Minato returned to Konoha with Kiyosuke and the others and imdiately rushed toward the Hokage Building—only to find that Hiruzen Sarutobi had already gone ho for dinner.
Knowing that the matter concerning Uchiha Madara couldn’t wait, he took the three of them straight to Hiruzen’s house.
The door was answered by a middle-aged woman with light brown hair tied back in a ponytail. She wore an apron and looked like she had been cooking. This was Hiruzen’s wife—Biwako, the mother of Shinnosuke and Asuma.
Seeing the visitors, Biwako blinked in surprise.
"Oh? Minato? And little Kiyosuke? What brings you all here?"
As Asuma’s teammate, Kiyosuke had eaten at their house before. Incidentally, Biwako’s cooking was incredible.
"Biwako-san, is the Hokage in? We have an urgent mission report."
"I see. Co in." As soon as she heard the word "mission," Biwako’s expression grew serious. She nodded and let them in.
"Sorry to intrude."
They removed their shoes at the entryway, and under Biwako’s lead, walked to the study. Inside, Hiruzen looked a little embarrassed as he quickly stashed away his Romance of the Three Kingdoms volu.
"You’re back, Minato? So? What did you find?"
Biwako closed the door behind her and left. Minato took the opportunity to set up a soundproofing seal inside the room.
Seeing that, Hiruzen’s expression sharpened. If Minato was being this careful, it had to be sothing serious.
"Hokage-sama... Uchiha Madara is still alive."
The impact of that na—especially for soone who had seen him with his own eyes—was staggering. Hiruzen was left speechless for several monts before he finally managed to speak.
"That’s impossible! The First Hokage killed him at the Valley of the End! I even saw the body myself!"
Minato replied, "The Sharingan, the masterful Fire Release, and that unique defense technique. And his aged appearance... if he isn’t Madara, I can’t imagine who else he could be."
"But... how? His corpse was—"
Suddenly, sothing seed to click in Hiruzen’s mind. He shot to his feet, ford a shadow clone, and the clone imdiately vanished into the night.
He closed the window and turned back, his tone grim.
"Tell everything that happened."
"Yes. We found Obito’s arm and leg at the site where he supposedly died. It looked like soone had taken him away, so we tracked the trail to an underground cavern in the Land of Grass... and there, we saw Uchiha Madara."
Madara, clever as he was in his pri, had never imagined he’d be exposed in his old age... because of a few dogs!
Minato then gave Hiruzen a detailed account of everything that followed. The deeper Hiruzen listened, the darker his expression beca. Finally, when the shadow clone returned and relayed its mories, his face fell completely.
Letting out a long sigh, he muttered,
"It’s true. The body of Madara in Konoha... was a fake. He faked his death. Not only did he fool the First Hokage, he even deceived the Second—and us."
And that was partly because Tobirama had insisted on studying Madara’s corpse...
Madara had predicted that Tobirama would dissect his body, so he preemptively activated Izanagi, faking his death and reviving himself at a predetermined ti. The price? One eye.
But the reward? Awakening the Rinnegan. Becoming a "dead man" in the eyes of the world, allowing him to operate from the shadows and quietly lay the groundwork for his return.
It was an absolutely terrifying level of foresight. Kiyosuke lowered his head, silently calculating how to find Obito. No matter what, he wanted to prevent the Infinite Tsukuyomi.
That future... was not one he wanted to see. Entrusting everything to the destined prince and princess was one option—but if he could intervene now, it was far better than leaving it to fate.
Minato said quietly, "I’m sorry, Hokage-sama. I let him get away."
Letting such a dangerous figure escape would undoubtedly cause trouble in the future.
Hiruzen shook his head.
"This isn’t your fault. This was our failure. None of us expected that man to still be alive."
Kiyosuke spoke up at that mont.
"I don’t think he’ll live much longer."
Everyone turned toward him. Hiruzen asked, "Why do you say that?"
"If he could survive on his own, why would he go looking for Obito? Wouldn’t it be easier to handle things himself? The fact that he needs Obito probably ans his body is failing. We should be more concerned about what he plans to do with Obito. If we end up facing an Obito consud with hatred for the village, that’s going to be a huge problem."
Hiruzen and Minato fell silent. Kakashi and Rin clenched their fists, frustration clear on their faces.
Then Kiyosuke pivoted slightly.
"But fortunately, we still have Rin on our side. As long as Rin’s here, even if Obito gets brainwashed by Madara, she can pull him back!"
"I won’t let Obito turn into a villain! I won’t!!" Rin’s eyes burned with conviction.
Minato’s heart lifted. That’s right—as long as Rin was here...
Hiruzen fell into thought. He knew the dynamics of Minato’s team well. Obito was one of the few Uchiha who carried the Will of Fire, and he clearly cherished Rin deeply. Knowing the Uchiha temperant, this girl might be the key to everything.
But he didn’t dare take that gamble. Not when the enemy was Madara—a monster on par with the First Hokage!
Kiyosuke pressed the point while the iron was hot.
"Hokage-sama, Obito is soone who values emotions deeply. Even if he’s being controlled, I’m sure he won’t forget us. Rin ans everything to him!"
This guy was ready to destroy the world because Rin died!
Madly in love, this bastard!
"I understand. This matter is now a top-level village secret. It must not be leaked to anyone. Only the people in this room are to know about it. Also—Rin Nohara is hereby promoted to Special Jōnin and will join the Konoha Hospital staff. From now on, she is not to leave the village unless absolutely necessary."
It was a form of soft confinent—but also a layer of protection.
"Yes!" Rin accepted without hesitation. Just as Kiyosuke had told her on the way back: if Obito ever truly lost his way, she might be the only one capable of bringing him back.
Until then, she had to protect herself.
...
After they left the room, Biwako had originally planned to keep them for dinner. But seeing the heaviness on their faces, she silently abandoned the idea.
Everyone went ho.
After a night’s rest, Kiyosuke reported back to Hiruzen and then departed for Ryūchi Cave—to et with the White Snake Sage.
"White Snake Sage, I want to learn Ryūchi Cave Senjutsu!"
He had to prepare. If he didn’t... he might not survive the chaos that was coming.
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