Chapter 84

"Daimyo, I was not seeking your approval regarding the matter; I was merely sharing the details out of courtesy. And as for Minato, like I said earlier, he is dead. If you think otherwise, please feel free to look for him, and in case you do find him, please do let me know," Hiruzen said, beaming in delight. He knew there was no way the Daimyo faction could find Minato because he understood that Minato's existence must have been a persona created by Kazuki, the little monster.

"Hiruzen, the Fire Country will not stand by and take this blatant disrespect. We will find Minato, and rest assured, if he desires, we will help him reclaim his Hokage position. Additionally, I have been approached by the other Daimyo from the major countries regarding the issue of the captured Bijuu. Why haven't the Bijuu been returned to the village yet? Aren't they the village's property?" An advisor by Hiruzen's side declared their decision and quickly moved on to the main agenda they wanted to discuss.

"Well, first of all, those Bijuu were captured with the efforts of Tsunade and her master plan alone, so the village has no claim over those Bijuu. Even the resources used were something Tsunade personally forked out of her own pocket, as we had denied her any form of support from the village end. So, in case you want to discuss the captured Bijuu, it's better you speak to Tsunade herself," Hiruzen said leisurely, washing his hands of the matter. Now that he had openly declared that he was stepping down, he decided to leave all the headaches to his student.

"Hiruzen, is this your attitude as the Hokage? The Bijuu are strategic resources that belong to the entire Fire Country. You cannot declare that they're owned by a single person. If need be, we can compensate the Senju princess manifoldly regarding the resources she has spent in the pursuit of capturing the Bijuu. The other villages will not agree if she takes all the Bijuu for herself. Are you mad? This would lead to war," the Daimyo said with bated breath, trying to find some sort of control. Everything he had spent years building was coming crashing down.

At first, he at least thought that, with so many Bijuu, he could at least get a piece of the pie. But now, with Hiruzen's declaration, he couldn't even snatch a Bijuu for himself and his faction. He understood that Hiruzen was mocking him, but he couldn't do anything, at least not yet. He needed to find Minato quickly. If Tsunade returned to the village victoriously as the supreme commander, even Minato would have a tough time challenging her. He needed to push for a power grab with Minato at the helm before Tsunade returned. With these thoughts in mind, the Daimyo stormed out of the meeting room.

"Sigh, the Daimyo didn't even wait to listen to the best news yet. Kirigakure has already declared unconditional surrender, and they are on their way here to sign a treaty as we speak. Would you guys be kind enough to convey this to your daimyo?" Hiruzen turned towards the remaining people from the Daimyo faction, a creepy smile on his face that unnerved most of them. They quickly left the room, assuring Hiruzen that they would convey the message.

"Well, why are you still sitting here? You are no longer part of the village council now that the war is over. You can leave, unless you want to be declared a traitor for trying to eavesdrop on a high-level village meeting." Hiruzen pointed at the man who was temporarily substituting for Danzo. He was a smart man, so he knew he had to leave. Standing up calmly, he exited the meeting room after conveying a short statement.

"Sandaime-sama, I hope you do not make any hasty decisions. No matter how strong a military Konoha has, eventually, you have to rely on us for your growth. So it's better to look for a compromise." With that, the man bowed sincerely and left the meeting room.

"Hiruzen, are you sure about your decision? If need be, you can still continue being the Hokage for a few more years, and with Konoha's overwhelming victory, I'm sure it will be peaceful, at least for a few more years." Koharu couldn't help but comment now that only the village council was left in the meeting.

"No, Koharu. It's time I step down, and the coming years of peace will be a good time for Tsunade to develop the village," Hiruzen shared his thoughts regarding his reason for stepping down.

"Sandaime, is it true that Minato is alive and that he is the fuinjutsu grandmaster? If Minato is alive like those rumors suggest, don't you think it might cause a rift in the village?" Elder Kenji couldn't help but ask. With the end of the war and the Uchiha's contribution, the village would soon grow rapidly, and an internal scuffle would prove detrimental to the clan and village's growth, so he wanted to clarify.

"Like I said earlier, Minato died a hero, and I am sure even if he were alive, with his character, he would support Tsunade rather than fight her for the Hokage's position." Hiruzen, someone who understood Minato very well, sometimes wished he could have taken Minato's place and sealed the Nine-Tails.

"So, when is Tsunade coming back? Has she given you any more updates? And is it really wise to travel outside the village carrying captured Jinchuriki? What if someone tried to take those bijuu away?" Homura couldn't help but share his concern regarding Tsunade's nonchalant attitude regarding the captured Jinchuriki's safety.

"Don't worry. She will only stay on the frontlines until the other two major villages declare their surrender, and by the way things are going, it should be soon enough. Neither Iwagakure nor Kumogakure can now afford to openly challenge Konoha, and with rumors of Minato's return and the loss of their Jinchuriki, everyone will carefully reconsider their decisions." Hiruzen, although old, knew how the other villages would react, so he was confident that Tsunade would be able to handle the negotiation with Iwagakure and Kumogakure smoothly. As for Kirigakure, he just needed to make sure not to repeat his old mistakes.

