"This kid…"
Inside the underground base, Madara frowned slightly as he looked at the file in his hands.
This file contained the information White Zetsu had gathered in Konoha about Obito and Haori.
Only by thoroughly understanding a person's background could one see through their inner desires—and then exploit them.
Obito was simple.
So simple that after just glancing through the information, Madara had already devised several possible plans for him.
But Haori's file made Madara frown deeply—especially when he recalled Haori's conversation with Namikaze Minato, which left him momentarily dazed.
"Complicated mind, highly goal-oriented actions, and a poor relationship with Obito…"
Madara murmured softly.
To be honest, at this point, he could already discard Haori as a candidate.
Yet behind those descriptions, Madara also saw something else.
Haori was meticulous, possessed tremendous charisma, had extremely strong logic, and outstanding execution ability.
A person like that could only be described as excellent.
Even though, back at the Academy, his performance—like Obito's—had once been rather unimpressive, his later growth clearly showed the qualities of an outstanding shinobi.
That was precisely what made Madara hesitate.
"Still… to carry out my plan, someone with a pure heart is more suitable—even if it's a bit troublesome."
After a long while, Madara let out a deep breath.
Just then, White Zetsu suddenly popped out.
"Madara-sama, something's happened."
"What is it?" Madara asked, frowning slightly.
He disliked being interrupted while thinking, but he was already used to White Zetsu's noisy behavior.
"Iwagakure has dispatched members of their Explosion Corps to intercept them. And the people you're watching have just set out."
"The Explosion Corps?"
Madara had heard of them.
To him, they were nothing more than ants—but if Haori were to collide with such a unit…
"Let's take a look."
Though he was currently leaning toward Obito, Madara still decided to observe.
He needed to think carefully about how to position these two.
"Why do I keep feeling like Kakashi's looking at me strangely?"
After resting properly for about a day, Haori and the others were preparing to set out again.
The commotion Haori's squad had caused behind enemy lines was enormous, to the point that Iwagakure's front line had been affected.
This not only gave Konoha a major victory on the frontal battlefield, but also allowed some breathing room in the enemy's rear.
The defeat on the front forced Iwa to deploy more reserve troops.
At the same time, they were also under pressure from Kumogakure, and even Sunagakure seemed to be stirring.
Sunagakure had been the instigator of the Third Great Ninja War.
Though they had already failed, that didn't mean they lacked ambition.
While Iwa and Konoha were locked in fierce combat, the Fourth Kazekage, Rasa, had actually led troops to intervene!
Konoha might not have reacted strongly—after all, Suna was now their ally—but this development absolutely terrified Iwagakure.
Now facing pressure from three directions, Iwa's manpower was stretched thin.
Still, they wouldn't let go of the "rats" in their rear.
Fortunately, with Minato around, none of this was an unsolvable problem.
However, there was still a more important mission ahead—they couldn't afford to relax yet.
As Haori made preparations, his gaze drifted toward Kakashi.
Ever since Obito's "death," after Haori had delivered that rather rough but deeply impactful talk to Kakashi, he noticed that Kakashi's mood visibly improved over the next day.
At the same time, Kakashi would occasionally stare at him absentmindedly.
It wasn't just Kakashi—Rin did it too.
But when Rin did it, Haori felt fine about it.
When Kakashi did… it felt a bit uncomfortable.
Haori knew that when dealing with girls, the best tactic was often to take advantage of the emotional vulnerability right after a breakup.
Even if it didn't lead to immediate results, it would at least plant a seed in their hearts.
But Kakashi wasn't in that situation—and he was a guy.
Surely he wouldn't be that melodramatic, right?
"Haori-kun, please be careful."
After Haori finished packing, Nohara Rin came over to him.
"And… thank you. If it weren't for you—"
"Alright, that's enough."
Haori snapped back to himself and smiled.
"Whether it's you or Kakashi, we're classmates—and friends.
Now we're comrades. Of course I wouldn't let my comrades give up on themselves.
And if we're talking about being careful, I think you and Kakashi need to be more cautious than we do. Your mission is far more dangerous.
If you really want to thank me, then carry out your mission well, protect yourselves, and welcome us back once we return."
"I will."
Rin smiled and nodded firmly.
Seeing this, Haori casually reached out and ruffled her hair.
He had to admit—Rin's hair felt pretty nice.
She didn't resist either.
Still, a thought crossed Haori's mind:
If Obito saw this… would he go into a rage again?
At the same time, Haori was also thinking about how to prevent Rin's tragic fate.
Madara's plan, or what Obito might eventually become—Haori honestly didn't care.
From the very beginning, he knew the Eye of the Moon Plan was a lie.
Not to mention that the Sage of Six Paths was still lurking in the shinobi world—there was no way Haori would ever follow Madara.
Even if he did, at best he'd become nothing more than a tool—
hardly a future worth looking forward to.
"Haori-kun, are you ready?"
Just as Haori was thinking, Minato walked over.
"You know how important this mission is. I wish it didn't have to be this way, but I'll have to entrust the flank to you."
Minato looked humble, without the slightest trace of an elite jōnin's arrogance.
As he spoke, he took out a kunai and handed it to Haori.
"This is my special kunai. It has my mark on it.
If you encounter danger you can't handle, inject chakra into it and I'll sense it.
I'll come as quickly as I can."
"I understand."
Haori nodded and put away the kunai.
Although Minato—despite being known as the fastest in the shinobi world—had a habit of arriving late, Haori still trusted him.
After all, being late was better than not coming at all.
As long as they could hold out, everything would be fine.
"Stay safe."
Kakashi walked over and said quietly beside Haori.
"Thanks. You too."
Haori accepted the well-wishes with a smile.
Still, he couldn't help wondering—had Kakashi started seeing him as another Obito?
The thought felt strange, but Haori didn't have time to dwell on it.
After Minato's group departed, Haori led a fully rested Guy and Aoba out as well.
"Haori, what do we do next?" Guy asked excitedly.
Well-rested and recovered, Guy was brimming with energy.
Aoba looked similarly fired up.
Though Minato hadn't said it outright, he had tacitly accepted Haori's claim that this mission could "end the war."
For two teenagers, that was an unimaginable honor.
"We proceed carefully and observe the situation," Haori said calmly.
"Iwa won't just let this go."
Even though Iwagakure was stretched thin, search and kill squads would definitely still be active.
It wouldn't be surprising if powerful shinobi appeared.
Iwa was truly going all in.
"But after this mission… am I going to become a 'Sharingan hero' too?"
That thought suddenly popped into Haori's head.
At that moment, Aoba suddenly stopped and raised his hand.
Guy immediately asked, "What is it?"
"There's someone ahead," Aoba said quickly.
BOOM—BOOM—BOOM!
Before he could finish speaking, a chain of violent explosions erupted all around them.
The flames born from the blasts swallowed the three of them in an instant.
~~--------------------------------
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