Chapter 398: Konan Arrives at Konoha
"Damn it..."
Kakashi's fist slammed into the rough bark of the towering oak, splintering the wood under his knuckles. The air where Obito had just stood still carried the faint, sickening ripple of spatial distortion. Facing that impossibly slippery space Ninjutsu, Kakashi simply couldn't pin him down.
"I must report this to Hokage-sama immediately."
He drew in a sharp, ragged breath, forcing his racing heart to steady. The final look in Obito's eye before the vortex swallowed him whole burned in Kakashi's mind. It wasn't just anger. It was pure, unadulterated madness. A cold dread settled in the pit of his stomach, bringing with it an extremely ominous premonition.
Deep within the damp, sunless expanse of an underground cavern, the air twisted. A spiraling vortex materialized, spitting Obito's battered figure onto the cold stone floor.
"Failed?" Black Zetsu's raspy voice echoed as he melted out from the solid rock beneath them, his golden eyes narrowing in surprise. "That good-for-nothing Kakashi was actually able to hold you off?"
"Shut up!" Obito roared, his arm violently sweeping through the air.
A jagged Wood Release spike erupted from his sleeve, slamming into the ground mere inches from Black Zetsu's face and shattering the bedrock.
"The eye..." Obito's chest heaved. "It's gone."
Black Zetsu froze, sinking slightly back into the floor. "What do you mean?"
"Uchiha Akira took it." The name tore through Obito's gritted teeth, dripping with a venomous, suffocating hatred. "He anticipated this step long ago. Back when he first exposed my identity, he took my eye!"
A heavy, oppressive silence fell over the cavern. Even Black Zetsu was momentarily speechless. That Uchiha Akira... had his foresight truly reached such terrifying depths? He had practically severed every possible escape route.
"Then what now?" Black Zetsu finally asked, his voice dropping an octave. "Without both eyes, your combat power..."
"It doesn't matter." Obito slowly pulled himself upright. In the gloom, the single Sharingan visible through his mask flared with a deranged, feverish light. "I still have the Tailed Beasts. I still have the Gedo Statue. And I have an army of one hundred thousand White Zetsu!"
He straightened his posture, his aura expanding with dark, suffocating malice.
"Notify Orochimaru. There is no need to wait anymore. Since Uchiha Akira wants war... then let's give him war! Send out the entire Edo Tensei army! I will turn the entire Ninja World into hell!"
Outside, a blinding flash of lightning tore through the stormy sky, the harsh white light piercing the cavern entrance to illuminate the twisted, demonic contours of Obito's mask.
Miles away, inside the dimly lit Konoha frontline command post, Jiraiya stood with his arms crossed. His thick white brows were knitted together in a deep frown as he stared down at the sprawling tactical map covering the central table. As the supreme commander of the frontline forces, he could practically taste the heavy, metallic scent of gunpowder thickening in the air.
"Jiraiya-sama! The infiltrating Iwagakure ninjas have been cleared!"
Kakashi strode into the command center, his silver hair plastered to his forehead with sweat.
Jiraiya turned. Seeing the usually composed Jonin looking so disheveled and breathless, his expression instantly hardened. "Kakashi? What happened out there?"
Skipping the usual formalities, Kakashi marched straight to the edge of the map. He braced his hands against the table, taking a deep, shuddering breath. "I encountered Uchiha Obito."
Jiraiya's eyes widened, his face turning deadly serious. "That masked man? The same Uchiha Obito who orchestrated the Nine-Tailed Demon Fox Incident?"
"Yes," Kakashi confirmed, his voice low and tight with suppressed emotion.
"What was his purpose in seeking you out?" Jiraiya demanded.
Kakashi hesitated for a fraction of a second, the image of Obito's crazed, bloodshot eye flashing behind his eyelids. "He came to steal an eye. My eye. However... because Hokage-sama had already retrieved that Sharingan in advance, he came up empty-handed."
Kakashi looked up, meeting Jiraiya's gaze. "The current Obito has completely lost his mind. He said..." Kakashi swallowed hard, the dry click audible in the quiet tent. "He said he wants to turn the entire Ninja World into hell. And he wants to make Hokage-sama watch with his own eyes as Konoha burns to ashes. Jiraiya-sama, we must notify Hokage-sama as soon as possible and prepare for total war."
Jiraiya absorbed the weight of the words, giving a slow, solemn nod. "I understand."
Without wasting another second, Jiraiya bit his thumb and rapidly cycled through a sequence of hand seals. He slammed his palm onto the wooden table. A puff of white smoke erupted, quickly dissipating to reveal a small, armor-clad toad sitting on his shoulder.
"Communication Toad!" Jiraiya ordered, his voice ringing with absolute authority. "Deliver this intelligence back to Konoha immediately! Tell Hokage-sama everything."
