Chapter 210: The Birth of "Dark Owl," Arrival in the Land of Water
"Bang!"
Uchiha Obito sent an Iwa ninja flying with a powerful kick. With no time to finish him off, he spun around to the girl behind him. "Rin, are you alright?"
"Yes, I'm fine," Rin said, her bright smile instantly illuminating Obito's world, chasing away the gloom that had settled over him from days of brutal combat.
Just then, the ninja Obito had kicked leaped up from the ground, a kunai in his hand, and hurled it at Obito's unprotected back.
"Watch out!" Rin cried, moving to pull Obito out of the way, but his next words stopped her.
"It's alright," he said confidently. A crimson light flared in his eyes.
He spun around, easily deflecting the kunai, and with a rapid series of hand signs, spewed a powerful jet of flame from his mouth.
"Fire Release: Great Fireball Technique!"
Perhaps due to Kyosuke's influence, Obito was already significantly stronger than his original counterpart. He had already awakened his Sharingan, and it was a two-tomoe at that. His ninjutsu and taijutsu were also rapidly improving, as evidenced by the power of his Great Fireball.
Of course, he wasn't the only one who had been influenced by Kyosuke.
Just as Obito was feeling pleased with himself for defeating another enemy, a rustling sound came from the nearby grass. Three tall Cloud ninja slowly emerged.
"Well, well, look what we have here. Two little brats all by themselves. Looks like our luck is turning," one of them said with a bloodthirsty grin, his eyes raking over them, lingering on the beautiful Rin.
Obito's expression instantly darkened.
"Rin, I'll hold them off. You..." But before he could finish, the piercing shriek of a thousand birds echoed through the air. They both knew what that sound meant.
"That... that sound is... no!" The Cloud ninja had barely managed to warn his comrades when a figure shot out from the trees.
The figure's hand, crackling with a blinding light, pierced through one of the Cloud ninja's chests. He then drew the short sword from his back and, with incredible speed, cut down the other.
In a matter of seconds, two powerful Cloud ninja lay dead at his feet. It was their reinforcement, Hatake Kakashi.
"Damn you, brat!" The remaining Cloud ninja didn't even have a chance to fight back. Obito was on him in an instant, a kunai driven deep into his heart.
"Next time, learn to control your eyes."
The Cloud ninja's breathing stopped.
Obito tossed the blood-stained kunai aside with a scowl and looked at Kakashi's dead-fish eyes. "Is your mission over?"
"It is," Kakashi replied, giving a brief nod to Rin. "Minato-sensei has ordered us back to camp."
"Back to camp? But the battle today..." Obito muttered, confused. Not even Kakashi could guess their teacher's intentions, let alone Obito.
With their questions unanswered, the three of them headed back to the encampment.
They arrived without incident and quickly found their teacher.
Before the impatient Obito could ask, Minato showed them his new orders.
"Reinforce the Northwestern Corps?" the three of them asked in unison.
"That's right," Minato said, explaining the village's reasoning. "I called you back to ask if you would be willing to come with me."
"Hmph. That guy Kyosuke probably thinks he's so great now, but in the end, he still needs my help," Obito muttered, a smug look on his face.
"...Idiot," Kakashi said, ignoring Obito's boasting. After a moment of thought, he answered decisively. "I will go with you, Sensei."
Seeing that Kakashi had agreed, Obito quickly followed suit. Rin, of course, would not be left behind.
"Good. The situation is urgent, so I will go on ahead. You three can travel at a normal pace," Minato instructed, telling them to pack their things.
With that, the three of them headed back to their tents, while Minato departed immediately for the northwestern front.
Kyosuke, I'm looking forward to seeing your strength with my own eyes, Kakashi thought, a rare feeling of excitement stirring within him.
Hehe, Kyosuke is going to be so shocked when he sees my Sharingan. I can't wait to see the look on his face, Obito thought, already planning how he would show off.
Kyosuke... I hear he's become a famous shinobi now, Rin mused, thinking of the various rumors she had heard over the years.
None of them had any particular feelings about going to the northwestern front. They assumed it would be no different from the fighting they had been doing here.
They had no idea what was waiting for them.
Far away, in the Village Hidden by the Mist, a secret, momentous change was taking place.
Since the death of Mizukage Yagura, the Hozuki and Minazuki clans had been locked in a bitter struggle for power.
For a time, the Minazuki, with two awakened Ice Release users in their ranks, had the upper hand. But the Hozuki had managed to rally the remnants of the Kaguya clan to their side, creating a delicate balance of power.
The remaining Five Swordsmen of the Mist had also gathered their own followers and were engaged in their own separate battles.
The entire Mist Village, and indeed the Land of Water, had descended into civil war.
And at this critical juncture, a figure cloaked in black slipped unnoticed into the country.
It was Uchiha Nagisa.
After the kidnapping mission, she had spent her time in the cavern, honing her dōjutsu and listening to White Zetsu's daily reports from the various fronts.
Then, Uchiha Madara had given her a new order.
To ensure the success of the Eye of the Moon Plan, they needed to control a nation. The remote, isolated Land of Water was the perfect target. Due to its geography, the Land of Water had always maintained a policy of isolationism, making it easy to manipulate from the shadows.
And so, Nagisa, accompanied by a White Zetsu clone, had set out for the Land of Water.
Before she left, Madara had told her to remain there after her mission was complete and await the arrival of his successor.
She did not ask who his successor was. Having already fallen into the abyss of darkness, Nagisa's only desire was for the "world of dreams" to arrive as soon as possible, to free her from the hell of reality.
To that end, she had willingly submitted herself to Madara's control.
"From this day forward, the person known as Uchiha Nagisa will be 'dead.' 'Dark Owl' will be your new name."
Remembering Madara's final words, Uchiha Nagisa—no, Dark Owl—felt a faint ripple in the stillness of her heart.
She looked at the Daimyo's palace before her. "The first step to saving the world," she whispered, "begins today."
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