"Then let's begin, Naruto, Sakura-sama, Yamato, Sai. After this, I'll leave it to you all."
Tsunade spoke again with a serious expression to the four.
"Relax, Grandma Tsunade! I'll definitely make everyone as awesome as me! Hehe…" Naruto laughed proudly.
"Rest assured, Tsunade-sama, we'll do our absolute best." Yamato added.
"Alright, now split into four groups and follow these four instructors to learn."
After Tsunade finished, the crowd moved, lining up in front of the quartet.
Many were thinking and observing, but they saw a surprising sight.
Tsunade, who had been beside Naruto, slowly walked toward their group, standing in front of him.
Alongside her were Kakashi and Shikaku.
"Tsunade-sama, Kakashi-sensei, you're…?" Ino asked, shocked.
"Learning Martial Arts, just like you. I told you how powerful Martial Arts are—how could I not learn?" Tsunade raised an eyebrow.
"So… even Tsunade-sama is learning… Is Martial Arts really that amazing?"
The crowd's shock deepened, their interest in Martial Arts surging dramatically.
Naruto, Sakura, Yamato, and Sai each took on many students.
They began channeling true energy seeds into everyone's bodies, recalling the teachings of Imperial Iruka, and started instructing them.
◆━⊰✧⊱━◆
A few days later.
Outside Konoha's walls, a loud shout echoed:
"Let's train hard in Martial Arts together for a brighter future for Konoha!"
"Spirit! Everyone, let's go!"
Occasionally, people leaving Konoha could see Naruto, Sakura, Yamato, Sai, their Hokage Senju Tsunade, and a group of Jonin, elite Chunin, and Genin running with all their might.
Among them were three odd figures, running with both hands on the ground!
They were Konoha's Blue Beast Might Guy and his student Rock Lee!
The third was an unremarkable-looking man with an exceptionally sturdy build.
Their shouts were the loudest.
"Blazing! Youth! Burning! Spirit! Boiling! True energy! Oooooooh!"
"Guy-sensei! Tang-nii! Let's go all out together!"
"Guy-senpai! Lee! Let's strive together! Surpass everyone! We can't let youth and spirit down!"
On a tree branch not far away.
Imperial Neji watched the lively scene below with an expressionless face, the corner of his eye twitching.
"That Lee… can't he let go of Might Guy and himself in this world? Just strangers from another world… hmph!"
"For intelligence-gathering, I can't rely on that guy. With his brain and taijutsu, he's not suited for it. Let him be for now, but Obito…"
Imperial Neji grumbled irritably, his figure flickering and vanishing.
◆━⊰✧⊱━◆
Konoha Cemetery.
In front of Nohara Rin's grave.
Imperial Obito sat cross-legged on the ground, holding a wildflower, plucking petals one by one, muttering:
"Loves me, loves Kakashi, loves me, loves Kakashi… loves me, loves Kakashi! Damn it! This doesn't count! Again! Rin in this world! No way she loves Kakashi! She died because of him! Absolutely impossible! Gotta redo it!"
Imperial Obito plucked the last petal, looking frustrated. He crushed the flower stem, picked another, and started counting again.
He was so absorbed he didn't notice another figure behind him.
"Doing this every day here?"
The voice carried a hint of scorn.
"!"
Hearing it, Imperial Obito's cheeks flushed. He frantically tossed the flower away.
"N-No! I was just, uh, these flowers here are blooming so nicely…"
"Hmph! You! Replacing Itachi to come to this world, and you've just been hiding like a coward? Have you forgotten our mission here?"
Imperial Neji growled lowly, his expression slightly cold.
"N-No… how could I forget." Imperial Obito lowered his head slightly.
"Then why aren't you moving? What are you doing here? Or do you want to wait for the others to arrive and let them gather intel?" Imperial Neji snapped again.
Imperial Obito took a breath and said, "I… I understand."
After answering, he glanced back at Rin's grave, thinking:
'Rin in this world, wait for me. Once I finish the mission, I'll come back to keep you company.'
His figure twisted into a vortex and vanished.
"Pathetic Uchiha."
Imperial Neji whispered softly, his figure also disappearing.
◆━⊰✧⊱━◆
Several more days passed.
Imperial Obito stood in a narrow alley, his chest heaving.
These past few days, he'd been gathering intelligence.
But most of what he uncovered was about the Uchiha Clan. He wanted to dig up everything about them and the traitor Itachi, so he could later make that traitor despair even more.
But the more he investigated, the worse it got.
Imperial Obito's heart grew uneasy.
"Damn Uchiha Itachi! He even killed his childhood friend! Does he know what that means? If Rin and I had that kind of bond, I'd never lose to Kakashi!"
"Our kids would probably be as big as Mirai by now! Damn it! Damn it! Damn it! Not only destroying the Uchiha Clan but also not valuing a childhood friend's feelings! A beast like that! A monster! I can't forgive him!"
"No way! Letting him die at someone else's hands is too easy! I'll make him feel even more painful despair!"
Imperial Obito's eyes glowed red, and the next moment, he vanished without a trace.
Soon after, he found Tsunade, the Fifth Hokage.
Then, a piece of news began spreading like a storm across the ninja world.
The Uchiha Clan, aside from the traitor Uchiha Itachi and his brother Uchiha Sasuke, had a new Uchiha named Shuji!
This newly emerged Uchiha was said to have been hiding in the deep mountains and had recently returned to Konoha.
Upon learning of Uchiha Itachi's massacre of the Uchiha Clan, he cursed Itachi as a beast lower than pigs and dogs, vowing to take revenge and act on behalf of heaven to eliminate his foe!
◆━⊰✧⊱━◆
"Hey, hey, hey! Itachi-san, you heard that news?"
On a quiet forest path.
Kisame, with a strange smile, looked at his shorter companion, Itachi.
"…"
Itachi paused slightly.
"You mean that surviving Uchiha named Shuji?"
"Exactly. That guy's so arrogant, daring to curse Itachi-san as lower than pigs and dogs, wanting to kill you and all that. Really annoying. Should we…?"
Kisame gestured with his right hand across his throat.
"No need. He's just a remnant of the Uchiha, not worth our effort."
Itachi's expression showed no change.
"Itachi-san's so patient. If it were me, I'd have crushed that guy's head!" Kisame said finally, shaking Samehada on his back. The two continued walking in silence.