It was already early morning by the time Asahi finally finished his work at Konoha Hospital.
The night of chaos had slowly passed.
The eastern horizon gradually brightened, and the first rays of sunlight rose above the forest surrounding the village. Warm light spread across the ruined streets of Konoha, illuminating the destruction left behind by the Nine-Tails' rampage.
Smoke still drifted from collapsed buildings.
Broken walls and shattered rooftops were everywhere.
Medical teams continued carrying the wounded, while construction squads began clearing debris from the main streets. Exhausted shinobi sat against the sides of buildings, their armour cracked and their bodies covered in dust and blood.
Yet despite the devastation, the village still stood.
With the rising sun, the glory and sacrifice of the Fourth Hokage seemed to gather in the morning light, still shining brightly in the hearts of the villagers.
Even now, Asahi still found it difficult to believe the reality before him.
Namikaze Minato was dead.
The man who had once been known as the Yellow Flash of Konoha, the hero who ended the Third Great Ninja War, and the Fourth Hokage who carried the hopes of the entire village, had died during the night.
The facts were undeniable.
Yet Asahi still felt a faint sense of unreality.
In truth, the relationship between Asahi and Minato had never meant to be particularly close. They were not master and disciple, nor were they close friends.
However, Minato had noticed him early on.
At the time, Asahi had carefully hidden his true strength, presenting himself as nothing more than a talented but ordinary ninja. Even so, Minato had shown him unexpected attention.
And eventually, Minato had taught him the Flying Thunder God Technique.
This was something Asahi had never forgotten.
After all, the Flying Thunder God Technique was Minato's most famous and terrifying ability.
The technique that made the Yellow Flash feared across the entire ninja world.
The fewer people who mastered that technique, the safer Minato himself would be. If someone else learned it, the advantage he held on the battlefield would diminish.
If it had been Asahi himself, he would never have taught his ultimate trump card to anyone else.
Yet Minato had done exactly that.
He had taught it without hesitation.
Because of this, Asahi held genuine respect for him.
Originally, Asahi had intended to repay that kindness someday.
But fate had other plans.
If he had not wasted time searching Minato's house for the Uzumaki sealing techniques last night, Asahi might have been able to intercept Obito earlier.
Perhaps…
Just perhaps…
He could have stopped the entire tragedy.
But the past could not be changed.
What was done was done.
Regret was meaningless now.
However, Minato's death created another undeniable fact.
Asahi was now the only person in Konoha who possessed the Flying Thunder God Technique.
With that single technique alone, very few people in the entire ninja world could threaten him anymore.
Except for one person.
Uchiha Obito.
Asahi already had a large amount of intelligence about him.
Aside from his Mangekyō Sharingan ability known as Kamui, Masked Obito's personal combat ability was not particularly overwhelming.
If the two fought directly, Asahi was confident he could handle him.
Unless Obito joined forces with Pain.
In that case, things would become dangerous.
However, Asahi also had information about the Six Paths of Pain.
Even the Rinnegan was not invincible.
'With proper preparation and cooperation, defeating Pain was not impossible.'
Shaking these chaotic thoughts from his mind, Asahi rubbed his temples tiredly.
He had been awake for nearly an entire day and night.
Now his body finally demanded rest.
All he wanted was to return home and sleep.
But the moment Asahi arrived outside his house, his footsteps paused.
On the wooden pillar beside the door, there was a small, nearly invisible mark.
A secret signal.
Shimura Danzo's signal.
Asahi's eyes narrowed slightly.
Normally, Danzo would only use this signal if the situation was extremely sensitive and it was inconvenient to send Root operatives directly.
Since their cooperation began, this signal had never been used before.
Which meant that whatever Danzo wanted now was extremely important or extremely secret.
Casually brushing the mark away with his sleeve, Asahi stood silently for a moment.
Then a thought suddenly crossed his mind.
'Danzo called me out secretly…'
'Could he be planning to eliminate me?'
The possibility was not low.
During the battle with the Nine-Tails last night, the combat strength Asahi displayed had already surpassed Danzo's expectations, and not only that, Asahi's reputation within Konoha had risen dramatically overnight.
He had fought the Nine-Tails directly.
Saved countless shinobi.
