"We can't wait any longer, Monkey!"
"I told you—use titles when we're on duty."
Hearing Danzō's voice, the Third Hokage tapped his pipe against the desk, his tone clearly displeased.
He then turned to look out the window.
The night was pitch-black, silent like ink.
Not a single sound drifted in.
It was completely different from the chaos they had expected.
"Ahem… Third, the Uchiha are still one of Konoha's great clans. Even if their strength has declined in recent years, they're still among the top."
Seeing the atmosphere growing tense, Koharu spoke up.
"If something really happened, it couldn't possibly be this quiet."
"Hoo—"
The Third Hokage simply lit his pipe and took a long drag.
The thick smell of tobacco dimmed even the office lights.
"Don't worry. The conflict between the Uchiha and Konoha will be resolved permanently."
With that, he said no more.
He trusted Itachi's strength.
That child was the most gifted genius he had ever seen.
Even the Legendary Sannin, back in their prime, couldn't quite compare.
Bang!
Danzō, however, was clearly dissatisfied.
He slammed his cane heavily into the floor and snorted coldly.
"Hmph! You can sit calmly, but I can't!"
"I'm going to take a look myself!"
Bang!
With that, he strode out the door.
Inside the office, Hiruzen Sarutobi watched his back and finally let out a small breath.
"With Danzō stepping in, everything should be foolproof now… right?"
He trusted his old friend deeply.
Danzō was no weaker than he was.
"No news yet?"
Hyūga Hiashi looked at the intelligence report from his clan and slowly opened his eyes.
After hesitating for a moment, he stood and headed outside.
If no news was coming in, then—
He would go see for himself.
He couldn't sit still anymore.
This matter would completely reshape Konoha's balance of power.
He had to be cautious.
Not only him— the heads of the Ino–Shika–Chō clans also found themselves restless and rose one after another.
In the darkness of night, several figures moved quietly toward the remote Uchiha district.
Meanwhile, at the Uchiha compound—the focal point of everything—
It was eerily silent.
Itachi felt a moment of mental haze.
He blinked and looked again at Shisui.
But all he saw was Shisui approaching slowly with bandages over his eyes.
As if what he'd seen earlier had been nothing but an illusion.
An illusion?
…Whatever. It didn't matter.
He tried to think deeper, but for some reason, he suddenly felt indifferent.
As if it had nothing to do with him.
Then, when he looked back at Ren, something inside his heart subtly shifted.
Was it awe?
Or perhaps… fear.
Amaterasu—his divine technique—had failed.
Tsukuyomi—his absolute killing illusion—had been useless.
Even the Susanoo he had just begun to master had been smashed apart with a single blow.
He, Uchiha Itachi, had been utterly defeated.
Defeated in the very fields he was most proud of.
In a daze, Ren's figure overlapped with the image of Fugaku from his childhood—
Someone who could effortlessly restrain him with one hand.
"I must be dizzy… to even think something this ridiculous."
Itachi shook his head, trying to purge those thoughts.
Just then, he suddenly realized a kunai had appeared in his arms.
"This is…?"
Before the question even finished forming, the world spun violently.
Bang!
A sharp pain exploded in his head.
His vision went black.
He completely lost consciousness.
Ren shook his hand once.
After receiving Shisui's confirming glance, he casually planted Itachi straight into the ground.
Yes—planted.
Like sticking a bamboo pole into soil, upside down.
Blood splattered everywhere.
Under the sudden impact, Itachi predictably fell fully unconscious.
Fugaku's brow twitched.
He instinctively glanced toward the inner room.
Only after confirming there was no movement did he finally relax.
Obito: "..."
That's his own big brother—and Ren just jammed him into the ground without hesitation.
Absolutely ruthless.
But—
As long as Itachi was out of Ren's hands, that was good enough.
Obito's eyes flickered, the tomoe in his pupils shifting.
Whoosh—
A light breeze lifted his black-and-red cloud cloak.
Kamui.
In the next second, the space around Itachi distorted.
Buzz… buzz…
A vortex formed—and Itachi vanished.
"Damn it! Put Itachi down!"
Seeing this, Fugaku finally couldn't hold back.
He stamped the ground and charged forward, rapidly forming hand seals.
"Fire Style: Great Fireball Jutsu!"
Fwoooosh—
A massive wave of scorching flames roared outward.
But the moment it touched Obito's body, it passed straight through him as if through air.
No resistance at all.
"…The same kind of ability?"
"And Ren… why isn't he reacting at all?"
Fugaku truly lived up to his reputation as a seasoned veteran.
Even as he attacked, he glanced sideways at Ren.
Seeing that his second son showed no reaction whatsoever, Fugaku quietly stopped forming seals.
He didn't know why—but he knew one thing:
His second son always had his own plans.
Maybe… intervening wasn't the right move.
"I'm really getting old… I can't even understand what these two kids are thinking anymore…"
With a sigh, Fugaku turned back, walked to Shisui, and helped push his wheelchair.
In the courtyard.
After absorbing Itachi, Obito's posture visibly relaxed.
He didn't leave immediately.
Instead, he looked at Ren's small figure with undisguised admiration.
"For an Uchiha to reach this level…"
" Ren—how about joining us and creating a new world?"
As he spoke, he flung open his black cloak, the fabric snapping loudly in the wind.
"A new world?"
Ren raised an eyebrow.
A world full of Rin?
Then what about Kakashi?
Seeing Ren's apparent interest, Obito's eyes lit up.
He began passionately describing his grand future vision.
Compared to Itachi, Ren was far more tempting.
Especially that Nine-Tails power.
As someone who had personally controlled a tailed beast before, Obito could clearly sense it.
That was absolutely tailed-beast chakra.
But—
The tailed beasts were supposed to be sealed inside jinchūriki.
So where did Ren's come from?
With these questions in mind, Obito became even more eager to recruit him.
If he could truly master this power, capturing the tailed beasts might even start ahead of schedule.
Behind the mask, Obito's smile grew wider as he spoke more enthusiastically.
Meanwhile, Ren was staring at the traits popping up on Obito with quiet amazement.
[Target: Uchiha Obito]
[Copyable traits being analyzed…]
Ideal World Creator (Black)
Double Agent (Black)
First Hokage Cells · Immortal Body (Gold)
Summon: Demonic Statue of the Outer Path · Fragment (Gold)
Kamui · Right Eye (Gold)
Mangekyō Sharingan · Single (Purple)
Fire Release Mastery (Blue)
…
[Copy successful! Congratulations, Host has obtained the Legendary trait:
"Summon: Demonic Statue of the Outer Path · Fragment (Gold)" —
A giant mecha controlled by the Rinnegan.]
Hiss—!
Gold drop!
Seeing that line, Ren's smile slowly turned strange… playful… dangerous.
If he were to summon that thing in a moment…
Obito goes home and—bam—
"Wait, why does it look like my house got robbed?" 😈
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