Chapter 116: The Gaze of Black Zetsu
After being provoked by Black Zetsu and Byakuya, Obito began to contemplate how to deal with the Fourth Hokage.
Upon arriving in Konoha overnight, Obito had been hiding in the village for a whole week. He witnessed the ceremony of Minato Namikaze's inauguration as the Fourth Hokage and saw Minato enter the Hatake residence.
After observing Fugaku and Mikoto accepting the invitation and visiting the Hokage's residence, Obito could no longer restrain himself. He was concerned that the Uchiha might indeed collaborate with Minato, which would significantly bolster Konoha's strength. This would make the execution of the Moon's Eye Plan much more challenging in the future, especially when it came to dealing with the Nine-Tails Jinchūriki.
Even now, Obito had no confidence in dealing with Kushina. Although Madara had provided him with a summoning contract to control the Nine-Tails, he was still unable to use the summoning technique even from a distance of over a hundred meters. This was the sheer proof and resilience of Kushina's exceptional sealing technique.
Was he really destined to wait for decades, until Kushina was in trouble or had passed away, before making his move?
Obito was torn, as living alone in this deceitful ninja world for decades had been an agonizing experience for him.
However, if he only considered the timing of his actions, he could return to Konoha immediately and use his identity as a disciple to get close to Kushina and Minato. But if he acted on this, the success rate might be higher, though it would also mean carrying the infamy of killing his former teacher.
At that moment, Minato and Fugaku emerged from the room.
Kushina and Mikoto were discussing their children. Kushina smiled and asked, "Mikoto, what do you plan to name your baby?"
Mikoto touched her belly and replied, "Sasuke. Fugaku and I decided on this name."
"Isn't that the name of the Third Hokage's father? You and Fugaku really do respect the Third Hokage..."
Kushina chuckled and teased. In the Land of Fire tradition, naming a child after the superior's father was a sign of respect, but it also seemed like blatant flattery.
Mikoto feigned a look of panic and said, "Lady Kushina, you found out. You won't hold it against me, will you? How about naming the baby after you and Minato instead?"
Kushina gently shook her head and said, "Forget it. Although the Third Hokage is quite stubborn and somewhat old-fashioned, he is still a good Hokage and deserves respect."
At that moment, Mikoto seemed to have an idea and asked, "By the way, what's the name of your baby?"
"Naruto…" Kushina explained, "It's the name of the protagonist in Jiraiya-sensei's book. Minato and I liked it, so we decided to use it."
"Naruto, Naruto… that's a great name."
Mikoto repeated it a few times and then laughed, "What if it's a girl? Should we still call her Naruto? How about naming her Naruko instead?"
Kushina huffed lightly and said, "Sasuke might not be a boy either. What if it's a girl?"
Mikoto squinted thoughtfully and suggested, "Then let them marry. It's a childhood engagement, and they can develop their relationship from a young age."
"That's a good idea..."
Kushina and Mikoto's conversation was clearly overheard by Minato and Fugaku.
Both Minato and Fugaku showed expressions of helplessness. Fugaku directly stated, "Mikoto was just joking. Please don't take it to heart, Lord Fourth. The Uchiha will not align with the Third Hokage."
Minato's expression shifted slightly, but he replied with a light smile, "Clan Leader Fugaku is overthinking. We are all working for the benefit of Konoha. The Third Hokage is a respected senior of mine. However, it's true that our two families could interact more."
Fugaku nodded. It was a positive sign that the Fourth Hokage was willing to communicate with the Uchiha. At least for the next decade or so, the Uchiha wouldn't have to worry about exclusion and might even have a chance at the Hokage nomination, leading to the emergence of a Uchiha Hokage.
After politely declining an invitation to stay for dinner, Fugaku and Mikoto left the Hokage residence.
At that moment, Kushina seemed to sense something and her expression suddenly changed.
Noticing Kushina's change in expression, Minato quickly appeared beside her, his face serious. "Kushina, did you sense something?"
Kushina nodded and said, "While chatting with Mikoto, I felt many eyes watching us. I recognized most of the chakra signatures, but there were two unfamiliar ones. They seemed to be trying to approach me."
"Trying to approach you?!" Minato's face darkened.
He was already aware that Kushina was under surveillance. Even when Mito was still alive, Kushina had been the Nine-Tails Jinchūriki. At that time, Konoha's Anbu had begun monitoring the Jinchūriki.
As Kushina's strength increased, the surveillance had decreased, and after becoming Hokage, only a few remained. Now, with the appearance of these new chakra signatures, it was uncertain whether they were spies from enemy countries or if they were agents of Danzo and Orochimaru.
Regardless, the protection for Kushina needed to be intensified.
To Minato, Kushina was his beloved wife, but to the Fourth Hokage, Kushina was the village's most crucial combat force. The importance of the Nine-Tails Jinchūriki was on par with the Hokage.
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At this moment, in a corner of Konoha.
Obito emerged from the vortex with a grim expression.
Having been discovered by Kushina, he was forced to use Kamui to escape. If he had stayed any longer, Minato might have detected him and a difficult battle would have ensued. All of this was due to Black Zetsu's interference.
Black Zetsu had recklessly approached Kushina, almost causing a major incident.
Glancing at Black Zetsu emerging from the ground, Obito spoke with a cold tone, "Why did you approach the Nine-Tails Jinchūriki? We almost got discovered!"
"It's because Kushina's sensory abilities are too strong. I thought the distance wouldn't be a problem," Black Zetsu quickly explained, sensing Obito's anger.
Obito gave a cold snort, letting the issue slide, partly due to his own good mood. He had just obtained crucial information: Kushina, the Nine-Tails Jinchūriki, was pregnant. This meant that she would be in an extremely weakened state during childbirth—a perfect opportunity to strike and weaken Konoha.
However, Obito decided not to immediately share this secret with Black Zetsu.
What Obito did not know was that Black Zetsu had already discovered this. His detection was not due to poor stealth abilities but because he sensed familiar chakra signatures on Mikoto and Kushina. Though weak, the chakra was distinctive.
It was not the Nine-Tails' chakra but the chakra of Indra and Ashura, the two figures who had been reincarnating for millennia. This signified that his opportunity had arisen once more.
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(AN: Regarding Kishimoto's recent manga on Minato, it depicts that when Kushina became the Nine-Tails Jinchūriki, Mito was still alive and openly monitored Kushina. The Third Hokage was indeed formidable, though compared to Kushina, his methods with Naruto were still relatively gentle.)