"Boom!"
A few kilometers outside Konoha Village, the air suddenly twisted, and a figure was abruptly flung out of it.
The figure hit the ground hard, kicking up a cloud of dust, and soon after, a one-armed silhouette emerged from the haze.
Clearly, these two were Uchiha Itachi and Obito, who had escaped from the Uchiha clan's territory! But Obito said nothing, quietly observing the half-dead, one-eyed Uchiha Itachi before him, his own expression dark.
He had to admit that he'd been careless this time. He'd completely misjudged the Uchiha clan's strength, and as a result, suffered a disastrous defeat! He truly hadn't expected that in just eight years, so much had changed within the Uchiha that it left him stunned.
Originally, he'd thought the Uchiha had only two pairs of Mangekyō—one belonging to that damn Shisui and the other to Itachi.
But the brutal reality was that the Uchiha had far more than two pairs of Mangekyō. Excluding Itachi, there were actually three more pairs!
Moreover, both of those Mangekyō were not easy to deal with—even Obito himself had felt he'd narrowly escaped with his life.
Shisui's Mangekyō was extremely troublesome, able to subtly influence him—although that hadn't been very effective, it would have been dangerous for anyone else.
It could also instantly rewrite his will, and he could clearly sense it being rewritten yet had no way to resist!
Faced with that, Uchiha Obito had been forced to use Izanagi to rewrite his own fate; otherwise, he would've been screwed.
Even Uchiha Fugaku's dōjutsu was genjutsu, and he was very good at exploiting openings.
Although he hadn't attacked often, he'd constantly analyzed Obito's moves.
By the end of the battle, even Obito had been hit by Fugaku!
Despite having Kamui, he'd still been struck, which was terrifying for Obito.
He was now genuinely annoyed—annoyed that Itachi hadn't done his homework on the Uchiha's capabilities, annoyed that Itachi hadn't warned him about Shisui's abilities.
He was even more annoyed that Itachi knew nothing about his own father's Mangekyō or about that dangerous Uchiha Yuhara!
That Uchiha Yuhara was especially dangerous; he also had some kind of space-time ability, and it was he who'd severed Obito's arm.
Although the Body Flicker technique sometimes looked similar to space-time techniques, Obito, as a true master of space-time abilities, would never mistake the difference.
What he didn't know yet was whether that guy's space-time technique was a dōjutsu or a special ninjutsu.
In a foul mood, Obito didn't bother sugar-coating his words. He looked at Itachi with cold eyes and said flatly.
"Mission failed. I'm really disappointed in you. Did you even bother with the most basic intelligence gathering, or what?"
"It's my fault."
Uchiha Itachi, covering his bleeding chest with one hand and closing one eye, stood up—he was obviously badly injured by Yuhara's blade.
He didn't pay attention to the details or bother with any excuses.
He really couldn't figure out when his father had awakened the Mangekyō Sharingan, or when he'd lost the position of clan head.
And that Uchiha Yuhara—how had he managed to become clan head, and why did he also possess the Mangekyō Sharingan? So many questions clouded his mind, and just as Obito said, he had failed.
He hadn't been able to eliminate the clan's hidden dangers, nor had he been able to help Konoha stabilize the situation. It pained him deeply.
"Can you take me back to Konoha?" After a long pause, Itachi finally spoke. "I must warn the Hokage, or something terrible will happen."
"You can either go back on your own or come with me right now. You don't have any other choice."
Obito's voice was cold. At this point, he had no patience left for Itachi.
With one eye gone, Itachi could no longer fully use the Mangekyō's power—Obito knew that firsthand.
Besides, in Obito's eyes, Itachi was an idiot. Spending time in Kirigakure, he should've understood the dynamics between a village and its Kage.
Otherwise, he wouldn't have been discovered and driven away in disgrace.
Obito had only agreed to work with Itachi to exterminate the Uchiha in order to weaken Konoha.
Now that things had blown up, if Konoha and the Uchiha went to war, the Uchiha's fate was sealed.
And a weakened Konoha might get invaded again, triggering another Great Ninja War—which suited him just fine.
Besides, Obito had lost a Sharingan and had his arm cut off, so he needed time to recover.
"Uchiha Yuhara, I hope you're still around after tonight."
As he thought that, Obito's visible Mangekyō flared with an eerie power.
The next moment, he and Itachi were both enveloped by space and vanished.
Meanwhile, Yuhara, holding his ninja blade, quietly appeared on the outskirts of the Uchiha clan.
He hadn't chosen to use Flight Technique, nor had he rushed out at high speed, because he needed time to think—think about what to do next.
The clan had installed surveillance equipment—something Yuhara hadn't anticipated.
But that equipment had recorded Itachi bringing ANBU or Root agents into the clan, giving Yuhara the upper hand. Still, that wasn't enough—he needed more leverage.
So he had to capture some of the people who had come with Itachi, even if it was just one or two; that would be perfect for him.
As he walked, he figured out his plan.
Hiruzen Sarutobi would naturally feign ignorance of such things—after all, as Hokage, he couldn't be linked to such a plot.
That left the perfect scapegoat: Shimura Danzo. And Yuhara's target was now Danzo!
The Uchiha couldn't afford to attack the Hokage directly; that would be the dumbest move, especially inside Konoha.
If they were going to act, it would have to be outside the village; otherwise, no matter what their justification, Konoha's shinobi would see it as open rebellion.
But Danzo was different. Attacking him was still a crime, but his importance to Konoha was a far cry from that of the Hokage.
Besides, most Konoha shinobi didn't even know who Danzo really was.
"But you sure played the good guy this time."
Yuhara was walking when he suddenly stopped. His crimson eyes swept around, and he broke into a smile.
"Last time your men attacked me—you remember what happened, right?"
He seemed to be talking to himself, but chakra was already surging violently within him.
As the suffocating chakra grew more intense, Yuhara spoke again.
"I didn't think you'd have the guts to come back. Since you're here—show yourselves, just like that Uchiha Itachi!"
As his voice fell, countless kunai and ninjutsu came howling toward him.
"Boom!"
A deafening explosion erupted, and the forest was lit up by blazing fire, thick smoke completely engulfing Yuhara's position.
As the smoke gradually dispersed, the Root shinobi emerged from their hiding spots.
They moved in groups of three, covering each other as they cautiously approached where Yuhara had been.
But soon they felt that chilling, destructive aura completely envelop them!
"Let me remind you of something…"
Yuhara's icy voice suddenly reached their ears, and he appeared behind them like a ghost!
"You'll all meet the same end as the rest—death!"
(end of this chapter)