Experiment

A slender figure was heading toward the Security Force.

That figure was Uchiha Izumi.

Her face was filled with anxiety and confusion.

Izumi had come to the Security Force to find Senyo or Itachi.

She wanted to know why Itachi had betrayed the Uchiha Clan.

As Izumi moved forward, a sudden chill ran down her spine.

Her steps halted, and she flipped backward, leaving her original position.

Two kunai had already embedded themselves where she had just stood.

Izumi pulled out shuriken from her Ninja Tool Pouch and hurled them through the air.

Their target was the Tiger Masked Man who had just appeared.

Obito allowed the shuriken to pass right through his body.

He slowly clapped his hands. "Not bad eyes."

His praise was not without reason. Uchiha Izumi was only twelve or thirteen, yet she already possessed the Three-Tomoe Sharingan.

At such a young age, her potential within the Uchiha Clan was immeasurable.

Perfect. He could harvest another pair of Sharingan.

Seeing that he did not seem to be from Konoha, Izumi immediately guessed his identity.

"You're a helper Itachi hired!?"

Obito caught the tone in Izumi's voice and found it rather interesting. "Oh? It seems you have some connection to Itachi?"

Izumi pressed her lips together and said nothing, but her heart ached terribly. Itachi had truly betrayed the clan!

Izumi instantly threw the kunai in her hand and turned to flee!

But how could Izumi possibly escape Obito's pursuit?

Obito pulled out the chain he habitually used and lashed it out. Izumi failed to dodge in time and was immediately bound.

With a hard yank, Obito slammed Izumi heavily onto the ground.

Pain shot through Izumi's entire body. Thinking that this man was also a helper Itachi had hired filled her with even greater grief.

"Save me, Itachi!"

Hearing Izumi's mournful cry, Obito finally vented some of the pent-up resentment in his heart.

"Heh... Itachi can't save you."

He yanked again, dragging Izumi back with brutal force.

Just then!

Amaterasu!

Boom!

Black flames crashed directly onto Obito's head!

"Ah...!"

Obito let out a hoarse scream, his real voice slipping out.

Senyo was still not satisfied, and Amaterasu spread to engulf Obito's entire body!

Obito was terrified out of his wits. There was actually a Mangekyō Sharingan within the Uchiha Clan!

Enduring the searing pain, the other Three-Tomoe Sharingan in his eye emitted a dazzling red glow.

Izanagi!

Like a wisp of blue smoke, Obito vanished from the spot.

Senyo landed on the ground and continued searching for Obito's location.

He had actually forced Obito to use Izanagi. He wondered how long Obito had set its duration for.

At that moment, a ripple of ocular power suddenly appeared behind a tree.

Senyo leaped up, but when he turned around, he saw only the corner of a garment vanish from sight.

Hmph!

Senyo snorted coldly. He ran fast!

There was immense hatred between him and Obito. Ruri's disability had been caused by the Nine-Tails' Rampage years ago.

Whatever else Obito had done aside, that alone meant he had to die!

Senyo had arrived just as Obito made his move. When Obito dragged Izumi, he naturally had to be in a tangible state.

At that moment, the fastest attack, Amaterasu, was naturally the best choice.

Senyo's ocular power was exceptionally abundant to begin with, and his eyes only felt slightly uncomfortable now.

"Senyo... senior..."

Izumi had just been thrown so hard that her head was spinning.

She had thought she was about to perish, only for Senyo to save her.

Senyo and Shisui were friends, so Izumi naturally knew him as well.

If not for the fact that, after the Nine-Tails' Rampage, Senyo had needed to take on a large number of missions to support his family, their relationship would have been even better.

"You don't need to go to the Security Force. Itachi isn't there."

Senyo's voice was flat, making him seem somewhat cold and unapproachable.

Izumi assumed Itachi's betrayal of the clan had made Senyo take his anger out on her, so she did not dare say anything.

But Senyo felt no such resentment. Even toward Itachi, he had no particular anger.

Because Senyo had always believed that the victor was king and the loser was a bandit.

The entire process was merely a means; as long as the objective was achieved, nothing else mattered.

His cold tone was only because he was looking at the Star of Bonds panel.

Though it was his cheat and the foundation of his survival, it did not even come with instructions. He had no idea how to raise bonds.

Itachi had previously already hatched a third Star of Bonds.

Now, the progress bar had basically stopped moving, and he was considering how to raise their bond next.

He looked Uchiha Izumi up and down, his gaze like that of someone inspecting pork.

Izumi felt uneasy beneath Senyo's gaze. Others did not know about her relationship with Itachi, but Senyo did.

She had no idea what Senyo intended to do.

But there were some questions she simply could not leave unasked. "Senior Senyo, did Itachi really betray the clan?"

Senyo had just decided to use Izumi as an experiment, so he merely let out a helpless sigh.

"Don't blame him. Itachi had no choice."

"Konoha made a deal with him: as long as he helped the village wipe out the Uchiha, they would spare you and Sasuke."

Izumi was stunned. "M-Me and Sasuke!?"

Senyo deliberately put on a grave expression.

"Other than Fugaku and Mikoto, the people he cared about most in the clan were only you and Sasuke."

"The people of Konoha would never spare Fugaku and Mikoto."

"Itachi could only bear the infamy in order to preserve your and Sasuke's lives."

Izumi was still young, and so much had happened that night that she was easily deceived by Senyo.

All her resentment toward Itachi vanished in an instant, replaced by boundless gratitude. At that moment, she wished she could fly straight to Itachi's side.

Having lived two lives, Senyo could easily tell that Izumi had been completely moved.

That was enough; there was no need to press the matter further. Senyo had serious business to attend to.

With a solemn expression, he said, "But after my persuasion, Itachi has decided to resist Konoha together with the entire clan."

"It's just that the situation is rather complicated right now, and I still need to go support Itachi."

"Follow me for now. We'll talk on the way."

"Yes! Senior Senyo!"

Although Izumi had just been in mortal danger, the thought of being able to support the man she loved made her immediately follow behind Senyo.

As Senyo led Izumi toward the clan compound, he quickly explained to her, "Many people in the clan have reached their limit in their urge to resist Konoha, but our Armed Coup is very likely to fail."

"So tonight, we will not attack Konoha. On the contrary, none of us will acknowledge that the Uchiha ever intended a coup."

"There are three forces on Konoha's side in this matter: the Third Hokage and his Anbu,"

"Root led by Danzo, and an allied force made up of the other Ninja Clans."

"Tonight, I'll decide how to deal with the enemy based on who appears. Don't say anything, and don't ask anything."

"Forget what happened before. Our clan needs to work together to get through tonight."

"You can learn the details slowly afterward."

As Senyo explained things to Izumi, he watched the bond between them rise rapidly.

Only after Izumi's Star of Bonds reached its maximum of two stars did he stop explaining.

Izumi thought Senyo had told her all this because he trusted her, never realizing that Senyo had only done it for Bond Value.