Two days later, on a tall tower in the Hidden Rain Village, two figures crossed paths, splashing rain. Nagato stared coldly at the masked man standing before him and said in a deep voice,
"Who exactly are you?"
The masked man with the double-holed spiral mask, Obito, chuckled, "Didn't I already tell you? My name is Uchiha Madara!"
You've got to be kidding me! The day before yesterday, some old man said the same thing. Is it fashionable to impersonate Uchiha Madara now?
Nagato remained silent, his face grim. From their brief exchange, he could tell that the mysterious masked man possessed very peculiar ninjutsu, and he was unable to inflict any substantial damage on him.
Space-time ninjutsu? Or perhaps dojutsu!
Nagato looked at the man's eyes—Sharingan!
Someone from Konoha!
Is this the person Senior Lin Yu mentioned?
Nagato was somewhat uncertain, as the man's claim to be Uchiha Madara felt like he was being toyed with.
Obito, on the other hand, was a little bewildered. Did this person have a grudge against Uchiha Madara? Why did he attack him the moment he heard the name Uchiha Madara, without hesitation!
Could this be another person who was persecuted by Uchiha Madara?
Obito had already learned a lot from Lin Yu, including Uchiha Madara's plan to use him as a pawn. Obito had been furious at the time, but Uchiha Madara was dead, leaving him nowhere to vent his anger.
He might as well use his name; someone had to take the blame for any misdeeds.
Nagato cautiously asked, "What is your purpose here? Are you just here to tell me your name is Uchiha Madara?"
Obito chuckled, "Of course not. I'm here to find you for cooperation!"
As expected! Nagato felt a little relieved, but he still maintained a stern expression. "Cooperation? Do I need to cooperate with you?"
"You will. You need my help."
Obito continued, "We are not enemies. Why don't we sit down and let me finish what I have to say."
"Hmph!"
Nagato snorted coldly and turned away. Obito, seeing this, followed unhurriedly, and the two figures disappeared into the rain…
Meanwhile, on another distant tower, two people were hiding. One of them, with red hair, said with some regret, "What a letdown. I thought they would fight first before talking."
The beautiful girl leaning beside the red-haired youth covered her mouth and giggled, "Lin Yu, you're so mischievous. If you went down and explained, wouldn't that resolve everything?"
The red-haired Lin Yu shrugged. "I wanted to see who was stronger. It seems they won't fight now."
Lin Yu genuinely wanted to witness a battle between Nagato and Obito, as in the original story, there was no scene of them truly fighting, which was a pity.
"Never mind, let's wait until they've fully grown. It's still a bit early."
Lin Yu clasped his hands behind his head, his gaze piercing through the rain curtain before him and looking into the distance, his thoughts adrift.
Konan, holding a paper umbrella, said coolly, "What's wrong? Are you thinking about your beloved?"
Lin Yu withdrew his gaze and coughed. "How could that be! I was thinking about how to proceed in the future!"
Konan rolled her eyes at him, then her increasingly moist red lips whispered, "No matter what path you choose, I will be by your side."
Lin Yu hugged Konan tightly and said warmly, "I won't let you leave me either."
Konan's face flushed slightly, then she pushed Lin Yu away, tidied her slightly disheveled clothes, and said with a pout, "I think you should leave. You only bully me!"
Lin Yu scratched his head and laughed it off. So soft!
"I need to go see how the Akatsuki uniforms are being made. You stay here and get rained on by yourself!"
Lin Yu hurried to catch up, took the paper umbrella from Konan, and smiled, "Then, those blueprints I drew last time, Konan…"
"Don't worry, I've already had them processed."
"Then about what we discussed last time... the nail polish…"
"Hmph! (◦`~´◦)"
The figures of the two gradually blurred in the drizzling rain, and the tower finally fell silent…
…
Konoha Village, Hokage Office.
Hiruzen Sarutobi sat in the Hokage's seat, frowning as he processed documents. Shikaku Nara leisurely drank tea beside him, living a truly comfortable life!
That's right, Hiruzen Sarutobi had returned from the Land of Rice Paddies in just a few days. It wasn't because he defeated the Third Raikage, but because the Third Raikage had gone alone to the Land of Grass and fought with Onoki.
The Cloud Village had temporarily retreated to the border. Konoha's pressure had significantly decreased, but they couldn't pursue the victory; chasing into the Land of Lightning would be suicidal. Therefore, Hiruzen Sarutobi had returned to Konoha and resumed his administrative duties.
Alas, back to the dog's life!
Hiruzen Sarutobi sighed as he looked at the mountain of documents before him. His gaze then fell upon Shikaku Nara, who was sipping hot tea, and he couldn't help but feel a pang of envy.
Why did Master make me inherit the position of Hokage? I, Hiruzen Sarutobi, can endure hardships and have a heart that loves Konoha. My strength is also top-notch, but who would have thought that being Hokage would mean sitting at a desk and approving documents!
Look at my hair turning bald from all this!
Hiruzen Sarutobi coughed and said, "Shikaku, is everything alright in your clan? Why do you have the time to come here and drink tea?"
Shikaku Nara replied, "Hokage-sama, a while ago I handed over the position of clan head to Shikaku. I hope you will take good care of him in the future."
Heh! After being my "scapegoat" for so long, I must get some revenge!
How about it! Don't you find my leisurely appearance very annoying! Shikaku Nara thought to himself, but his face showed the demeanor of a doting father pleading with an old leader to look after his son, which was truly moving!
Hiruzen Sarutobi's eye twitched. He swallowed his frustration and said warmly, "Don't worry! For your sake, I will definitely take good care of him!"
For some reason, Shikaku Nara felt that the Hokage had emphasized the word "care" a little too much. Was he mistaken?
"Urgent report!"
An ANBU ninja suddenly appeared in the Hokage's office. Shikaku Nara frowned. ANBU only entered without knocking for extremely important matters. Was there another situation at the front lines?
Hiruzen Sarutobi took the secret report and opened it. He skimmed its contents, his expression shifting in surprise. "The Third Raikage is dead!"
"The Third Raikage is dead?"
Shikaku Nara was also very surprised. Who could have killed the Third Raikage? That mysterious black-robed man? Or other members of the Immortal Organization? Besides them, he couldn't think of anyone else who could kill the Third Raikage.
Hiruzen Sarutobi said to the ANBU ninja, "Summon all department heads and heads of major clans for a meeting!"
After the ANBU ninja received the order and left, Hiruzen Sarutobi took out his pipe from a drawer and began to smoke it intermittently, filling the Hokage's office with smoke.
Shikaku Nara's leisurely demeanor vanished. He asked, "Hokage-sama, what exactly happened? Who killed the Third Raikage!"
Hiruzen Sarutobi's mouth twitched slightly. After a moment of hesitation, he said, "The Third Raikage... died of exhaustion!"