After Hiruzen left, Tomie strode directly up to Tobirama and spoke in an ominous tone.
"Listen here, kid. Don't think your position is secure just because Clan Head Isshin plans to hand his seat on the Konoha Council over to you. That old man can't interfere with Hokage-sama's impartiality..."
"I'm a member of Root now too. That seat may not necessarily be yours!"
"My Mangekyō can see farther into the village's future than those eyes of yours ever could!"
Without waiting for Tobirama to respond, Tomie turned and strode away.
Tobirama stared after her, dumbfounded.
Hold on, lady...
Just a few months ago, you were desperately pursuing me. How am I suddenly 'kid' now?
Who changes faces this quickly?!
Although Tobirama had no intention of becoming Hokage again in this lifetime, he still planned to secure a seat on the Konoha Council.
But why had someone suddenly appeared to compete with him for it?!
What was the meaning of this...?
Under the current arrangement, the Uchiha clan held two seats. Fugaku was still young and vigorous and had contributed two lives to the village, so there was clearly no possibility of him stepping down.
That left only Isshin's seat vacant...
Given Tobirama's tremendous influence, he could probably persuade his beloved disciple Hiruzen to create an additional seat.
But unless absolutely necessary, Tobirama still didn't want to interfere with the village's existing structure...
{See? This is what happens when you're weak. People start looking down on you.}
{Forget it, Seisui. It's fine. You can always wait until Fugaku grows old and then inherit his seat.}
{Tomie has the Mangekyō, and she's far too strong when it comes to research. You can't compete with her...} Izuna sighed, adding fuel to the fire in a consoling tone.
Tobirama could naturally tell that Izuna was trying to provoke him.
If anyone else had said it, he might have let it pass. But hearing those words from Izuna made it extremely difficult for him to keep his composure.
{What's so special about the Mangekyō Sharingan?}
{Did Uchiha Izuna not have the Mangekyō when Lord Second stabbed him to death back then?}
Tobirama chuckled.
{I am Konoha's greatest research shinobi. Neither Tomie nor Orochimaru can compare to me!}
{The position that should be mine will undoubtedly belong to me.}
{Izuna, since you put it that way, help me with my training... Within two years, before the monster inside the Box of Ultimate Bliss awakens, you and I must find a way to seal it inside my body.}
{That will resolve the village's energy problem while also removing the shackles the Sharingan places upon the Uchiha clan.}
The instability caused by awakening the Sharingan was something even the Uchiha clan itself acknowledged.
The problem was that if the procedure were entrusted to someone else, it would be difficult to determine how far they should go.
Setting aside the issue of trust, if they went too far and extracted too many negative emotions, the patient could become an idiot who did nothing but smile. Their life would be ruined all the same.
But Tobirama was different...
Seisui's reputation among the Uchiha was beyond reproach.
He possessed Uchiha blood, had restored the clan's reputation through his many deeds, and was even a research talent rarely seen within the clan in a century...
No Uchiha would refuse to let Seisui remove their excessive emotional fluctuations.
It was as though the procedure had gone from being a frontal lobotomy to something as routine as laser eye surgery.
Izuna had noticed that whenever he said anything about Seisui, the little bastard would immediately mutter, 'You got stabbed by Tobirama...'
Yet Izuna had no effective way to retort.
Perhaps the old simply couldn't outscheme the young?
{Fiiine...} Izuna sighed, drawing out the word.
Doing this might excessively deplete the mark of Yata-no-Mitama, leaving him unable to return from the Pure Land to the ninja world...
After all, the internal structure of the Box of Ultimate Bliss was extremely complex, and Satori was no ordinary monster.
Izuna was naturally reluctant, but he knew it would be worth it.
Extreme emotional instability severe enough to distort one's personality was a problem the Uchiha had failed to solve for a thousand years.
If this succeeded, it would bring tremendous benefits to the entire clan. It was something they had no choice but to attempt.
{If this prevents me from returning, remember to find some way to replenish Yata-no-Mitama's ocular power afterward. I want to see what the future holds for the clan and the village...}
Izuna spoke with emotion.
{I understand...} Tobirama had originally intended to throw another couple of jabs at Izuna, but when the words reached his lips, he ultimately swallowed them.
