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Uchiha Itachi finished preparing his gear and glanced at his younger brother, who was still restless. Then, he turned around and disappeared into the night.
This was his first mission after becoming a Chunin, and he took it very seriously.
His enthusiasm was high in all aspects, even though his new teammates might not be too happy about it. Still, he wanted to complete the mission as soon as possible.
"That way, I can get back to Sasuke sooner."
Itachi moved swiftly; he had already left the Uchiha district long ago. To be honest, the clan's current state didn't sit well with him.
Many people constantly spoke about "the clan" and "the family," which felt vastly different from what he had heard from the Hokage.
"Hmm?"
Suddenly, Itachi halted his steps, sensing something unusual. "Who's there? Come out."
His eyes turned crimson as he spoke, the Sharingan spinning as he scanned his surroundings.
It was rare to be targeted within the Hidden Leaf Village, but he quickly considered a possibility.
After all, he had seen someone recklessly hunt down fellow Konoha shinobi before.
Shuriken whizzed through the air.
The only response he received was several kunai hurtling toward him at high speed.
"Are they from Root?" Itachi wondered, gripping a kunai as he swiftly dodged and deflected the incoming weapons.
"Mm!"
Just as a kunai grazed past him, his Sharingan caught sight of a unique sealing tag attached to it. In that instant, he sensed a masked figure appearing right beside him.
"What's going on?"
Shigenari Shuuzawa frowned, looking toward the shadowy figure in the distance. He was puzzled.
He had planned to take a walk home while sorting out his thoughts instead of using the Flying Thunder God to return immediately.
Yet, he unexpectedly ran into this situation. Normally, he should go investigate.
However, at that moment, he sensed a strange Flying Thunder God mark appear out of nowhere. That made him hesitate. He knew exactly what this meant. Unless he was mistaken, that kind of mobile marker belonged to none other than Uchiha Obito.
Flying Thunder God marks weren't easily erased.
And Obito, that lunatic, had once infiltrated the Hidden Leaf, hoping the Fourth Hokage would recognize him and "save" him.
The problem was that, much like Uchiha Fugaku, he never stopped considering whether he might be the issue.
He covered his face with a mask, deliberately altered his voice, and expected to be identified.
Not only that, but he had planted explosive tags on baby Naruto, forcibly extracted Kurama from Kushina, and set the Tailed Beast loose on the village.
Someone who had openly tried to kill his wife and child—no matter how good-natured Minato was, there was no way he wouldn't be furious.
Obito was also furious.
Otherwise, he wouldn't have mocked the Fourth Hokage to his face years later, saying, "You failed to recognize me back then."
"What kind of insane logic is that?"
Shuuzawa couldn't help but purse his lips. He simply couldn't relate to this level of madness.
He fully agreed with the evaluation given by that wicked Senju ghost—Tobirama.
The more the Uchiha awakened their Sharingan, the more mentally unstable they became.
Once they unlocked the Mangekyō, they were guaranteed to go off the deep end.
With that in mind, Shuuzawa pretended he hadn't seen anything and continued walking home without looking back.
"He's not reacting at all."
The plant-like creature White Zetsu spoke from the shadows with a hint of frustration. Black Zetsu, too, was silent for a moment.
This guy didn't follow conventional logic.
Normally, if a Konoha shinobi encountered an unknown presence—whether it was Root or the ANBU—shouldn't they at least investigate? After all, he was a Konoha ninja.
However, to be fair, Shuuzawa wasn't crucial to their plan. And honestly, Black Zetsu was sick of Obito's so-called "plan" anyway.
But as the self-proclaimed "will of Uchiha Madara," he had no choice but to assist.
If he had to do it, he would do it flawlessly.
"Tell that thing attached to Obito to check if the fight over there is finished," Black Zetsu instructed.
"That brat can teleport away at any moment, so Obito must hurry up. And make sure to bring Uchiha Itachi with him."
"Got it, got it."
White Zetsu nodded. He didn't care; whatever Black Zetsu said was fine with him.
Meanwhile, after walking some distance away, Shuuzawa glanced back at the scene behind him.
