Recently, with Hi-kun's encouragement, Obito had taken his training to a whole new level.
And his goal had been refined from 'I want to become Hokage' to 'I want to lighten Hokage-sama's burden'...
Simply saying he wanted to become Hokage made his vision seem far too narrow.
He needed to look further ahead and learn to think from Konoha's perspective with the mindset of a Hokage!
Obito wholeheartedly agreed. After all, Fugaku, his idol within the clan, often said:
"My son will grow up thinking like a Hokage. Seisui raised him himself, after all!"
What Fugaku really meant was that he wanted to claim a little reflected glory from Seisui's lineage, but he had accidentally hit the mark...
According to Hi-kun's explanation, as Konoha continued to grow stronger and develop at breakneck speed, the standards demanded of its Hokage had risen with it, reaching an exceptionally demanding level.
It wasn't hard to understand why.
Konoha now effectively encompassed the village itself, Kirigakure, and half of Sunagakure. On top of that, the Hokage also held the position of Shōgun in both the Land of Fire and the Land of Water, while infiltration and management of the nobility in other countries couldn't be neglected either.
The Hokage didn't need to personally handle every little matter, but all of these still fell within the scope of his responsibilities and required his attention.
Strength, connections, vision...
Unlike the shinobi leaders of the past, today's Hokage faced entirely new demands in areas such as economics, culture, and long-term strategic planning. He had to be capable across the board.
It was an inevitable consequence of the enormous distribution of interests within Konoha and the changing environment beyond it.
Interestingly enough, after Hiruzen laid out his plans for the new situation, the question of who would become Konoha's next Hokage also became a popular topic at the Mountains' Graveyard.
Whenever the six Kage gathered together, they would occasionally discuss this very serious question.
After hearing enough of those conversations, Madara began paying attention to the matter as well and fell into thought.
This really was important!
A Hokage's influence on the village was enormous.
Enormous enough to make the difference between someone like Hiruzen or Hashirama... and Senju Tobirama!
The candidate had to be chosen very carefully...
One day...
Obito finally got another half-day off. While he bustled around washing Uchiha Madara's clothes, wiping down his ninja tools, and grilling meat, he once again heard the old fossils from the Warring States era next door start discussing the subject...
Even Sasori, who had come to visit his parents, was there.
The Freak Association had an unusually full house today!
Madara glanced at Obito, who had recently been training extremely hard while also handling the chores and keeping everyone entertained, and gave the faintest nod without even realizing it.
Interesting!
There was even a little of Izuna in him!
As a lonely old man, even though Madara's body had become young again...
The habits ingrained by decades of isolation hadn't changed. He was naturally predisposed to like a young man who took care of him.
Besides, thanks to Hi-kun acting as an intermediary, Obito's initial declaration that he "opposed Tobirama and supported the Great Clan Head" had laid an excellent foundation for their relationship.
Madara would never say it aloud, but Obito truly was no longer just a pawn in his eyes.
As for what exactly Obito was to him now...
Even Madara couldn't quite say.
"Obito, come here." Madara cleared his throat.
Obito paused, put down his mop, and broke into a huge grin.
"Great Clan Head, you called for me! What are your instructions...?"
At first, Obito, still just a teenager, had complained quite a bit about the intensity of his training.
After all, training at this level truly tormented both body and mind.
Every single one of his sparring partners was several levels above him. The blows to his confidence came from every direction...
But Hi-kun had become Obito's pillar of support and helped him persevere.
"If you want to become somebody, you have to suffer for it! Do you have any idea how valuable the resources being poured into you are?"
"Look across the entire shinobi world. Nobody else has ever had an opportunity like yours!"
"Six Kage-level experts are training you personally. Taijutsu, sensory techniques, Fūinjutsu, ninjutsu—you've got everything. And on top of that, there's the Great Clan Head himself, a once-in-an-era legend..."
"Did Hokage-sama, the Great Clan Head, or Hashirama-sama have anything like this when they were young?"