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Mountain's Graveyard

"How... how... how is this possible? Where did things go wrong? He's supposed to be dead. Zetsu, did you not tell me that you watched him be buried with your own eyes? How could that bastard be alive? How can he be alive when he didn't come to Rin's rescue?" Obito, now fuming in an underground secret hideout, was connected to various machines helping him regenerate the parts of his body he lost against Shisui.

Normally, he wouldn't take such a long time to recover, but now he was undergoing a procedure to further enhance his body because his fight with Shisui had made him realize that he wasn't invincible. There were high chances that Konoha already knew about his identity because Minato was alive. Obito suspected that his sensei must have identified him when they fought, but he didn't have time to share his identity with others. Now, Zetsu came to deliver various news about the Shinobi War.

"Calm down, Obito. So what if he is alive? Even if he knows about your identity, there is not much he can do. We just need to lay low for a while and amass our strength. As we are now, there is no way we can fight against Konoha. We need to find people who can help our cause." Zetsu, in a rare display of seriousness, tried to calm down Obito, who wanted to rip the machines that helped him rebuild his body.

"Sigh, fine. So what about the Senju being able to use Mokuton? How did that come to pass? Did not Madara tell me that awakening Mokuton with the same intensity as Senju Hashirama was not possible for anyone other than him? And here you are now, comparing her ability to rival Shodaime's feat in the future. Have you forgotten that Mokuton has the inherent quality of suppressing tailed beasts? How could you miss all this information? Were you deliberately slacking off?" Obito was enraged, and his mind had not settled down since he learned that his sensei was alive. Obito had always blamed Minato and Kakashi for not being around when Rin needed them the most. That was one of the primary reasons that had prompted him to release the Nine-Tails.

"Obito, do you think it's easy to sneak about when a fuinjutsu grandmaster is around? Just so you know, I have lost close to a dozen clones trying to sneak into the Konoha main camp. It's not like I haven't been trying; I even tried intercepting the teams that were supposedly escorting the captured Jinchuriki. But then I realized it was a rumor spread by the Senju to lure enemies and eliminate them. If I wasn't cautious, who knows what would have happened to me?" Zetsu defended his actions, trying to avoid being blamed by Obito.

"So you're saying that you've been completely useless? You always keep boasting that no one can beat you when it comes to gathering intelligence, and look where we are now — totally blind. If not for Madara-sama's words, I would have already buried you," Obito said, venting his anger and directing it all at Zetsu, whose face was becoming uglier with each accusation from Obito.

As Obito's anger cooled down, he sat back and pondered their situation. "Okay, Zetsu. You've been trying your best. We'll have to change our plans based on what's happening. What's the deal with the white Zetsu clone? Is it all set with the Fire Daimyo?"

Zetsu nodded, his dark tendrils twisting slightly. "Yes, Obito. It's all set. No one will suspect anything. With the Fire Daimyo under our control, we can cause trouble in the Leaf Village whenever we need to."

Obito perked up. "Great. That'll be really useful. How about Danzo? Any progress there?"

Zetsu's face darkened a bit. "No luck with Danzo. He's stubborn and won't help unless we can cure him. But we haven't found a way to fix the poison in his body."

Obito clenched his fists, feeling frustrated. "Danzo could've been a big help. Without him, it's going to be hard to move around the village, especially with everything changing. We need someone on the inside who can help us."

Zetsu agreed. "You're right, Obito. We'll need to change our plans. But don't worry, we'll figure something out to help us succeed."

Originally, Obito had no trouble sneaking into the Leaf Village whenever he needed to. However, Zetsu had gathered intel indicating that Konoha was constructing a second, more potent barrier designed by the Fuinjutsu grandmaster. This raised concerns about whether the new barrier could detect or hinder his teleportation technique. Obito had become cautious, especially with the new barrier being built in place, as even Zetsu might encounter difficulties infiltrating the village. It seemed prudent to make alternate preparations.

Their first step to replace the Fire Daimyo was already a success. Though a mere figurehead, having the Daimyo under their control would enable them to sow chaos within the Leaf Village. As for Danzo, he would have been a useful pawn within the village, but he now resided crippled in the Fire Country. Danzo had left the village long ago, abandoned even by the Shimura clan. His survival was only possible due to a few remaining Root ninjas who had previously settled undercover in other villages.

"Have you managed to track down Orochimaru's whereabouts?" Obito inquired, his tone laced with urgency. "He would be a valuable addition to the Akatsuki. We're in dire need of someone who can assist us in our research and bolster our power."

Zetsu nodded slowly, his tendrils twitching with uncertainty. "Obito, Orochimaru is a dangerous individual. Are you certain about recruiting him into the Akatsuki? He's a double-edged sword, and his allegiance may prove unpredictable."

Obito considered Zetsu's words carefully. Orochimaru's notoriety and cunning were undeniable, but so were the risks associated with his involvement. Yet, in their quest for strength and dominance, Obito knew they couldn't afford to overlook potential allies, no matter how precarious.