Uchiha Obito answered with complete frankness, making no effort whatsoever to conceal his ruthless intentions.
With that said.
Uchiha Obito turned to look at Sasuke, his voice carrying a hint of seriousness.
"Pointless kindness and emotional bonds aren't just foolish — they'll become obstacles on your path to growing stronger."
Kakuzu stood to the side with his arms crossed, a look of disdain on his face as he listened to Uchiha Obito's lecture — or rather, his manipulation.
While Kakuzu didn't particularly care for Uchiha Sasuke, he liked Uchiha Obito even less.
That didn't change one simple fact, however — Uchiha Sasuke was undeniably a genius.
"You're just not strong enough, that's all."
Kakuzu cast a glance at Sasuke and spoke flatly.
Uchiha Obito shot Kakuzu a mildly surprised look, then shrugged without offering any rebuttal.
Sasuke, on the other hand, froze at Kakuzu's words. When he snapped out of it, he realized he had somehow fallen into a certain mental trap.
That's right — he was simply not strong enough!
If he possessed absolute power, he could be like Uchiha Madara or the First Mizukage Yuto — disregarding rules entirely, or even making his own!
And all that agonizing over right and wrong? For someone in his current position, it was utterly meaningless.
He couldn't even control his own fate, yet he was worrying about others — that truly was laughable.
Uchiha Obito seemed to sense the shift in Sasuke's heart, his gaze flickering slightly.
What a pity...
Then again.
Sasuke's current strength was still far too weak. Even if he were pulled to their side, the help he could provide would be extremely limited.
Moreover, through his observations during this period, Uchiha Obito had come to realize that Sasuke and Uchiha Itachi were two entirely different kinds of people.
Deep within Uchiha Sasuke's heart lurked a darkness.
And in Uchiha Obito's eyes, that was a good thing.
While Sasuke's strength fell far short of Uchiha Itachi's, he was clearly far more suited to being a collaborator than Itachi ever was.
All it would take was the right opportunity and the right catalyst, and Sasuke would turn against Uchiha Madara.
"We should be going as well."
"Underestimating Chiyo and Ebizō would be a costly mistake."
A faint smile flickered beneath Uchiha Obito's mask. He looked at the unconscious Gaara and spoke in his usual even tone.
As he spoke, Uchiha Obito activated Kamui, engulfing the unconscious Gaara and pulling him into the Kamui dimension.
With that done, Uchiha Obito, Kakuzu, and Sasuke all turned and departed.
At the same time.
On the other side, within the Sunagakure pursuit squad.
The instant Gaara was pulled into the Kamui dimension, the sensory shinobi in the group froze, his face changing color.
Everyone around him stopped as well, turning to look at the sensory shinobi with confused expressions.
"I can't sense Gaara's chakra anymore!"
The sensory shinobi closed his eyes, straining to feel something. After a moment, he opened them again, his face pale.
"What!!"
Temari and Kankurō gasped in unison, their expressions darkening in an instant.
Clearly, both of them had immediately thought of the worst possible scenario.
"Gaara's chakra vanished suddenly. The enemy must have used some method to conceal his chakra signature."
The sensory shinobi shook his head, offering the reminder in a quiet voice.
"Phew~"
Temari let out a heavy breath of relief.
It wasn't just her — every Sunagakure shinobi present felt a subtle weight lift from their chests.
"So we've lost Gaara's location."
Chiyo frowned slightly as she turned to the sensory shinobi.
The sensory shinobi's face remained troubled, but he nodded nonetheless.
"Can you sense the direction of Yura and Ōtsuka Kazuki?"
Chiyo asked again, her brow still furrowed.
"Y-yes... but their chakra is already at quite a distance from us. I can only get a general direction."
The sensory shinobi had lost his earlier confidence, his voice carrying a note of uncertainty.
"Dammit!"
Naruto, having listened to the exchange, couldn't hide the impatience on his face.
"If it's just a general direction, then leave it to me."
Hyūga Neji stepped forward from the group, his expression calm as he spoke.
The Byakugan of the Hyūga clan!
How could they have almost forgotten about that!
Seeing Hyūga Neji step forward, Chiyo's eyes lit up.
"In that case, I'll leave it to you."
"Full speed ahead!"
Chiyo spoke with renewed gravity as she issued the order once more.
"Show-off."
Naruto glanced at Hyūga Neji and muttered under his breath.
At that moment.
Everyone in the group accelerated. Compared to their earlier pursuit, their speed had more than doubled.
The sudden disappearance of Gaara's chakra had instilled a sense of urgency in every last one of them.
Time passed, minute by minute.
With the sensory shinobi and Hyūga Neji's Byakugan working in tandem, the enemy's position became increasingly clear.
Yura and Ōtsuka Kazuki had defected late at night.
By now, the sky had already begun to brighten.
Chiyo's pursuit squad had been chasing them through the entire night.
Fortunately, everyone present was an elite among elites. Aside from signs of fatigue on their faces, there were no complaints or emotional fluctuations.
They all understood that while their own stamina had been drained considerably, the same was true for their targets.
Then, amid the silent pursuit, as the sun fully cleared the horizon.
"I can see them — there are only four of them, resting on a sand dune ahead."
Hyūga Neji took a deep breath and called out suddenly.
The moment he spoke!
Chiyo, at the front of the group, sharply raised a hand. The sprinting shinobi all came to a halt atop a sand dune.
"Take a brief rest and prepare to move!"
Chiyo was also breathing heavily as she turned to address those behind her.
"Finally found them? I've been waiting for this!"
From within the group, Hoshigaki Kisame cracked his neck, bared his sharp teeth, and spoke with evident irritation.
As soon as the words left his mouth!
Hoshigaki Kisame paid no attention to Chiyo's order. Gripping his great sword, Samehada, with one hand, he took a single step forward and charged straight ahead.
And it wasn't just Hoshigaki Kisame — Nagato, who had remained silent the entire time, also made his move.
The two of them burst forward almost side by side.
Seeing this, the Sunagakure shinobi all froze in surprise.
Chiyo, however, simply watched the two vanish with a perfectly calm expression.
She had known all along that those two wouldn't obediently follow her orders.
"Dammit — those two charging out this early is going to tip them off."
Baki couldn't help but speak up, though a flicker of wariness showed in his eyes.
They had been pursuing the enemy for so long, yet from the way those two just moved, they barely seemed to have lost any stamina at all.
Monsters!
Because Hoshigaki Kisame and Nagato had charged ahead, the rest of the group abandoned their plan to rest briefly and followed suit.
And at that very moment!
Yura and the others also spotted the two figures suddenly bursting from the desert — Hoshigaki Kisame and Nagato.
"Damn it — it's people from Kirigakure! How are they this fast?!"
Yura's expression shifted as he cursed under his breath, immediately readying himself for combat.
[
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