"And that's not even mentioning that your body was rebuilt with the essence of the Divine Tree. Nearly half of Tobi's body was given to you. The Great Clan Head just couldn't be bothered to tell you. Do you seriously think your original body could've survived training this intense?"
"Forget about taking things slow and steady. True geniuses advance in explosive leaps. One year of training here is worth thirty years outside! It'll benefit you for the rest of your life..."
"If you don't want to train anymore, hurry up and tell Madara-sama. That way neither of you has to waste any more time!"
"The Great Clan Head chose you because once Hokage-sama steps down, a Konoha this vast will need one of our own Uchiha—someone young, loyal to the village, and with an absolutely pure Will of Fire—to take over! And you happened to be the lucky one!"
That immediately elevated Obito's understanding of the situation by several levels...
Right!
Wasn't that exactly how it was?
Obito immediately thought of Kakashi.
Obito had once been incredibly envious that Kakashi had such a famous father in Hatake Sakumo.
Kakashi had grown up with a powerful shinobi as his sparring partner and had avoided countless wrong turns in his training.
Obito, meanwhile, was just an orphan. Even though the Ninja Academy provided abundant resources, there was still a vast difference between them.
Once he returned to Konoha and told Kakashi who had been training him, Obito couldn't even imagine what kind of expression that perpetually stone-faced kid would make...
He'd definitely think Obito was bragging!
Even Hokage-sama's own son, Obito's classmate Asuma, merely had Hiruko and Kakuzu jointly serving as his teachers. His resources couldn't begin to compare with what Obito had now...
In fact, over the past thousand years of shinobi history, perhaps no one except Asura and Indra could compare with him!
And so Obito understood.
Seen from that perspective, there was nothing unreasonable about serving the Great Clan Head however he could!
He had to lower himself with complete sincerity...
And under Hi-kun's careful guidance, Madara—the living embodiment of every Uchiha stereotype—inevitably grew more and more fond of this junior who was humble and eager to learn, shamelessly persistent, and constantly showering him with compliments...
It had become a virtuous cycle!
"Have you learned Wood Release yet?" Madara examined Obito's body with his Rinnegan. The integration with Hashirama's cells was fairly close to perfect.
Objectively speaking, that was an extraordinary talent.
It was much like Madara's own fusion with Hashirama's cells. With the crude method he had used to graft them onto himself, anyone else might not necessarily have exploded and died, but they certainly wouldn't have gained their power.
Tobi's body wasn't something an ordinary person could withstand either. That was precisely why Konoha's research into Hashirama's cells had always focused on "reducing their aggressiveness to make them universally compatible."
"I have! I have!"
Obito chuckled, his smile guileless enough to look almost foolish. "You explained it really well, Great Clan Head. I just have to feel Hashirama-sama's power, then release it through my chakra..."
At that moment, Hi-kun returned from Konoha, travel-worn and dusty.
As the only White Zetsu currently capable of moving freely through Konoha without triggering hostile sensory detection, Hi-kun regularly went to Konoha's notice boards to copy down new policies, compiling them into briefings for Madara and the other members of the organization...
Of course, Madara could simply control a White Zetsu himself and go there.
But that would be far too embarrassing...
It would make him look like some outsider spying on the village!
Through his own efforts, Hi-kun allowed Madara to feel as though he were still participating in village affairs.
That kept the sensitive old man's mood stable and prevented him from suddenly getting worked up over something, slapping his thigh, and spiraling into another obsessive dead end...
Hi-kun blinked when he saw what was happening and quietly stood aside to watch.
"You've learned it? Show me!" Madara sounded somewhat doubtful. He himself possessed Hashirama's power, and back then it had taken him a fair amount of effort to master.
Of course, after awakening the Rinnegan, using Wood Release had become effortless for him.
"Yes, Great Clan Head!" Obito obediently nodded and gathered the chakra within his body.
Wood Release: Cutting Technique!
Obito brought his hands together and stared solemnly at the humanoid target in the distance. A branch brimming with vitality sprouted from his palm...
Madara looked slightly surprised.
