Madara Uchiha spoke to Obito about his view of the world. At that moment, however, Obito couldn't hear a single word. His mind was filled only with the joy of having been rescued. All he wanted was to get back to Konoha as fast as he could, reunite with Kakashi and Rin Nohara, and let them know he was still alive.
Yet when Madara Uchiha finished speaking, his words finally began to sink into Obito.
After a moment of contemplation, Obito looked at Madara Uchiha with surprise, beginning to question who he really was. No, I should know all the old people in the village. Besides, he has the Sharingan.
"Grandpa," Obito firmly believed Madara Uchiha was a rogue ninja, "you're a Rogue Ninja, right? Who exactly are you?"
Madara Uchiha slowly walked over and sat down on a stone chair before calmly replying, "I am the ghost of the Uchiha clan—the one and only Madara Uchiha."
Obito widened his only Sharingan eye, shock clearly visible within.
With the escort of Sasori and Kakuzu—two S-rank shinobi—Anya and Yugao safely arrived near Mount Hakuto. During this time, Anya never woke up, remaining unconscious with a high fever.
Thankfully, those who could fly weren't slow. Once they arrived, Sasori and Kakuzu came to a stop. Ahead of them lay Konoha's stronghold. As they were both Sunagakure shinobi now, going any further might cause misunderstandings.
Yugao took the initiative to carry Anya onto her back and said, "I will get the captain safely to Tsunade-sama."
"Thank you for your trouble."
After Sasori left, he turned to Kakuzu with killing intent in his eyes and said, "Big Brother Kurotsuchi was definitely framed. That's why he rushed to find Empress Megatron. Unfortunately, he was too late. Someone from the Mountain Tombyard must've done it. You know what kind of person could make Big Brother Kurotsuchi suffer such a heavy defeat. Who comes to mind?"
Kakuzu, being the oldest and most experienced, thought carefully for a moment before answering, "In terms of strength, I haven't seen any shinobi surpass Hashirama Senju. His younger brother, Tobirama Senju, is no easy opponent either. They would definitely be capable of this."
"In other words, someone comparable to them—I suspect it's Madara Uchiha," Sasori almost immediately guessed the right answer.
"They should've been long dead," Kakuzu disagreed.
"Not necessarily," Sasori replied, looking at Kakuzu. "You being alive is the best proof, isn't it?"
Hearing this, Kakuzu hesitated and then asked, "Then what do you plan to do?"
Sasori's eyes lit up as he analyzed, "Since someone targeted Big Brother Kurotsuchi and chose to go after his allies instead of attacking him directly, the next move is obvious—the enemy will target someone close to him. The names I can think of include Minato Namikaze, Kakashi Hatake, and Tsunade."
Kakuzu's eyes widened. "They're all from Konoha."
"Precisely. It's possible their ultimate goal is to attack Konoha itself," Sasori quickly pieced together the enemy's intent, determination rising in his heart as he rapidly continued, "Let's go—back to the village. There might be a surprise waiting where Rasa is."
When Yugao arrived with Anya to see Tsunade, she was still instructing the medical ninja at the Mount Hakuto Stronghold.
Suddenly spotting Anya unconscious and in critical condition, panic flickered across Tsunade's face before she swiftly took him into a secret chamber to begin emergency treatment.
Being stationed at the stronghold for so long, she naturally longed for her lover, yet she never expected their reunion to come so suddenly—and under such dangerous circumstances. Indeed, Anya's body was in dire condition: burning hot, severely dehydrated. Had he arrived any later, his brain could have suffered irreversible damage.
Tsunade prepared a treatment pod and quickly filled it with water, adding various medicinal herbs. Green chakra began breaking down the herbs as the water gradually turned a light green. Only then did she place Anya inside.
Mirroring Anya's decision when treating Terumi Mei, Tsunade also chose the safest option—hydrotherapy.
The moment his body touched the water, steam began to rise with a sizzling sound from the pod. A massive surge of life energy flowed into Anya under Tsunade's control, rehydrating his previously parched body and restoring a hint of color to his pale face.
As the treatment progressed, Anya's mind remained in a haze. The side effects of using the Spirit Transformation Technique for such an extended time had finally caught up with him. Compared to physical wounds, it was the darkening of his soul that truly threatened him, dragging his consciousness into an abyss, as if returning to that void from the moment of his transmigration.
"I can't die!"
This was the strongest conviction rooted deep within Anya's heart. Just like before, after staying in this world for so long, he had been deeply influenced by it. While he sought to change the world, he was also changing himself. With a stronger purpose in his heart, how could he fall here? After being shattered, a person would reassemble, merging into a better self.
He cracked his eyes open, and the darkness within his soul began to recede.
Anya came back to awareness, his gaze meeting only Tsunade's worried face.
Their eyes locked. Anya gave a faint smile, reached out and took Tsunade's delicate hand as she worked, and pulled her into the pod without hesitation.
"You…"
Tsunade barely managed to speak before Anya's searing kiss silenced her. A thousand words melted into just one sentence: "I missed you."
Tsunade's body went limp, no strength left in her. She didn't resist, surrendering herself completely to him.
After finishing his conversation with Obito, Madara arrived at another secret chamber. White Zetsu and Black Zetsu emerged from the ground and said, "Minato Namikaze is currently cornered by the Raikage and the Tsuchikage, too busy to take care of his student. I disguised myself as a Konoha elder and calmed those two down, then assigned them a new mission. Right now they're heading toward the Hidden Mist Village, and the Three-Tails is already ready."
"Hmph, start the plan when Obito is nearly recovered," Madara said. He had already begun planning this the moment he chose Obito, and the possibility of failure was minimal. Rather, it was the unexpected appearance of the younger generation—Anya—that concerned him more.
"What about the situation on that end?"
"When Anya arrived, that woman had already been thrown into the sea. There's no trace of her—neither alive nor dead."
Madara gave a calm, composed smile and said, "This is just the beginning. Let's see what comes next."
"Black Zetsu grasped Madara's implication and quickly said, 'The Konoha Destruction Plan proposed by the Mist Village (Kiri) has already gained agreement from the Cloud Village (Kumo) and the Stone Village (Iwagakure). Sunagakure Village is too far away, so we haven't received news from them yet, but they've always held hatred toward Konoha, making it highly likely they will agree.'"
"This truly is the cycle of fate, Hashirama," Madara said, a distant, melancholy look in his eyes. "You should really witness with your own eyes what legacy our beloved Konoha ultimately leaves behind. In the end, things in this world never go quite as we wish. When I return, I will build a world of true peace."
Black Zetsu listened with his head bowed, his eyes flickering with an eerie light, subtly showing a slight hint of a sinister smile...
<><><><><><><><>
Thank you for reading! Your support will keep me updating!
~ Every 50 Powerstones = **4 Bonus Chapters** this weekend!
<><><><><><><><>
Want to read the subsequent content in advance?
Please follow my Patreon:patreon/Tansnovel
Tans Novel - The Fastest-Updating Naruto Fanfiction Account
Read 100+ chapters in advance, with at least 3 new chapters updated every day! More free chapters! 20+ Naruto fanfictions!
Just three steps:
1. Download and open the "Patreon" app
2. Search for "Tans Novel"
3. Click on the collection and enjoy to your heart's content
<><><><><><><><>