"What exactly is going on?"
A shadowy figure appearing out of nowhere, Obito's Flying Thunder God mark—all these chaotic elements made the situation feel suspicious.
Suddenly, a thought crossed his mind.
"Could it be… because I'm teammates with Uchiha Shisui? Is he trying to use me as a pawn?" Shuuzawa wasn't sure, but things would get very complicated if he was right.
"Hm?"
As he continued walking, he suddenly sensed a strange fluctuation of energy. At that moment, the Flying Thunder God mark felt dangerously close.
However, the sensation vanished as quickly as it appeared, as if nothing had happened.
Shuuzawa frowned. After hesitating, he cautiously looked ahead toward a nearby alleyway. His pupils contracted instantly.
Uchiha Itachi was lying on the ground, unconscious and covered in injuries. At that moment, Shuuzawa realized exactly what that bastard, Uchiha Obito, was planning.
"So it is Shisui… That bastard set me up?"
Shuuzawa knew he had no choice now. If he left, it would only make him look even more guilty.
Obito had Kamui, and he could easily pretend to be someone else with a mask on.
If Itachi was still alive, his last memory before passing out might very well be of being "defeated by Shuuzawa."
"I even deliberately mocked Danzo just to annoy him…"
Shuuzawa bit his lip. Even if Obito hadn't overheard him then, Black and White Zetsu had. That meant…
"I can't escape this at all, can I?"
Shuuzawa was part of Root, and everyone knew Danzo had despised the Uchiha clan. Not to mention, Itachi had already clashed with Root's operatives before.
So, as one of Danzo's subordinates, wouldn't it seem completely logical if Shuuzawa attacked Itachi secretly?
He couldn't seriously injure Itachi under public scrutiny during the Chunin Exams. But in the shadows, taking another shot at him? That was plausible.
And if Itachi was near death, Shisui would undoubtedly start resenting the Hidden Leaf. What sort of thoughts might take root in his mind if that happened?
"Sigh."
Thinking this through, Shuuzawa let out a quiet sigh. Then, he slowly pulled out a kunai.
"Looks like I have no choice." A smirk formed on his lips. "But let's see who's the prey here."
...
"This brat doesn't play by the rules. Is he seriously just going to leave without even checking?"
Inside the dimensional space, Black Zetsu stood beside Obito, unable to hold back a complaint.
Obito snorted coldly before speaking.
"Hmph, that's why Konoha is rotting away. Back then, we were willing to give everything to this village, especially Rin. But now, it's clear—Rin put her trust in the wrong place. Hmph, Konoha."
Obito had spent enough time in Kirigakure to understand why Rin had chosen to die by Kakashi's hand.
It was for the village to prevent the Three-Tails from wreaking havoc in Konoha. She was even willing to die for that reason.
He understood it, but that didn't mean he could forgive Kakashi, nor did it mean he accepted Rin's will.
Now, he had only one goal—to create a world where Rin and Kakashi truly existed.
Obito was lost in his emotions, but Black Zetsu cast him a discreet glance. That girl, Nohara Rin, was killed by us.
But of course, he would never say that aloud. He knew just how insane Obito had become in Kirigakure, driven by his thirst for revenge.
After all, Kirigakure had sealed the Three-Tails inside Rin and relentlessly pursued her, forcing her to choose death by Kakashi's hand.
But Obito didn't know that Uchiha Madara had orchestrated the entire plan.
Rin's death was nothing more than a script written by Madara, and Obito was just a pawn.
Still, this pawn was growing stronger, gathering more and more resources. There might be trouble if he ever got too close to the truth.
"That brat is making a move," Black Zetsu muttered, shaking his head. No point in thinking too much—Obito still had a 'bomb' inside his heart.
Black Zetsu would send him to reunite with Rin if he ever tried to rebel. He turned his gaze toward Shuuzawa and saw him pulling out a kunai. That made Black Zetsu frown.
"What is that brat trying to do?"
