“So how did the meeting with the Hyuga turn out?” Minato asked as he took a ramen bowl that Kushina had prepared into his hands.
Kazuo himself was slurping down the noodles before stopping and turning toward Minato.
“Oh right, I almost forgot to tell you Minato sensei.” His voice was clearly fake as he said in excitement.
‘What did this guy do!’ Minato immediately thought as his posture straightened whilst looking at Kazuo. A bad premotion already in his mind.
Kazuo just gave him what one would call a devilish smile before turning to face everyone and saying in a happy voice.
“I invite everyone to my wedding, though I don't know the date exactly yet.”
It was like a bomb that had detonated right in the middle of the living room.
The bowl in Minato’s and Kushina’s hands fell and immediately shattered.
“What!!” Obito and Rin practically screamed whilst Kakashi’s eyes had significantly widened.
“Wedding!” Obito stuttered as he looked at Kazuo with his mouth hanging open.
“Yeah, things turned that way, so I’m going to finally get a surname soon, Kazuo Hyuga, sounds nice right?”
“What do you mean sounds right? You’re too young!” Kushina immediately said as she walked to Kazuo and practically shook his organs out.
“Kazuo, this isn’t a joke right?”
Kushina stopped shaking him angrily for a moment.
“No, and can you stop shaking me Kushina san, I feel like im going to die.”
At his words, Kushina removed her hands however her gaze was anything but calm.
“Was this your decision or were you coerced Kazuo," Minato asked his voice growing colder as he looked at his student.
“It was my decision Sensei, and I don't plan on turning back against it. It’s another way for me to get a safer position in the Hidden Leaf, of course even with me becoming an honorary Hyuga, I’m still not going to be perfectly safe but it’ll be much easier. At the same time, I added some conditions to the deal.” Kazuo said as he released a sigh.
“I could have protected you just fine Kazuo,” Minato replied, his voice losing its tension and instead growing almost resigned.
“You could Minato sensei however I don't want to rely on you too much, I’ve already leeched off of you enough as it is,” Kazuo replied, his tone of voice sounding apologetic.
‘Of course, you’re going to protect me damn it.’ Kazuo thought to himself as he stared at Minato, his facial expression contorted so that he would give out a feeble and pity-worthy look.
Hearing his words, Minato released a sigh of relief.
“I’m close enough with the Hyuga Patriarch, I’ll make sure that they treat you well,” Minato replied before asking.
“So who’s going to be your partner?”
At Minato’s question, everyone’s ears perked up.
It felt like a heavy weight slammed onto their heads once more.
“You don't??” Obito almost screamed again in shock.
“No, though Hizashi san told me that it will likely be someone from the main Hyuga branch.”
“That’s good,” Minato replied as he gave a nod.
“Anyway, help me out with this part Kushina sensei.”
Kushina didn’t reply for a few moments before turning to look at what part of the seal was confusing Kazuo.
‘A kid getting married before me.’ Kushina thought as she felt like crying tears of blood.
Meanwhile hundreds of kilometers away, inside a completely sealed cave.
The insides were completely dark with no light to be found anywhere.
It gave off a completely eerie feeling, even the smell inside could only be understood as the smell of decay and death.
Inside this sealed underground cave was a small wooden bed as well as what looked like a large wooden chair with huge tubes coming out from behind it.
Sitting on this large wooden chair that almost resembled a throne almost, was an old man with spiky long white hair.
“What do you plan to do now?” A voice was heard from the other side of the cave.
It was a human-like being however when looked at from a closer distance, it was anything but human.
Half of its body was completely white with green hair and a yellowish green eye whilst the other half was completely black with the same green hair however its eye was completely round with a dark yellow color.
“The plan doesn’t change much, we only have to guide Nagato better.” The old man said, his voice deep and raspy, making it feel as if the old man was on the verge of death. The tubes behind him weren't actually connected to the chair he was sitting on.
They were connected to him instead, creating a horrific image.
“I see, well then I guess the plan continues.” The human-like monster replied.
“Bring him to me by tomorrow, I’ll plant a genjutsu on him. You know how to turn him toward the darkness yourself Zetsu.”
“Of course Madara-sama.” That being said, before its figure slowly disappeared as it merged with the cave wall behind it.
The old man was Madara Uchiha, the greatest Uchiha to ever grace the earth that shinobi walked on.
A man who had been so powerful once upon a time that he had been called a god.
He however had lost almost all of his strength and now relied only on these tubes connected to his body to maintain the feeble flame that had become his life.
‘Kazuo huh…’ Madara thought, his only eye, a three tomoe sharingan starting to whirl for the first time in what felt like years.
The person in the shinobi god's thoughts however was currently being berated and beaten up by a red-haired woman whilst thinking whether he should give said woman an existential crisis.
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Here's the chapter, I announced this on and discord but I'll say it here as well, since I've finished some of the stuff Irl that I was preoccupied with, I can finally start releasing daily chapters again, so you can expect them for the next two weeks at least.
If you want to read ahead of public and help support me further then check out my at:
As always, Lots of Love!