Outside Konoha Village, deep in a forest far from human habitation.
Hyuga Hinata stood atop an ancient tree, her pure white eyes closed. Her entire being blended with the natural environment as she conducted her daily Divine Sense expansion and spiritual energy tempering.
The keen perception brought by her Pure Pupil Spirit Body allowed her to clearly capture messages carried by the wind, the pulse of life within the soil, and even distant energy ripples. A place far from the noise was more conducive to her Cultivation.
Having great power without the proper state of mind wouldn't do; it would lead to Qi Deviation. If she were to go on a killing spree then, perhaps even developing some Blood Demon Technique where she grew stronger the more she killed, who could stop her? The entire Ninja World would suffer terribly.
However, while she was immersed in her Cultivation, an extremely subtle yet dense Chakra—laden with spatial fluctuations and a cold, deathly aura—appeared abruptly at the edge of her Divine Sense perception, like a drop of ink in clear water, and rapidly approached.
Hinata slowly opened her eyes and looked toward the clearing ahead and to her side.
The space there rippled like the surface of water, and a figure wearing a black robe with red clouds and an orange spiral-patterned single-eye mask emerged silently.
It was Uchiha Obito, going by the alias 'Tobi'.
"My, my, what sharp perception you have, Young Miss of the Hyuga Clan."
Obito spoke in a voice he deliberately made light and flighty, but the eye exposed outside the mask was as sharp as a hawk's, firmly locked onto Hinata.
Hinata watched him quietly without speaking, her face expressionless as she watched Obito's performance.
Obito didn't mind her silence and continued on his own.
"I've heard you've done many interesting things. For instance, stopping the Konoha Crush and single-handedly facing two former Hokage and Orochimaru. Truly impressive..."
His tone carried a hint of playfulness and probing.
Hinata remained silent, considering whether she should just expose his identity directly and scare the life out of him.
"Hehe, no need to be nervous." Obito spread his hands, assuming Hinata was too scared to speak.
"I'm simply very interested in you and the power you possess. To have such strength at such a young age..."
Before he could finish, Obito's figure suddenly vanished!
In the next instant, he appeared behind Hinata, the Kunai in his hand whistling through the air as it lunged straight for her heart! He was incredibly fast and his movements were ruthless, a complete departure from his previous lighthearted tone.
However, the moment before the Kunai touched Hinata's robe, it was as if it had entered an invisible mire, unable to advance even a fraction further.
A layer of extremely condensed Protective Aura steadily blocked the attack.
Obito's brow twitched behind the mask, and his Sharingan activated instantly as he tried to see through this defense.
The moment his attention focused on the defense, Hinata moved. She raised her hand, and a Flying Sword appeared out of thin air, stabbing toward Obito.
Obito jumped back sharply to dodge, but the Flying Sword seemed to have eyes as it chased him. Eventually, the Flying Sword passed through his chest, but it didn't harm him at all; he had clearly activated his Intangibility.
Obito used his Intangibility to close in rapidly. Just as he was about to touch Hinata, her body was wreathed in lightning, and she erupted with an energy he didn't recognize. The intensity of it made his heart skip a beat.
Faced with an unknown power, Obito narrowed his eyes. He didn't attack recklessly and chose to pull back.
He stood ten meters away from Hinata. On the surface, he maintained his composure, brushing the dust off his clothes and letting out a low, raspy laugh, no longer pretending to be flighty.
"Hmph... You really are something else."
Hinata also spoke slowly to Obito.
"Speak. What do you want with me? You couldn't have come just for a fight, could you?"
"Hehe... Of course not."
He laughed twice before stating his purpose.
"I want you to join us. As a strong individual, you should know that this world has no hope; it is filled with darkness."
Obito spoke, his voice full of persuasion.
[As expected, he's here to recruit me.]
Hinata tilted her head slightly, signaling for him to continue.
"Take a good look at this Ninja World! It is rife with war, hatred, deception, and loss! People can never truly understand one another, and tragedies repeat themselves endlessly! Whether it's Konoha or any other hidden village, they are all just struggling in vain within this cycle of despair! What value does such a world have?!"
He spread his arms, voicing his dissatisfaction with the world and preaching his values.
"I will create a perfect world without barriers, without pain, and without loss! Only there can true peace and happiness exist!"
He looked at Hinata with a burning gaze and extended an invitation.
"Hyuga Hinata, you should understand that this reality is beyond saving. Join us in 'Akatsuki'! Together, we will bury this false old world and create a brand new one! Your power shouldn't be wasted here. Join us, and you will become the cornerstone of the new world's birth!"
[What kind of damn cult recruitment speech is this? Obito, you've turned into a pyramid scheme leader, haven't you?]
Hinata's mouth twitched; she felt he had gone completely delusional.
If the Ninja World had an anti-fraud app, a call would definitely be coming through right now, even if what Obito said was technically true.
This rhetoric was filled with paranoid despair and savior-like fanaticism. Someone with a weak mind who had experienced great suffering might truly be misled by it.
"A perfect world?"
She repeated softly, her tone mocking. She shook her head slightly, as if dismissing a childish delusion.
"Whether the world is in despair or not, what does it have to do with me? The pain and struggles of an individual are simply necessary trials on the path of life's evolution. The root cause of it all is simply because one lacks the power to protect what they value."
Her gaze seemed to pierce through that mask, seeing the riddled heart behind it, filled with hatred and despair.
"Your plan is boring and utterly meaningless."
Obito was choked up by Hinata's merciless critique, and his expression behind the mask turned extremely ugly.
He had expected her to refuse or question him, but he never expected this attitude of disdain! It was as if his meticulously constructed 'ideal of salvation' was just a pile of laughable garbage in her eyes.
"You...!" A cold killing intent erupted from Obito.
"You don't understand the darkness of this world at all!"
Hinata didn't want to debate with him. There was no point in saying anything; this guy's heart was set in stone.
A determined Obito was as sinister as they come.
She gave Obito no further chance to speak. Activating Flying Thunder God, her figure vanished instantly.
In the forest, only Obito remained, standing in place with his fists clenched.
"Hyuga... Hinata..." He whispered the name, his tone chilling.
"I hope you don't get in my way."
A tentative contact ended in a complete breakdown of negotiations.
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