wounded.
Meanwhile, Shinho and Shizune focused on treating the more severely injured shinobi.
"He's using the Mystical Palm Technique?" Nara Shikaku observed in astonishment. "Impressive for someone so young."
Hyūga Hiashi nodded slightly, already contemplating the potential match between his daughter, Hinata, and Shinho.
Previously, their familial status had seemed mismatched, but with Tsunade becoming the Fifth Hokage and Shinho's immense talent, the gap between them had closed significantly.
Not only would marrying Shinho not be a disadvantage for the Hyūga clan, but it might even be a great advantage.
After all, while becoming Hokage might be difficult for the Hyūga, becoming the wife of a future Hokage—for someone as talented as Shinho—seemed feasible.
Hiashi began to consider shifting the family's succession to his younger daughter, Hanabi, instead.
Meanwhile, Yamanaka Inoichi was already thrilled.
My daughter has such excellent taste in men!
After learning why Ino had changed, Inoichi had done a bit of research on Shinho. It turned out that they had met on the very first day at the ninja academy, back when Shinho wasn't even well-known.
Now, the tables had turned—Inoichi's family might be the ones that would be seen as the social climbers.
[tl/n: referencing to people who use marriages as a means to climb the social ladder.]
While the other jonin were lost in thought, only Might Guy was considering whether to slip away. Without a fight, there was no opportunity to display his youthful energy, and it was starting to feel boring.
However, seeing that everyone else stayed, he didn't want to leave either. Though his mind was filled with thoughts of "youth," he wasn't foolish and knew better than to leave now.
"Who here is Tenzo?" Tsunade asked, addressing the ANBU group.
"I am," Tenzo (Yamato) stepped forward, his face emotionless.
Tsunade frowned slightly, noticing the lifeless look in his eyes.
Such dead eyes... she thought, sighing inwardly.
The Root had turned people into tools, stripping them of their humanity. She couldn't understand why the old man, Hiruzen, had allowed its existence. It was completely at odds with his 'Will of Fire''.
"Remove your mask," Tsunade ordered.
Tenzo instinctively glanced over at Sarutobi Hiruzen, his mind conditioned to follow orders.
"I'm the Hokage now," Tsunade asserted. "As an ANBU member, you take orders from me."
Understanding dawned on Tenzo, and he removed his mask, revealing a wooden expression.
"Do you understand the significance of Wood Release?" Tsunade asked, staring at him.
"Significance?" Tenzo shook his head, confused. He had only ever been trained to kill, to follow orders, but never taught much of anything else.
"Wood release is a means for protection," Tsunade said, lifting her gaze toward the Hokage Monument. "It is not a tool for slaughter."
"Protection?" Tenzo's eyes flickered with the first hint of emotion.
He remembered the other test subjects from the Wood Release experiments, all of whom had died painfully over time, leaving him deeply traumatized.
His life had only changed when he met Kakashi. At ten years old, he had been ordered by Danzō to assassinate the Third Hokage, which had led to his first encounter with Kakashi.
After many missions together, he finally left the Root and joined the ANBU. But his years in the Root had left him emotionally scarred, and recovery would take time.
"Protect your friends, your comrades, and Konoha," Tsunade said, placing a hand on his shoulder. "Starting today, you're one of the Hokage's personal guards."
Although the ANBU also served as the Hokage's protectors, the Hokage's personal guards had a closer, more mentor-like relationship with the Hokage.
The most famous example was the Second Hokage, Tobirama Senju, whose personal guards included Hiruzen, Danzō, Uchiha Kagami, Akimichi Torifu, Homura, and Koharu—all of whom had become prominent figures.
"Wait, Tsunade," Hiruzen interrupted, "I don't think it's wise to reveal Wood Release so soon."
"I believe you understand already, Old man! " Tsunade said, glancing at him. "I'm the Hokage now."
Hiruzen was left speechless.
He wanted to say, "Tsunade, you'll regret this!" but ultimately couldn't find the words.
Doubtless, Danzō had faced similar frustrations. Suddenly, Hiruzen understood his old friend's plight.
It was indeed a bitter pill to swallow.
"What's your real name?" Tsunade asked Tenzo.
"Tenzo," he replied, puzzled by the question.
"I mean your real name, not your code name."
"I don't have a real name. I was previously known as 'Kinoe.'"
"I see," Tsunade said thoughtfully. "From now on, your name will be 'Yamato.'"
"Yamato?" Tenzo—now Yamato—blinked before nodding. "Yes, understood."
Tsunade didn't push the matter further. Emotional healing was always the hardest part.
For example, there was Kakashi.
Or herself.
If it hadn't been for meeting Shino and learning about the Wood Release experiments, she would never have willingly taken on the role of Hokage.
"Hokage, huh?" Tsunade murmured to herself.
In that moment, she thought of her grandfather, Hashirama Senju, and her younger brother, Nawaki.
No matter what, now that she was Hokage, she couldn't afford to slack off. She had to live on for the sake of those who had died protecting their beliefs.
Gathering her emotions, Tsunade addressed the assembled jonin.
