Obito's Fear

The rumbling thunder gradually ceased, and the rampaging Lightning Sea began to subside.

Like an enraged beast, it began to rein in its fury.

A moment later, only four giant Metal Pillar structures remained, standing amidst the devastated Battlefield.

The upper ends of the Metal Pillar structures still crackled with residual electricity.

The five-minute Million Volts electrical assault had carved a crater several meters deep into the earth, melting the silicon in the sand and gravel under the intense heat; the forest had been transformed into a massive basin, rising with wisps of white smoke.

The air was thick with the foul, pungent odor of ozone generated by electrolysis.

Yet, no one cared about such a trivial anomaly; everyone's gaze was fixed entirely upon the ruined Battlefield.

Standing before this smoking, gargantuan basin, they felt incredibly small.

Was this level of power truly something a human could achieve?

Furthermore, it was Namikaze Mirai who had voluntarily ceased the attack.

If he had not stopped, how much longer would this assault have continued?

What kind of terrifying damage would it have wrought?

Sarutobi Hiruzen's pupils trembled slightly.

His gaze remained fixed on the four smoking, giant Metal Pillar structures.

Was this the key to unleashing that technique?

If these four Metal Pillar structures were placed within the Sarutobi Clan Compound...

He dared not imagine it, nor could he afford to.

Hovering in the air, Namikaze Mirai scanned the Battlefield, and after a brief search, he descended to the ground.

Uchiha Fugaku and the others, who had been waiting, immediately crowded around him.

"Mirai, who was the enemy you fought?"

Fugaku asked nervously.

To force Namikaze Mirai to use such a terrifying attack, it was definitely no ordinary enemy!

"It was the mastermind behind that night."

Namikaze Mirai said calmly.

As expected!

Uchiha Fugaku's pupils constricted.

Only the culprit behind that night would be worthy of Namikaze Mirai exerting such strength...

Upon hearing his words, the surrounding Uchiha Clan members immediately broke into astonished whispers.

"That night? The night of the Nine-Tails Attack?"

"Lord Mirai was actually fighting such an enemy; it's terrifying. That was an enemy even the Fourth Hokage couldn't defeat."

These voices also reached the ears of Sarutobi Hiruzen on the other side, causing his expression to change drastically.

The mastermind behind that night???

The one Namikaze Mirai had been fighting was actually that kind of enemy!

"Mirai, what was the enemy's true identity?"

Sarutobi Hiruzen asked with a sense of trepidation.

After all, rumors had circulated in the village that the Nine-Tails Attack was the result of Danzo's experimental subjects escaping and seeking revenge. Those rumors were well-reasoned, and he could not be certain of their truth.

"The enemy wore a mask; I did not see his face clearly."

Namikaze Mirai shook his head.

The enemy wore a Spiral Mask, and combined with the power of Intangibility, he had never found an opportunity to destroy the mask until the very last moment of the battle.

Sarutobi Hiruzen breathed a sigh of relief.

So, it meant there was no proof linking this matter to Danzo?

However, Namikaze Mirai's next words caused his expression to stiffen once again.

"But one thing is certain: the enemy has nothing to do with the Uchiha Clan, and for some unknown reason, he harbors deep hatred toward Konoha."

Namikaze Mirai was well aware that the Uchiha Clan had been under suspicion since the Nine-Tails Attack, which was the very reason for their relocation.

Since the opportunity had presented itself, he naturally had to clear the Uchiha Clan of suspicion.

"Exactly! I told you the Nine-Tails Attack couldn't possibly have anything to do with us!"

"That's right! The village's suspicion of us was completely baseless!"

"That rumor about Danzo, though, it sounds quite true."

The group of Uchiha were so excited they were nearly losing their minds; for so long, they had worn the label of being a threat to the village, facing disgust whenever they walked through the streets.

Now that they could finally clear their names, how could they not be stirred?

The Uchiha were pleased, but Sarutobi Hiruzen and the Anbu behind him wore grim expressions.

