Chapter 14: Actually, I'm Not an Ordinary Uchiha
"What incredible sensory abilities..."
A man stood silently before Konoha's Memorial Stone.
He had short hair, wore a long black hooded cloak, and an orange mask patterned with black stripes that revealed only a single eye.
Recalling what had happened inside the village moments earlier, he smiled faintly.
If he'd reacted even a little slower...
That man might have noticed him.
The Uchiha...
Memories of his clan surfaced one after another.
Obito slowly shook his head.
His visible eye gradually lost its warmth.
Back then...
The clan had treated him well.
Although he and his grandmother had depended solely on each other...
He had never lacked food.
Or clothing.
Or ninjutsu.
Even that strange Uchiha he'd encountered earlier today...
Had once enthusiastically offered to teach him medical ninjutsu.
...But what kind of Uchiha learns medical ninjutsu?
...
If he had learned it...
Would Rin...
"No."
Obito forcefully shook away the thought.
There was no point dwelling on "what if."
Walking forward, he kicked aside the flowers lying before the memorial stone.
His expression turned ice cold.
An Uchiha without me...
Means nothing.
Konoha without Rin...
Means nothing.
"...The Nine-Tails."
"...Kushina."
His gaze slowly shifted toward Minato Namikaze's house.
The emptiness in his eye gradually gave way to resolve.
He'd heard...
That when a jinchūriki gave birth...
The seal imprisoning the Tailed Beast weakened dramatically.
This...
Might be his only opportunity.
If he missed it...
He would have to wait until Kushina and Minato had a second child.
Thinking about Rin...
Who had died before ever experiencing love...
Then imagining Kushina happily giving birth again...
Obito's anger flared.
He kicked the fruit offering from the memorial stone into the nearby ditch.
Why should she get to have a second child?
---
"Achoo!"
Kushina rubbed her nose.
Looking toward the Hokage Tower, she smiled sweetly.
Minato must be thinking about me again...
There's no way he's actually working.
Passing nearby, Asuka caught sight of her dreamy expression.
He immediately sped up his pace.
How annoying.
I run into her everywhere.
Truthfully...
He wasn't particularly interested in the Nine-Tails.
Nor in the upcoming Nine-Tails Incident.
The Three-Tomoe Sharingan was powerful.
But...
Not powerful enough to control something equivalent to a walking nuclear weapon.
Even if he awakened the Mangekyō Sharingan...
He would still have to risk permanent blindness if he wanted to wrest control away from Obito.
Sigh...
Konoha's about to produce another generation of orphans.
Maybe I should donate some money afterward.
As he walked, Asuka glanced sideways at Kushina.
The date of Kushina's delivery should be one of Konoha's highest secrets.
I'll find an excuse to examine her later.
Estimate her due date.
Make some preparations.
Asuka had absolutely no intention of reporting any of this to Minato or Konoha's higher-ups.
How could he possibly explain how he knew about the Nine-Tails attack?
Or that someone intended to use the Nine-Tails against Konoha?
Not only would he receive no reward...
Those rotten old men in Konoha's leadership would probably label him as suspicious...
Dig several giant pits...
Then happily kick him into one.
...No thanks.
Shivering slightly, Asuka changed direction and headed toward a particular house.
---
Back at the Valley of the End...
Although he hadn't recognized the two Root operatives...
He had secretly left tracking marks on them.
Now...
He knew exactly where they lived.
Both had lost their spouses during the war.
One was a widower.
The other a widow.
Visiting a widow's house in broad daylight would attract far too much attention.
So...
After carefully confirming that no one was watching...
Asuka vanished in a Body Flicker.
He stepped lightly onto the windowsill...
And slipped inside.
"Who's there?!"
The shinobi inside instantly sat upright in bed.
His eyes locked onto the window in alarm.
"It's me."
Asuka waved cheerfully.
Pulling an apple from his pocket, he tossed it onto the bed.
"I picked this up from a merchant outside."
"Don't complain that it's only one."
"If I'd actually bought fruit from a shop before visiting..."
"...that would've looked far too suspicious."
"What are you doing here?"
The Root shinobi ignored the apple rolling across his blanket.
He stared directly at Asuka.
"...Changed your mind?"
"You've decided to interrogate me after all?"
"I won't tell you anything."
"No."
Asuka shook his head.
Then he casually walked around the room, quietly observing its rather modest furnishings.
Stopping at last, he looked toward the shinobi.
The smile gradually vanished from his face.
"...Ota."
"Actually..."
"I'm not an ordinary Uchiha."
"...?"
Ota blinked in confusion.
Without another word, Asuka pulled a small notebook from his pocket.
He tossed it onto Ota's chest.
"Take a good look."
Subconsciously, Ota picked it up.
The cover read:
Konoha Jōnin — Uchiha Asuka
Above that...
Several bold characters stood out.
ANBU Assassination and Tactical Unit
"..."
Damn.
ANBU.
Although ANBU identities were normally classified...
There were occasions during official operations when agents needed to verify their identity.
This credential was one such form of identification.
Seeing Ota's shocked expression...
Asuka calmly continued.
"I'm an investigator from the ANBU Assassination and Tactical Unit."
"I'm here today..."
"...to investigate Root."
"We have sufficient reason to believe..."
"...that Konoha possesses an armed force operating outside the Fourth Hokage's authority."
"I've been assigned to investigate it."
"Of course..."
"The Fourth Hokage has also approved a generous budget."
"Anyone who provides valuable information..."
"...will be rewarded."
"So."
"You know what to do now, don't you?"
---
The terrified Ota nodded repeatedly.
Then...
His expression became troubled.
He stuck out his tongue.
The Curse Seal etched across it was clearly visible.
"My lord placed the Tongue Eradication Curse Seal on me."
"I can't reveal Root's secrets."
"Interrogation won't accomplish anything."
"...Heh."
Asuka couldn't help smiling.
He wasn't interested in Danzō's secrets.
He already knew them all.
After all...
He had memories from another world.
What interested him...
Was something far more practical.
For example...
What kind of underwear does Danzō wear every day?
Better yet...
Where is that old man at any given moment?
Lightly tapping the table with his fingertips, Asuka spoke calmly.
"I don't need information about your leader."
"I don't need Root's internal secrets either."
"I only want information..."
"...about the female operative who attacked me alongside you."
As he spoke...
He calmly placed a thick stack of banknotes on the table.
Threats only produced temporary intelligence.
People under coercion lied all the time.
Building goodwill...
Worked much better.
---
Seeing that Asuka wasn't asking about Lord Danzō...
But rather about his female teammate...
Ota looked at him strangely.
Then...
He remembered something.
That woman.
The one who had slapped him over and over.
His cheek immediately began throbbing again.
His resentment surged.
That damned widow...
She hit unbelievably hard.
He only wants her personal information...
Sold.
If this had been a foreign shinobi village trying to buy intelligence...
He would never have spoken.
The psychological burden of betraying Konoha...
Was too great.
Anyone personally chosen by Danzō had long since accepted death.
But...
This was ANBU.
The pressure was completely different.
Was ANBU reviewing Root's intelligence really espionage?
Of course not.
It was an inspection.
Strictly speaking...
Root had originated from ANBU in the first place.
You could even call them a parent and child organization.
So what was wrong with the child department reporting to the parent department?
Besides...
There was money involved.
Once he'd rationalized everything...
Ota no longer hesitated.
He immediately revealed everything he knew about his female teammate.
Her preferred techniques.
Her combat abilities.
Her personal habits.
Even...
The style of clothing she preferred to wear.
And...
The dates of her menstrual cycle.