He had no reason to reject the request of someone who wished to see Konoha's future improve...
{Why don't I simply find a way to resurrect you?} Tobirama suddenly thought.
{Stop testing me, kid. How long have the two of us been together now?}
Izuna chuckled.
{Resurrection may appear to be a good thing, but in reality, it brings a whole series of uncontrollable variables with it. It is also one of the hardest desires in the human heart to keep under control.}
{Don't go to all that trouble for me. Being a pure guardian spirit is quite good too. I'm satisfied.}
The corner of Tobirama's mouth rose. Had Izuna passed this test as well?
As for the fact that Tobirama himself had been resurrected, he subconsciously ignored it.
Besides, could the two situations really be considered the same?
...
Meanwhile, the reputation of Tomie's Mangekyō had not only caused a tremendous stir within Konoha's Research Division but had also spread throughout the entire village, drawing the envy of many young shinobi and Uchiha.
After all, everyone had fantasized about ascending to the top in a single step...
One week later.
Konoha.
Ichiraku Ramen.
Obito, Nohara Rin, and Kakashi sat side by side. The three youths, whose figures were already beginning to resemble those of adults, heartily devoured the ramen before them.
Minato had taken the three of them out for practical combat training, and they looked as though they had shed an entire layer of skin.
Minato smiled as he watched them. "It was a fulfilling day, wasn't it? Eat as much as you like. I'm paying..."
Obito and Kakashi raised their heads and spoke in perfect unison.
"Ichiraku-ojisan, three more servings of chāshū!"
The owner walked over with a smile. His name was Teuchi.
However, since the shop was called Ichiraku Ramen, many people simply addressed him as Ichiraku-ojisan.
"I'll give each of you five extra servings of chāshū and a glass of lemonade, but I'll only charge you for two servings..." Ichiraku mysteriously raised one finger.
"You're our hundredth customers today, so you receive special treatment!"
This was a lie.
The real reason was that the children from Team Minato frequently visited his shop.
They also occasionally helped him clean the place, so he was quite fond of them.
It was obvious at a glance that they had overdone their training today...
So Ichiraku wanted to cheer them up! Sometimes, a small act of kindness was enough to put someone in a good mood for the entire day...
"Thank you, Ichiraku-ojisan! This is great!"
Obito said with a beaming smile.
"Just as I thought, not everyone is like Minato-sensei—sunny on the outside, but in reality..."
"But in reality, what?"
Minato smiled gently. At some point, three Flying Thunder God kunai had appeared between his fingers, spinning around and around...
Obito's expression turned bitter. "In reality, you're sunny too!"
"I'm doing this for your own good. The more you sweat during training, the less you'll bleed in the future."
"That's what Hokage-sama taught me..." Minato shrugged. The three Flying Thunder God kunai slowly flew toward Kakashi and the others, stopping before them with their handles conveniently facing forward.
Kakashi's eyebrow twitched. What a stylish little trick...
He had realized that Minato-sensei's style points might actually be even higher than his own!
"I asked Kushina to specially make these three kunai. If you ever find yourselves in danger on the battlefield, channel chakra into one of them and I may be able to sense it."
"Consider it one of the benefits of being my disciples."
"However, you shouldn't rely on them too heavily. If war breaks out someday, the situation on the battlefield can change in an instant. I won't be able to keep track of you at all times, so you must still become as strong as possible yourselves."
"Enjoy your meal..." The moment Minato finished speaking, his figure vanished from the spot.
"Man..." Obito watched enviously before turning toward Kakashi.
"Have you heard about Tomie-nee?"
"I have..."
Kakashi nodded. "Apparently, Seisui-aniki set everything up to motivate her, subjecting Tomie-nee to an intense emotional shock that awakened her Mangekyō!"
"Huh? How did you hear that version?"
Obito looked completely baffled. "Our clan says the two of them had a falling-out and are now competing for a seat on the Konoha Council. They might even end up fighting each other!"
"Tomie-nee is currently joining forces with Shio-san, and the two of them plan to work together to push Seisui-aniki out!"
Kakashi felt countless question marks appearing above his head.
Those two versions weren't even remotely alike!
However, both of them had actually heard the truth. The difference was that the stories had originated from different sources.
