In the break room, Obito was sobbing uncontrollably in Rin's arms.
Neither of them realized that outside the room, several figures had long been hiding, eavesdropping and peeking. Seeing Obito receiving Rin's comfort and crying freely as he rarely did, Kushina, as a mother, was deeply affected by the atmosphere.
Unconsciously, tears streamed down her face, and she sadly murmured, "They're all good kids! Rin is the sweetest, and Obito, he was also tricked so cruelly..."
"I know, they are all victims of war."
Minato hugged the distressed Kushina and whispered in agreement.
"It's all that vile Black Zetsu's fault, and that world war... if it weren't for them, poor Rin wouldn't have sacrificed herself."
"Hm! It's all their fault, and it's also my fault for not being able to protect the village and my students!"
"Minato, I don't blame you. You did your best, it's just that..."
"I know. It's okay, I'll fix everything soon. As long as there are no more cruel wars in this world, everything will be fine. I'll make Naruto and Sasuke grow up happily! Trust me..."
Minato looked at Kushina, clasped her hands, and solemnly promised.
The current him, after experiencing so much, no longer resisted the idea of unifying the world; in fact, he was working towards it!
"Mm, I trust you!"
"Kushina..."
"Minato..."
The two were once again in sync, gazing at each other and calling out affectionately, their gazes almost sticky...
"Ahem—!"
Kakashi cleared his throat slightly awkwardly. Although his presence was minimal, he couldn't be ignored indefinitely!
After all, teacher and teacher's wife, can you two flirt somewhere else next time?
Clearly, young Kakashi, who was currently unaffected by adult novels and only thought about his comrades and strength, was completely uninterested in such nonsensical romantic love stories...
Minato snapped back to reality, awkwardly scratching his head.
Remembering that it wasn't good to teach inappropriate experiences to children in front of his student, he quickly changed the subject.
"It seems Obito's emotional issues should have been resolved by Rin. Next, we don't need to worry too much."
"Sensei, then what should I do? C-can I see them?"
Kakashi had tried his best to restrain himself from bursting in and reuniting with Obito and Rin.
Although Obito had been secretly brought back to Konoha Village a long time ago, due to the special circumstances, Kakashi had been unaware of it all this time.
Obviously, after learning the truth from Minato this time, Kakashi, as Obito's close friend, almost exploded from holding back.
Now he was relying entirely on willpower, and especially because Minato was restraining him.
"Of course you can. After Obito stops crying, you can go in."
"You three have always had a very good relationship; you should reunite. Besides, the next mission also requires you and Obito to complete it together."
Kakashi suppressed his excitement and immediately asked, "What mission?"
"Obito needs to escape Konoha, then trick White Zetsu into taking the Rinnegan. But making Obito escape Konoha naturally and gaining the trust of White Zetsu's main body is not easy."
"So, I'm needed?"
"That's right. You need to pretend to be a hostage. [For example, when you visit Obito, you are ambushed and taken hostage by him, and then Obito uses you as a threat to successfully escape from Konoha Village]. This method will definitely be much more reasonable. You don't need to completely deceive White Zetsu, just reduce its vigilance and give Obito an opportunity."
Minato explained the details of the plan.
White Zetsu isn't entirely foolish; even if Obito could fake an escape, White Zetsu's main body, which holds the Rinnegan, would definitely not appear immediately. It would most likely send other body parts to approach and test.
At that time, without a reasonable reason and a hostage as a witness, it would be impossible to gain White Zetsu's initial trust, let alone find the location of its main body.
This was also a plan discussed by the new generation of Konoha's higher-ups.
Minato and Orochimaru wouldn't be as foolish as the previous generation of Konoha's higher-ups; before formulating a plan, they had thoroughly considered various issues.
"I understand, so I just need to pretend to be Obito's captive. This is my specialty, I'll complete this mission perfectly!"
The excited Kakashi immediately promised.
Actually, any mission wasn't important; what mattered was that he could work with Obito again to protect the village. This was what Kakashi had always dreamed of!
"Alright, Kushina and I won't disturb your reunion. We'll go first."
Minato patted Kakashi's head, encouraging him, then, together with Kushina, used the Hiraishin no Jutsu and disappeared.
And Kakashi, without stopping for a second, immediately pushed the door open and rushed into the room, giving Obito, who was still crying, no chance to maintain his dignity.
Soon, sounds of commotion were heard from the break room...
◆━⊰✧⊱━◆
On the other side.
Minato and Kushina also immediately returned home and quickly picked up Naruto, who was crying again.
However, Kushina currently looked very happy.
"Hahaha, Minato, did you hear that? Little Obito's crying voice is exactly the same as before!"
"Yes! Deep down, that child never changed, it's just that darkness once completely covered him. It was truly Rin who could pierce through his darkness..."
"That's right, that's right, love is the strongest power, isn't it? Like you always ramble about!"
"Love isn't the strongest power, but it's definitely a boundless power!"
Minato was also in a good mood, answering cheerfully.
"Bleee... always saying such nonsense. But Obito likes Rin, Rin likes Kakashi, and Kakashi... if those three continue like this, wouldn't it be strange? Should we..."
Kushina shook her head, worried and excited.
"What can we do? This kind of problem can only be left to them to resolve."
"You're right."
"Now! There's one more thing."
"Minato, can we find a way to revive Rin?"
Minato was stunned but still nodded earnestly:
"I-I'll do my best!"
"Hehehe, I knew my darling is the best!"
Kushina kissed Minato's cheek briefly, praising him joyfully.
"And the way Rin comforted Obito just now, it was truly heartwarming! It felt full of maternal love! She'll definitely be a very gentle mother in the future. Truly enviable!"
"By the way, who will my future daughter-in-law be? That child named Sakura?"
"Will she support and heal a struggling Naruto with all her heart?"
Minato shook his head: "I don't know either..."
"Will she be with Naruto in the future? What about Naruto's marriage?"
"It's still far away, and I also don't know when it will begin..."
"Then, can we go?" Kushina asked very enthusiastically, her eyes sparkling like stars, clearly showing her excitement and hope.
"Probably..."
"Hooray! I definitely want to meet future Naruto, they are all my beloved children too!" Kushina, whose maternal instincts were increasingly apparent, urged further.