And stood alongside the Third Hokage on the battlefield.
To someone like Danzo, such a person could easily become a threat.
And right now…
Asahi was exhausted.
His chakra reserves were depleted.
If Danzo wanted to assassinate him, this would be the perfect opportunity.
Of course, this was only speculation.
But speculation was enough.
After a moment of silence, Asahi simply shrugged.
Then he pushed open the door of his house.
After taking a quick bath, Asahi lay down on his bed.
Within seconds, he fell into deep sleep.
…
Akatsuki Base.
Inside a dark underground chamber, two figures stood facing one another.
"Madara," Pain said calmly. "This operation failed, didn't it?"
His voice was completely devoid of emotion.
It sounded as if he were discussing something unrelated to himself.
"Indeed." Obito replied indifferently. "This time I miscalculated."
"I did not expect Konoha to remain so powerful."
His voice remained relaxed.
"With only a young Hokage and a handful of sacrifices, they managed to resolve the Nine-Tails incident perfectly."
"I underestimated them."
There was no anger in his tone.
No frustration.
If Pain had seen Obito during the battle last night, when he had been forced to flee by Minato, he might have directly begun questioning his identity.
But half of Obito's body consisted of Senju Hashirama's cells.
Even severe injuries could be restored easily by absorbing a White Zetsu.
"However," Pain said slowly, "through this incident we have also witnessed your capability."
"It was quite impressive."
"It is unfortunate that the time is not right to declare war on Konoha." Obito replied with mild regret.
Pain nodded slightly.
"That day will come eventually."
"What should we do next?"
"The organization lacks members," Obito said. "We must recruit more before proceeding with the next stage of the plan."
Pain folded his hands calmly.
"Do you have suitable candidates?"
Obito chuckled quietly.
"There are several."
"Orochimaru, one of the Legendary Sannin of Konoha, has already defected."
"Sasori of the Red Sand, a rogue ninja from Sunagakure."
"Kakuzu of Takigakure, who once fought the First Hokage himself."
"And…"
"I also have a promising candidate in Kirigakure."
Pain nodded.
"Very well."
"Then we will divide the work."
After a brief pause, Pain asked another question.
"By the way… Madara."
"Do you know anything about the young man from Konoha who fought the Nine-Tails?"
Pain's voice remained calm.
But inside, hatred burned.
Because of that young man.
Because of the intelligence he gathered.
Danzo had contacted Hanzo of the Salamander.
And the Akatsuki had been betrayed.
Yahiko had died.
If Danzo was the person Pain hated most, Asahi was certainly second.
Obito tilted his head slightly.
"Oh, him?"
"I did not expect Konoha to produce such a talented young ninja besides Namikaze Minato."
"If you are interested… you can investigate him yourself."
Of course, Obito knew far more about Asahi than he admitted.
But at this moment, he was Uchiha Madara.
And Madara would never show interest in just anyone.
"Understood." Pain said quietly.
Seeing the conversation end, Obito activated Kamui and disappeared into a spiralling vortex.
After the room fell silent, Konan finally spoke.
"Pain… that man calling himself Uchiha Madara cannot be trusted."
Her voice had lost the innocence it once carried.
Yahiko's death had changed her.
Pain closed his eyes.
"Our goal is to create the peace Yahiko dreamed of."
"For that goal… we must cooperate with him."
"Konan… you should treat Madara more politely in the future, even if it's just for appearance."
Konan frowned.
"Do we really have to cooperate with someone like him?"
Pain opened his Rinnegan.
His voice was calm.
"The power of the Rinnegan surpasses the Sharingan."
"We have nothing to fear."
Konan remained silent, but in her heart, she thought differently:
'That Madara is clearly unreliable.'
'If Nagato insists on trusting him…'
'Then I will just have to watch him myself.'
*****
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✓ Killed For 100 Years in Hueco Mundo, Aizen Invited Me To Soul Society!
✓ Naruto: Senmei Asahi
✓ Naruto: Uchiha's Intelligence Dealer
✓ Naruto: The Fifth Hokage Is Naruto's Uncle
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✓ To Love-Ru: Spoiler Route [R-18]
✓ Naruto: The Accidental Incubus [R-18]