Reborn into the shinobi world, Higashino Makoto wasn't part of the Uchiha clan, so he had no need to worry about Danzō targeting him.
Nor was he from Yakushi Nonō's orphanage that took in war orphans from outside the village, so there was no risk of ending up in Danzō's hands.
He was a civilian of Konoha, with both parents alive—a clean, orthodox part of the Hokage's base. Even with outstanding talent, Danzō's reach couldn't extend to him.
So all along, he had turned a blind eye to Danzō.
Two generations of Hokage, considering the old man's past contributions to the village, had merely allowed him to retire with dignity, with no intention of pursuing his past actions.
Makoto had likewise not done anything extra.
But now that the old man had not only jumped back out but had even set his sights on his family, there was nothing left to say.
If you refuse to leave with dignity, then I'll help you do it.
It was about time Danzō experienced what it meant to collapse before someone had even started trying.
Still, Higashino-sama was kind-hearted. He hadn't destroyed their souls or the vitality of their cells, leaving them intact for the Intelligence Division. Surely, they would be able to extract quite a bit of useful information from their brains.
Sometimes, for a shinobi, the dead were more useful than the living.
Outside the barrier, quite a few people had already gathered. Through the patrol squad stationed there, they had learned why the two sides had clashed.
There weren't many people. Ordinary villagers and shinobi who noticed the disturbance were sent back by the ANBU and the Police Force. Internal conflict among the village's former leadership was not something to be widely publicized.
When Makoto dispelled the Four Red Yang Formation, Hiruzen, Homura, and Koharu did not show any sign of reproach.
They had long advised Danzō to stop and retire properly, but since he insisted on causing trouble—and even planned to go after someone's parents—he had only himself to blame.
They had only come to see their old comrade and longtime teammate one last time.
Minato asked, "How is Shisui?"
Makoto replied, "My original body is treating him. The poisoning is severe, but his life isn't in danger. After the toxin is removed, he'll just need some time to recover."
"And the Uchiha side?"
"Itachi has gone back to handle it."
"Itachi? Will that be alright?"
"It'll be fine, Minato-senpai. Tonight… he already has enough strength."
"Is that so?" Minato immediately understood what Makoto meant. Thinking of his own student, whose personality had changed so drastically, he sighed. "This generation of Uchiha is truly astonishing in talent. I just hope Itachi's personality won't be affected too much."
"Don't worry. With Shisui and me watching, we won't let him go down the wrong path."
At that moment, the ANBU partially released the seal on Danzō.
Immediately, the pale arm—embedded with four three-tomoe Sharingan—assaulted everyone's sanity.
All one could say was that the shinobi world was still very much in its "cosmetic lens" era. The Sharingan was basically a living plug-and-play interface—install and use at will. Extremely convenient.
These eyes were part of the legacy Madara had left to Obito. Danzō had used one during his fight with Shisui, but when facing Makoto, he hadn't even had the chance to activate Izanagi.
Makoto reached out and removed Shisui's eye from Danzō's right socket. No one said anything—they all knew to whom it belonged.
With the seal, the Mangekyō, and Danzō's will no longer suppressing them, the Wood Release cells began to go berserk—but Makoto casually sealed them with a flick of his hand.
Seeing the sapling sprouting from their old comrade's arm, Hiruzen and the others could only feel that he had completely lost his mind—actually implanting the First Hokage's cells into himself.
If you're going to court death, this isn't the way to do it!
...
Uchiha compound, Sōsuke's residence.
The group waiting there had not sensed any intense chakra fluctuations from battle within Konoha.
It was too quiet.
So quiet it felt suffocating.
After a long while, Obito suddenly spoke, "It failed. That old man Danzō is useless—he couldn't even stir up a ripple."
Uchiha Sōsuke's heart finally sank. "Still no good…? Madara-sama, then… should we leave Konoha, or—?"
Behind the mask, Obito smiled. "Of course we're leaving. But…"
As he spoke, he suddenly turned on them, striking without warning. Using Kamui's surprise factor, he swiftly wiped out the group.
The suppression of Mangekyō over ordinary Sharingan, combined with Kamui's almost cheating-like intangibility, left them completely unable to fight back.
They couldn't even touch the hem of his clothes.
Before dying, Sōsuke demanded in fury, "Why? Madara-sama, why would you do this?!"
"Why?" Obito replied casually. "Since I promised to take you away, I wouldn't break my word. But… I'll only be taking part of your bodies with me."
As he spoke, he removed Sōsuke's eyes while they were still fresh.
He had only stirred the waters of Konoha a bit for fun. If it weakened the village, all the better. If not, he wouldn't be too disappointed.
But no matter what, he would never do business at a loss. The Sharingan he had given out would naturally be repaid with interest.
Obito had never intended to take this group into the Akatsuki. That would only arouse Nagato's suspicion—making him wonder if his organization had become a branch of Konoha.
That would be detrimental to his plan.
As for the deeper reason? There wasn't one. Obito wanted to do it, so he did it. He simply wasn't a mentally normal person.
