[Konoha Village, Nohara Residence]
It was another fine, sunny, peaceful day.
Obito woke up from his sleep and immediately realized something was seriously wrong.
He… he actually wasn't sleeping on his own bedding, but was sleeping on the same bed as Rin.
Why was that? Well… it really didn't seem to be his fault.
Apparently, Rin had another nightmare in the middle of the night and got scared, so Obito went over to her bed to comfort her.
As for whether he did it on purpose, or she did, well, that's hard to say.
Anyway, as he was comforting her, the two of them unknowingly fell asleep together.
And now… it seemed Obito was holding Rin in his arms. Quite tightly, too.
'What should I do now?'
He tried to pull his arm back, but it wouldn't move. Instead, Rin let out a soft little sound and slowly woke up.
When she opened her eyes, she suddenly realized, someone was holding her.
And… that someone was on her bed.
She let out a sharp "KYAAHHH!" and, panicking, broke free from Obito's arms. Then, without thinking, she swung a punch at him, Obito looked at the small fist suddenly flying toward his face.
A thousand possible ways to dodge flashed through his mind in an instant.
But in the end, Obito chose not to move at all, and took the punch head-on.
BANG!
Outside Rin's balcony, a bird was startled from a nearby tree and flew away.
———
That day was the second day since Minato had become the Fourth Hokage.
Obito arrived at the Root headquarters to begin his official takeover.
His trusted subordinate, Yuki, followed beside him, wearing her "Feather" mask and codename. [T/N: Codename changed from U →Feather.]
Looking curiously at the bandages wrapped around Obito's right eye, she asked, "My lord, why are you dressed like this? Is it because of some kind of custom?"
Obito coughed awkwardly, "Well, the former leader of Root dressed this way too. If I do the same, it gives his old subordinates a sense of familiarity."
Yuki instinctively glanced around at the surrounding Root members and noticed that they were indeed looking at Obito with strange but somewhat familiar expressions. She nodded slightly.
It seemed Obito was right, these former Root operatives were indeed used to that bandaged look.
But wait… hadn't Obito once said that, unlike the previous Root leader, he wouldn't hide his face or act in secrecy?
'Could it be… people really do get shaped by their environment?'
By now, Obito had led Yuki into Root's main hall and was standing upon the highest platform.
All Root members had been ordered to assemble there. For these shinobi trained to obey without hesitation, being late was practically unthinkable.
Soon, clad in black uniforms and wearing fox masks of various colors, Root operatives arrived one after another and stood in neat lines before Obito.
Seeing this, Obito swept his gaze across them and said calmly,
"From now on, I am your new leader. I will lead Root to a new height.
Who agrees? Who objects?"
Everyone stayed silent. Sometimes, silence carries many meanings. Perhaps it was their habit. Perhaps some of them were still thinking about their former leader.
Obito looked at them and chuckled softly, not particularly bothered.
Once one's power reaches a certain level, such things cease to matter.
He turned to Yuki and said, "This is your new comrade, and my right-hand woman in the future. She represents my will. Understood?"
This time, everyone answered in unison, """Understood!"""
Satisfied, Obito nodded. Then, in a stronger voice, he said, "Root is the shadow that guards Konoha from the dark. Remember this, where there is light, there will be darkness. But darkness can never replace the light."
"I hope you all understand this truth. If anyone disobeys, it will not be forgiven!"
Once again, the Root operatives below responded, """Understood!"""
Obito thought for a moment, 'Sometimes, a little formalism isn't a bad thing. Perhaps… this is what leadership feels like.'
He said slowly, "Then repeat after me, 'When the tree leaves dance, One shall find flames. The fire's shadow will illuminate the village, And once again, tree leaves shall bud anew."'. 'Everything we do, is for Konoha.'"
———
After officially taking command of Root and incorporating Danzo's former subordinates, Obito, now as Root's leader, went to pay a visit to Konoha's Medical Division.
Currently, the head of the Medical Division was not Tsunade, but the former Hokage's adviser, Koharu Utatane.
As for the other adviser, Homura Mitokado, he had been implicated in serious corruption and embezzlement. Before the Third Hokage stepped down, Homura had already been dealt with.
Of course, prison was out of the question.
He was simply dismissed and sent home to retire.
That was already the harshest punishment Hiruzen could bring himself to give an old friend.
After Obito's formal request, he was soon led by Koharu's people to the Medical Division's director's office, where he met the silver-haired old woman herself.
Koharu clearly already knew the reason for Obito's visit. Yet her demeanor showed not a trace of gloom. In fact, her expression seemed bright and energetic.
She stood from her seat, clasped her hands behind her back, and walked to the window, gazing out at the Hokage Rock.
From this building, the view of the rock was different than from the Hokage Tower, a different kind of grandeur.
After thinking for a moment, Obito went straight to the point, "Lady Koharu, I'd like Lady Tsunade to take over as head of the Medical Division. You're advanced in age, and it might be time to step down and enjoy a peaceful retirement."
Koharu turned and looked at Obito, "Yes, little Tsunade is indeed more suitable than I am, she's younger, and her medical skills are far superior. In fact, I recommended her long ago, but she refused."
Obito nodded. Tsunade had always looked down on even the position of Hokage, let alone something like Medical Division Director.
He asked, "What about after that? Did you ever bring it up again?"
"After that?", Koharu gave him a faint, almost amused smile, "You must understand, some things aren't decided by one person alone, but by the group. To maintain Konoha's stability, I had to remain in this position."
After a pause, she continued, "It's the same logic as when Minato became Hokage, or when you became head of Root, or when you recommended Tsunade to lead the Medical Division."
"This seat holds no particular attachment for me. Having someone else sit here is even better."
Obito looked at the old woman, slightly surprised.
Even in his past life, he'd never paid much attention to her, but now he realized Koharu was far wiser and more open-minded than he'd thought.
He nodded, "I understand. Then, my lady, please begin the handover arrangements."
"Although, officially, the position will go to Lady Tsunade, in truth, since she won't bother with day-to-day affairs, the Medical Division will actually be run by Rin."
A faint smile appeared on Koharu's face, "For that little girlfriend of yours, the Black Fang really has been busy. Though… putting such a young girl in charge of the Medical Division does seem a bit improper, I admit."
"But since you all work so well as a team, I suppose I needn't worry too much."