Yakumo Kurama's frail body left her with very little time each day to do anything. After talking with Sōken for a while, she was already yawning from exhaustion. Rin Kurama took her to rest, leaving Sōken with the brothers Kurama Murakumo and Kurama Yunhai.
"Um, Sōken, what you said just now... you were joking, right?"
"Why?"
Sōken glanced sideways at him. "You think I'm not qualified to take her as my student?"
"Sōken, I'm not joking." Kurama Murakumo felt a headache coming on.
"Neither am I." Sōken's expression turned serious. "And to be honest, I doubt there's anyone else in Konoha who could guide Yakumo in uncovering her talent. To put it bluntly, leaving that child with your clan would be like hiding a priceless gem in the dirt!"
"Besides, Senior Murakumo, as I said before, you know the real reason for Yakumo's problem, don't you? With so many people in the village, I don't believe you found me by chance. Your clan... should have records concerning Yin Release, right?"
Kurama Murakumo shook his head helplessly. "So you figured it out? I knew I couldn't hide it from you... You're right. Our clan has some notes on Yin Release, left behind by our predecessors who awakened our Kekkei Genkai. They say that the root of our clan's Kekkei Genkai comes from Yin Release, and that it shares the same essence as the Uchiha's Sharingan."
"At the meeting four days ago, I noticed your spiritual energy suddenly made a tremendous leap, Sōken. I thought that if anyone could help solve Yakumo's problem, it might be you... But I truly never expected you to take her as your student!"
"Four days ago?"
Sōken wasn't particularly surprised.
In the years since the Third Shinobi War ended, he'd kept a low profile and never shown his abilities in public. Most of the enemies who'd seen him fight had already gone to meet King Enma. The only exception was the lively gathering four days ago, which had drawn plenty of witnesses.
Perhaps Kurama Murakumo wasn't the only one who'd seen through some of Sōken's abilities that day. As for what those sharp-eyed people gathered together had noticed, Sōken couldn't say. But he knew that as long as he had the strength to back himself up, it didn't matter if people learned a few of his secrets.
So he hadn't given it much thought.
Rather than dwell on that, he said, "Senior Murakumo, I don't want to repeat myself a third time. Yakumo is a rare talent. I don't want to see you waste her potential. When it comes to Yin Release and Genjutsu, no one in all of Konoha can compare to me. And as for Yakumo's problem... it's naturally my responsibility as her teacher."
Kurama Murakumo had no answer.
What could he say?
Thinking it over, it might not be a bad thing for Yakumo to become Sōken's student. The Uchiha hadn't been easy to deal with in the past, and honestly, they weren't much easier now. The Police Force members patrolling the streets still had that nasty habit of looking down their noses at everyone.
But as long as Uchiha Sōken remained standing, the Uchiha Clan was sure to remain unshakable. The terror and power of the Mangekyō Sharingan were recorded in the Kurama Clan's documents.
Besides, even setting aside the Mangekyō Sharingan, Sōken himself seemed like a good person. With a teacher like him, there was no need to worry that Yakumo would go astray in the future...
While Sōken had just taken on a young student, far away across the sea, in a village shrouded in thick fog, a lingering stench of blood hung in the air. Corpses were carried out of the village through its many waterways by the rushing current.
Last night,
Mist Ninja Jonin Jūzō Biwa, one of the Seven Ninja Swordsmen of the Mist, had repeatedly postponed his plan, but had finally chosen to launch a rebellion and attempt to assassinate the Fourth Mizukage. He'd been defeated, wounded, and forced to flee the village.
The Fourth Mizukage hadn't pursued Jūzō Biwa. Instead, he'd launched another purge within the village!
The waters of Kirigakure had turned red with blood.
"Obito, don't you think you've taken things a bit too far?"
Inside the Secret Chamber, a Yin-Yang Face creature resembling a pitcher plant emerged from underground. Seeing the corpses of Mist Ninja Anbu piled up in the room, the white half of his face let out an exclamation of surprise.
"It doesn't matter how many Mist Ninja die!"
Obito Uchiha sat atop the mound of corpses, his orange-striped mask hiding his face. His icy gaze shone through its single eyehole. "Everyone in this village... deserves to die!!!"
The still-bleeding mound of corpses proved that his murderous intent was no joke!
"Zetsu, what happened? Didn't I tell you not to bother me while I'm relaxing unless it's important?"
"It's Konoha."
Black Zetsu spoke, his low, hoarse voice grating on the ears.
"The Uchiha Clan has changed its leader."
"...Fugaku Uchiha stepped down?" Obito Uchiha blinked. That was interesting news!
"That's right, that's right!" White Zetsu eagerly cut in. "The Uchiha Clan held a meeting in a secret room beneath that shrine of theirs, and Fugaku Uchiha was driven from the clan leader's position. Their new leader is some guy named Uchiha Sōken. He's only fifteen!"
"Uchiha Sōken?"
The familiar name sent Obito Uchiha's thoughts drifting, stirring up memories buried deep in his heart.
If he remembered correctly, unlike him, the dead-last at the Ninja Academy, Uchiha Sōken had been younger than him but was hailed alongside Uchiha Shisui as one of the Uchiha Clan's twin stars. Back then, Sōken had seemed to belong to a completely different world...
He never expected Uchiha Sōken to become the leader of the Uchiha Clan.
"Oh, I almost forgot to mention: Great Sword: Samehada is in Uchiha Sōken's hands. Also, he suddenly fought Shimura Danzō at a high-level meeting in Konoha and beat him into a coma, leaving him completely motionless like a vegetable. Based on what my clones saw, he may have awakened the Mangekyō."
One astonishing piece of news after another came piling in.
Even though Obito Uchiha was no longer the dead-last boy from the Konoha Ninja Academy, all this information still gave him a headache. It took him half a minute to sort through the basic details.
"He awakened the Mangekyō?"
Obito Uchiha rested his hand on his chin beneath the mask and fell silent.
"What do you think, Obito? Uchiha Sōken sounds like an unpredictable factor! Should we find a way to take him out?" White Zetsu urged Obito to act, as if he couldn't stand having nothing to do.
"The Mangekyō... Until I know what he can do, taking action would be too risky." As a Mangekyō Sharingan wielder himself, Obito Uchiha knew better than anyone just how powerful its ocular techniques could be!
In his eyes,
Compared to an Uchiha who had awakened the Mangekyō Sharingan, Jinchuriki and Tailed Beasts honestly weren't much of a threat.
"By the way, Zetsu, did you say Samehada was in Uchiha Sōken's hands?" Obito Uchiha asked suddenly.
"My clone saw it with his own eyes."
White Zetsu was certain.
"Samehada... In that case, maybe I can put it to some use after all!" Obito Uchiha turned to look at the Fourth Mizukage, who stood motionless in the corner of the room like a puppet.
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