In the end,
Aburame Shiken and the others left behind one hundred deluxe supreme ultimate combo meals, then hurriedly ran for their lives.
The sight of Shima rushing over in a fury inevitably reminded them of Uchiha Mikoto from a few days ago.
Sure enough, regardless of species, when female creatures get angry, the scene is always strikingly similar.
Although it was brief, they still learned of the Great Toad Sage's prophecy and the cruel reality that Mount Myōboku could not save Senju Hideki.
"So, what do we do next? Should we go find Orochimaru-sensei?"
Uchiha Kamito asked.
"Yeah, let's go."
Shiken replied weakly. Making a hundred deluxe supreme ultimate combo meals had really drained him, but what else could they do? Even Mount Myōboku's boss had spoken—how could they refuse?
The ninja world isn't just about fighting and killing; it's full of social obligations too.
"Oh right, Shiken—Uchiha Obito has gone missing," Kamito added.
"???"
"We ended the Third Shinobi War so quickly, he never even made it to the battlefield—how did he go missing?"
Inuzuka Ryoha asked.
"No idea. I only found out after I got back."
"What about Rin? She's okay, right?"
Hyūga Hiyasu asked.
"She's fine. Calm as ever, going to and from school every day."
"Then what's the point of just capturing Obito?"
The four of them were completely baffled.
"Um… who are Obito and Rin?"
Namikaze Minato asked timidly.
He had a bad feeling they were talking about something he didn't know.
Hmm? Right, there's still a local here.
What do we do?
Kill him.
Alright, I'll go first.
The four exchanged glances and reached a silent agreement instantly.
"Minato-kun, you know too much… hehehehehe."
Minato was terrified.
"Don't—no, please—dame!"
Minato: dead.
The end—roll credits!!!
Just kidding.
After that little interlude, everyone returned to the Hidden Leaf Village and began an intense search for Orochimaru.
Getting his help wasn't hard—the hard part was actually finding him.
A man who, together with Shiken, controlled the underground of the Hidden Leaf Village.
...
In a dark corner of the ninja world,
Obito slowly woke from the darkness.
"Where is this place… it's so dark."
"Oh? You're awake."
A pale white face suddenly appeared in front of him.
"Ah! A ghost!"
Obito punched the whirlpool-faced White Zetsu in front of him flying away, completely unaware that this White Zetsu would one day become part of his body.
"Ow! What's wrong with you? That's rude! Don't you know I'm the one who saved you?"
"Saved me? What exactly did I go through back then?"
Obito tried to recall, but the more he did—
"Ah! Ah! My head—it hurts!"
He slammed his head repeatedly in agony.
What the hell is going on…
In another corner,
Uchiha Madara was secretly transferring the power of his Sharingan into Obito, causing intense pain in Obito's eyes.
"Madara-sama, if different Sharingan powers merge, won't it cause severe damage to his body?"
Black Zetsu asked.
"It doesn't matter. Hashirama's cells are the perfect stabilizer. Inject him with a dose later, and he'll be fine."
"And what if he can't survive it?"
"Then we'll just find another agent. He's just a puppet—nothing worth cherishing."
"Yes, Madara-sama."
"Oh, and if he survives, show him the prepared memories. If he can awaken the Mangekyō, then he's qualified to be my agent. Otherwise, let him die."
"Understood."
After handling these matters,
Madara left. His time was extremely limited—he couldn't afford to waste a single moment.
Black Zetsu looked at the suffering Obito.
Hang in there, kid. If you survive, you'll earn the right to become Madara's puppet.
Hahaha…
This just goes to show—don't ever think that one moment of suffering will lead to endless sweetness. What awaits you might be suffering again and again.
Sweetness is just seasoning. Bitterness is life.
...
Land of Earth.
A massive force from the Hidden Rain Village marched in with overwhelming momentum.
Not a single ninja from the Hidden Stone Village came out to stop them, as if the village didn't exist at all.
"Hanzo-sama, what should we do next?"
"Set up camp. The Hidden Stone will definitely launch a night raid. Prepare yourselves—we'll give Ōnoki a memorable first blow."
"Yes, Hanzo-sama."
Night fell, and the Rain camp gradually sank into silence, as if they were truly resting.
Outside the perimeter, figures flickered in the shadows.
"Perfect! These brainless Rain ninjas—who would've thought a million would be so easy to earn?"
A ragged man muttered, his eyes full of greed.
"Keep it down! If you mess up my payday, I'll split you in half myself!"
A flash of red light suddenly streaked across the sky.
"Charge!"
"Charge!"
The mercenaries hired by the Hidden Stone rushed in mindlessly—
"No one here!"
"No one!"
"Run!"
But outside, the Rain ninjas were already prepared. They sprang into action, slaughtering these mercenary ninjas who only cared about money.
Screams echoed endlessly through the Rain camp.
Outside, an ambush squad from the Rain Village lay scattered—over a hundred corpses spread across the ground.
Their wounds varied: lightning strikes, burns, water damage, crushed by earth, sliced apart—it looked like they had been attacked by an entire ninjutsu squad.
But there was only one attacker.
The ninja world's number one wage slave—Kakuzu—had officially entered the scene.
Kakuzu held a corpse in his hand, glancing at the bounty notice.
"Rain Village genius—Shima Shanwu. Bounty: 25 million ryō. Not bad, not bad. I really hope the Rain produces more geniuses—then the Hidden Stone will raise their prices too."
Kakuzu muttered.
In this world where everything can betray you, only money is truly reliable.
Carrying the corpse, he left.
Once he turned in this job, he could move on to the next one.
Time is money.
Gotta seize the opportunity.
No one really knew what Kakuzu needed so much money for.
He dressed in rags, yet still hoarded wealth relentlessly.
"But Ōnoki of the Hidden Stone has a terrible reputation. Better stay cautious. If he doesn't pay on time, I'll just help the Rain fight the Stone instead. Either way, I'm making a profit in this war. It's not every day I get such a big job—I won't let it slip away."
Kakuzu continued muttering to himself.