"No idea." Obito stood above, looking down with disdain. "Whatever it is, it's just a pointless struggle. Does he think he has the guts to kill Uchiha Itachi?"
But just as Obito finished speaking, he heard Shuuzawa muttering to himself.
"So, someone's trying to frame me. Who could it be?" Holding his kunai, Shuuzawa tilted his head in thought.
"And this guy, heading out in the middle of the night—is he on a mission? What's the culprit's goal? What do they want? But at this point, I probably can't explain myself anymore. No other traces, no clear leads, and no witnesses."
"The only person here is me. The one who dumped him here must have already planned everything out."
"If Uchiha Itachi wakes up, his first thought will be that I did this. But aside from me, who else can use the Flying Thunder God?"
"Then again, maybe it wasn't Flying Thunder God—maybe another space-time jutsu?"
Not bad. Listening to Shuuzawa's self-analysis, both Obito and Black Zetsu unconsciously nodded.
The fact that Shuuzawa immediately deduced so much upon seeing Itachi, even managing to guess parts of their plan, proved just how sharp he was.
Information analysis was one of Shinobi's most critical skills, after all.
"Looks like I have no choice. After all, I'm a member of Root, and Lord Danzō already despises the Uchiha."
"No matter how I look at this, I can't explain it away. I might even drag Root down with me."
Shuuzawa was still speaking to himself as he slowly approached Itachi. The kunai in his hand gleamed coldly, its sharp edge reflecting the moonlight.
"Sorry, but I can't afford to bring Root into this. That means I'll have to trouble you instead."
"You just became a Chunin, and I was the one who evaluated you. I feel a little guilty about this, but I think you'd be willing to help your examiner, right?"
What? What is this brat trying to do?!
Obito and Black Zetsu were stunned by hearing Shuuzawa's words and watching his movements.
A terrible feeling surged in their hearts, and then Shuuzawa spoke again.
"You just became a Chunin, eager to prove yourself as an outstanding Uchiha ninja, so you decided to take on a mission alone."
"But unfortunately, the mission was far beyond your expectations. Isolated and without backup, you perished in the field."
Wait—he's going through with it?! Obito and Black Zetsu were both dumbfounded. They never expected Shuuzawa to be this decisive.
Shuuzawa was a member of the Anbu, but Uchiha Itachi's status was far from ordinary!
He was the clan leader's son, and his death would have a massive impact on Konoha.
He was also closely tied to Anbu and had strong connections within the organization. Given all that, they assumed Shuuzawa would follow Anbu protocols.
But now they realized—this little bastard had no intention of playing by the rules. He was willing to do anything for his own sake!
"Oh, right, you were an outstanding Uchiha. The enemy wouldn't leave your eyes untouched either."
Shuuzawa twirled his kunai before pausing as if something had just occurred to him.
"Don't worry, I'll take your eyes and carry on your will."
Wait—what?! Obito was completely thrown off.
This… This is exactly what I said to Kakashi when I was buried under the rocks!
"Rest easy. Once your body decays into bones, I might just 'happen to find' your remains and bring them back."
Shuuzawa seemed to have decided, his presence growing colder by the second.
"That way, you can be reunited with your family, right? Alright, it's time for you to go. Farewell, Uchiha Itachi!"
WHAT THE HELL—THIS GUY IS INSANE!!!
Obito had officially lost it. He could hardly believe what he was witnessing.
Uchiha Itachi was a valuable asset and crucial to his grand plan. No matter what, he could not let this promising young Uchiha die here!
But now, thanks to his meddling, he had practically ensured Itachi's death. That realization was unbearable.
"STOP!!!"
Unable to hold back, Obito let out a furious roar and instantly leapt out of Kamui's dimension. His priority now was stopping Shuuzawa's madness.
Even if Itachi had to die, it had to be in a way that served his goals. If the right people saw Itachi's death, it could be used to push Shisui further into despair.
Wait—
The moment Obito emerged, a kunai was already flying straight at him.
And in that instant, Shuuzawa's figure vanished. His voice, however, reached Obito's ears right alongside the kunai.
"So, you finally showed yourself, you bastard!"
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