"I had kept it in the main tent until the camp was attacked by that monster. I sent people back to look for it, but they couldn't find it. It must have been destroyed in the chaos, right?"
Fugaku answered immediately.
Minato's expression remained unreadable as he processed the information.
"Is that so?"
He wasn't convinced. If the kunai had been destroyed due to excessive force, it would explain why he couldn't sense the mark anymore. But something didn't add up.
Why couldn't he sense the presence of any of his other marks either?
Back during the Nine-Tails attack, the masked man had demonstrated an alarming familiarity with his Flying Thunder God Technique, countering his every move and systematically removing all of Minato's marked kunai. That level of precision had played a crucial role in separating him from Kushina and allowing the Nine-Tails to be released.
The fact that this same pattern was occurring now made Minato uneasy.
Why go to such lengths to erase his presence on the battlefield?
What was the true purpose behind all of this?
Minato didn't have an answer yet, but he hated being in the dark.
Still, despite the troubling circumstances, his arrival at the Konoha camp had at least brought a glimmer of good news—the war was ending.
After Minato had defeated and killed the Third Raikage, the balance of power had shifted drastically. The Four Great Ninja Nations could no longer continue their campaigns against Konoha.
The war was all but over.
And yet, as Minato stood there, looking at the faces around him, he could sense an unspoken weight in the air.
Senju Nawaki clenched his fists, frustration evident in his stance. Beside him, Fugaku carried a look of guilt.
Then, after a long silence, Fugaku spoke.
"Minato, about Obito…"
At that name, Nawaki's face darkened even further.
Minato stiffened.
He listened quietly as Fugaku and the others recounted the details of Obito's death.
As the story unfolded, the light in Minato's eyes dimmed.
Obito… dead.
Minato had always harbored hopes for the boy—hopes that one day, he could take up the mantle of Hokage and lead Konoha into a new era.
But that future was now impossible.
After a long pause, Minato exhaled, looking at Fugaku.
"There was nothing wrong with your decision," he said, his voice steady. "If I had been in your position, I would have given the same order."
A shadow crossed his face.
"I failed to guide him properly."
Minato knew Obito's personality better than anyone. Given the situation, the boy had likely been unable to understand the necessity of Fugaku's decision.
Even now, there was no way to bring him back.
But at the very least—he could protect the people Obito held most dear.
That was why Minato had rushed back so urgently.
However, with the situation as it stood, he couldn't leave just yet.
"Have the teams you sent out gathered any intel?" Minato asked, shifting the focus back to the immediate problem—the Mist Ninja who had infiltrated the Land of Fire.
Fugaku nodded.
"Yes," he said, handing Minato a collection of reports.
Konoha's forces had been spread thin.
With intelligence reports taking time to relay and process, the number of shinobi needed to track and eliminate enemy forces was double that of the enemy itself. Even for Konoha, this was an enormous logistical burden.
Minato skimmed the reports, quickly analyzing the situation.
"Understood," he said, making his decision instantly.
"I'll reassign a small detachment from the Moon Country front to assist with the cleanup. Leave this to me."
The war might be coming to an end, but loose ends still needed to be tied up.
Just as he finished speaking—
Swish!
Minato's figure blurred out of existence.
The Underground Cave
Deep in the dark caverns of an unknown location, Obito Uchiha slowly opened his eyes.
He wasn't sure how long he had been there.
"You're awake."
A voice echoed in the dimly lit cave.
Obito's body tensed, and he turned sharply, his gaze locking onto a figure standing beside him.
A strange, white-skinned man with a spiraled, mask-like face.
Obito frowned.
"Why are you always standing next to me every time I wake up?" he grumbled.
The masked figure chuckled.
"Didn't I tell you? I'm watching over you."
Obito rolled his eyes. "If you're always watching me, when do you even sleep?"
The Uzumaki-faced White Zetsu shrugged.
"I don't need to sleep. I don't need to eat. And I definitely don't need to poop."
He smirked.
"You're so annoying."
He clenched his fists, irritation boiling inside him.
Without thinking, he jumped from the bed and swung a punch at the masked figure.
Bang!
White Zetsu caught Obito's fist effortlessly.
"Wow," he said dryly. "That was weak."
Obito gritted his teeth. "Tch!"
White Zetsu released his grip without warning, causing Obito to lose his balance and fall off the bed.
"Ow! Ow! Dammit, that hurts!"
Obito groaned instinctively. But then—
He paused.
There was no real pain.
Slowly, he stood up, examining his body.
Something felt… off.
A hollow sigh left his lips.
"I'm not… fully human anymore, am I?"
He turned to face the white-skinned being before him.
"Maybe, maybe not," White Zetsu replied. "But if you weren't like this, you'd be dead."
Obito fell silent.
A memory flashed in his mind—Kakashi. Rin.
His hand curled into a fist.
"If I die… then there's no one to save Kakashi and Rin."
White Zetsu sighed dramatically. "You keep saying their names in your sleep. It's really annoying."
Obito scowled.
But he didn't argue.
He couldn't.
Because he had no idea what had happened to them.
Just then—
Ripples spread across the cave floor.
A second White Zetsu emerged from the ground, his eerie form appearing in front of Obito.
"You're looking better than yesterday," the new arrival noted.
Obito snapped to attention.
"You! Did you find out what I asked you to?"
White Zetsu tilted his head, thinking.
"I haven't heard anything about those two you mentioned—Kakashi and Rin."
Obito's breath caught.
"But," White Zetsu continued, "I did learn something else."
Obito tensed. "What is it?"
A slow grin spread across White Zetsu's face.
"Minato Namikaze killed the Third Raikage during the battle between the Land of Moon and Kumogakure. Cloud's army suffered a crushing defeat."
Obito's initial disappointment vanished.
His eyes widened.
Minato-sensei… won?
If the war was ending, then—
Kakashi and Rin!
Hope flared in his chest.
Minato-sensei would never abandon them.
If he had won the battle, then it meant one thing—
He was coming.
Minato-sensei would save them.
Absolutely!
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Marvel : The God Of Punishment System
I Am Raditz
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