Chapter 126

"For a kid like Obito who behaves like a puppy in love in front of that girl, letting the girl fall in someone's arms is more effective than killing that girl," White Zetsu grinned strangely.

After a few minutes, even Madara, who had lived for nearly a hundred years, found his face stiffening upon hearing White Zetsu's proposal. How did White Zetsu come up with such a desperate method?

"What is a 'Puppy love'?" Old Madara asked abruptly.

This question stumped White Zetsu. How was he supposed to know? They had all overheard Tatsuya using the term and found it amusing, so they adopted it. It seemed fitting to describe someone like Obito.

"Uh... um..."

At that moment, Obito, lying on the wooden bed, groaned.

Uchiha Madara and White Zetsu stopped talking.

"Hey, white guy, when will I be healed?" Obito, whose hair was now much longer, pulled at the new body of his and frowned.

"It takes time to integrate Hashirama's cells, especially since your injuries are so severe. It will take over two years to fully recover," White Zetsu estimated.

"Why so long? I want to go out soon and find Rin," Obito murmured.

Madara lowered his head thoughtfully. This kid never stops talking about Rin. Is this what they call 'Puppy love'? White Zetsu might be right. That could indeed be a more efficient method.

Black Zetsu observed silently, a shadowy figure against the dimly lit cavern walls. His eyes narrowed, thoughts swirling. Isn't this relationship eerily similar to Madara and Hashirama? he mused, recalling the fractured bond of friendship and betrayal that had once shaped the world.

A slow, dark smile crept over his face as he watched Obito's growing attachment to Rin—so intense, so desperate, and so easily exploited. Black Zetsu understood better than anyone the weakness of emotions, especially when they mirrored Madara's ancient obsession with his own "dear friend." That attachment had been his undoing, paving the way for Black Zetsu's plan to rescue his mother.

History repeats itself, he thought. Madara, you never learned. And neither will this child.

...

...

In Konoha Village, despite the low-key nature of the event, a wedding banquet was bustling with a large number of guests. The bride and groom were:

Uzumaki Kushina, now the Nine Tails Jinchūriki of Konoha, and Namikaze Minato, currently a Chūnin of Konohagakure.

Minato could have taken over as the head of the intelligence department, but he was demoted due to negligence in his previous task of supervising Danzo, which allowed Danzo to escape from prison. This negligence was just a superficial excuse; the real reason was his defiance of the current Hokage's orders by allowing Sarutobi Hiruzen to visit Danzo twice in violation of the orders. This punishment served to remind him of who held power in Konoha.

The wedding banquet was held in a corner of the Senju clan's territory. The Uzumaki and Senju clans had maintained marital ties since the end of the Sengoku era. Since Kushina was from the Uzumaki clan, the Senju clan graciously offered their territory for the wedding banquet to honor the long-standing ties between the Uzumaki and Senju.

The wedding saw the participation of notable clans like Ino-Shika-Chō, Aburame, Inuzuka, and even Hyuga and Uchiha. The clan chiefs themselves attended and presented congratulatory gifts.

"It's amazing; it feels like all the major figures in Konoha have come to the wedding," Terumi Mei remarked, her beautiful eyes sweeping over the guests.

Uchiha Fugaku, the patriarch of the Uchiha clan, was present.

Hyuga Hiashi, the patriarch of the Hyuga clan, was also in attendance.

Nara Shikaku, Akimichi Choza, and Yamanaka Inoichi, representing the Ino-Shika-Chō trio, were there as well.

"Although Minato-sama was demoted to Chūnin because of a previous mission error, his strength is recognized by everyone," Shizune remarked.

"And he is very likely to be the next Hokage. Naturally, many people want to establish ties," she added.

"Hey! What did the little girl from the Kato family say?!" came an unpleasant, cold voice, shocking Shizune.

She turned to see several black-haired men with displeased expressions. "Who said that Namikaze Minato must be the next Hokage? Is it a given?" one of them demanded.

The white and red Fan logo on their backs revealed they were from the Uchiha clan. Just as Shizune cringed, unsure how to respond, Rin and Kurenai walked over.

"What's wrong, Shizune? What happened?" Rin asked.

The four women, all in formal kimonos, looked young and beautiful.

"That's Hatake Tatsuya's little follower," one of the Uchiha men muttered. Seeing Rin and Kurenai, their eyes flashed with fear, and they hurried away.

"What's wrong, Shizune?" Rin, wearing a pure white kimono decorated with purple flowers, inquired.

"Nothing much; they just bully the weak and fear the strong," Shizune replied with a sigh.

Terumi Mei curled her lips. "The topic of [the next Hokage] probably made the Uchiha clan jittery. With the help of Shishui the Uchiha clan finally saw some hope."

Kakashi, dressed formally and accompanied by his father, Hatake Sakumo, interjected, "Well, it's no wonder. After all, the Uchiha clan co-founded Konoha with the Senju, and yet the Senju have produced three Hokages while the Uchiha have had none. They're likely feeling pretty jealous, especially if the next Hokage isn't from their clan."

Sensitive topics loomed, and Kakashi chose to say no more.

"Haha, girls, don't overthink it; just relax," Sakumo said cheerfully. He then turned his head and asked curiously, "Huh? Didn't Tatsuya come?"

"Shisui is reporting to Master Tatsuya and asked us to come first," Rin explained with a smile.

"Cheers to the banquet!" Choza suddenly shouted.

In the next moment, Namikaze Minato and Uzumaki Kushina, the bride and groom, appeared on the balcony of the second floor. Kushina held a bouquet in her hand.

"Yeah~!" Rin Nohara and the other women leaped for joy and ran toward the balcony, despite being in kimonos. Kurenai and Terumi Mei followed close behind.

The corners of Sakumo's eyes twitched. "Are these 13-year-old girls already worrying about marriage?"

Looking at his daughter Shinku Yuhi, Kurenai who was running with more enthusiasm than anyone else, Shinku's face turned a mix of red and black. As a father felt deeply uncomfortable.

"Does Uchiha want to train you to become the Fifth Hokage?" Tatsuya couldn't help but smile after listening to Shisui's report about the undercurrent in the Uchiha clan.

"But considering Tsunade's age, it doesn't seem likely that anyone will get a chance for at least 20 years. Unless Tsunade is unable to sit on the seat of Hokage. Their dream of Uchiha Hokage won't advance."

Shisui was surprised and quickly defended Uchiha, "No, Master Tatsuya, Uchiha is just a little emotional, far from reaching the level of conspiracy or rebellion." His voice became increasingly nervous.

"I just mentioned it casually, no need to be nervous." Tatsuya chuckled and lazily walked out. "The wedding is about to begin, too? Let's go have a meal."

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