Obito breathed a sigh of relief. The Will of Fire inside him felt stronger. "Young Master Ryo understands. That's a huge weight off my shoulders... "
At first, he was worried that his connection to Uchiha Madara would make people suspicious of him.
But now, it seemed much less likely that would happen, thanks to Sarutobi Ryo's words.
Sarutobi Ryo had made it clear that Obito wasn't to be suspected.
A hero with the Sharingan...
An Uchiha ninja who believed in the Will of Fire...
Surely, a comrade like that shouldn't be made to feel unwanted or mistrusted.
So, instead...
Suspicion fell on Namikaze Minato.
What did this mean?
Even if Obito was a simple kid, and really had nothing to do with Uchiha Madara anymore, the fact remained that no one could be completely sure he wasn't Madara. This uncertainty would be a constant worry for Namikaze Minato.
The moment Namikaze Minato's name was mentioned, the leaders of Konoha would immediately think of Madara's past actions.
Obito was just a child, young and unaware.
But Namikaze Minato was an adult.
From a reputation perspective, being associated with Uchiha Madara was definitely bad news.
It was like a child causing trouble, and the parents being blamed.
Namikaze Minato was Obito's teacher and someone who had helped him greatly. He couldn't escape responsibility.
That's why Utatane Koharu was the first to ask, "Minato, did you know about this?"
Suddenly, all the pressure was on Namikaze Minato.
Namikaze Minato's face grew serious. Finally, he nodded.
"Then why didn't you tell us right away?"
Utatane Koharu felt a surge of anger.
Because Madara was involved, she was, for the first time, deeply unhappy with Namikaze Minato.
And this was only the start.
"Princess Tsunade, how is Obito doing? Is he in any danger?"
Sarutobi Ryo asked Tsunade directly, changing the subject.
How Namikaze Minato dealt with the village leaders later was his own problem.
Knowing about Madara's involvement, but keeping it from Konoha's leaders...
And because Obito had received Wood Release cells, it seemed Namikaze Minato was even using Obito in some way.
Sarutobi Ryo was astonished by this.
Given Obito's good deeds, his young age, and his personality, Madara's involvement shouldn't be a huge problem.
Like the saying goes: He's just a kid!
But if Obito was a child, was Namikaze Minato also a child?
"Well, we need to watch him closely... Obito, you'll need to come in for regular check-ups from now on..."
Tsunade looked at the young Uchiha before her.
Because of the Hashirama cells, she actually found herself liking him.
Love me, love my dog, she thought. That was probably the idea.
"Yes, Lord Tsunade!"
Obito nodded quickly. Surrounded by adults, he didn't realize the political games being played.
He was still too young to understand politics.
But now that he had Wood Release power, he was officially caught in the middle of political storms.
In the future, many people would be trying to influence him.
With Obito's natural talent, even if he wasn't as skilled with Wood Release as Yamato, his Sharingan would make him a powerful ninja.
In short... his future looked promising.
Looking at the entire Uchiha clan, the only one who could compare to him was Itachi.
In the original story, Itachi watched Obito for a whole decade.
After ten years, Itachi died, and only then did Obito dare to move forward with his plan.
Itachi's hidden Sword of Totsuka and Izanami were unknown even to Black Zetsu and White Zetsu.
When it came to hiding his abilities, Itachi was the best in Naruto.
The examination of Obito's Wood Release cells took an unexpected turn because of Madara's involvement.
When Sarutobi Ryo left the examination room, Utatane Koharu and the other leaders looked unhappy.
Namikaze Minato was also being scolded.
This was a perfect example of a plan backfiring.
"I never thought that Obito would have Grandpa's power..."
Tsunade leaned against the window and started talking to Sarutobi Ryo.
They used to be close, but they had drifted apart after Nawaki's death.
Now that they were reunited, after several meetings, they were becoming friendly again.
"Having Wood Release cells doesn't automatically mean you have the First Hokage's power..."
Sarutobi Ryo's words surprised Tsunade.
She nodded, realizing he was right.
Having Wood Release cells didn't mean that someone's Wood Release would be as strong as her grandfather's.
Just like many people knew the five chakra natures, but there was only one Ninjutsu Doctor Sarutobi Hiruzen.
Chakra natures are just attributes; their effectiveness depends on the user.
In fact, in the original story, Obito never learned moves like Wood Golem Technique or Advent of a World of Flowering Trees.
That's because Obito's talent wasn't in Wood Release.
His true path was Kamui... his space-time ability.
If things went as expected, Obito would inherit Namikaze Minato's Flying Thunder God Technique.
Combined with the Sharingan, he would definitely become the second Yellow Flash.
If he awakened the Mangekyo Sharingan, Obito's potential would surpass Namikaze Minato's.
So, Obito was a Konoha ninja worth paying attention to because of his talent.
The only problem was that he was still young and obsessed with love.
When he grew older and more mature, he would be more rational.
If Nohara Rin was kept safe for a few years and nothing unexpected happened, Obito should be fine.
"I'll talk to the clan about Madara..."
Tsunade said she would discuss Uchiha Madara with the Senju clan's elders and younger members.
Once everyone knew that Madara had appeared, opinions would shift.
Any doubts that had arisen because Obito had Wood Release power would disappear.
Until Uchiha Madara's situation was clear, they wouldn't consider supporting Namikaze Minato.
After all, the Senju clan as a whole followed Senju Tobirama's teachings.
Sarutobi Ryo had easily resolved a potential crisis.
Tsunade wasn't foolish. She saw through his plan.
"So, Sakumo will probably be the Fourth Hokage..."
Tsunade smiled.
As someone born and raised in Konoha, Hatake Sakumo had a clean record, clear achievements in war, and a good personality.
The Sannin acknowledged his strength, placing him among the strongest ninja in the world.
If he couldn't become Hokage, who could?
"Heh heh, I don't want to admit it, but if we're being honest... Sakumo is the best choice..."
Orochimaru walked over and joined the conversation.
Unlike in the original story, he wasn't convinced by Namikaze Minato, that young pup.
Hatake Sakumo had been famous for a long time and had always been superior to the three of them.
Orochimaru willingly admitted that his skills were inferior.
Sarutobi Ryo raised his eyebrows. If Orochimaru was satisfied, would he still leave the village later?
Even if his methods were a bit questionable, would he avoid going to the extremes he did in the original story?
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[T/N:
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