A man with short hair, a spiraled orange mask covering his right eye, and a black hooded cloak that dragged along the ground stood before Konoha's Memorial Stone. The scene he'd witnessed earlier replayed in his mind, and he chuckled silently.
If he'd hesitated even a moment longer, that Uchiha would've sensed him.
Uchiha…
Memories surfaced—flickers of clan courtyards, the voices of elders, the warmth of neighbors who looked after him and his grandmother. Even that weirdo from the clan back then, the one who enthusiastically tried to teach him medical ninjutsu.
No Uchiha learns medical ninjutsu.
…Though if he had learned it, maybe Rin—
No.Uchiha Obito shook the thought away violently. He kicked aside the flowers placed at the foot of the monument, staring at the engraved names with cold detachment.
An Uchiha without me means nothing.A Konoha without Rin means even less.
"Kushina… the Nine-Tails…"
Obito's eye drifted toward the distant home of Namikaze Minato.During childbirth, the jinchuriki's seal weakened—something certain people had confirmed for him.
His chances were few.If he missed this, he'd have to wait for Kushina to have a second child.
The thought of Rin dying without ever living… and Kushina one day having a second baby… twisted something vicious in him. He kicked a basket of fruit off the stone, expression dark.
"Why does she get a second chance?"
Kushina sneezed. She rubbed her nose with a pout, then looked fondly toward the Hokage's office.
Watergate must be thinking about me again.
Tobika, passing by, saw her lovestruck grin and sped up instantly.
The vibe-killer strikes again.
He didn't waste thought on the coming "Night of the Nine-Tails."Even with three tomoe, he couldn't control a tailed beast. Unless he awakened a Mangekyō and then willingly burned his eyesight out, the idea was hopeless.
Which meant Konoha was about to produce another generation of orphans.He might as well donate later.
His eyes flicked toward Kushina.
Her due date… shouldn't be common knowledge.He'd need to discreetly examine her sometime, estimate roughly when she'd go into labor. That part he could help with.
Reporting to Minato or the elders was impossible.He couldn't explain how he knew.He certainly couldn't explain why he believed someone planned to use the Nine-Tails to attack.
Tell the truth and the elders would slap a dozen labels on him, dig a massive hole, and push him in.
Absolutely not.
With a shiver, Tobika turned toward a quiet residential street.
Two nights earlier, at the Valley of the End, he'd tagged the two Root members who attacked him. Surveillance was easy after that.
Both widowed by the war.Visiting their homes during the day would look suspicious…
He checked his surroundings. When no one was watching, he flickered into the nearest house through the window.
"Who's there?!"
The man bolted upright, eyes sharp.
"It's me."
Tobika waved lazily and tossed him an apple."Snatched it from a traveling merchant on the way. Fruiteries are too conspicuous."
The Root operative ignored the apple rolling on his blanket.His bruised cheek twitched.
"…You regret letting us go? Changed your mind? Planning to torture me after all?I won't talk. No matter what."
"No torture."Tobika paced the room, noting its bare, frugal interior before turning back.
Then he lowered his voice.
"Ohta… I'm not an ordinary Uchiha."
"?"
Before Ohta could ask, Tobika slapped a booklet onto his chest.
"Look carefully. Who do you think I am?"
Ohta blinked, picked it up—
Konoha JōninUchiha TobikaUnder it, stamped in black:
Special Assassination and Tactical Division
His heart dropped.
A-Anbu?!
He knew Anbu records were confidential, but operatives still carried identification for special missions.
Tobika exhaled dramatically.
"I'm an investigator from the Special Assassination Division.We're looking into intelligence concerning Root.There is reason to believe a powerful military faction exists in Konoha… one not under the Fourth Hokage's command."
He tapped the booklet.
"I'm here to gather information.The Hokage has approved sizeable rewards for those who cooperate."
Ohta froze.
Then he extended his tongue, showing the cursed seal etched across it.
"I can't reveal anything about our leader. Even torture won't make me talk."
Tobika waved him off.
"I don't care about your boss. I already know everything I need to know about him."
He did. The perks of reincarnating with memories intact.
What he wanted most was something far pettier:
Danzō's daily underwear rotation.His schedule.His habits.His weaknesses.
Real power comes from knowing when the old fossil goes to the bathroom.
He leaned forward, tapping the table with a slow, ominous rhythm.
"I don't want Root's secrets.I want your partner.The woman who attacked me with you."
He placed a stack of money on the table.
Ohta blinked.He expected interrogation. Threats. Torture.
But… this?
He thought about her.The woman who had slapped him repeatedly during their forced "punishment game."His cheek still ached.
Selling her information?Easiest decision of his life.
If this were an enemy village asking, he'd hold the line.Fear of defecting, fear of dishonor—Root shinobi were trained for absolute obedience.
But this was Anbu.Anbu weren't outsiders.They were the parent organization.
Root and Anbu—parent and child divisions.
Sharing intel with the "mother" department wasn't betrayal; it was duty.And there was money.
With newfound clarity, Ohta spilled everything he knew:
Her techniques.Her skill level.Her habits.Her likes and dislikes.Her favorite clothes.Her cycle dates.
Everything.