Ch 55 : Makoto conditions

After learning that Orochimaru had missed his target, Makoto couldn't help but feel disappointed; Black Zetsu had managed to escape like this.

He didn't really care about Uchiha Madara's current situation—he was a dying man, and whether Orochimaru could kill him or not didn't matter at all.

But the outcome was still quite good.

However, the result wasn't bad either.

The information he had provided to Orochimaru was already the fullest extent, and he hadn't mentioned anything about Black Zetsu.

If he had, Orochimaru would have suspected the source of the information.

Kakashi returned with Obito and Rin.

Minato mentioned that the frontlines would be relatively stable for the time being, so he instructed Kakashi to head back to the village directly.

After this battle, Kirigakure had been greatly weakened.

In addition to losing the Seven Ninja Swordsmen and their seven swords in the previous battle, this time, even the Three-Tails was lost.

Makoto didn't think that Kirigakure had any further desire to continue fighting against Konoha, and without Madara control, they were also eager to reorganize the village.

However, without Obito stirring up trouble in the future, there would no longer be a "Bloody Mist" era, which could be considered a good thing for Kirigakure.

The three young ones followed Orochimaru to the Hokage Building, where Makoto had a brief meeting with them.

The Anbu summoned Uchiha Fugaku.

"Lord Fugaku!" Obito greeted him proactively upon seeing him.

Fugaku was extremely shocked to see that Obito was still alive.

After all, seeing someone who had been dead for several months suddenly standing before him was undeniably startling.

But beyond the shock, there wasn't much joy in his heart.

Originally, Obito served as a link between the Uchiha clan and Minato.

However, with Orochimaru now firmly established as the Fourth Hokage, Obito no longer held much importance in Fugaku's eyes.

A child of average talent, now even missing an arm, was no longer worth nurturing.

The only value Obito had left lay in the small amount of merit he carried—the story of how, when facing death, he entrusted his Sharingan and his will to his close friend, asking the friend to see the world clearly and protect the village on his behalf.

Fugaku thought this would make for a very compelling tale, perfect for the villagers' idle conversations and ideal for improving the Uchiha clan's image among the villagers.

Moreover, it provided a valid reason to reclaim Kakashi's Sharingan.

"It's good that you're alive. It's good that you're back," Fugaku said to Obito with a calm and kind expression.

"When the clan members learn that you're still alive, they'll all be very happy."

After Fugaku left, Makoto explained the arrangements for Obito and Rin.

Obito could first go to the hospital for a check-up, and the sealing team would prepare to help Rin remove the curse mark.

Makoto did not mention that he could personally help Rin remove the curse mark.

Following Makoto's suggestion, Obito went to Konoha Hospital for a check-up.

However, the results were grim.

His bodily functions were severely weakened, and the flesh around the stump of his missing right arm was unusual.

Despite the lack of any treatment, the wound hadn't bled at all, leaving the hospital staff puzzled about what it could be.

The doctors ultimately concluded that Obito might no longer be able to continue as a shinobi.

This news immediately cast a heavy shadow over the trio.

Rin and Kakashi hadn't yet figured out how to comfort Obito when he spoke up, saying confidently that he would definitely recover.

He said that the Uchiha's Sharingan could only unleash its full power when both eyes were together, and that Kakashi couldn't manage without him.

They needed to protect Rin together.

He also declared that he would become Hokage and save the world.

Obito's optimistic demeanor only made Rin and Kakashi feel even more uneasy.

After the hospital check-up, Makoto sent someone to inform them that the sealing team was ready.

The next step was to address the curse mark on Rin.

The three of them arrived at the designated location as instructed, and to their surprise, they found Kushina was also there along with the sealing team.

Although Kushina had mentally prepared herself, she couldn't hold back her emotions when she saw that Obito was still alive.

Overwhelmed, she rushed forward and hugged him tightly.

"Kushina-nee."

Obito finally managed to free himself from her embrace.

Then, looking at Kushina, he grew a little embarrassed and said,

"I'm sorry, I wasn't able to keep my promise."

Kushina was momentarily stunned but then softly said, "It's okay. It's already a miracle that you're back!"

The sealing team had discussed Rin's situation extensively, and with Kushina, a Nine-Tails jinchuriki and an expert in Uzumaki sealing techniques, they had initially been confident.

However, their first attempt yielded no results.

The curse mark was located on Rin's heart, an extremely sensitive and fragile area, which greatly limited the sealing team's capabilities.

Kushina's idea was to sever the connection between the tailed beast's chakra and the curse mark within Rin.

However, the only known way to achieve this was to extract the tailed beast—and the outcome of such an extraction for a jinchuriki was death.

Even though Minato had reinforced the seal on Rin, it could not stop the tailed beast's chakra from leaking out.

While this had initially seemed beneficial—granting Rin an enormous amount of chakra—it also made the curse mark within her even more stable.

Kushina and the sealing team were at a loss.

Although the exact purpose of the curse mark remained unclear, its constant presence in Rin's body, especially on her heart, left everyone deeply uneasy.

"I'm sorry, Rin. I can't remove it for now. Please give me some time to do more research," Kushina apologized to Rin.

"It's okay, Kushina-nee. You don't need to apologize. I'm already so grateful for your help," Rin quickly reassured her.

When Rin left the sealing team's room, her mood wasn't too downcast.

Even though both her and Obito's situations were far from ideal, at least they were still alive.

From Kannabi Bridge, to the subsequent war with Iwa-nin, to being captured by the Kiri-nin, there were so many times she thought she was going to die.

The worst outcome was nothing more than death, and Rin had come to terms with the idea of dying.

Reuniting with her team after everything had already filled her with immense joy.

But in contrast to their optimism, Kakashi's heart felt unbearably heavy.

The bonds he had regained after so much loss seemed as if they might slip away again at any moment, leaving him filled with self-loathing for his own powerlessness.

Two more days passed.

Kakashi suddenly received a summons to the Hokage's office.

Upon arriving, he found Makoto sitting there.

Ever since returning to the village, Kakashi had vaguely noticed that Makoto's position in the village seemed to have risen considerably. He was no longer just the ordinary chunin Kakashi had once rescued from the battlefield.

Makoto got straight to the point. "Rin's situation hasn't progressed at all, has it?"

Kakashi was momentarily stunned before nodding.

Makoto continued, "I can help her."

Kakashi's eyes widened in shock. "What did you say?!"

Makoto spoke calmly, "Over the past two days, I've also been researching. I've found a way to remove the curse mark from her."

Kakashi stood there in stunned silence for a moment before his emotions surged. "I'll go find Rin right now!"

But just as he turned to leave, Makoto called out to him, "Kakashi."

Kakashi stopped, and Makoto's voice remained calm as he asked, "Are you interested in joining the Anbu?"

Though it was phrased as a question, it was clearly a condition.

Kakashi wasn't a fool.

He turned to look at Makoto, who was leaning back in the Hokage's seat, gazing at him steadily.

Those pitch-black eyes gave Kakashi an inexplicable sense of unease.

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