Chapter 225: No Escaping This One

Konohagakure.

Obito had originally planned to indulge in his "gentle paradise" for a few more days.

Once he entered true sage mode—free of desires, with a heart as still as water—he would then go find Minato-sensei for a chat.

But with this outrageous news spreading like wildfire across the ninja world, he feared that if he didn't go to Minato soon, Minato might come find him first... and not in a good way.

So, after putting in one last round of effort, he mustered his astonishing willpower, gently released Rin from his embrace, and resolutely climbed out of bed.

"Alright, a quick bath, then I'll go see Minato-sensei."

...

Hokage's Office.

Minato looked at Hiruzen Sarutobi sitting across from him and forced a bitter smile.

"Third-sama, I never expected even you would be alarmed by this. I—"

Hiruzen raised a hand, cutting him off. He took a long drag from his pipe, his eyes crinkling in amusement.

"No need to explain, Minato. You handled this matter very well."

"If I had had the same ambition when I first became Hokage, perhaps things would have been different…"

He paused slightly before chuckling heartily.

"Haha, when you get old, you tend to reminisce a lot. I hope you don't mind an old man rambling, Minato."

Indeed, Hiruzen had no objections to Minato's actions—quite the opposite, he was very satisfied.

His yearning for peace stemmed from his desire to protect the people of the village from harm. But at the same time, he wished for Konoha to grow stronger and dominate the other villages.

Minato's approach was nothing short of brilliant.

Establishing a new faction outside Konoha, gathering rogue ninjas from other villages to strike at Konoha's enemies, all while Konoha itself remained hidden in the shadows, quietly reaping the benefits—

It was a masterstroke.

Minato sighed, a little exasperated. "But Third-sama, I—"

Hiruzen cut him off again, smiling. "Ah, no need to blame yourself, Minato."

"Though this was exposed earlier than expected, you've still done an excellent job."

While the rumors stated that the nominal leader of Yoru Village was Obito, any perceptive individual could see that the true mastermind behind it was Minato.

And Hiruzen was certainly one of those perceptive individuals.

Think about it—villages that were on friendly terms with Konoha, like Kirigakure, had suffered no attacks.

Meanwhile, villages that were hostile or even outright antagonistic toward Konoha—Kumogakure, Sunagakure, Iwagakure—had all become prime targets for Yoru Village.

Was the intent not obvious enough?

Hiruzen took another deep drag from his pipe, then suddenly became serious.

"But Minato, I do have a word of caution for you."

Minato, already feeling exhausted, sighed deeply. He had given up trying to argue.

"Sigh... Go ahead, Third-sama."

Hiruzen pondered for a moment before speaking.

"When it comes to handling the Tailed Beasts, you must be extremely cautious. Their power is immense and uncontrollable, capable of harming both enemies and allies alike. That's the first concern."

"The second is that these Tailed Beasts were originally distributed by the First Hokage to maintain balance among the great villages and prevent large-scale wars."

"Your current actions—targeting all the Tailed Beasts—give the impression that you're trying to reshuffle the balance of power. If you're not careful, you might trigger the Fourth Great Ninja War."

Minato's expression darkened. His headache intensified.

He had, of course, considered this possibility.

So, Obito, what exactly are you trying to do…?

Seeing Minato's troubled face, Hiruzen patted his shoulder reassuringly and chuckled.

"Of course, I trust that you'll handle this properly."

"Think of my words as nothing more than an old man's idle chatter, hahaha."

Minato immediately stood and respectfully walked Hiruzen to the door.

"I understand, Third-sama. Let me see you off."

Once Hiruzen had left, Minato slumped back into his chair and let out a long, heavy sigh.

"Siiighhh..."

To be honest, if he put aside his personal stance and analyzed the situation objectively, even he had to admit—

There was no getting out of this one.

This accusation was simply too well-timed and too reasonable.

"Usually, it's the students who take the blame for their teachers. When has a teacher ever had to shoulder the blame for his student…?"

Minato forced a wry smile.

Why did I ever take Obito as a student in the first place…? Sigh…

He had lost count of how many times he had pondered that question.

Just then—

A figure leapt through the window, grinning mischievously.

"Minato-sensei, did you miss your dear student?"

Looking at the culprit standing before him, Minato almost formed a Rasengan on the spot.

"Obito! Do you have any idea how much trouble you've caused me?!" he snapped.

Seeing Minato's aggrieved expression, Obito couldn't help but burst into laughter.

"Pffft—hahaha! Sorry, Minato-sensei! I didn't expect this to be so funny…

Ahem—no, I mean, I didn't expect things to turn out like this."

"If I ever find out who started this rumor, I'll personally invite them to Yoru Village for a visit… hahaha!"

...

Meanwhile, in Iwagakure.

Inside a dimly lit room—

"Ah… ah-choo!"

Onoki sneezed loudly, then rubbed his oversized nose before turning to Deidara.

"You're still holding on after five days, brat?" he sneered. "Your so-called 'comrades' won't risk all-out war with Iwagakure just to save you."

"Your ragtag group of mercenaries, gathered by nothing but shared interests—do you really think they'd go that far for you?"

Deidara snorted and turned away. "Hmph! Sasori and the leader must've been delayed by something, hmm!"

"As soon as they're free, they'll definitely come to rescue me… hmm!"

What the hell is taking them so long?!

This is getting embarrassing!

…Could the organization have really abandoned me…?

Despite his stubborn words, a hint of uncertainty crept into Deidara's tone.

Onoki, noticing this, smirked confidently.

"Foolish boy. Once I crush Yoru Village, let's see what hope you have left."

Deidara glanced Onoki up and down, his disdain evident.

"Old man, with those ancient bones of yours, you think you can take down Yoru Village?"

"Forget the leader and Sasori—hell, even the miser and the chatterbox could probably beat you."

Onoki's mind stirred at the mention of new names.

Another chance to extract intelligence…

"Hah! Two no-name brats? Hardly a match for me!"

Deidara scoffed. "No-names? Hmm?"

"The 'miser' fought the First Hokage to a standstill, hmm!"

Onoki's expression changed, his interest piqued. "Tell me more…"

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Pls Drop some Power Stones

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