Obito's Miserable State, Borrowing a Place to Stay

Senya's words completely shattered Obito's composure, sending him into an instant frenzy.

Countless black branches erupted madly from Obito's right shoulder, intertwining and spreading in spirals as they grew upward without restraint. In an instant, they destroyed more than half of Senya's house, leaving behind nothing but wreckage.

Senya grabbed Kakashi by the back of his collar and retreated. His right hand summoned Qianyue once more, and the Mangekyō Sharingan appeared in his eyes again.

"Burn everything to ashes, Qianyue—Flowing Blade, Blazing Fire!"

He swung Qianyue diagonally downward. Blue fire instantly flared from the blade, blue-white flames immediately covering its surface. With Senya's slash, a warped, spinning blade of blue-white fire shot toward the black wood ahead.

The black wood was burned to ash by Senya's strike in moments.

Looking at what had once been his intact home, now reduced to ruins, Senya had a slight headache. Still, it was no big deal. This was all minor stuff.

He casually tossed Kakashi onto the ground nearby.

Cold sweat slid down Kakashi's temples. Fortunately, he had been polite when he came. Otherwise, if he had angered Senya and made him attack, he would at least have ended up seriously injured.

"Did Obito... already escape?"

Kakashi was uncertain as he cautiously asked Senya.

Senya put away Qianyue and turned to leave.

"He left while I was switching ocular techniques. He even wrecked my house. I'll deal with him next time. You can go back. I still need to find somewhere to stay for the night."

Kakashi turned to look at the ruins and mentally calculated the Hatake Clan's remaining assets. There was still quite a lot. He should compensate Senya with five million ryo in a few days and let him rebuild an even bigger courtyard. After all, Kakashi had learned quite a few things from Senya.

He had even figured out what happened to his father. But until the time was right, these matters had to be buried deep in his heart.

Kakashi tied his forehead protector back on and left.

The faint orange-yellow candlelight illuminated the brown stone walls around them. Deep within the cave, Obito sat slumped against a rock wall, gasping for breath.

His right arm had already been cut off and discarded after the Hashirama Cells went berserk.

"Black Zetsu, immediately bring a White Zetsu here. Speed up Tobi's cultivation."

Enduring the pain, Obito immediately gave Black Zetsu a new order.

Black Zetsu emerged from the ground. Looking at Obito's miserable condition, he was somewhat puzzled.

"Who could have hurt you so badly? Your injuries are even more severe than the ones Minato Namikaze inflicted on you back then."

Blood tears continued to flow from Obito's right eye. In order to escape earlier, he had directly overdrawn his ocular power and Chakra, using intangibility to travel from Konoha straight to their secret base in the Land of Water.

Although the Hashirama Cells could replenish ocular power, that still took time. Moreover, losing an arm had directly disrupted the Chakra circulation within his body, leaving Obito's Chakra in disarray.

The turmoil in his emotions and the injuries to his body made every second agony for Obito. He also had to keep the Hashirama Cells under control to prevent them from going berserk again.

Obito raised his head to look at Black Zetsu and reported the intelligence he had gathered in a hoarse voice.

"Senya Uchiha has also awakened the Mangekyō Sharingan. I already know both of his ocular techniques. One seals space, while the other is blue-white flames. My Wood Release and intangibility are both completely countered! Damn it!"

As Obito spoke, he slammed his left fist into the rock wall behind him, his face full of frustration.

Black Zetsu looked at Obito's state, unable to understand, and opened his mouth to ask what had happened.

"Couldn't you just run away when you couldn't beat him, like when you encountered Minato Namikaze back then? Even if his ocular technique counters yours, it must have a range limit. How did you..."

Black Zetsu stopped there and continuously examined Obito's injuries.

Veins bulged on Obito's forehead as he listened. He began to think back. Right, why hadn't he run? Damn Senya—he had deliberately made him lose his mind. What a disgusting bastard. His heart was black.