He had never taught Obito this move. Apparently, Obito had developed this application of Wood Release on his own.
Obito's eyes had just begun to light up with delight at how smoothly the technique was going.
But the branch that should have become a spear suddenly wilted, turning into a crooked, drooping willow switch...
Obito's expression instantly turned awkward. He looked helplessly at Madara.
"Well... this..."
Madara gave him a peculiar look, as though he were staring at an idiot.
Hi-kun put a hand to his forehead and sighed.
In truth, learning to manipulate Wood Release to this extent in such a short time was already remarkable.
But the peculiar atmosphere created by Obito's sheer unpredictability somehow turned what should have been an impressive display of genius into a complete comedy routine...
It was hard to even know what to say.
Madara was just about to speak and employ the Warring States-style harsh education that lay squarely within his comfort zone when something occurred to him. He glanced at the thoughtful Hi-kun nearby.
"You're back, Hi-kun?"
"I'm back, Madara-sama..."
Hi-kun carried two stacks of documents and trotted over to Madara with textbook precision, handing one of them to the chairman of the Warring States Freak Association.
Madara paused.
Why was he only getting half?
Reading him perfectly, Hi-kun immediately explained: "Madara-sama, your copy is the optimized version with mind maps. Since your time is valuable, I also made a table of contents so you can easily check the original documents whenever you need them..."
"The remaining copies are for everyone else in the organization. They have nothing to do all day anyway, so they can just browse through them. Besides, none of them have anything to do with Konoha..."
Madara gave a small "oh" and cleared his throat.
"Mm. Not bad."
In truth, he was extremely pleased!
Compared with that so-called clone of his, Black Zetsu, who did nothing but lurk in the shadows and loaf around all day, this latecomer Hi-kun was actually somewhat useful...
Hi-kun keenly noticed Madara's reaction and couldn't help marveling inwardly.
'Konoha really is advanced!'
The idea of serving Madara this way hadn't actually originated with Hi-kun.
He had arrived at it by studying Hiruzen's path of development and coming to understand one principle.
Following the paths laid down by those who came before and learning from successful people dramatically reduced the cost of trial and error.
'Early in Hokage-sama's career, people called him the Professor of Ninjutsu, yet unlike Senju Tobirama, he didn't spend enormous amounts of effort creating all kinds of complicated techniques without mastering any of them. Instead, he focused on building a solid foundation...'
'Whether it was the Lightning Release Chakra Mode, Boil Release, Lava Release, or the Ten Thousand Seals Body Integration Seal, all of them were mature techniques already validated by those who came before him. Only after decades of accumulated experience did he finally develop Spirit Release...'
Hi-kun looked at Madara, whose lips had risen by a few pixels, and thought: 'I have no talent for training, but Hokage-sama once said, Once you understand one thing, the principles carry over. The mental models used in different kinds of work have things in common...'
'So for someone like me, working as a "secretary," I should first learn from Council Member Hiruko, then thoroughly study how Hyūga Tenzō and Uchiha Isshin serve Hokage-sama...'
'Only after I've fully understood those three can I claim to possess a certain degree of professional skill.'
During his time infiltrating Konoha, Hi-kun hadn't merely copied the notice boards. He had also listened to countless speeches that Isshin and Tenzō gave within their clans and at the Konoha Military Police Force.
Speeches explaining the village's institutions and policies.
Hi-kun had also put enormous effort into infiltrating the ANBU, enduring hardships that could only be described as sleeping on brushwood and tasting gall.
He would often spend hours underground just to move a few steps, all so he could finally obtain one or two work reports and carefully study their formatting.
Hi-kun was searching for Obito's future role.
Naturally, he also had to find one for himself.
The future he envisioned for himself resembled the administrative work performed by Utatane Koharu and Mitokado Homura.
He would ensure that orders and information were transmitted accurately in both directions, help the organization operate more smoothly, and prevent meaningless internal friction.
"Mm. How would you evaluate Obito's Wood Release?"
Madara flipped through a few pages and realized that he didn't seem to understand them very well.
