"Empiricism… really can be harmful sometimes."
Inside Uzumaki Kushina's home, Haori wiped dust from the surroundings while silently complaining to himself.
Because he had finally realized exactly where he had gone wrong.
This place could indeed be considered an ancestral residence of the Uzumaki clan—
but more importantly, it was Uzumaki Kushina's home.
He knew Kushina was already living together with Minato, yet he had still been afraid to come here, worried about running into trouble.
After all, the Uzumaki clan's sealing techniques were something the entire ninja world coveted.
As absurd as it sounded, Kushina herself had been kidnapped by Kumogakure when she was young.
If Minato Namikaze hadn't already been paying close attention to her, sensed something was wrong, and rushed to save her—
there was a real chance Kushina would have ended up in Cloud Village.
And aside from Kushina's case, Kirigakure had truly wiped out the Land of Whirlpools during the Second Shinobi World War.
Under their meticulous extermination, the Uzumaki population was now likely reduced to a mere handful.
And their goal had been extremely simple: sealing techniques.
If they couldn't have them, then no one else should—so they simply annihilated the entire Uzumaki clan.
With Uzumaki Mito stationed in Konoha, the village itself never lacked Uzumaki sealing techniques.
But Haori had held a mistaken assumption earlier—
that perhaps sealing techniques were stored here, especially since the Shinigami Mask had been left in this place.
Yet thinking about it carefully, he realized just how ridiculous that idea was.
Aside from Orochimaru, hardly anyone even knew about the Shinigami Mask.
And Uzumaki Mito had married Senju Hashirama long ago and moved into the Senju household.
Kushina was already living with Minato, and barring accidents, they would likely marry after the war.
With no one left living here, how could the Uzumaki clan's true treasures possibly remain in this place?
"So… what exactly is left here?"
For a moment, Haori felt helpless.
If Konoha had already taken away all the valuable items—
then what the hell was he supposed to look for?
"What's wrong, Haori?"
Seeing Haori looking distracted, Kakashi asked curiously.
"Are you worried about when Kushina-sensei will come back?"
"Not really. I was just thinking about what Kushina-jōnin might teach me."
Haori quickly adjusted his mood and replied with a smile.
In truth, he didn't care what she taught him.
What really troubled him was what he could still find here.
If he remembered correctly, Kushina should have gone to reinforce her seal.
As a jinchūriki, Kushina's life wasn't exactly easy.
Haori recalled from The Tale of Minato that Kushina couldn't even leave her barrier at one point.
Later, she managed to break free of those constraints and helped Minato complete the Rasengan's training—
and it was likely only after that she gained freedom of movement.
Still, sealing matters were never something to be taken lightly.
No village could withstand a tailed beast rampaging out of control.
"Is cleaning too boring?"
Kakashi asked with a chuckle, then simply said,
"There's not much left to do. I'll handle the rest.
Kushina-sensei has quite a few books here—you can read to pass the time."
"Oh?"
Haori blinked and asked casually,
"What kind of books?"
"Mostly basic sealing technique materials, I think."
Kakashi recalled after a moment. He had helped clean this place before and was fairly familiar with it.
And since there was nothing particularly important stored here, he answered without concern.
"Oh, and some historical books. That should be about it."
Historical books?
Hearing that, Haori froze—then his eyes lit up.
Sealing techniques couldn't be left here, since they directly affected a village's control over tailed beasts.
But clan history records were something Konoha was very likely to leave behind!
After all, those scrolls merely recorded the Uzumaki clan's past and their former heroes.
With the clan's destruction, these things were little more than keepsakes for the remaining survivors.
Besides, once the most important items were taken away, it made sense to leave something behind.
"Historical records are good stuff…"
Haori's heart began to race.
He didn't know how far back these records went—but he did know the rough era of that nameless Uchiha.
The Uzumaki and Senju had always been allies.
If he could find records from the corresponding time period and see what events occurred—
he might be able to locate clues about that unknown Uchiha!
"But… would it be inappropriate for us to read Kushina-jōnin's books like this?"
Though excited, Haori forced himself to stay calm.
"Historical archives are usually important clan possessions. Wouldn't it be rude for us to go through them?"
"Read them if you want."
Before Haori could finish speaking, a voice suddenly came from behind him.
Turning around, he saw that Kushina had already returned.
"Kushina-jōnin."
"Kushina-sensei."
Haori and Kakashi immediately bowed slightly. Though Kushina was easygoing, basic courtesy still mattered.
"Alright, no need to be so formal."
Kushina waved it off casually, then turned her gaze to Haori.
Haori keenly noticed a trace of loneliness in her eyes.
"If you want to read them, go ahead. It's no big deal.
After all, the Uzumaki clan is basically gone.
If someone is willing to remember its history… that's actually a good thing."
——
Grass Country, Underground Base
Madara looked at Obito, who was gradually waking up, and nodded slightly.
He had finally awakened.
At last, Madara no longer had to listen to the boy endlessly mumbling "Kakashi" and "Rin" in his sleep.
Although Obito had annoyed him greatly—and that single mention of "Kakashi" had forced Madara to revise his plans—
overall, he had already thought through everything he needed to.
One more person simply meant one more bond.
And that wasn't necessarily a bad thing.
Moreover, when Haori returned to Konoha, Madara had ordered White Zetsu to follow him—
to observe their current situation.
Now that White Zetsu had returned, Madara had obtained the result he wanted.
Whether it was Kakashi or Nohara Rin, they had both seemingly emerged from the shadow of Obito's "death."
And all of that—
was inseparable from Haori.
"What a remarkable little brat… but that actually makes things better."
Madara thought to himself.
If Obito discovered that the two people he cherished most had already had their feelings replaced—
and that the replacement was none other than Haori, whom Obito already harbored resentment toward—
then everything would become simple.
"After all, no one will remember you anymore.
No one will care about you anymore.
Even the people you cherish most are the same.
Is that a world you would still like?"
Madara gazed calmly at Obito, a faint smile appearing on his face.
"Where… is this?"
At that moment, Obito weakly opened his remaining right eye.
"Am I… dead?"
He murmured softly, his memories still stuck at the moment he had been crushed beneath the boulder.
"Ah—!"
Suddenly, he let out a scream as searing pain surged through the right side of his body.
He tried to struggle, only to find his right half wrapped so tightly that there wasn't the slightest gap—
he couldn't move at all.
"You're awake?"
Just as confusion and pain overwhelmed him, a voice rang out beside his ear—
raspy with the hoarseness unique to old age, yet carrying a strange, distinctive rhythm.
"This is the boundary between the realm of the dead and the living.
It seems you have crawled back from death, Uchiha clansman."
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