Some parts had come from Orochimaru, others from Tsunade, and Isshin had also gotten involved...
Pass a sentence through ten different people, and by the end it would become an entirely different sentence...
"If what you said is true..."
Obito thought for a moment, then his eyes lit up. "Kakashi, do you think some mysterious powerhouse like Seisui-aniki might be watching me, believing that I possess extraordinary talent..."
"And then set up a scheme for me too, causing me to awaken the Mangekyō Sharingan and soar to the top just like Tomie-nee!"
"Hmm..." Obito sank into his fantasy and began grinning foolishly.
"Hehe... What if my Mangekyō ability controls space-time and is even stronger than Minato-sensei's..."
Kakashi turned away speechlessly.
What a ridiculous fantasy!
Did he seriously think everyone was Tomie?
Even if someone set up the perfect scheme, did he really believe every member of the Uchiha clan could awaken the Mangekyō?
Without the necessary talent, no amount of emotional stimulation would accomplish anything...
"When you get home, wash up and go to bed early. You can have anything you want in your dreams..." Kakashi silently transferred Obito's chāshū into his own bowl.
Nevertheless, what had happened to Tomie also made Kakashi realize that his father, Sakumo, had been right.
The village truly was filled with talented individuals. Unless he worked hard and pushed forward courageously, others would leave him behind...
Kakashi had also attained enlightenment. Seen from that perspective, Minato's special training was indeed necessary.
He truly was a good teacher...
"Wait, where's my chāshū?" Obito suddenly noticed the crucial issue.
"Dunno..." Kakashi replied with his cheeks puffed out, creating two bulges beneath his mask. No one knew how he managed to eat while still wearing it.
When it came to sleight of hand, he was unmatched.
"Spit it out!" Obito shouted angrily as he began wrestling with Kakashi.
Beside them, Rin watched the two with a smile while taking small bites of her noodles and mentally reviewing what she had learned recently.
She had been studying medical ninjutsu and how to use medical chakra scrolls. Through Minato's introduction, she had also learned several advanced techniques from Tsunade.
For example, using Earth Grudge Fear to stitch together internal organs—even the heart...
'I still need to work twice as hard! I have to become proficient with these techniques...'
Rin thought, 'If either of them gets hurt, I have to be able to help them...'
...
Several months later.
During those months, no major disturbances occurred in Konoha.
Everything continued developing in an orderly fashion.
One noteworthy event, however, was the arrival of a wave of newborn children...
Among them were Minato's son, Naruto, Fugaku's second son, Sasuke, and many other children...
Meanwhile, within the Pure Land...
A pair of ripple-patterned eyes opened at that very moment.
"Is it time to set out again, Indra...?"
It was the Sage of Six Paths.
Under normal circumstances, as long as Uchiha Madara, Indra's current reincarnation, remained alive, Indra's chakra would have continued residing within Madara.
The problem was that Madara had awakened the Rinnegan.
The Rinnegan was not something that could be awakened through a simple combination of Senju or Uzumaki power with Uchiha power.
Combining the two could naturally allow them to complement each other, but it could not produce a qualitative transformation.
The power of Indra and Asura had to merge as one, drawing forth chakra extremely similar to that of the Sage of Six Paths. Only then could the supreme dōjutsu awaken.
When Indra's chakra sensed within Madara the presence of the Sage of Six Paths—a presence he utterly despised—it naturally floated straight back to the Pure Land without looking back, unwilling to remain for even another moment...
"It has been a long time since I last looked upon the ninja world..."
"It is probably still the same as ever, isn't it? Was I wrong...?"
The Sage of Six Paths sighed and cast his gaze across the ninja world for the first time in ages, only to suddenly freeze.
Through his Rinnegan, the entire ninja world appeared somewhat like a weather map, allowing him to identify the emotions contained within each region...
This was also the method the Sage of Six Paths used to quickly determine whether the ninja world had undergone any changes.
This time, the region containing one of the hidden villages was markedly different. Positive emotions stood out with extraordinary prominence.
It was unlike any shinobi settlement the Sage of Six Paths had observed throughout the past thousand years...
For the first time in ages, the Sage of Six Paths felt interested enough to take a closer look!
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