Chapter 92: Lord Madara Wants to Drink old platinum
Land of Fire, Konoha Village.
Senju Clan Compound.
Ever since Lady Mito passed away, the already-quiet Senju compound became even more desolate.
But because the Second Shinobi War ended so quickly, the compound had not yet dwindled to just Tsunade as in the original story.
A handful of families still clung to the Senju name and refused to abandon it.
They remained inside the compound, waiting for the next clan head—Senju Nawaki—to grow up.
Waiting for the day he became strong enough to lead the Senju back to their former glory.
Sure enough, even at ten in the evening the head's house was still lit; clearly he was training hard.
That sight warmed the hearts of the few remaining Senju clansmen.
Lord Nawaki truly is diligent and hardworking.
As for why none of them guessed it might be Tsunade training…
Hah! Since when do gambling addicts train?
Hey, hey, look away, look away; the old gambling addict's back from losing money.
"Nawaki, why are you still in the courtyard?"
Having just lost her money, Tsunade pushed open the gate and saw her little brother sitting alone in the garden, gazing up at the sky.
Hearing her voice, the boy in the garden didn't answer his sister's question.
"Alas—what is love in this world?"
Tsunade: "?"
"Alas—so the fallen petal yearns to follow the flowing water, yet the water has no wish to remember the petal!"
Tsunade: "??"
"Sis! When the moon's this round, is it just as round everywhere else?"
Tsunade: "???"
"Spill it—who's the unlucky girl this time?"
"What do you mean! What kind of talk is that! What's this 'again'! Am I really that sort of guy, Nawaki?"
The aloof act collapsed the instant Tsunade spoke; Nawaki jumped up and yelled at his sister.
Facing her furious little brother, Tsunade only answered with…
"Hah!"
"Sis! Am I really your own brother?"
"Of course. That's exactly why I'm not falling for your tricks."
Realizing his ploy had failed, Nawaki dropped all pretense, lunged forward, and hugged Tsunade's leg, bawling his eyes out.
"Sis, I've had my heart broken!"
Tsunade showed no sympathy for his heart-rending sobs—only disgust.
"Ugh—get off, get off! You're wiping your snot on my leg!"
With that she punched him on the head.
"Ouch!"
Clutching his head, Nawaki was kicked aside by his sister.
"Cut the drama. Which girl do you want me to look into this time?"
"Heh-heh, Sis, I knew you're the best."
Picking himself up, Nawaki grinned from ear to ear the moment Tsunade relented.
"Sis, remember the new blonde nurse at the orphanage I told you about? She hasn't shown up for months—could you check for me?"
"That's it?"
"That's it."
"Got it."
"All right—Sis, you're the greatest. Take it easy on your way out!"
After seeing Tsunade back inside, Nawaki returned to his room perfectly satisfied.
He had no idea that, behind a pillar in the garden, a white head had watched the whole scene.
"Oh dear, how did I end up in the Senju compound?"
The visitor was none other than Obito.
After leaving the Kazekage Tower, Obito had used the Mayfly Technique to slip into Konoha, but he'd taken a wrong turn and wound up here—just in time to witness the drama.
"Now, where's the Root base? Oh well, might as well look around."
With that he prepared to dive back underground and head elsewhere.
But just then a hand shot out behind him, grabbed the scruff of his neck, and stopped him from sinking into the earth.
Obito felt the grip on his neck; certain he'd been discovered, he froze—until a familiar voice spoke.
"What are you doing here?"
Recognizing the voice, Obito relaxed and turned his head to see a White Zetsu holding him by the neck.
This Zetsu had pitcher-plant leaves on each shoulder shielding its head, and stranger still, its body was half black, half white.
It was unmistakably the White Zetsu original and the Filial-Piety Duo.
The black half had been the one speaking.
Not long before, Black Zetsu had been in the Uchiha compound carefully screening candidates to speak for Madara when he suddenly sensed Obito's presence and rushed over—arriving just in time to grab the escaping nuisance by the neck.
"Phew, you scared me—I thought I'd been spotted. So it's you, Black Zetsu. Next time don't sneak up on me; you'll scare a Zetsu to death."
Black Zetsu: "..."
[This idiot… why did Madara create such an idiot?]
"So why are you here?"
Black Zetsu's question came again.
"Huh? Didn't I just say?"
Black Zetsu: "..."
"Alright, alright, I'll say it again—Lord Madara wants to drink old platinum."
"?"
"What the heck is old platinum?"
"Oh, explaining it to you guys is pointless; it's a tonic good for Lord Madara's body—three milliliters cost almost a thousand ryō!"
"Hiss—" Both Black Zetsu and the white original gasped at the price.
"Three milliliters for a thousand ryō… then this old platinum really must be precious."
"But what does that have to do with you coming to Konoha—does this stuff happen to be here, inside the Senju compound?"
"Nope. old platinum is produced in Hidden Sand's labs."
"Then why are you here?"
"I'm broke, so I took an intel job. First time in Konoha—took a wrong turn."
Black Zetsu: "..."
"So what's the mission?"
"Find out how Root decodes its spy messages."
"That's it?"
"That's it."
"Fine. Wait here—I'll fetch it for you."
With that, both he and the white original sank into the ground.
But just to be safe, before disappearing completely Black Zetsu warned him,
"Stay put. Don't wander off."
"Tch—stay, stay."
Obito sat cross-legged on the ground, chin in hand, and drifted into a daze.
His thoughts soon turned to poop.
"Hey, Nawaki's Hashirama's grandson—would his poop have special effects on plants?"
"Whatever, I'll go look. Not like I'm leaving the Senju compound."
"Heh-heh-heh…"
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