After transmigrating into the world of Naruto, Yamato Arata now lived as Obito Uchiha, carrying both the memories of his past life and the immense power of his new one.
Obito raised his eyes and looked fondly at Sunset's flushed face.
"No... don't look at me like that. I'm... embarrassed..." Sunset bit her lip and turned away, her voice soft and coy.
"Then maybe we should let our bodies do the talking," Obito said with a mischievous smile.
"Ah..."
A single cherry blossom petal floated gently on the water's surface—then was slowly stained red.
It was the first time for Obito and Sunset. A boy and a girl... beneath the moonlight, within the misty warmth of the hot spring, their feelings bloomed fully.
From the wall nearby, Tobi (A Fei) sat casually with his chin resting in one hand, watching the springtime scene unfold below.
Gululu—
White Zetsu also peeked his head over curiously.
"Oh, so this is human sex? Looks kind of dull to me. I don't get why they're so into it..."
"Come to think of it," Tobi mused, "didn't Madara stay a virgin his whole life? I think it had something to do with Hashirama."
An hour later, as the snow outside thickened, the first night between Obito and Sunset came to a lingering end.
"Hahh... mmm... Obito, I don't have any strength left. Can you carry me... back to the room?" Sunset leaned back against a smooth stone, her body trembling, voice barely audible. The purple hair she'd once kept neatly tied had long since come undone in their passion. She looked stunning.
"Alright." Obito slipped one arm around her shoulders and the other beneath her knees, lifting her up easily from the hot spring pool.
He turned and glanced up at Tobi and White Zetsu on the wall.
White Zetsu, being genderless, was no different from a palace eunuch—there was nothing to hide from him.
Obito raised an eyebrow. "Was it good to watch?"
"The two of you were really... enthusiastic," Tobi said playfully.
"Obito, stop talking... just take me back..." Sunset buried her face in his chest, voice as faint as a whisper.
With her in his arms, Obito stepped out of the pool and carried her to the top floor of Tenyu Pavilion, gently placing her on the large bed. He grabbed a towel, wiped the water droplets from her skin, and tucked the quilt over her carefully.
After getting under the covers, he reached for a clean robe and dressed himself.
Sunset clutched the quilt with both hands and looked at him. "Aren't you going to sleep?"
"There are still a few things I need to deal with. I'll be back soon." Obito smiled softly.
"Alright. I'll wait for you..."
Stepping outside, Obito activated his space-time ninjutsu and summoned Kakuzu.
Kakuzu landed lightly, scanning his surroundings. "This place is...?"
"This was once the Village Hidden in the Waterfall," Obito explained. "Now, it's my Village Hidden in the Shadows."
Kakuzu was momentarily taken aback. "So that means... Shebei and the rest of the villagers..."
"Do you hate me for it?" Obito asked casually. He hadn't told Kakuzu that he'd let many of the Takigakure shinobi go, including Shikio. That detail hadn't been made public. Obito preferred to maintain a colder, more ruthless image—it helped avoid unnecessary complications.
"Hate you? Why would I?" Kakuzu said calmly. "In this world, strength is everything. Not every powerful ninja is like the First Hokage, all benevolence and compassion. Honestly, I think Madara's ideology suits the ninja world much better."
Obito looked directly at him. "Kakuzu, are you willing to stay in this village... and work for me?"
Kakuzu had already suspected this. When Obito spared him in their fight—leaving one heart untouched—it hadn't felt like an accident.
"Lord Uchiha," Kakuzu said seriously, "with your power, what could you possibly need from me? Just say it."
"The village needs an accountant," Obito replied.
"Accountant?" Kakuzu blinked. "What's that?"
Well, the term didn't exactly exist in the world of ninjas.
"Basically, someone who manages the money. If a village wants to grow, it needs funding. I want to put you in charge of all the village's finances," Obito explained.
Kakuzu's dark green eyes lit up.
"You're serious? You'd really entrust me with such a... tempting—I mean, important position?"
"I believe our money will be in safe hands with you."
Gulp. Kakuzu swallowed. "Then... I have a request."
"Oh?" Obito smirked. "Looking to negotiate your salary already?"
"It's not about pay," Kakuzu said, shaking his head. "If I'm going to manage finances, I need control over every single expenditure in this village."
Obito scratched his chin. "Hmm..."
"I want to eliminate all waste. Every unnecessary expense—gone. I want it written into the village laws: anyone who wastes money gets punished. If you promise me that, I'll do the job."
He looked at Obito with unexpected tension.
It was strange. A man like Kakuzu, who usually feared no one, was anxious over this one thing. But when it came to money, he had a bizarre persistence—almost like an obsession.
Obito studied him. He loves money even more than his own life...
In the original timeline, Kakuzu managed Akatsuki's financial affairs with great efficiency. The organization had become incredibly wealthy under his care.
But if he ever found out that all the money he worked so hard to save had been used by Konan to buy exploding tags—for just ten minutes of artistic mayhem—he might just explode from the grave.
Obito finally nodded. "Alright, I promise. From now on, in this village, your authority over money will be greater than mine—even as Kage."
Kakuzu—seventy-five years old and grizzled—suddenly smiled like a child who'd just been handed his dream job.
"In that case, Lord Obito, as a sign of my loyalty... I'll donate the entire sum of money I've saved: 1 billion, 765 million, 342 thousand ryo. It's all yours to use for the village."
That number stunned even Obito.
His bounty on the bingo book was only 100 million. Kakuzu's fortune could buy his head ten times over.
"That's... impressive," Obito admitted. "But you don't have to donate all of it. Keep some for yourself."
"No," Kakuzu said flatly. "I insist."
Obito smiled faintly. "Then on behalf of the entire village—thank you, Kakuzu."
Gululu—
White Zetsu popped up again, returning from negotiations with the daimyo of the Land of Waterfalls.
"How'd it go?" Obito asked.
"The daimyo agreed to let you establish a new shinobi village," Zetsu reported. "But—"
"But what?"
"He has an issue with the name. Says every country must have a village that matches. Since this is the Land of Waterfalls, he won't allow you to call it the Village Hidden in the Shadows. He wants you to change the name to 'New Takigakure.'"
Obito gave a dry laugh. "Oh? Well, if he insists every village name must match the country..."
"So...?" Zetsu prompted.
"Then tell him to rename the Land of Waterfalls to the Land of Shadows."