Shisui dead?
Obito was slightly surprised by the news and wanted to know the truth.
In Obito's view, Shisui wasn't the type to die so easily. Even against a Kage-level ninja, Shisui still had the power to fight back. That was the strength of the Mangekyō Sharingan.
With that in mind, Obito even suspected this might just be a smoke bomb Shisui released to fool the world.
But after sneaking into Konoha and lurking around for a few weeks like an unemployed ghost, Obito finally confirmed the truth.
Shisui was really dead.
And to prevent a civil war between the Uchiha and Konoha, he had chosen to commit suicide.
After learning this, Obito felt it was almost ridiculous.
Uchiha Shisui—the powerhouse he had feared after the Fourth Hokage's death—didn't die in battle, didn't die at an enemy's hands…
He just jumped off a cliff and ended it himself.
What a damn waste of a boss fight.
Of course, as an enemy, Obito was in a great mood.
With Shisui gone, he could now act freely inside Konoha, manipulating the Uchiha clan however he pleased and quietly pushing the village toward civil war.
As for the candidate to start that war…
Obito chose the chess piece he had prepared long ago—
Uchiha Itachi.
...
Taking advantage of an Uchiha clan meeting, Obito found Itachi at the training ground.
Itachi's training was insanely intense. Even jōnin would feel like they were dancing on a knife's edge.
But to Itachi, it looked effortless—almost like he had turned the entire field into a personal stage.
Every shuriken throw, every step, every slash—
Clean. Precise. Beautiful.
Like a deadly performance.
After the "show" ended, Obito quietly appeared in front of him.
Catching a flying shuriken with two fingers, Obito looked at Itachi's vigilant expression and joked,
"This isn't the first time we've met. Do you really have to be this hostile every time?"
Itachi didn't answer.
He instantly pulled back and formed hand seals.
"Fire Style: Phoenix Flower Jutsu!"
Several fireballs burst forward, distorting the air with heat.
Hidden inside the flames were shuriken—the real killing move.
But Obito didn't even dodge.
The fire and steel passed straight through his body.
Like he wasn't even there.
Itachi's pupils shrank slightly, but he remained calm. This wasn't the first time he had seen this ability.
The masked man had awakened the Mangekyō Sharingan.
But so had he.
And Itachi didn't think he was weaker than anyone.
Obito ignored Itachi's stare and said lightly,
"After all these years, you still care that I killed your teammate? If I hadn't killed him, you wouldn't have awakened your Sharingan."
He shrugged.
"If anything, you should thank me."
Cold. Shameless. Peak villain logic.
Itachi didn't get angry.
He had long understood that anger solved nothing.
After a moment of silence, he asked calmly,
"What are you doing in Konoha? You're not here just to visit me. I'm not that important."
Obito smiled.
"No. I'm here for you. You're the Uchiha I want. You have the right to leave Konoha and follow me."
"Become a traitor with you and get hunted by the entire village?" Itachi replied flatly. "Sorry. I still have family."
Obito wasn't angry at the rejection.
Instead, he looked at Itachi meaningfully.
"I won't force you. But sooner or later, you'll see through this boring village and your so-called family."
"You'll leave on your own."
"This place is just a swamp. Stay long enough and you sink."
"..."
After a pause, Itachi asked,
"Then who are you?"
Silence lingered.
Finally, Obito said,
"Just an Uchiha forgotten by the world. You don't need my real name."
"You just need to know… I can show you the true ninja world."
"That's enough."
After saying that, his body twisted into a vortex and disappeared.
"The Uchiha forgotten by the world…"
Watching the swirling space fade, Itachi fell into thought.
Among the clan, the only one with such strength…
Uchiha Madara.
But if Madara were still alive…
Just how old would he be?
Thinking about it gave him a headache.
Forget it.
Compared to that masked lunatic, the bigger problem was the conflict between the clan and the village.
Shisui's death had only delayed the coup.
Like a spring pressed down too hard—
Sooner or later, it would rebound.
And when that moment came, his father would definitely lead the clan to revolt.
But an Uchiha coup against Konoha…
It was doomed to fail.
...
After leaving the clan grounds, Obito arrived near Konoha's Heroes' Cemetery.
The grave of "Obito" was here.
So was Rin.
The two people buried here were the remnants of a dream he could never touch again.
Black Zetsu, who had been waiting for a long time, surfaced from the ground with a grin.
"I knew you'd come. Still worried about Shisui? He's dead, and you're still investigating him."
Obito shook his head.
"I'm here to guide Uchiha Itachi. With Shisui's eyes, he's become a qualified chess piece. Maybe even useful for the Akatsuki."
Black Zetsu asked,
"Nagato's power is already enough to collect the tailed beasts. Why keep recruiting people?"
Obito glanced at him meaningfully.
"Nagato isn't reliable. He only wants to scare the world with power. He's never seriously thought about the Eye of the Moon Plan."
"When he creates the Ten-Tails, who can stop him?"
"You or me?"
Black Zetsu wisely shut his mouth.
Obito continued,
"We need enough combat power. Before Nagato finishes collecting the tailed beasts, we strike first and take his Rinnegan."
Black Zetsu looked at him.
"So you chose Itachi? Aren't you afraid Nagato will win him over?"
Obito shrugged lazily.
"We'll deal with that later. When people are bored, they need something to do."
"And once he joins Akatsuki… he doesn't get to choose everything anyway."
He lost interest in the conversation and stared toward the cemetery entrance.
Black Zetsu followed his gaze.
Kakashi was walking in, carrying flowers and fruit.
...
Inside the cemetery.
Kakashi found the gravestone engraved with Obito and Rin's names.
After arranging the offerings, he started talking to the tombstone like usual.
A bad habit formed from losing too many people.
"Obito, Rin… I'm here again."
"I'm doing fine, so don't worry."
"I found Minato-sensei's son. But the Third Hokage won't let us reveal Naruto's identity. The villagers treat him like a demon fox."
"His personality is getting more withdrawn…"
"I see everything… but I can't change anything."
He sighed.
"I can only watch the teacher's kid get bullied."
"But Naruto inherited Minato-sensei's talent. No matter how many setbacks he faces, he'll grow up to be someone everyone loves."
After saying everything in one breath, Kakashi placed the flowers down.
Suddenly, he felt like someone was watching him.
He looked around.
Nothing.
Just trees swaying in the wind.
Obito and Black Zetsu had already left.
Kakashi rubbed his eyes.
Maybe he was just too tired.
After all, who would sneak into Konoha just to spy on a graveyard?
There was nothing here except dead heroes.
Even intruders had standards.
After finishing his visit, Kakashi left.
The people he cared about were all gone.
Coming here occasionally to remember them was enough.
Life still had to move forward.
Otherwise, they'd probably crawl out of the graves and scold him.
Walking toward his next ANBU shift, Kakashi couldn't help thinking about Naruto… and the current Uchiha situation.
Naruto was his teacher's son.
He always wanted to do something for the kid.
But what right did a loser like him have to interfere?
All he could do… was protect Naruto during missions.
As for who could actually threaten Naruto—
He honestly couldn't think of anyone.
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