Uchiha clan compound.
"Damn it, why didn't I get a jonin instructor? Was my talent not good enough? But being on the same team as Rin is enough!"
Obito clutched his head, grinning foolishly one moment and looking utterly indignant the next.
Even a guy like Genitsu had a jonin instructor. Why couldn't I?!
"Ah, Grandma, why are you out so early? You're not well, so don't move around carelessly!"
Obito cried out and hurried over to support his only remaining family member.
His grandmother looked kindly and gratified. "These old bones of mine only hope to see you a few more times before I die... Judging by that look on your face, are you together with Rin? That girl is wonderful. You must cherish her with your life, you know. Use your life to protect her..."
"Ah! Why would you say something like that? You're still young! And of course I'll protect Rin with my life!"
The old woman and the young boy leaned against each other as they walked, their shadows merging into one and stretching long, long beneath the setting sun.
This scene played out every day.
No one thought anything was wrong with it.
Only Obito, carefree as he was, vaguely felt that his grandmother's words today had been somewhat strange. But with his intelligence, he could not make sense of it at all, so he simply chose not to dwell on it.
All he needed to do was cherish the present.
"Hehehe, Obito really is a good boy..."
After Obito entered the house.
His grandmother narrowed her eyes and raised her head. The corners of her mouth split apart in a terrifying smile, but she immediately seemed to sense something. She swiftly vanished and turned to look.
Genitsu's three-person team happened to be passing by.
"Genitsu, did you notice anything just now?" Kazue asked quietly after they had gone some distance.
"No. She seemed like a very trustworthy old lady..."
Genitsu lowered his head and chuckled.
"That was Obito's grandmother. She's a very kind person. There can't be any problem with her," Might Guy said.
After the three of them had walked away.
The grandmother smiled as she shut the door. Her body began to twist, separating out a white thing.
The white thing quickly sank into the ground.
"Lord Madara, things have gone even more smoothly than expected. If that guy loses his grandmother and his lover one after another, he'll surely go mad. You really are cruel."
White Zetsu emerged from the ground.
"Shut your mouth. You are nothing more than an inferior copy of Hashirama."
Madara Uchiha spoke coldly.
"My, my, so fierce... But Lord Madara, do you really think so highly of that dead last, Obito? I think Kazue is more suitable. She awakened her Sharingan at ten, and she even has a younger sister. She would be perfect for cultivating an Eternal Mangekyō Sharingan."
White Zetsu looked utterly confused.
Why Obito? Why not Kazue, the rising star of the Uchiha? Perhaps she could even produce another pair of Rinnegan...
"At my level, an Eternal Mangekyō can no longer change the overall situation. What I need is a lone man who will carry out my will, someone with emotions far more intense than ordinary people's, yet who has tasted the pain of repeated loss. I searched for decades before finding Obito. He will be the most suitable candidate."
Madara sneered.
Obito had been the one he had selected after countless careful considerations.
Throughout the entire Uchiha clan, every one of them was skilled at putting on airs, but there were very few people with emotions as abundant as Obito's.
"Still, Uchiha Kazue... she can be watched for now. Did you plant White Zetsu spores on her?"
"Of course. I already did it when we brushed past each other earlier. Lord Madara, I'm practically a master of disguise now. I've been deceiving people since the day I was born..." White Zetsu laughed innocently.
Lord Madara said harshly, "This time, I will act personally. Obito must experience the pain of losing family at close range!"
"Eh, eh, eh? But you're almost dead. Can you still leave the Demonic Statue of the Outer Path and go to Konoha?"
Madara said nothing and simply began forming hand seals.
Ninja Art: Elephant Transformation Technique!
An innocent White Zetsu standing nearby and watching the show immediately let out a shrill scream as endless fragments engulfed his entire body.
The next moment, he became a decrepit Madara Uchiha.
"He can't even bear one-tenth of my Chakra in my aged state..."
Transformation Madara shook his head. Without the Rinnegan, activating this Rinnegan ocular technique was extremely difficult.
But never mind.
Transformation Madara vanished from the spot in an instant.
Uchiha clan compound.
As the three walked along, Genitsu naturally drew many scrutinizing looks from the Uchiha clansmen. But once they realized he was Kazue's teammate—
Their gazes immediately softened.
Oh, a companion of the strongest genius of the Uchiha's new generation? Then there was no problem.
"Looks like we're safe for the time being..."
Genitsu silently calculated and relaxed slightly.
He already knew the fate Obito was about to suffer.
His grandmother and Rin could be said to be the two people Obito loved most. Using their deaths to provoke Obito was indeed a good method.
He just had not expected Madara to begin laying plans so early.
But that had nothing to do with Genitsu, and he would not expose it.
"Big Sister, who are they~?"
"So you're Xiaoquan Mei. I'm your sister's teammate, and I'm your friend too."
"No, no~ Right now, my only friend is Itachi~"
When they arrived at Kazue's home, Genitsu met the adorably cute Xiaoquan Mei. But before he could say much, Kazue grabbed him and dragged him away.
"Genitsu, hurry and give it to me..."
"You want it now?"
"Of course. I can't wait any longer..."
"???"
Might Guy wore a baffled expression, looking at Kazue one moment and then at the Genitsu he respected the next.
"Guy, go guard the door."
Genitsu stared at Kazue for two seconds, fell silent for a moment, and began forming hand seals.
Impurity Absorption Technique!
An invisible cloud of radiation immediately filled Genitsu's palm, and he slapped it straight toward Kazue.
Smack!
The instant the radiation touched Kazue, it began stimulating her body and directly affecting her genes.
After many attempts, the two had finally found a suitable degree.
"That's right, this is the feeling. My ocular power is surging. I can feel myself growing stronger..."
Kazue's whole body trembled.
This was the feeling of power.
Only something like this, such intense stimulation to her body, could make her feel different and give her a chance to break free from the path of mediocrity.
"My bloodline ability is very dangerous. You must be prepared for that."
As Genitsu spoke, he watched Kazue's condition.
If she endured this level of radiation year after year, Kazue's fate would be worse than death.
Unless... during the process of mutation, Kazue's positive gains exceeded the negative mutations.
"Kazue, my guess was right. You're a genius, a true genius." Genitsu praised her.
It seemed Kazue's talent was entirely concentrated in enduring intense stimulation to forcibly raise her potential.
But...
"Kazue, something strange is coming out of you. It's white."
With a solemn expression, Genitsu pointed at the White Zetsu emerging from Kazue's body.
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