The Hokage's call had brought nearly all of the jonin in the village together, filling the area to the brim with jonin.
"It's late, so I won't take up too much of your time," Tsunade said, "After my Hokage inauguration, I will hold a meeting with the jonin to announce several important matters."
Hiashi and the others felt a shiver run down their spines.
Here it comes!
New leaders always implemented drastic changes—who would be the first to feel the burn of these decisions?
Homura and Koharu looked visibly uneasy.
From the way Tsunade had acted earlier, she had inherited the strong-willed nature of a younger Hiruzen.
They were old now, lacking the ambition and drive they once had.
Besides, how could they possibly compete?
Tsunade's lineage was even more prestigious than Hiruzen's. If they pushed too hard, they would likely meet their end.
"Yes, Hokage-sama," Hiashi replied quickly.
He had made his decision to serve the new Hokage faithfully.
The Hyūga clan, unlike the Uchiha, knew how to pick the right side. This time, they had chosen wisely once again.
Hiashi glanced over at Shinho, feeling quite pleased.
[Achievement unlocked: "Uchiha Itachi's 'What Can Save You, My Love?'"]
[Reward: Three-Star Cave Gu.]
Shinho, in the midst of using the Mystical Palm Technique, suddenly froze.
It's a Gu house!
As the name suggested, it was a specialized residence for Gu Masters and Gu worms.
Not only was it incredibly convenient, but it also had a variety of useful functions.
For example, the Three-Star Cave was mobile and offered extraordinary defensive capabilities.
Now that he had this, the wooden house Shino had built would be obsolete.
Active achievements really do yield better rewards, Shino thought, pleased.
Of course, there was another reason—this particular achievement was incredibly difficult to unlock.Shinho thought back to the achievements he had just observed involving Uchiha Obito and Danzō Shimura.
Uchiha ObitoActive Achievement: Creating a World with RinPassive Achievement: Unknown
Danzō ShimuraActive Achievement: Impersonate a professional HokagePassive Achievement: Unknown
Shinho found Danzō's achievement particularly challenging.
This is going to be interesting, he thought.
But could Danzō even survive after everything? Oddly enough, Shinho hoped Danzō wouldn't die just yet.
After all, what was the point of his transmigration if Danzō was killed so easily?
...
Meanwhile, Uchiha Itachi followed the masked man, his suspicions growing stronger.
They were heading toward the Naka Shrine.
The Naka Shrine, located by the Naka River, was a secret meeting place for the Uchiha clan, unknown to outsiders.
After a few minutes, Itachi's suspicions were confirmed.
They arrived at the Naka Shrine.
Since it was late at night, the area was deserted.
"Are you an Uchiha?" Itachi finally asked.
"You're only realizing it now?" Obito shook his head, sounding disappointed.
Itachi found the situation strange.
Thinking back to their first encounter, this masked man had acted like an elder of the Uchiha clan, but who exactly was he?
There were only a few Uchiha who had ever awakened the Mangekyō Sharingan, and all of them were recorded in history. No one like this should have just appeared out of nowhere.
"What is your goal in bringing me here?" Itachi asked, growing more curious.
Now that the night's plans had gone smoothly—Tsunade had become Hokage, the Uchiha's hawkish elite had been wiped out, and the clan had a bright future—Itachi felt more at ease. As for himself, he no longer mattered.
Encountering this masked man was a twist of fate, an opportunity to gather intelligence. He would consider it a gift to the new Hokage.
"Do you want to know the meaning of life? Do you want to truly live?" Obito said as he casually dropped Fugaku's corpse and the controlled Danzō to the ground.
"…?"
Itachi's eyebrow twitched slightly.
"My name is Uchiha Madara," Obito said with a smirk, "You should call me your ancestor."
Itachi frowned;
"That's impossible. Madara didn't survive his battle with the First Hokage."
"Izanagi," Obito responded calmly. "As the son of the clan leader, you should know what that technique does."
Itachi's pupils contracted.
Izanagi, one of the ultimate techniques of the Uchiha clan, allowed its user to alter reality, turning even fatal events into mere illusions. It could make any negative outcome disappear and transform favourable events into reality.
In short, it was a personal time-rewriting technique, essentially making the user invincible for a brief period. However, the cost was the permanent loss of the Sharingan eye that cast the technique.
The masked man did, indeed, only have one eye visible. Could Madara truly still be alive? What had he been doing all these years?
"If you really are Uchiha Madara, how can you prove it?" Itachi asked after a moment of silence.
"There's a stone tablet within the Naka Shrine," Obito said casually, clearly having expected this question. "It reveals the origins of the Uchiha and the true path to peace."
"What?"
Itachi was taken aback. He had never heard of any such tablet within the shrine. Had his father hidden it from him, or did even Fugaku not know of its existence?
"Want to see it?" Obito spread his arms wide. "Let me show you the true falsehood of this world."
Itachi felt a tremor of uncertainty.
The masked man certainly carried himself with an air of absolute confidence, as though he truly believed he stood above all.
Could he really be Uchiha Madara? If not Madara, then who else could fit the bill?