Many of these Anbu had been dispatched by Sarutobi Hiruzen to monitor the Uchiha Clan Compound.

The reason was the high probability that the Uchiha Clan was involved in the Nine-Tails riot.

But now, Namikaze Mirai had told them that the mastermind was someone else entirely.

Where were they supposed to save face? "Ahem! Let us discuss this matter later. By the way, Mirai, did you kill that mastermind?"

After a few coughs, Sarutobi Hiruzen immediately shifted the topic.

What he did not expect, however, was that Namikaze Mirai did not answer him directly after he asked this question.

The image of Obito's body exploding replayed before his eyes; under the high-voltage current of over a million volts, his flesh had vanished in less than a second.

Logically speaking, he should have been dead beyond any doubt.

But Namikaze Mirai felt something was strange.

The time at which Obito's Biological Magnetic Field vanished was earlier than he had anticipated.

The time difference was minuscule, almost impossible to detect.

It was as if his shattered flesh had not been vaporized by the high-voltage current, but had simply vanished into thin air.

He looked at Uchiha Fugaku earnestly and asked.

"Fugaku, does the Uchiha Clan possess any jutsu that can bring the dead back to life?"

Bring the dead back to life? Fugaku's expression stiffened.

After pondering for a moment.

"There is one, though the conditions for using it are extremely harsh."

He glanced toward Sarutobi Hiruzen's position out of the corner of his eye.

If the Third Hokage were to learn of such a secret technique, he would likely become even more wary of the Uchiha.

"What jutsu is it?"

Fugaku deliberated for a moment before answering: "Izanagi, a Forbidden Jutsu that can only be used by those with the Three Tomoe Sharingan. It is an absolute taboo that can rewrite any reality unfavorable to the user, transforming it into a reality that favors them."

He paused.

"In other words, it is resurrection."

The surrounding air suddenly fell silent.

Bloodshot veins burst into the whites of Sarutobi Hiruzen's eyes, and his chest felt as if it were being crushed by a boulder, making it difficult to breathe.

The Uchiha Clan actually possessed such a terrifying Forbidden Jutsu? With such a technique, wouldn't they be invincible?

His wariness toward the Uchiha surged infinitely in his heart.

Noticing the change in Sarutobi Hiruzen, Fugaku immediately added.

"Because it once caused too much slaughter, this jutsu was classified as a Forbidden Jutsu during the Warring States Period, and its transmission was severed within the clan. It was only because of Mirai's question that I suddenly recalled it."

Sarutobi Hiruzen's expression eased slightly.

Judging by the astonished expressions of the clansmen behind Fugaku, what he said was likely true.

Namikaze Mirai paid no attention to their conversation; his eyes narrowed slightly.

Recalling the anomaly of Obito's body vanishing, had he activated that jutsu? He turned his head, scanning the surrounding Battlefield, his Biological Magnetic Field perception pushed to its maximum range.

He discovered nothing unusual.

Before activating the jutsu, the opponent must have already considered how to handle the aftermath of his resurrection.

In all likelihood, both the time and location of his resurrection would have changed.

"Heh, heh, heh, interesting."

A curve suddenly appeared at the corner of his mouth.

His azure eyes surged with intense excitement and a tremor, as if he had discovered some extremely interesting prey.

"This is what makes it fun!"

"Run! Keep running! Until I catch you again, and with your eyes filled with fear and trembling, I tear off your mask with my own hands!"

Space-Time Dimension.

A dim world where not a single ray of light could be seen, filled only with endless, infinite stone slabs resembling a Gravestone.

Obito lay on a cold stone slab, gasping for air, his entire body soaked in sweat, looking incredibly disheveled.

The Crimson Three Tomoe Sharingan in his Left Eye gradually turned white, losing its light forever.

His remaining Right Eye was filled with terror.

"So close! I was almost killed by you!"

"Namikaze Mirai, what a terrifying enemy..."