Chapter 328: Obito Caught Tossing Flowers!
Haneda stood silently before the memorial stone, Obito's words lingering in his mind.
"One day," he said softly, gazing up at the serene moonlight illuminating the night sky, "we'll bring Obito back, no matter where he is."
Kakashi hesitated, his thoughts tangled with Obito's indifference to life and his complex feelings toward him. The question of whether it was possible to bring him back loomed large.
It had been years since they had last truly seen Obito. In that time, he had transformed, controlling the Mizukage and ruling Kirigakure from the shadows.
"Can we really?" Kakashi finally asked, his voice filled with doubt.
Haneda's gaze didn't waver. "We can."
His answer was resolute. The Byakugan newly implanted in his arm was already being assimilated by the power of his Rinnegan prototype, the Senrigan. Once he reached the moon, Haneda would test whether he could integrate the Tenseigan into his body.
The Tenseigan would pave the way for him to awaken the Rinnegan. And with the Rinnegan in his grasp, Haneda would have the power to bring peace to the world—not through fear, but through negotiation.
He planned to let Obito see the truth about Infinite Tsukuyomi, exposing the deception of Black Zetsu. In the Fourth Shinobi World War, Haneda would unite all nations under one banner, proving to Obito that the future he dismissed as impossible could indeed exist.
By forging bonds between once-bitter enemies, Haneda would demonstrate the ultimate jutsu: The Allied Shinobi Forces Technique.
The idea of turning enemies into trusted allies was the antithesis of Obito's philosophy, and Haneda was certain the sight would leave him awestruck.
After leaving the memorial stone, Haneda and Kakashi found a newly opened restaurant for dinner. As they walked away from the establishment, Obito emerged from behind a nearby tree.
Dressed in his Akatsuki robe and signature yellow tiger-striped mask, Obito approached the memorial stone. Despite his current allegiance to the Akatsuki, his movements carried an air of familiarity.
Obito stood before Rin's grave, gazing at the freshly placed flowers Haneda and Kakashi had left. He recalled Kakashi's earlier words, spoken in Haneda's presence, and hesitated for a moment before yanking the flowers from the vase and tossing them aside with a sharp flick of his wrist.
Suddenly, Obito noticed he was being watched. Out of the corner of his eye, he caught sight of Haneda's wood clone perched openly on a nearby tree.
Pretending not to see the clone, Obito continued his act as if reciting lines from a play:
"Power that cannot protect what truly matters—what's the point of it?"
Haneda's clone couldn't hold back a chuckle. The sound nearly broke Obito's composure, but he pressed on, maintaining his stoic demeanor.
With deliberate gravity, he added, "In eight years, the Three-Tails will revive. By then, I'll lead the Akatsuki to gather all the Tailed Beasts. The real Madara will also step forward."
"I will create a world with Rin, Haneda, and Kakashi—a perfect world. Nothing you do, even keeping the One-Tails and Nine-Tails by your side, will stop me."
As he spoke, a spiraling vortex of space-time formed at his right eye. Without glancing back, Obito vanished into the swirling distortion.
The wood clone dissolved shortly after, its mission complete.
…
Meanwhile, in the private dining room of the restaurant, Haneda paused mid-meal. His chopsticks hovered in the air, and his expression grew thoughtful.
Kakashi noticed and asked, "What is it?"
Haneda's lips curled into a mysterious smile. "I just got some good news… and some bad news. Which one do you want first?"
Kakashi thought for a moment. "Bad news first. That way, the good news will cheer me up afterward."
Haneda put down his chopsticks and said, "Your flowers got tossed."
Kakashi sighed, already suspecting the culprit. "Obito again?"
Haneda nodded.
"Alright," Kakashi said with a resigned chuckle. "Tell me the good news, then."
Haneda grinned mischievously. "He didn't throw mine."
Kakashi's eye twitched. "That's your idea of good news?"
Haneda's expression betrayed his amusement, and Kakashi couldn't help but feel exasperated. "You're really enjoying this, aren't you?"
"Absolutely," Haneda replied with a laugh, savoring the moment.
As they ate, Haneda mulled over Obito's parting words.
The Three-Tails would revive in eight years. By then, the Akatsuki would begin their hunt for the Tailed Beasts, with Haneda and Konoha as their primary targets. After all, Haneda had brought Gaara—the One-Tails' Jinchūriki—to Konoha.
Obito's mention of "the real Madara" was undoubtedly a reference to Black Zetsu. However, the elusive entity had been strangely quiet. Despite Haneda's extensive intelligence network as both Hokage and head of the Fire Nation, no trace of Black Zetsu had been found.
Haneda couldn't shake his wariness of Black Zetsu. Even with his current power—arguably the strongest below Six Paths level—he was cautious about making any moves to unify the world too soon. Black Zetsu was one of the two key reasons for his hesitation.
Yet Obito's revelation about the Three-Tails' revival timeline gave Haneda a clear window of preparation: eight years. That coincided perfectly with his two five-year plans.
Haneda chuckled softly to himself. It seemed Obito, despite everything, still wanted to see the future he was building—a world of progress and unity.
After finishing dinner, Haneda visited the Hokage's office to check in with Shikaku on the progress of the first five-year plan.
By introducing hybrid rice and high-yield, cold-resistant wheat earlier that year, they had effectively eradicated hunger across most of the Fire Nation. By the end of the year, nearly everyone in the country would have access to sufficient food.
Additionally, surplus agricultural produce was being exported to allied nations like the Land of Rain, the Land of Bears, and the Land of Waves, strengthening ties and generating revenue.
However, there remained a small segment of the population—those with disabilities, chronic illnesses, or intellectual challenges—who were unable to work and thus struggled to sustain themselves.
"These cases are unavoidable," Haneda mused. "We can only use targeted welfare programs to support them for now."
Although the state could theoretically provide for everyone, Haneda understood the risks of creating a culture of dependency. If people saw others living comfortably without contributing, it could breed resentment and laziness.
"I'll have to address this through education first," Haneda concluded. "Once we raise the average educational level, we can gradually improve conditions for the most vulnerable."
Looking ahead, Haneda planned to work with Orochimaru on developing another high-yield crop: corn. It would serve as a key ingredient for industrialized livestock farming, enabling large-scale production of meat, milk, and other animal products.
He also made a mental note to bring up the issue of train noise with Orochimaru while he was at it.
With his shadow clone dispatched to coordinate with Orochimaru, Haneda's main body teleported to the moon, ready to test the integration of the Tenseigan.
…
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