Both the Third and Fourth Raikage nodded in agreement with Rin.
It was the only tactically sound option.
Madara Uchiha was supposedly a decaying fossil clinging to life underground.
There was absolutely no strategic value in provoking him.
The smartest play was to establish a quarantine zone, wait for his natural lifespan to expire, and let the Ghost of the Uchiha die in the dark.
If they rashly breached his sanctuary now, they risked falling into whatever contingency plans the legendary shinobi had prepared.
Furthermore, Madara was constantly guarded by Black Zetsu—the physical manifestation of Kaguya’s will and the literal root of all hatred in the shinobi world.
Engaging Zetsu before the Allied Forces were unified was a catastrophic risk.
This was the consensus among almost every veteran who had received the future memories.
Obito, however, shook his head.
“You are underestimating Madara Uchiha, Rin,” he said quietly.
“He is not the kind of man who dies quietly in the dark.”
Obito looked at Minato.
“And honestly…
I have a very strong suspicion about the memory transfer.
Knowing Naruto, I think he included Madara in the jutsu.”
The room went dead silent.
As the savior who had shattered the cycle of hatred between Ashura and Indra, the knuckleheaded ninja was entirely defined by his impossible, boundless empathy.
He had achieved peace where the Sage of Six Paths and Hashirama Senju had failed.
Sasuke Uchiha, the modern reincarnation of Indra, was his closest brother.
In the future timeline, the very first thing Sasuke did upon returning to the village was visit Naruto—a privilege he prioritized over his own family.
Naruto possessed an infuriating habit of forgiving his worst enemies.
A’s jaw dropped.
The Third Raikage’s eyes widened.
Minato’s expression twitched into a look of profound, helpless realization.
Kakashi stepped forward, his visible eye wide.
“You think so too, Obito?”
As Naruto’s sensei, Kakashi understood the boy’s psychology better than almost anyone.
And he completely agreed with the horrifying theory.
“Yes,” Obito confirmed.
“Based on everything I know about Naruto Uzumaki, including Madara Uchiha in the Kinjutsu is exactly the kind of reckless, idealistic thing he would do.”
A dragged a massive hand down his face, groaning in sheer exasperation.
“That kid is dangerously naive.
If Madara Uchiha woke up this week with memories of the Fourth War, we are in a massive amount of trouble.”
“There are risks, yes,” Obito countered.
“But there is a massive tactical upside.”
Obito turned to the Raikage.
“If Madara possesses the memories, we can be absolutely certain of his first move: he will not attack the Five Great Villages.
He will immediately attempt to butcher Black Zetsu.
Zetsu played him for a fool his entire life.
But Zetsu can merge with the earth and monitor the entire planet.
His escape capabilities are unparalleled; even with both of my eyes, I am not confident I can track and execute him.
If Madara is hunting him for us, it solves our biggest intelligence leak.”
Minato offered a strained, awkward smile.
He couldn’t refute a single word of the tactical assessment, mostly because he knew his son was absolutely crazy enough to resurrect a god-tier warlord just to give him a second chance.
Obito turned back to Rin.
“That is why I have to make contact.
I need to ascertain Madara’s current state.
If he still intends to execute the Eye of the Moon Plan, we need to know immediately.
But if the betrayal in the future timeline broke his ideology…
we might be able to recruit him.
Having Madara Uchiha as an ally against the Otsutsuki changes the entire geopolitical landscape.
I have to try.”
Rin opened her mouth to argue, but Obito held up a hand.
“Don’t worry, Rin.
I am not deploying today,” Obito said softly.
“Infiltrating Madara’s sanctuary requires meticulous preparation.
I need to be at absolute peak physical condition before I even attempt it.
I need to ensure my own survival.”
He offered her a small, genuine smile.
“I swore to myself that I would never make you cry over me again.
You can rest assured, Rin.
I will come back alive.”
Rin’s eyes grew glassy.
She forcefully blinked back the tears and stubbornly turned her head away, refusing to verbally concede, but she didn’t argue further.
“Then our business here is concluded,” Minato said.
He stepped forward, placing a hand on Obito’s shoulder and the other on Rin’s.
“The formal peace treaty between the Land of Lightning, the Land of Fire, and the Land of Earth should be drafted within ten days,” A rumbled from the desk.
“Let’s hold the signing summit in the Land of Iron.”
The Third Raikage nodded in agreement.
“Mifune likely received the memories as well.
It will be a good opportunity to bring the samurai up to speed on the post-war intelligence.”
“Then we will see you in ten days,” Minato said.
“Take care of Kakashi.”
Rin immediately spun around, waving goodbye to her teammate.
Kakashi offered a lazy wave in return.
Obito simply gave a respectful nod.
Minato flared his chakra.
The Flying Thunder God activated, and the three Konoha shinobi vanished from the Raikage’s office in a flash of yellow light.
The moment their boots hit the dirt of the Third Training Ground in Konoha, Obito’s legs gave out.
The adrenaline faded, and the catastrophic chakra drain of the dual-Kamui finally caught up to him.