But as Izuna had once told him, when you didn't understand something, keep your mouth shut.
Wait until someone else had analyzed it before speaking.
So Madara said nothing about the documents and instead tossed the conversation over to Hi-kun.
The Great Clan Head was gradually rediscovering what it had felt like to lead the clan back in the old days.
Madara had to admit it.
When it came to building village institutions, Hiruzen, the inheritor of the ideals Madara had held in his youth, might perhaps be just the tiniest bit better at it than he was...
"Obito, try again. You can do it!"
Hi-kun loudly encouraged Obito: "Don't get discouraged over one little setback. Don't forget that the Great Clan Head once ignored the doubts of ignorant people about how long it took him to awaken his Sharingan and built his foundation step by step."
"Your talent may not compare with the Great Clan Head's, but you should learn from his spirit!"
Madara nodded faintly as he listened.
Hi-kun always knew how to choose his examples...
"Yes, Great Clan Head! Hi-kun!"
Thanks to Hi-kun's presence, the sarcastic provocation Madara hadn't even gotten the chance to say was instead interpreted as 'silent encouragement filled with earnest expectations'...
Obito immediately perked up and once again focused on the Tobi cells and chakra within his body.
This time, he used the Wood Release: Cutting Technique again.
A spear-like branch shot successfully from his palm at high speed, piercing the humanoid target deep within the cavern. Once it had penetrated, it instantly burst apart inside the target!
Its power was quite impressive.
"Not too bad..." Madara finally offered a word of praise.
"You're still some distance from where I was at your age, but at least you're barely competent. Your talent with the Sharingan is average, so making up for it with Wood Release isn't a bad path."
"When I was young, I wasn't even interested in Wood Release, but I can't exactly hold you to my standards..."
"Things are different from the Warring States era now. Uchiha shinobi can't rely solely on the power of their bloodline anymore. Take the rest of the day off and listen to what's been happening in Konoha lately..."
Obito nodded repeatedly. "Thank you, Great Clan Head!"
Madara smiled.
"Brat, don't thank me too soon. Every gift of fate already has its price attached..."
"No matter what, I'm grateful to you, Great Clan Head."
Obito looked at Madara with extraordinary sincerity.
"You're a good person. If it weren't for you, Kakashi, Rin, and I would've all died on the battlefield."
"You're exactly like the Ninja Academy textbooks say. Even if your methods are... um... unconventional, everything you do is definitely for the good of the village, your comrades, and your clansmen!"
Warmth spread through Madara's heart, and he turned his head away.
"Brat, that's enough. I don't need your flattery. I've never needed to explain my actions to anyone."
Obito chuckled. "Of course, of course! You're always right..."
Obito wasn't as clever as Hi-kun.
But now that he had firmly decided to become Hokage and lighten Hiruzen's burden, he had also decided to follow the approach Hi-kun had specifically designed for him.
When it came to Madara, it didn't matter what the old man said. Just treat him like one of Konoha's eccentric old men—praise him relentlessly and make him feel appreciated...
Why argue with an old man?
Just go along with him!
Madara couldn't stop the corners of his mouth from rising.
After seeing Madara's reaction, Hi-kun felt considerably more at ease.
More than half the problem was solved!
With Madara and Obito's relationship progressing this far, Hi-kun would now be able to naturally offer suggestions regarding Madara's plan to push Obito...
They could do it in a controlled way without leaving an irreparable rift between them.
Hi-kun had realized that, given Madara's awkward and eccentric personality, if he hadn't intervened, he couldn't even imagine how bizarre the relationship between Madara and Obito might have become...
In fact, Hi-kun's guess was remarkably accurate.
Without his involvement, future conversations between those two would have become almost impossible to take seriously, reaching a level of weirdness comparable to the reincarnations of Indra and Asura themselves.
"Madara, I never thought of you as a comrade."
"Mm. That's for the best."
"Madara, what am I to you, really?"
"To me, you're nothing else. You're simply Madara."
All one could say was that among all of Konoha's great bonds, the Uchiha variety was the most terrifying...
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