After putting away the Sharingan, Obito said, "Still not willing to come out? Young junior, I helped you this much. You should at least come out and thank me."
Itachi emerged from the shadows, sword in hand, his expression solemn. His pair of Mangekyō stared fixedly at the masked man before him.
"You're the Uchiha Madara who caused the Nine-Tails incident a few years ago, aren't you?"
"Oh? Another pair of Mangekyō. What a troublesome clan. Looks like it really should disappear completely."
Obito spoke arrogantly, but his body was very honest—he immediately entered a fully intangible state.
Only an Uchiha truly understood another Uchiha. Who knew what strange abilities this brat in front of him possessed? He had no intention of capsizing in a gutter.
"Why did you kill them?"
"They were just a bunch of useless trash. They had no value anymore. Only those who possess eyes like ours are qualified to follow me. So, Itachi… are you willing to follow me?"
"Why should I follow you?"
"Itachi, I know you followed your father onto the battlefield before. You've seen the cruelty of war. A bunch of people who don't even know each other killing one another for some so-called village, some so-called ideals, creating endless hatred."
"And hatred, in turn, drags the shinobi world into the next war, repeating the same miserable cycle over and over again. Don't you think this world is fundamentally wrong—and in need of correction?"
"You're not wrong," Itachi replied. "But I don't think a despicable person like you has the ability to correct it."
Seeing that Itachi hadn't immediately opened with a killing move and was actually willing to talk, Obito instantly became energized.
"No, you're wrong. I do have that ability."
"I will sever all causality in this world and create a world without hatred, without disappointment, without conflict—a world where everyone can attain happiness and joy."
"And your actual plan?" Itachi asked. "Anyone can tell pretty lies."
"I'm not lying. But only those who follow me are qualified to know the plan. So, Itachi… what's your answer?"
"It sounds very nice," Itachi said calmly. "But I refuse."
"Why? I know you've always been searching for an answer to peace. Don't you want to see the world I described become reality?"
After thinking for a moment, Itachi answered, "I am searching for an answer to peace. Realistic peace. But what you're describing sounds more like a daydream to me."
"Besides, Makoto-senpai once said not to trust someone who casually paints grand fantasies for you, because those fantasies never really exist. You just want to use me."
"Makoto-senpai also said that the world advances through the emergence and resolution of contradictions. But contradictions themselves never disappear—they only shift elsewhere."
"So tell me: in the world you described, where everything is perfect, where did all the conflicts between people, villages, and nations go? What did they shift into? Can you tell me that?"
Obito: "..."
The hell would I know? That damned ghost Madara never told me!
And this brat kept saying "Makoto-senpai" every other sentence. It was obvious he was already beyond molding into the shape Obito wanted.
Sure enough, Black Zetsu had been right. Higashino Makoto might truly be the greatest obstacle to their plan. It seemed necessary to find a way to eliminate such an unstable factor.
Seeing that the masked man could not answer, Itachi became even more convinced that Makoto had been right.
So he stopped trying to extract information and attacked directly.
The enclosed room was unsuitable for ninjutsu, so Itachi immediately launched several flashy shuriken, then advanced with his blade while calculating the opponent's movements.
But Obito neither moved nor dodged.
Every shuriken—and even Itachi himself—passed straight through his body.
It was as though the figure standing before him were merely an illusion.
Itachi's expression did not change. He began analyzing the enemy's abilities in his mind.
Unfortunately, he had only just awakened the Mangekyō and was still unfamiliar with the powers of his eyes. Otherwise, he absolutely would have given this guy a taste of one of them.
Itachi was a born tactician with exceptional analytical ability. He firmly believed there was no such thing as a perfect jutsu—only weaknesses waiting to be carefully uncovered.
But Obito had already decided to leave.
While Itachi was focused on analysis, Obito quietly deactivated his intangibility and then used his other ability to depart.
Before leaving, he made one last effort with his Talk-no-Jutsu: "Itachi, my invitation will always remain open. I look forward to the day you lose hope and come back to seek me out."
Obito was very confident, because this had always been a hopeless world. There was simply no method to eliminate war and hatred.
Except for the Eye of the Moon Plan.
Most importantly, anyone capable of awakening the Mangekyō was insane to some degree.
He himself was no exception.
Itachi paid no attention to Obito's words, because Makoto-senpai had once said that trusting an enemy was an extremely naïve and foolish thing to do.
Compared to the illusory world described by this so-called Uchiha Madara, he still found the discussions between Makoto and Shisui far more realistic.
But he continued staring fixedly at Obito as the man vanished before his eyes.
And then, he noticed something interesting.
When that man became intangible, his body clearly no longer existed in the real world. With the abnormal visual acuity of the Mangekyō, Itachi precisely observed dust particles passing freely through his body.
But when he used his second ability to leave, his body blocked the dust.
Which meant the two abilities could not be used simultaneously.
Good.
Next time they met, he would test the interval between the two abilities.
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