Chapter 290: I Am God
Three days later.
Konoha Village, Hokage's Office.
Hiruzen wore a bitter expression, and Sakumo opposite him also didn't look too good.
"You are saying that Obito Uchiha and Rin Nohara have lost contact for six days?"
Sakumo nodded. "Traces of their battle were found in the southwest of the Land of Rain, but their bodies were not found."
Hiruzen breathed a sigh of relief. The relationship between Konoha and the Land of Whirlpools had just stabilized. If this kind of news were to spread now, although the Rock Village should be the ones out of luck, there was no telling if Masahiko wouldn't pin the blame back on Konoha.
"Have Kagami personally search for them. If they have been captured by the Rock Village, we must ransom them back at any cost!" Hiruzen ordered, gritting his teeth. "If they truly are... killed in action, we must find their bodies!"
Sakumo didn't immediately execute the order. "Lord Hokage, let me go."
Hiruzen was stunned, and Sakumo continued, "Kakashi's condition is not right. I am worried..."
Hiruzen nodded in understanding. "Alright, then you make the trip."
...
Meanwhile.
In a hidden building in a corner of the Land of Rain.
Obito groggily opened his eyes, and the scene before him gradually came into focus.
"Obito, you are awake?"
Rin's smiling face appeared before him. Obito was momentarily bewildered. "Is this... Heaven?"
"Brat, this is no Heaven. How long are you going to sleep?"
Ameyuri Ringo appeared from the side, a playful smile on her face... However, her jagged teeth combined with the three-centimeter knife scar on her right cheek made her look particularly ferocious.
"It is... Hell..."
Obito's eyes rolled back, and he fainted again.
Ameyuri Ringo: "..."
Rin smiled apologetically. "Obito's physical injuries are mostly healed, but his mental trauma hasn't recovered yet. He can't handle stimulation..."
Ameyuri Ringo: "..."
Did I stimulate him?
Rin had woken up two days ago and had been taking care of Obito for the past two days.
Now that Obito was finally improving, she turned to Yahiko. "Big Brother Yahiko, I would like to send a message reporting our safety to Konoha first, to spare them from worrying."
"If you wish to take him back, I will not stop you," Yahiko said.
Rin shook her head. "Let us decide when Obito wakes up."
...
Land of Whirlpools.
Over these three days, Masahiko had thought it through. Even if Hitomi were reanimated by Edo Tensei, it was highly unlikely she could open the Formation of the Eight Inner Gates to fight him.
Even the current Orochimaru wouldn't be able to control Hitomi if she opened the Eight Inner Gates.
Slightly reassured, he began observing Kushina teach her son, which looked particularly interesting.
Kushina's method of educating Naruto was extremely simple... nagging.
When she pointed at Masahiko for the 998th time and told Naruto to call him Great Ancestor, Naruto finally accepted his fate. The title 'Old Pig Cup' had lived for less than a week.
Actually, tracing from Kushina's side, Naruto should call him Great-Great-Great-Grandfather. But tracing from Minato's side, they were a full six generations apart, making Naruto one generation younger than Itachi.
So, compromising a bit, even if there was a five-generation gap, calling him Great Ancestor was appropriate.
Masahiko hadn't realized before that Kushina could be so talkative. Naruto's "acting up" skills were far inferior, and he gradually became "honest" and "obedient."
Of course, looking at his constantly darting little eyes, Masahiko felt he might be holding it in, preparing to cause a major scene.
Life was peaceful for a few days. Masahiko traveled back and forth between Sara's and Kushina's houses every day, while Nagato and Konan were busy.
With the Mist Village surrendering, they had a multitude of matters to handle.
October passed just like that. In early November, Nagato came to find him.
"The war reparations from the Mist Village haven't arrived yet?"
Masahiko frowned. This shouldn't be happening.
They had already suffered heavy losses from the beating, and the news that he was still alive should have reached the Mist Village by now. How dare they "renege on their debt"?
Nagato shook his head. "Yo! Indeed, there has been no news at all. According to intelligence, it seems the Mist Village is facing internal problems."
"Internal problems?" Masahiko paused for a moment, fragments of memories flashing through his mind.
"Mist Village, Kaguya rebellion, Kimimaro, Orochimaru... what was it again?"
After a long while, Masahiko shook his head. He couldn't remember the specific details, but if it truly was the Kaguya rebellion, Masahiko felt he might be able to catch Orochimaru.
Ten days without beating Madara, his whole body felt uncomfortable.
"You don't need to worry about the Mist Village for now. I am preparing to make a trip there."
Nagato was startled. "Teacher, there is no need for you to go personally, is there? I can just make a trip."
"There are some other matters, it is better if I go."
Nagato didn't stop him further. Masahiko asked him to let the others know, and then vanished from the spot.
...
Coast of the Land of Water.
Having just experienced a war, this place was very dilapidated.
Masahiko didn't rush to the Mist Village. Instead, he took a couple of laps along the coast, hoping to get some information from the ninjas responsible for reconstruction.
"So it really is internal strife?"
Simply compiling some information, Masahiko arrived at a conclusion.
Ever since the Fourth Mizukage, Hangetsu Hozuki, took office in the Mist Village, the Blood Mist Era had basically ended. Because he himself was a Kekkei Genkai ninja, he couldn't possibly still deliberately target Kekkei Genkai clans, right?
But misunderstandings formed over years and months were not so easily dispelled. The other ninjas of the Mist Village still held great wariness toward the Kekkei Genkai clans.
After this war, the number of ninja casualties exceeded everyone's expectations, making the remaining scattered Kekkei Genkai ninjas restless and harboring thoughts of a coup d'état. Hangetsu Hozuki's position as Mizukage was already somewhat unstable.
Fortunately, the remaining Kekkei Genkai clans were not united either, especially the most discordant one... the Kaguya!
"Kaguya, huh..."
Using genjutsu to gather information, Masahiko arrived in front of the Kaguya clan compound.
Having gone through several wars and the Blood Mist policy, the Warring States period's great clan Kaguya had only a scattered twenty-something chakra fluctuations left. Among them, the strongest was no more than a Jonin.
Sensing slightly, Masahiko found a somewhat special chakra fluctuation in a corner of the Kaguya compound.
"Shikotsumyaku, Kimimaro?"
This was a dungeon. Although there was one person guarding outside, Masahiko easily flashed inside.
Hidden in his space, Masahiko observed the young Kimimaro in front of him.
"White hair, two red dots between his eyebrows, quite a handsome little boy..." Masahiko muttered.
At this moment, Kimimaro was holding a bone spur, repeatedly stabbing a human statue on the wall, muttering to himself:
"Is there... a God in this world? If there is a God, why am I locked up here?"
Masahiko looked at the statue and felt it was a bit familiar. Then looking at little Kimimaro, his mischievousness flared up, and he decided to make a "horror movie" style entrance.
The next second, the bone spur Kimimaro thrust towards the statue was caught by a hand reaching out from the wall.
"Stop stabbing, it hurts."
Masahiko transformed into the appearance of the statue and drilled out from inside.
Kimimaro didn't panic, but rather widened his eyes. "Are you... God?"
Masahiko froze for a moment.
"Yes, yes, yes, I am, I am."
Kimimaro: "..."
It doesn't really look like it.
☆☆☆
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