Naruto: Wooing Tsunade from Day One!-Chapter 451: Spoils of War

As Kawakaze approached, he finally saw just how miserable Madara was.

Blood seeped from his seven orifices, his face twisted in a grotesque grimace. The empty sockets where his eyes once were made for a truly chilling sight. His limbs were twisted at unnatural angles, and bits of flesh and blood were scattered around him. The ground beneath him was slowly being soaked in a pool of red.

"I guess he's really dead this time."

Frowning, Kawakaze still felt uneasy. With Izanagi in Madara's hands, who knew what tricks he might have up his sleeve?

"Forget it. I'll just take him back to the village and bury him."

"At least the founder can return to his roots."

Finding a flimsy excuse for his less-than-noble actions, Kawakaze instantly felt at ease.

Of course, it's me—paragon of moral ambiguity!

Taking out a corpse storage scroll, he carefully sealed Madara's body inside.

He had already decided—before burying the body, he'd let Orochimaru 'admire' it for a while. A Madara who had transplanted Hashirama's cells? Kawakaze was certain Orochimaru would be ecstatic. And once Orochimaru finished his research, Kawakaze could shamelessly demand a share of the results.

No shame at all—just pure opportunism!

After putting the scroll away, he scanned his surroundings and soon spotted a pair of extraordinary weapons lying silently in the distance.

With a light step, he strolled over and picked up the Gunbai and scythe, giving them a few experimental swings.

"Not bad, not bad. Fugaku's gonna have to cough up something for these."

Efficiently sealing the weapons into a scroll, Kawakaze then recalled the treasures still inside the cave.

Turning back, he re-entered the now brightly lit cavern, its ceiling shattered and sunlight streaming in.

"I can't take this big guy with me. I'll let Nagato summon it himself later."

Reluctantly, his gaze lingered on the Demonic Statue of the Outer Path before he finally tore his eyes away. Even in its empty shell state, if controlled properly, it was still a force to be reckoned with.

After making a full sweep of the cave, his spoils were more than satisfying—several well-preserved Sharingan, invaluable to both the Uchiha and Konoha, as well as a few White Zetsu bodies.

Though they lacked consciousness, they teemed with life. A quick inspection confirmed they were fused with Hashirama's cells.

Taking them back would definitely thrill Orochimaru, not to mention contribute to the broader application of Hashirama's cells in research.

Once the battlefield was thoroughly cleaned up, Kawakaze hummed a little tune as he made his way over to Obito.

"Lord Kawakaze."

"Are you finished?"

True to orders, Obito hadn't moved from the designated spot. He probably hadn't even dared to go relieve himself.

"Yeah. Are you coming back to Konoha with me, or what?"

Kawakaze had no interest in personally interfering in the Land of Earth's war. His only real plan now was to return to Konoha.

"I want to go back with Minato-senpai . Is that okay?"

Obito's voice still carried a trace of hesitation. He knew Kawakaze wanted to keep his presence hidden.

"Fine."

Kawakaze didn't even need to think about it. Sending someone off was a trivial matter for him.

Besides, Minato still bore the Flying Thunder God mark Kawakaze had left on him, making the task effortless. As for Obito's sudden disappearance and reappearance, he was sure Minato could come up with a reasonable explanation.

Honestly, it was possible no Iwa-nin would even notice Obito had gone missing.

"Was that crazy old man really Madara Uchiha?"

Obito had tried to hold back, but in the end, he couldn't help himself.

To any Uchiha, Madara's name was an insurmountable mountain looming over them.

"Yeah. There won't be another like him."

Kawakaze spoke with absolute confidence. With the body in his possession, there was no way Madara was making any kind of comeback.

"Lord Kawakaze, you're incredible."

"I was scared out of my mind just listening to the fight over here."

Obito wasn't exaggerating—just catching glimpses of Susanoo and the Great Buddha had nearly scared him witless.

He still couldn't fathom how something like that was even possible for a human.

"Work hard."

"I'm leaving the Susanoo-Clad Great Buddha to you."

Kawakaze patted Obito on the shoulder, but Obito had no idea what that last part meant.

Before he could even process it, he suddenly found himself inside Minato's tent.

"Sensei."

Minato sat up abruptly from his bed. Upon seeing Obito, he relaxed, letting his guard down. He had just managed to send away the group of rowdy kids who had been giving him a headache, using the excuse of needing to rest.

Kawakaze had arrived at the perfect time—any later, and he would've had to waste time dealing with their endless questions. Kakashi and the others were at that age where they wouldn't let anything slide.

"Hmm."

"I'll leave this kid with you."

"You and Nawaki keep things as they are. I can't reveal myself right now, so I won't be staying long."

Before Minato could even ask a question, Kawakaze was already preparing to leave. Now that Madara had been dealt with, he had no intention of lingering.

"Alright, understood."

Minato nodded without hesitation. Though he had a thousand questions in his mind, he held them back.

If Sensei wasn't saying anything, then there had to be a reason for it.

Of course, he had no way of knowing that Kawakaze was simply too lazy to explain.

"Get used to the changes in your body. What you just went through is an enormous opportunity for you."

"How far you go from here depends on your own effort."

Kawakaze turned to Obito, giving him instructions. After merging with Hashirama's cells, Obito's body had undergone drastic changes.

His chakra had surged, and he had awakened the ability to use Wood Release. He would need time to adapt and train.

Kawakaze wasn't sure if Obito would still be able to awaken the Mangekyō Sharingan in the future, but at this moment, things had definitely taken a turn for the better.

A pair of Mangekyō Sharingan that would never go blind was valuable, sure, but compared to being with Rin, it was nothing.

Obito couldn't hide his tears—everywhere he looked, it was Rin!

"I'll do my best," Obito said firmly, his voice unwavering.

Not long ago, he thought he'd never catch up to his genius teammates, but now things were different.

He knew his chance to become stronger had arrived.

If he could master Wood Release, he would carve out his own place in Konoha's future.

What young man didn't dream of becoming strong?

"Good luck."

"I'm off."

After a brief nod to Minato, Kawakaze vanished from the tent.

"...I'm not sure what happened to you, but Sensei has high expectations for you."

"Work hard, kid."

Minato's gaze rested on Obito, his usual warm smile still in place.

"I will."

Obito clenched his fists, feeling the surge of chakra within him. The power swelling inside him made it impossible to keep the grin off his face.

Something's definitely changed in my body... Maybe Rin wouldn't mind giving me a full check-up?

His thoughts took a sudden detour, and before he knew it, his grin turned suspiciously lecherous.

"What the hell are you scheming?"

"Go find the person you want to see already."

Minato gave him a light smack on the head, unimpressed. That expression did not belong on someone with pure intentions.

"Heh heh..."

"I'm heading out."

Scratching the back of his head sheepishly, Obito quickly turned and made his way out of the tent.

The discomfort in his body faded the moment he saw his friends' smiling faces.

Brushing off the bizarre experience, he knew now wasn't the time to talk about it.

The fact that he had returned safely was already enough of a surprise, and Kakashi and the others didn't press him for details.

Time slipped away in the midst of their laughter, and before they knew it, night had fallen.