The Naive, Oblivious One-Eyed Boy

"Your trap was a little too obvious."

"It's a trap set by the Mist Shinobi."

"Ha! The Mist Shinobi? The Mist Shinobi! That old geezer Danzo really would do anything."

Hearing Orochimaru slander Lord Danzo, Aburame Ryoma remained expressionless. He treated the man's words like a fart: they went in one ear and straight out the other.

After making his comment about Shimura Danzo, Orochimaru continued, "Ryoma, your trap is so obvious that Hyuga Ritsu would have to be an idiot to fall for it. Aren't you worried all this effort will be for nothing?"

"What does it have to do with me? Like I said, the Mist Shinobi set the trap. If they dared to do this, they must be certain the Hyuga Clan Head wouldn't give up the chance to take back the Byakugan..."

"Suppose—just suppose—Hyuga Ritsu doesn't fall for it. What will you do then?"

Orochimaru refused to let Aburame Ryoma off the hook, pressing him for an answer.

In an instant,

a dark, guarded look slowly appeared on Aburame Ryoma's stiff, porcelain-like face. He gazed at Orochimaru with suspicion. Feeling that distrustful stare, Orochimaru's lips curled into an amused, almost mocking smile. "Ryoma, what are you worried about? That I'll ruin your plans?"

"Yes."

Aburame Ryoma admitted it outright. He stared at Orochimaru and asked, "What are you planning, Orochimaru? You should know better than anyone not to try to learn things you don't need to know. Or is it that you actually care about that classmate of yours, Hiruko? Is that why you feel warmly toward Hyuga Ritsu, Hiruko's student, too?"

A clearly scornful smile appeared on Orochimaru's face. "Ryoma, we've worked together plenty of times. Do you really think I'd care about anyone?"

"Who can say? The fact that you didn't care in the past doesn't mean you won't in the future. Besides, I can tell you admire Hyuga Ritsu." Aburame Ryoma remained on guard.

"Because he's interesting. Not just because he possesses two Kekkei Genkai, the Byakugan and Shikotsumyaku, but because he's managed to turn the stagnant Hyuga Clan into a living current."

At that, Orochimaru narrowed his eyes, a hint of emotion crossing his face. "Ryoma, you're worried I'll favor Hyuga Ritsu and ruin the plans of Danzo and Teacher Sarutobi. But the truth is, I'm here to tell you that you're underestimating him."

"I've never underestimated—"

"Ryoma, don't rush to argue. I'm not interested in debating you."

Orochimaru cut off Aburame Ryoma's hurried protest and spoke as if he were some kind of fortune-teller. "I'm only reminding you because I enjoy watching things get complicated. Whether you listen is up to you. If your plan isn't going smoothly, that means it still has a chance of succeeding. But if everything goes smoothly, you need to be extra careful!"

After hearing Orochimaru out, Aburame Ryoma's brows nearly knotted together.

Though Orochimaru's words sounded cryptic, Ryoma understood what he meant. If the plan wasn't going smoothly, Hyuga Ritsu might have sensed danger and chosen to avoid it. As long as they pushed the plan through, they might still achieve their goal. But if everything went smoothly, it might mean Hyuga Ritsu had no fear of the trap—that he knew it was there and still walked into it because he had a trump card that could turn the tables!

But—

He simply couldn't believe Hyuga Ritsu still had some trump card capable of changing the situation. The Mist Shinobi would surely send out their elite next time. How could they fail to take down one Hyuga Ritsu?

Did he really think that having the nickname White Yaksha made him the equal of the Yellow Flash and Body Flicker Shisui?

He'd questioned Yamanaka Kaito closely. Even with two Kekkei Genkai, Hyuga Ritsu's strength lay in close combat. He didn't have the mobility of the Yellow Flash or Body Flicker Shisui—the ability to advance or retreat at will, move like the wind, and fear no encirclement!

"All right, Ryoma. That's enough. Go take care of your business. As long as you don't disrupt the overall situation at the front, you can do whatever you like. I won't stop you from carrying out Teacher Sarutobi and Danzo's orders."

Orochimaru waved him away.

Aburame Ryoma left without a word. He thought Orochimaru was just fearmongering, but he had also decided to contact the Mist Shinobi later and urge them to take Hyuga Ritsu as seriously as possible. This time, they had to kill him.

Otherwise,

if the war ended before they could act, he wouldn't be able to use the Mist Shinobi as a sharp blade to get rid of Hyuga Ritsu. After that, finding a reasonable way to kill him would be far more difficult.

With that thought,

Aburame Ryoma quickened his pace.

The underground cavern was dimly lit by candlelight.

The one-eyed boy, half his body sewn together with white flesh, balanced upside down on one finger. A few seconds later, just as his strength gave out, he sprang into a graceful flip and landed steadily against the sheer rock wall.

"Obito, you're recovering better and better!"

A humanoid figure, pure white from head to toe with a face like a chrysanthemum, sidled up to the one-eyed boy.

"Give me another week and I'll have complete control over this body. Then I can go back to the village. Tobi, do you think I should bring Rin a bouquet of flowers?"

The one-eyed boy they called Obito folded his arms and seriously considered this question, which seemed utterly pointless to any onlooker. He even earnestly asked the chrysanthemum-faced figure beside him for advice.

"Eh? I don't know about that kind of thing. Why give her flowers? Couldn't you give her a turd instead?"

"Ah! Tobi, you disgusting jerk! Who gives a girl, a girl... Aah! Get away from me! I was stupid to ask you anything!"

The one-eyed boy clutched his head and shouted in frustration, as if trying to banish the horrible image that had instinctively surfaced in his mind.

The chrysanthemum-faced figure looked aggrieved and muttered, "What's wrong with what I said? What's so special about flowers? Turds are much more fun!"

In the shadows at the corner, a black-and-white face appeared. Watching the noisy one-eyed boy and the chrysanthemum-faced Tobi, the white half chuckled. "It's about time. We need to make Uchiha Obito feel despair as soon as possible. Otherwise, if he really insists on going back to Konoha, things will get troublesome!"

"Then let's do it!"

The black half spoke in a hoarse, low voice.

The next moment,

the black-and-white face sank into the rock wall without leaving the slightest trace that anyone had been there. The naive, oblivious one-eyed boy in the room had no idea of the suffering and torment awaiting him. He remained absorbed in his innocent worries and simple joys!