The small toad unhinged its jaw and swallowed the hastily written scroll Jiraiya offered it. With a sharp poof, it vanished into thin air.
Back in Konoha, the atmosphere inside the Hokage Building was a stark contrast to the frantic energy of the frontlines. Steam curled lazily from a porcelain teapot as Uchiha Akira stood by the window, leisurely brewing a fresh cup of tea.
"Hokage-sama."
A black shadow materialized abruptly in the center of the spacious office. An Anbu operative responsible for intelligence delivery dropped to one knee, his head bowed as he presented a sealed scroll with both hands.
"Urgent intelligence from Jiraiya-sama."
Akira turned slowly. Without taking a single step, he raised a hand and curled his fingers inward. Caught in an invisible grip of chakra, the scroll shot through the air and slapped neatly into his open palm. He broke the seal and let his dark eyes sweep over the contents.
A low, amused chuckle escaped his lips.
"Heh... That guy Obito. Did he finally figure out the eye is gone? Poor guy."
Akira let the scroll drop from his fingers. It clattered onto the polished mahogany desk, rolling until it bumped softly against his teacup.
"Hell, is it?" he murmured, a playful, cruel arc curling the corner of his mouth. "Obito, oh Obito."
Akira picked up the delicate teacup, gently blowing the pale green foam away from the rim. "The hell you imagine, in my eyes, is nothing but the wailing of the incompetent weak."
He took a slow sip, entirely unfazed by the apocalyptic threats detailed in the report. Obito's descent into total madness was not a surprise; in fact, it was a mathematical certainty. Having lost everything, with even his last shred of hope carefully severed, it would be a miracle if the man hadn't lost his mind.
But this was exactly what Akira wanted. Only by driving these pathetic remnants of the old era into absolute despair could he force them to go all-in. He needed them to lay every hidden trump card on the table. Only then could he crush them all at once, wiping the slate clean in a single, definitive stroke.
By late afternoon, the sky over Konoha had darkened, weeping a steady, light rain against the glass panes of the Hokage's office. Inside, the rich fragrance of premium tea still curled warmly through the air. Uchiha Akira lounged back in the wide, high-backed Hokage chair, languidly turning the exquisite teacup between his fingers.
Swish.
A black blur materialized silently in front of the desk, dropping to one knee. It was the Anbu squad captain responsible for border security.
"Hokage-sama," the masked operative reported. "Konan of Amegakure has secretly arrived in the village. She is currently downstairs, requesting an audience with you."
Akira's lips curved upward into a faint, predatory smile. He set the teacup down with a soft clink. "Let her in."
The Anbu vanished without a sound.
A few moments later, the heavy oak door was pushed open with a quiet creak. A figure stepped inside, draped in a voluminous black cloak. The hood was pulled low, casting deep shadows over most of her face. She closed the door firmly behind her, ensuring the lock clicked into place, before reaching up with pale fingers to slowly push back the fabric.
The hood fell away, revealing Konan's cold, exquisitely beautiful face. A single pale paper flower rested in her hair.
"Hokage-sama." Konan looked at the man seated behind the desk. Her pale purple eyes swirled with a complex mix of resentment, fear, and reluctant awe. She quickly lowered her gaze, her voice dropping to a frosty chill.
Akira leaned forward slightly, his dark eyes sweeping over her. "How are things progressing with the Allied Forces?"
Konan drew in a slow, steadying breath. "Everything is proceeding exactly as you expected. Kumogakure and Iwagakure have finalized their decision to launch a joint war. They have already roped in dozens of smaller ninja villages to bolster their ranks. They are preparing to—"
Before the sentence could leave her lips, Akira moved.
He didn't just stand up; he bypassed the physical space between them entirely. In the blink of an eye, he was standing mere inches from her. The sheer, suffocating weight of his chakra crashed down on her, making Konan's breath hitch painfully in her throat.
A large, warm hand suddenly clamped around her jaw. His grip was unyielding, forcing her head up until she had no choice but to meet his gaze.
Akira stared down into her wide, pale purple eyes, the playful, dangerous arc returning to the corner of his mouth.
"That sort of thing is not urgent," he murmured, his voice a low, smooth baritone that sent a cold tremor through her frame. "I quite like your eyes."
Konan's long eyelashes trembled violently. Her heart hammered against her ribs, but she did not pull away. She didn't dare. Every ounce of her defiance had been crushed by one simple, agonizing truth: Nagato's life rested entirely in the palm of the man currently holding her chin.
"Akira..." Konan bit her lower lip, her voice trembling, dropping to a fragile whisper. "I... I want to see Nagato."
It was her only request. It was the sole, desperate motivation keeping her anchored to the floor, enduring the humiliation and the overwhelming pressure of the monster standing before her.
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