Seeing Obito's expression grow increasingly ferocious, Black Zetsu decided to shut up. He couldn't say any more. He should first hurry to Madara's ruins and bring back a White Zetsu so Obito could replace his arm.

Inside Konoha.

Knock, knock, knock.

More than thirty seconds later, an irritated female voice came from inside the door. Clearly, the woman was in a bad mood after being woken up in the middle of the night.

"Who the hell is it in the middle of the night, interrupting my sweet dream? I didn't receive any mission that requires me to set off in the middle of the night. How annoying..."

The door was abruptly pulled open from the inside, and the bright incandescent light shone over the man outside.

The moment the woman opened the door and saw him, the words she had meant to say stopped short. She quietly released the hand clutching her khaki coat closed over her chest.

"Uh, haha, Senya. What are you doing here so late?"

Using the light from inside, Senya's gaze settled on Shizune. Her rounded thighs were exposed to the air, with nothing but a pair of shorts on her lower body.

The hem of her top hung over her breasts, while a white camisole wrapped around them, leaving the view above completely exposed before Senya.

"Something happened tonight. My house is gone. You don't mind if I borrow a place to stay for the night, do you? I also brought you some pills I had specially made by the Nara Clan, to help replenish your strength."

Standing at the door and enjoying the sight before him, Senya explained why he had come. He raised the box in his right hand and held it out before Shizune.

Shizune snatched the medicine box, tossed her coat onto the sofa in the living room, and pulled Senya inside.

Senya leaned back on the sofa while Shizune sat beside him. Taking the box, she opened it directly, removed one pill, peeled off its wrapping, and carefully examined the Ration Pill in her hand.

The specially made Ration Pill looked distinctly different at first glance. It was a beautiful red throughout and considerably larger than usual, making Shizune hesitate. Afraid it might taste bad, she cautiously licked it first. It was slightly sweet. It seemed to taste pretty good, so she opened her mouth wide and swallowed it in one bite.

Then she looked up at Senya, her pink, moist tongue slipping out from the corner of her mouth like a brightly colored venomous snake spotting its prey.

"Since you're borrowing a place to stay, I can't let you off that easily. You have to give me something in return. This special Ration Pill only counts as compensation for waking me up in the middle of the night."

Seeing Shizune's sly expression, Senya spread his hands wide with a helpless look, like a little white rabbit being hunted by a venomous snake.

Yet there was a barely noticeable hint of cunning in his eyes, as though he were the real hunter.

"Of course. I'm not that impolite. Those are just gifts for dropping by. I came prepared for this."

Satisfied with his answer, Shizune chewed up the special Ration Pill in her mouth. Its texture was somewhat firm, but unlike ordinary Ration Pills, it was not difficult to swallow. Instead, it gave off a fresh fragrance and a light sweetness.

As soon as it entered her stomach, waves of warmth began to rise in her abdomen and spread through her limbs.

Seeing that Shizune had swallowed the special Ration Pill and was experiencing its restorative effects, Senya spread his arms and slumped back on the sofa. He had just finished practicing taijutsu with Kurenai, and Obito's attack afterward had left him somewhat exhausted. At last, he could properly relax and rest for a while.

After some time, the special Ration Pill Shizune had taken began to work. Even the old hidden injuries left over from training had eased considerably, making her body feel much better.

Senya lowered his head from where it rested against the sofa and reached out to stroke Shizune's forehead.

It definitely tasted good, and its medicinal effects were also excellent. After all, he had spent a large sum to have the Nara Clan make them specially.

After a long while, the peaceful atmosphere was broken by Shizune.

She pushed her luck, saying that the benefits Senya had given her were not enough.

Senya was helpless. There was nothing he could do—having nowhere to sleep was just this miserable. He could only keep satisfying Shizune's demands.

But Shizune had no idea that Senya had come fully prepared for this. Only when she could no longer hold on, became unbearably sleepy, and drifted into unconsciousness did he finally stop...

I really didn't drive the car. Please let it pass, dear reviewer...