"Why choose me?" Itachi asked. He did want to see the tablet but didn't understand why he had been selected.
"Only those who have awakened the Mangekyō Sharingan can read the tablet's contents," Obito replied with a smile. "Once you see it, you'll understand why you'd willingly devote yourself to creating the new world."
The phrase "new world" piqued Itachi's interest.
Is he trying to recruit me? Itachi thought, glancing at Obito's peculiar outfit, which seemed to hint at some kind of organization.
"Then why did you save Danzō?" Itachi asked, glancing at the controlled Danzō.
"No reason," Obito replied nonchalantly. "Just wanted to distress Konoha a little."
So, he really does bear deep hatred for Konoha, Itachi mused. If Obito truly were Madara, that would make sense.
"Then can I have my father's body back?" Itachi asked next.
"Go ahead," Obito replied, raising an eyebrow. His tone was indifferent.
Obito had initially planned to steal Fugaku's Mangekyō Sharingan, but since he was posing as Madara and intended to recruit Itachi, it wouldn't have looked good.
Besides, Obito didn't care too much—his ultimate goal was to become the Ten-Tails' jinchūriki and awaken the Rinnegan.
Itachi pulled out a sealing scroll.
Although sealing scrolls couldn't store living beings, they worked just fine for corpses. Itachi sealed Fugaku's body inside the scroll, intending to ensure he had a proper burial and to prevent anyone from stealing his Mangekyō Sharingan.
If Obito hadn't returned Fugaku's body, Itachi would have fought him for it.
"Thank you," Itachi said, rolling up the scroll.
"A mere Mangekyō Sharingan is nothing to me," Obito said dismissively.
"As expected of the legendary Uchiha Madara," Itachi remarked, studying the masked man.
He had already made up his mind to follow this so-called "Madara" to see what he was planning. After all, he had nowhere else to go at the moment, why not gather more intel?
Obito, for his part, couldn't help but smirk. His first attempt at posing as Madara had been a complete success.
"Here's a piece of advice," Obito added, lifting his chin slightly. "Don't overuse your eyes—you'll go blind."
Itachi nodded. He had used Tsukuyomi and Amaterasu repeatedly during the battle at the Root, and his eyes had been feeling strained and fatigued. If he continued pushing them, the consequences could indeed be dire.
"What about Danzō?" Itachi asked. "Controlling him is draining my chakra."
Good. He knows his place, Obito thought, waving his hand dismissively. "Kill him."
Obito had no fondness for Danzō. Back when he was still Obito, he had already harbored a deep loathing for him.
Itachi drew a kunai and plunged it into Danzō's heart.
The sharp pain snapped Danzō out of the genjutsu, and he screamed in agony.
Obito glanced at him, and suddenly, a massive kunai materialized and decapitated Danzō in one swift motion.
Itachi stepped back to avoid the blood splatter. He wasn't particularly concerned with Danzō's death, but he carefully observed Obito's attack method.
So, he can not only teleport himself but also weapons? Itachi analyzed. What are the weaknesses of such a technique?
"Let's go," Obito said, without sparing another glance at Danzō's corpse as he led the way into the Naka Shrine.
After they left, Danzō's body suddenly began to reform.
Terrified, Danzō looked in the direction of the Nakano Shrine but didn't dare stay. He quickly fled the scene.
As soon as the genjutsu had been broken, he had activated Izanagi.
The cost? One of Uchiha Kagami's Sharingan, taken from his former teammate.
Itachi followed Obito into the underground chamber hidden beneath the seventh tatami mat in the shrine's main hall.
When he saw the tablet, he couldn't help but feel a sense of awe.
"Now, do you believe that I am Uchiha Madara?" Obito asked, enjoying Itachi's stunned expression.
So much for being the Uchiha's rare genius—he's as gullible as anyone else, Obito thought with amusement.
I can't wait to see Konoha's reaction, he mused. But I have to wait for the perfect moment to make my grand entrance.
"Now, let me welcome you to your new life," Obito whispered.
Itachi began reading the contents of the stone tablet.
As he read, his shock grew. "This tablet was left behind by the Sage of Six Paths?"
The Sage of Six Paths—the legendary figure who was said to have created the nine-tailed beasts and the moon, and who had mastered the truth of chakra—and was the very source of the shinobi world.
"Keep reading," Obito said with a chuckle. "There's no need to be so surprised."
Itachi fell silent and continued reading.
He learned that both the Senju and Uchiha clans were descendants of the Sage of Six Paths, which explained their abilities with Wood Release and the Sharingan.
The more Itachi read, the more shaken he became.
It felt like he had opened the door to an entirely new world.
Finally, he reached a sentence that read, Only through the Infinite Tsukuyomi can true peace be achieved.
"Infinite Tsukuyomi? What is that?" Itachi asked.
His Mangekyō Sharingan ability was Tsukuyomi, which allowed him to trap a target's mind in his illusionary world, bending them to his will. But what would adding "infinite" to that power mean?
"This is part of my Eye of the Moon Plan," Obito said with a gleam in his eye. "It will create a new world, a world free of suffering that lasts forever."
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