The plan was to have Kakashi transplant Obito's eyes, become a Shinigami, and join the Seireitei. This would allow the research project on combining the Sharingan and a Zanpakuto to continue. If that failed, Sasuke was the backup plan.
This was the Seireitei's two-pronged approach.
From Naruto's perspective, the weak were not worth investing in. While Konoha appeared stable with Jiraiya and Tsunade at the helm, it was producing fewer and fewer geniuses. Aside from Kakashi and Sasuke, there were almost no other standout talents.
On one hand, Naruto didn't want Konoha to be too weak. An opponent that was too weak couldn't possibly entertain him. On the other hand, he didn't want to see promising talents go to waste in Konoha. Coupled with Orochimaru's own interest in the Sharingan, the decision was made to send him to the Leaf.
As he had predicted, although Tsunade had a fiery temper, she understood that now was not the time to clash with the Seireitei. She could only swallow her pride and temporarily agree to their demands.
Naruto had other considerations as well. He hoped to use the Wood Release cells to awaken the Senju clan's Wood Style. He was intensely curious about the Kekkei Genkai known as the strongest of all. While Reiatsu was powerful, it was ultimately just one energy system. What Naruto truly wanted was to explore the combination of Kekkei Genkai and Reiatsu to find a power that transcended both.
Faced with Minato's invitation, Kakashi's mind went blank for a moment. Disbelief, suspicion, and even a faint glimmer of joy warred within him. At the very least, it proved that his teacher and his student had thought of him. They weren't completely heartless.
At the same time, he was shaken by the sheer scale of their ambition. No hidden village had ever dared to face the entire ninja world. The ruling villages, while they might yearn for peace, were ultimately driven by self-interest. Everyone had selfish desires.
From Kakashi's perspective, Naruto's ambition was undoubtedly fantastical, but it was also strangely alluring. He couldn't deny that, for a fleeting moment, his heart was moved.
But his loyalty to Konoha still held him in place. He couldn't abandon the village at a time like this.
Seeing his hesitation, Minato shook his head slightly and said softly, "Did you know that Konoha's White Fang died because of Konoha?"
At his words, Kakashi's world trembled. His fists clenched unconsciously.
"Back then, the White Fang's accomplishments were so great they threatened the authority of the higher-ups. So, the village leadership spread rumors, intending only to suppress him a little. They never expected it would lead directly to his death, and to Konoha's decline," Minato said in a perfectly calm voice.
"You should have seen it over the years. Konoha has produced almost no new generation of Kage-level shinobi. The few that did appear either died or left."
"I understand your desire to protect, but forgive me for being blunt: without sufficient power, your protection is worthless," Minato criticized him mercilessly. "It would take me only a second to kill you. Perhaps not even that long."
"Do you still think your Will of Fire has any value?"
Kakashi's expression turned to one of sorrow. Did he know these things? Did he truly not know? He wasn't a fool; of course, he'd had his suspicions. Now, all of that darkness was being laid bare before him.
But he still made one last struggle. "I believe in Lady Tsunade and Lord Jiraiya."
"You're thinking too small. Your perspective is too narrow," Minato said with a light laugh, patting Kakashi's shoulder. "You possess terrifying potential, but since Obito's death, ask yourself, has your strength grown at all? Very little, I imagine."
"Kakashi, you need to remember this: the Seireitei is inviting you not because we are moved by your will or your potential, but simply because we don't wish to see a promising genius fall into mediocrity."
"You heard me right. In our eyes, possessing talent but confining yourself to this tiny world is mediocrity."
"Your talent was meant to shine brightly!"
"Wake up. You should be fighting for true peace!"
"War is painful, but a war with a clear purpose is filled with meaning."
"It's time to awaken! Let's fight together, for the sake of the entire ninja world!!"
Kakashi didn't know how he left that space.
When dawn broke, he finally woke up, walking through the streets in a daze.
"Peace?" Kakashi murmured to himself.
Thinking back, his younger self had been proud, arrogant, and full of life. His current self...
Kakashi looked at his reflection in the surface of a lake. The man staring back was as listless as a shut-in. When had he lost his spirit?
"Morning, Kakashi. Admiring yourself so early?" The Fourth's voice came from behind him.
Kakashi turned to see Minato with a perfect smile on his face. "Did you sleep well?"
Hearing the concerned inquiry, Kakashi nodded numbly.
"Good to hear." Minato slung an arm around Kakashi's shoulder, just like he used to. The gesture was painfully nostalgic. "Come on, let's go watch Obito's interrogation. I'm looking forward to it," Minato said with a smile.
"Obito?!" A light flickered in Kakashi's dull eyes, and he looked at Minato in disbelief. Obito was Minato's student, after all. How could he speak of him in such a casual tone?