He collapsed forward.
Rin caught him instantly, wrapping her arms around his waist and hauling his arm over her shoulder to keep him upright.
“Honestly,” Rin huffed, struggling slightly under his weight.
“You literally just promised you wouldn’t make me worry, and five minutes later you collapse on me!”
Despite the scolding, a soft, fond smile broke across her face.
He was still the exact same stubborn, reckless Obito.
“Minato-sensei, I’ll take it from here,” Rin said.
“I’m taking him home.”
“Thank you, Rin,” Minato smiled.
“Goodbye, Sensei,” Obito mumbled, his head lolling slightly against Rin’s shoulder.
He was utterly exhausted, but his chakra network hadn’t completely redlined like the previous jump; he was at least conscious enough to speak.
“I can walk, Rin,” Obito slurred slightly.
“Just let go.”
“Absolutely not,” Rin ordered, tightening her grip.
“Sensei told me to watch you.
And we made a deal, Obito.
No more acting tough.
I told you I’m always watching you.”
“Okay, okay, I yield,” Obito mumbled.
“But Rin, did you see my ocular jutsu?
The Raikage couldn’t even…”
Minato watched them hobble away, their voices fading as they bickered down the dirt path.
A profound sense of peace settled in his chest.
Rin had finally let go of the phantom future.
Team Minato was whole again.
Minato’s first priority upon returning to the village was checking on Kushina.
After an hour of warm, domestic peace, the future Hokage shifted back into military command mode.
His schedule was completely booked.
First, Rasa and the Hidden Sand delegation were already en route to Konoha.
However, Minato had deliberately delayed his own deployment to the Land of Wind.
He was waiting for a specific VIP to arrive in the Leaf: Tsunade Senju, the granddaughter of the First Hokage and the greatest medical-nin in human history.
Minato needed Tsunade for a highly specific, highly classified medical intervention.
In the future timeline, Rasa’s wife, Karura, died giving birth to Gaara.
The premature birth and the sealing of the One-Tail shattered her body.
Gaara—who shared a tragically similar childhood with Naruto—eventually became one of Naruto’s greatest allies and the Fifth Kazekage.
In the mental briefing, Naruto had specifically begged his father to save Gaara’s mother.
Therefore, Minato was holding his position until Tsunade arrived.
According to Hiruzen’s intelligence reports, the Anbu had successfully located both Tsunade and Orochimaru.
Tsunade was currently traveling back to Konoha and was expected within forty-eight hours.
Orochimaru had claimed he had “urgent research” to conclude but promised to return by the end of the week.
However, the Anbu dragnet had caught another high-value target: Kabuto Yakushi.
After processing Minato’s briefing regarding the Fourth War, Hiruzen had immediately pulled Kabuto’s active personnel file.
Recognizing the boy’s apocalyptic future trajectory, the Third Hokage ordered Nono Yakushi back to the village, instantly nullifying Danzo’s covert assassination orders that would have inevitably shattered Kabuto’s psyche.
Based on the border logs, Kabuto was scheduled to arrive at the village gates this afternoon.
Minato was intensely curious to meet the other mastermind behind the Fourth Shinobi World War.
Minato couldn’t help but marvel at the sheer, terrifying absurdity of Konoha’s geopolitical footprint.
Madara Uchiha.
Obito Uchiha.
Kabuto Yakushi.
Sasuke Uchiha.
Every single apocalyptic threat that had nearly erased the continent was born and raised within the walls of the Hidden Leaf.
Whether the world is at peace or burning to ash, Konoha really does dictate the era, Minato thought wryly.
Lost in his musings, Minato realized his boots had carried him to the main gates of the village.
He expanded his sensory net.
A steady, disciplined chakra signature was approaching the checkpoint from the western forest.
The signature belonged to a genin, arriving in roughly fifteen minutes.
It had to be Kabuto.
Minato decided to wait.
In the future Naruto had described, Kabuto was a terrifying anomaly.
Born an orphan with zero bloodline limits, zero innate clan advantages, and zero tailed beasts, Kabuto had relied entirely on peerless intellect and scientific fanaticism to reach the realm of gods.
He had stood shoulder-to-shoulder with Obito and successfully waged war against the entire world.
As an enemy, a mind like that was a nightmare.
But as an ally?
A genius of that caliber was an invaluable asset.
Minato wanted to debrief him immediately.
He wanted to cross-reference Kabuto’s encyclopedic medical knowledge with his own theories on the Eight Inner Gates.
More importantly, Minato needed Kabuto to examine Obito.
Orochimaru and Kabuto understood the physiological mechanics of the Sharingan better than Tsunade, and arguably better than the Uchiha clan themselves.
In the future timeline, without ever reading the Uchiha Stone Tablet, Kabuto and Orochimaru had successfully deduced that the ultimate evolution of the Sharingan was the Rinnegan based purely on genetic data and biological extrapolation.
Their research had even shocked Madara Uchiha.
Having a scientific mind of that magnitude on their side was a massive tactical relief.
Minato leaned against the gate, waiting for the young spy to arrive.