Rin, to Obito, was life itself—no, even more precious than life.
Even if it meant overturning the entire world, he would do it for her alone.
To Rin, Obito was her childhood friend who had grown up with her, someone who stood by her side through thick and thin, someone she could entrust her back to... and most importantly, the boy she liked.
It was hard to imagine that the one who always smiled could show such a cold, terrifying expression.
Every time Rin recalled that gaze, a chill ran down her spine. She simply couldn't associate the masked man with Obito.
Kiyosuke knew what she was thinking and said,
"Obito's just being controlled right now. Hurting you is the last thing he'd ever want to do. Don't worry, we'll bring that idiot back. And when we do, make sure to have him kneel~"
Rin felt a little better, but her spirit was still low. She said sadly,
"If he ever finds out what he's done… he won't be able to forgive himself, will he?"
After all, even Minato-sensei…
Obito had respected Minato-sensei more than anyone...
She couldn't help but feel that fate was cruel, a twisted joke.
Kiyosuke said,
"Maybe. We'll deal with that when the time comes. For now, just rest up. Once you've recovered, you have an important mission ahead."
Kakashi and Rin both looked at him. Rin asked,
"The village gave out a mission?"
"I did," Kiyosuke replied.
"But I thought you didn't want to be Hokage? You can still assign missions?"
"Kidding me? Just because I don't want to be Hokage doesn't mean I can't assign missions. Rin, Naruto—that's Minato's kid—I'm entrusting him to you."
Rin nodded seriously.
"I understand. I will."
"Good. But don't rush it. Focus on healing first. For now, I've placed Naruto with the Uchiha clan. Lady Mikoto is looking after him. She just had a baby herself, so taking care of two won't be a problem."
Rin wouldn't be caring for Naruto until after he was weaned.
He needed time to slowly get used to being around her. Otherwise, throwing him into a new environment all at once would be too overwhelming for a baby.
"Are you sure there won't be any problems with the Uchiha?" Kakashi asked.
"No worries at all. The Nine-Tails can only be controlled with the Mangekyō. Besides, Minato just activated the Eight Trigrams Seal not long ago—this is when its suppression is at its strongest. Relax."
The Eight Trigrams Seal was perfectly suited to suppress the Nine-Tails. Formed by two Four Symbols Seals layered together, it could transform any chakra that leaked through into Naruto's own, helping him grow stronger without even trying.
That Minato could come up with such a complex sealing method under pressure showed just how powerful he truly was.
Even if someone in the Uchiha had ill intentions, there was no way they could forcefully unseal the Nine-Tails. The seal even contained a portion of Minato's chakra, which could suppress the beast again in case it went berserk.
After chatting a bit more with Rin and Kakashi, Kiyosuke returned home. He was confident Naruto was safe with the Uchiha.
Uchiha Fugaku had the Mangekyō Sharingan, but he wouldn't be reckless. He knew what had to be done. For the sake of his clan, he wouldn't do anything foolish. He would protect Naruto, showing the village that the Uchiha were loyal and reliable—preventing any trouble from falling on the clan.
A Jinchūriki was far too important to the village. Nothing could be allowed to happen to him.
After a quick bath at home, as night fell, Kiyosuke decided to head to Uchiha Fugaku's place and mooch a meal.
"Hm?"
Just as he arrived at the Uchiha compound, he saw a shadow dart across the rooftops. Narrowing his eyes, he followed.
The figure slipped into Fugaku's house, moving stealthily.
Moments later, the intruder was sent flying and crashed to the ground. Uchiha Fugaku stepped out with his Sharingan activated, his gaze cold as he looked down at the man.
Kiyosuke dropped down as well and checked the intruder.
"He poisoned himself. What a pain."
The man's face was wrapped in bandages, but once Kiyosuke pulled them off, he saw nothing left—just raw, bloody muscle. It was utterly grotesque.
Fugaku's face darkened.
"Looks like he was after Naruto."
"Exactly. I think I know who it was."
"Who?"
"Someone who wants your clan to fall into ruin," Kiyosuke said, kicking the corpse aside.
A massive snake slithered out and swallowed the body whole. Then it coiled up contentedly in the courtyard to digest.
The most likely culprit was Danzō.
He couldn't stand the thought of Kiyosuke controlling a Jinchūriki, nor could he bear to see the Uchiha growing stronger because of it. So he sent a suicide operative. If the man succeeded in stealing Naruto, Danzō would gain control of the Jinchūriki and have cause to accuse both Kiyosuke and the Uchiha. A triple win.
To carry out this plan, he had even arranged official duties to keep Fugaku occupied. But unexpectedly, Fugaku came home early. And so, the plan failed.
Fugaku's expression was grim. The Uchiha were already struggling politically in the village, and now someone was openly plotting against them...
Kiyosuke clapped his hands.
"Don't think too much about it. There's not much we can do. Tomorrow, I'll be handling the redistribution of clan territories. In the afternoon, I want you to help me gather the families of those who died in the Nine-Tails attack... no, scratch that. Help me organize a public speech in the village square. I've got something I need to announce."
"You mean..."
"We need to give Naruto a peaceful environment to grow up in," Kiyosuke said.
"Are we just going to let people transfer all their hatred for the Nine-Tails onto a child? Being a Jinchūriki is already hard enough—very few manage to live happily. Fugaku-san, loneliness is the worst curse. It can drive someone insane."
"I believe in that kid. But it's always better to let him grow up in kindness than in rejection."
Naruto had such an unfortunate childhood. He was shunned, had no friends, and was always met with strange, fearful looks. No one accepted him. Even at the Academy, few kids were willing to play with him.
Inuzuka Kiba, Akimichi Chōji, and Shikamaru were the only ones who treated him decently. But even then, they weren't exactly close.
"I understand. I'll do it," Fugaku nodded.
As long as Kiyosuke was the one overseeing the territory redistribution, he had no objections. And since Kiyosuke was personally asking for his help, he would do it properly.
"By the way, has your family had dinner yet?"
The sudden shift in topic caught Fugaku off guard.
"We were just about to eat."
"Oh, perfect. I haven't eaten either. I'll crash your dinner."
Are you really this shameless?
"If you don't mind, please join us."
"No need to be so formal. I came here specifically to eat."
"Ah… well then…"
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Pls Drop some Power Stones
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