Fortunately for Danzo, he had already died under suspicious circumstances—leaving not even a single trace behind—or else Obito might have personally come to reclaim his eye and pay a personal "visit."
Danzo was notorious for his scheming, but this time, for once, he wasn't the culprit.
"Damn it. I've taken the blame for a lot of things, but this? I didn't even see Kakashi's Sharingan, let alone trick him out of it!" Danzo would've said—if he were still alive.
Black Zetsu stood beside Obito in silence, clearly troubled by the turn of events. He had spent years quietly influencing events behind the scenes, nudging Obito toward this moment—toward reclaiming his missing eye.
And yet, now that Obito finally made his move… the eye he had taken wasn't even his.
"What now?" Black Zetsu finally asked. "Danzo is long dead, and everything tied to him has been cleared out of Konoha's vaults. Your eye… it might truly be lost."
Obito clenched his fists, suppressing the rage swelling in his chest.
"That old fox probably used Izanagi on every Sharingan he had before he died. If he used it on mine, it's already turned to dust."
After a moment of tense silence, Obito exhaled slowly.
"Forget it. There's no point causing a stir with the Uchiha over something this uncertain."
Obito knew that stirring conflict with the Uchiha now could disrupt everything. The Akatsuki's goals were far more important. He couldn't afford delays, especially not with Nagato's condition becoming increasingly unstable.
"The organization needs to accelerate its plans. If we don't gather the Tailed Beasts soon, I won't be able to rely on Nagato."
Nagato could be powerful, yes. But he was also volatile.
Obito didn't trust Nagato—and Nagato certainly didn't trust Obito. Even if Nagato willingly entered Obito's Kamui dimension, Obito feared retaliation inside that space. He had never truly seen Nagato as a partner—only a tool.
---
Meanwhile, back in Konoha, Andrew had returned and was immediately informed of Kakashi's attack.
"His Sharingan was stolen?" Andrew repeated with narrowed eyes. There was only one person in the world who would do that.
"Obito."
Andrew had no doubts. His recent Thunder Punishment technique must have made Obito panic—the masked man likely feared Andrew's growing strength and wanted to restore his own power by reclaiming his full Mangekyō.
But there was a catch.
That other eye... had been sealed shut a long time ago. Even if Obito had taken the Sharingan, it wouldn't respond.
"He must be fuming right now," Andrew thought with a smirk, following the Anbu agents to the hospital.
Inside, Kakashi lay unconscious, caught in a genjutsu. His chakra was stable, but his mind was trapped in an illusion loop.
Andrew clicked his tongue. "Why do I always find this guy half-dead whenever I visit?"
He walked closer to the bed. While he wasn't a master of medical ninjutsu, nor an illusion expert, he had one trick up his sleeve—overwhelm genjutsu with raw eye power.
He activated his Eternal Mangekyō Sharingan, letting his potent chakra invade Kakashi's mind.
The process was dangerous, but Andrew didn't care about consequences. "Third Hokage wants him awake? Then I'll wake him—whatever it takes."
As his eye power surged into Kakashi's mind—
"Obito!"
Kakashi suddenly gasped, his body jerking as his eyes snapped open.
Andrew's expression sharpened. "So he knows."
"Obito? You're saying it was him who attacked you?"
Kakashi stammered. "I... I don't know. It felt like an illusion. I don't want to believe it was him."
His voice trembled—not from pain, but from conflict. That familiar sensation during the battle—it couldn't be denied. But his heart still resisted the truth.
Andrew's voice grew sharper. "If you assume Obito is the masked man, then everything makes sense—how he snuck into Konoha, how he attacked Kushina during childbirth, and why he keeps coming back to you."
Kakashi's face turned pale. The mention of Kushina brought back terrible memories.
Outside the door, Third Hokage listened quietly, expression grim. Andrew's deductions were chilling, but undeniably logical.
Kushina's delivery had been a top-secret event. She was a Jinchūriki—the birthing window was her most vulnerable moment. Konoha had mobilized elite security, relocated her to a secure hideout…
And yet, the masked man had found her.
If the attacker wasn't someone from inside Konoha, then who?
And if it really was Obito, then what could have driven him to such cruelty? Why would he destroy everything—even kill his own teacher, Minato?
"Enough, Andrew!" Kakashi snapped. "You shouldn't say things like that without proof. It was... it was a masked man. I'm sorry I couldn't protect the Sharingan."
But as he met Andrew's gaze and saw the glowing Mangekyō, Kakashi's resolve crumbled.
Andrew rolled his eyes. "Save the drama. We all know what happened. And you, of all people, should stop pretending like you're still in the dark."
He leaned in, voice dropping to a whisper. "You're not just some Elite Jōnin—you were in Anbu. You know how to read signs, track chakra trails, and analyze patterns. You were attacked in Konoha, and we both know who has that kind of access."
"I..."
"No excuses. Tell all this to Third Hokage yourself. I'm done here."
Andrew waved his hand dismissively, clearly annoyed. His goal was complete—Kakashi was awake, the truth was exposed, and now it was someone else's problem.
As he walked out of the room, Third Hokage stepped in, nodding at Andrew silently. Andrew nodded back and didn't linger.
"Time to check in on Orochimaru," Andrew thought. There were more important things than babysitting emotionally broken Jōnin.
But just as he stepped out the hospital's front door, he caught sight of someone he didn't expect.
Yuhi Kurenai.
She stood just outside the gate, looking hesitant, clearly debating whether or not to enter.
---
To be continued…
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