"Obito was the main culprit behind the Nine-Tails attack. Do you think a man who disregards all bonds of friendship deserves to be forgiven?" Minato's voice turned cold.
"The Nine-Tails attack?!" Kakashi's face was a mask of disbelief.
"Stop clinging to your foolish kindness. Wake up, Kakashi. This world has rotted," Minato's tone grew even colder. "Let's go. We'll go see Obito, and you'll understand soon enough." Minato called for Orochimaru and urged Kakashi to follow.
"I need to ask the Hokage for permission."
"Permission for what? She won't dare to refuse," Orochimaru said with a raspy laugh.
In the end, Kakashi did request permission from Tsunade. Once it was granted, they made their way to the dungeon where Obito was being held. The air was damp and muddy.
Obito was chained in the deepest part of the cell. He was covered in filth, his body a canvas of wounds. His limbs had been amputated, turning him into a human stump. After all, Obito was still a Kage-level shinobi, and Konoha had taken every precaution.
"Obito," Kakashi whispered, his heart twisting as he saw his friend's miserable state.
"He released the Nine-Tails and tried to destroy Konoha. Uchiha Obito's crimes are worthy of death. Slicing him up for research is his way of atoning. Interesting. It seems Konoha has broadened its horizons," Orochimaru chuckled. "If I'm not mistaken, Tsunade will be begging me to help with the research soon enough."
Faced with reality, Konoha was forced to change, and Tsunade was forced to change with it.
Orochimaru then looked at Kakashi. "Seeing your best friend's fate, what are your thoughts?"
Obito, who had been unconscious from the pain, stirred. In his delirium, he thought he heard Kakashi's voice. He lifted his head, his empty, sunken eye sockets facing the entrance. "Is that you, Kakashi?"
"It's me," Kakashi sighed.
"Hehehe, have you come to see my pathetic end as well?" Obito laughed miserably.
"I just want to know why you became like this," Kakashi said, shaking his head.
"Why?" A mocking smile twisted Obito's lips. "Haven't you figured it out yet?"
"This world is sick! Rin shouldn't have died!! Because of you, because of this world, she's dead!! The old Obito died with her! The Obito that exists now lives only for Rin! I hate this ninja world! I will tear it all down and create a world where Rin exists!!"
After prolonged torture, Obito's mind was on the verge of collapse. He roared like a cornered beast.
"You can't stop me!! Not Uzumaki Naruto, not any of you!! My plan is already in motion! No one can stop it! Just you wait! You'd better kill me, or you will experience a terror that will tear your hearts apart!!!"
"You're just a human stump now," Minato remarked, the corner of his mouth twitching.
"See? He's completely insane," Orochimaru stated flatly.
"For Rin?" Kakashi stood there, lost.
Rin... he had killed her with his own hands.
Minato shook his head, his tone becoming stern. "Using love to justify his evil deeds. If Rin were alive, she would be in agony. Because her death created a monster."
The words struck Kakashi like a bolt of lightning.
That's right.
Because of love, Obito had unsealed the Nine-Tails, leading to the deaths of the Fourth Hokage and his wife. Obito's love for Rin was certainly respectable, but he had completely disregarded all his past friendships.
In his heart, what was he to him? What was anyone?
Obito had completely changed.
He looked at the human stump that was once Obito, a look of pity in his eyes. Perhaps, as Obito had said, this world was twisted and sick. When everyone changes, something must be wrong somewhere.
Kakashi looked at Minato and Orochimaru. Both of them watched Obito with perfectly calm expressions, as if they had seen through everything.
"Let's go. Our time is precious. We have no time to waste here."
Kakashi followed behind them, his mind suddenly feeling clear. Instead of protecting this small piece of land, perhaps it was better to change things from the root.
"Sensei, in the future... will you destroy Konoha?" Kakashi asked in a low voice.
Minato paused.
"We will not destroy for the sake of destruction. A revolution will inevitably have sacrifices, but we will do our best to keep them to a minimum."
Within Mount Myoboku.
Jiraiya's face was a picture of astonishment as he received the message. Orochimaru and Minato had come to Konoha, and they were even offering to help strengthen the village? No matter how he thought about it, it reeked of a conspiracy.
He immediately returned with Sasuke.
Seeing Minato's youthful face up close again, Jiraiya was filled with a complex mix of emotions. "Minato, you haven't changed at all."
"No, Sensei. I have changed," Minato replied with a gentle smile, his gaze falling on Sasuke. "You must be Uchiha Sasuke." It was a question, but his tone was certain.
"You're Naruto's father? Where is Naruto?" Sasuke asked, his tone aggressive.
"Quite spirited, aren't you? I never thought you'd take on an Uchiha as a student, Sensei Jiraiya." Minato withdrew his gaze and chuckled.
"The Uchiha are a clan of Konoha. Why shouldn't I?" Jiraiya's tone turned cold. "It is the two of you who have disappointed me greatly. Have you forgotten the true meaning of the Will of Fire?"
"The Will of Fire?" This time, it wasn't just Orochimaru; even Minato looked disdainful. "It is precisely because we saw the Will of Fire for what it truly is that we chose to leave."
"In the past, the Will of Fire built Konoha. It was great, and it was worthy of respect."
"But..."
"The times are changing, and politics are evolving..." Minato clasped his hands behind his back and looked toward the Hokage Rock. The face of the Fourth Hokage was gone. Konoha would not allow a traitor to be honored as a Hokage. Once, Minato had been Konoha's pride. Now, he was its shame.
"In the past, the First Hokage created Konoha, and the purpose of the Will of Fire was to compel strong ninja to protect the next generation, to protect the villagers. The intention was for everyone to see Konoha as one big, harmonious family."
"But as the clans became more entrenched, the Will of Fire changed. The clans and the higher-ups monopolized most of the resources. They protected their own clans, leaving commoners with few opportunities. Occasionally, a talented commoner ninja would emerge, but they would be forced to choose a side. One wrong choice, and they would be doomed."
"You can't be unaware of these things, can you?"
Minato's words sent both Sasuke and Kakashi into deep thought. Sasuke had never considered such issues before. It was only after the Uchiha clan was massacred, and their assets were confiscated by the Third Hokage under the pretext of "temporary safekeeping," that he realized how terrifying the clans' monopoly on jutsu was. All of his clan's advanced Fire Style jutsu had been taken away, leaving only the basic ones. And they had the gall to say, "You're still too young." To learn his own clan's advanced jutsu, he had to file an application, go through layers of approval, and only then might he get a copy, which had to be returned by a specific date.
The question was, didn't those jutsu belong to the Uchiha? Sasuke had long been dissatisfied with this. And now, he understood. The powerful and noble of Konoha would always be at the top, enjoying all the benefits.
"That's not true. Now that Tsunade is in charge, Konoha will change," Jiraiya said firmly, unlike the pensive Kakashi and Sasuke. "I believe in Konoha, and I believe in Tsunade."
"Then will Konoha allow commoners to enjoy the same treatment as the great clans? Are those clans willing to share all their jutsu?" Orochimaru shot back.
Jiraiya was speechless. People were selfish. The clans had always enjoyed a higher status and better treatment. How could they be willing to give that up?
"That is our purpose. We will start a revolution across the entire ninja world," Minato continued. "The Will of Fire has grown old. A new will shall be born."
"We will bring true fairness, true justice, and true peace to the ninja world."
"But before that, we will sweep away all obstacles."
Minato's words once again impressed upon Jiraiya the sheer madness of the Seireitei. At the same time, he began to believe them. Their purpose in coming to Konoha truly might be to strengthen it. What arrogant confidence.
The brief conversation ended. The group then discussed the details of their cooperation. Konoha could use Orochimaru and the Fourth's names to deter the other villages and gain access to Orochimaru's research. However, Orochimaru had to be involved in the entire research process.
"Our only goal is to study the Sharingan and Reiatsu. You get Kage-level shinobi, and we get research data. It's a win-win."
"To us, even if Konoha produces a shinobi who surpasses the Kage level, it poses no threat. After all, in our eyes, you are currently no different from ants."
Orochimaru's words were infuriating, but they were also the helpless reality.
Orochimaru looked at Sasuke and said flatly, "I will take you as my student and teach you how to master your power. At the same time, you will have the chance to become a Shinigami."
"A Shinigami? Is that the power Naruto has?" Sasuke's eyes lit up.
"Correct," Orochimaru nodded. "The power of the Sharingan is too limited. Only by learning to use Reiatsu will you have a chance to catch up to Naruto."
"We are very interested in the combination of the Sharingan and Reiatsu, so becoming my student also means becoming a test subject. There is a certain risk of death," Orochimaru said, not hiding anything.
To Konoha, Orochimaru was a traitor who desecrated human bodies. But he was no hypocrite. He stated his purpose clearly, informed Sasuke of the risks, and left the decision to him. How could one hate such a villain?
Ignoring Jiraiya's protests, Sasuke nodded without hesitation. "Please teach me, Orochimaru... sensei!!"
He then turned to Jiraiya, his expression sincere. "Sensei Jiraiya, you know that even if I learn Sage Mode, I can't possibly defeat Naruto! I have to try the power of a Shinigami! Please!!"
"You... sigh." Although Jiraiya was reluctant, he couldn't interfere with Sasuke's decision and could only agree.
"Then it seems we'll be living together again," Orochimaru said, looking at Jiraiya with amusement.
The latter looked dazed. They were enemies, yet they were about to teach the same student. The feeling was strangely fascinating.