The Ignorant and Clueless One-Eyed Youth

"This trap of yours is a little too obvious."

"It's a trap set by Kirigakure Shinobi."

"Heh! Kirigakure Shinobi? Kirigakure Shinobi! That old geezer Danzō really dares to do anything."

Hearing Orochimaru slander Lord Danzō, Aburame Ryoma's expression remained unchanged. He treated Orochimaru's words as if they were a fart that entered his left ear and exited his right.

After commenting on Shimura Danzō, Orochimaru continued, "Ryoma, with such an obvious trap, Hyuga Ritsu wouldn't jump into it unless his brain was broken. Aren't you afraid you're wasting your effort?"

"What does that have to do with me? I already said it's a trap set by Kirigakure Shinobi. I imagine Kirigakure Shinobi dares to do this because they are confident that the Hyuga Clan Head won't give up the chance to reclaim the Byakugan..."

"Hypothetically, if Hyuga Ritsu doesn't fall for it, what will you do?"

Orochimaru wouldn't let Aburame Ryoma off the hook, adopting a stance of digging until the bottom of the pot was revealed.

In an instant, A sliver of gloom and wariness slowly appeared on Aburame Ryoma's stiff, pottery-like face. His gaze towards Orochimaru was filled with suspicion. Feeling the distrustful stare, Orochimaru's lips curled into a knowing smile. "Ryoma, what are you worried about? Worried I'll ruin your plans?"

"Yes."

Aburame Ryoma admitted directly. He stared at Orochimaru and asked, "Orochimaru, what are you trying to do? You should know better than anyone, don't try to understand things you don't need to. Or are you actually concerned about your classmate Hiruko? And by extension, Hyuga Ritsu, Hiruko's disciple, out of affection for him?"

Orochimaru's face showed a clear, mocking sneer. "Ryoma, you and I have worked together more than once or twice. Do you really think I care about anyone?"

"Who can say for sure? The past doesn't guarantee the future. Also, I can tell you admire Hyuga Ritsu." Aburame Ryoma's vigilance did not lessen.

"Because he's interesting. Not just because he possesses both the Byakugan and the Shikotsumyaku Kekkei Genkai, but because he has turned the stagnant Hyuga Clan into a flowing river."

As he spoke, Orochimaru narrowed his eyes, a hint of emotion on his face. "Ryoma, you're worried I'll be biased towards Hyuga Ritsu and ruin the plans of Danzō and Teacher Sarutobi. But in fact, I'm here to tell you that you're underestimating Hyuga Ritsu a little."

"I never underestimate..."

"Ryoma, don't rush to refute me. I'm not interested in debating with you either."

Orochimaru interrupted Aburame Ryoma's urgent impulse to defend himself and spoke as if possessed by a charlatan, "I'm just reminding you out of a desire to watch the show. Whether you listen or not is up to you. If your plan doesn't proceed smoothly, it means there's still a possibility of success. But if your plan proceeds very smoothly, you need to be extremely careful!"

After hearing Orochimaru's words, Aburame Ryoma's eyebrows were almost twisted into a knot.

Although Orochimaru spoke cryptically, he did understand the underlying meaning. It was likely that an unsuccessful plan meant Hyuga Ritsu had sensed danger and chosen to avoid it, and by pushing forward with the plan, the objective could be achieved. Conversely, a smooth plan might mean Hyuga Ritsu was overconfident, knowing it was a trap but still daring to jump in because he had a trump card to overcome it!

But—

He truly couldn't believe Hyuga Ritsu had such a game-changing trump card. The next time, Kirigakure Shinobi would surely send out their elites. How could they not capture one Hyuga Ritsu?

Did he really think having the moniker "White Yaksha" meant he could be compared to the Yellow Flash and Body Flicker Shisui?

He had questioned Yamanaka Kaito carefully. Hyuga Ritsu, possessing two Kekkei Genkai, excelled in close-quarters combat and lacked the mobility of the Yellow Flash and Body Flicker Shisui, who could come and go as they pleased, without fear of being surrounded!

"Alright, Ryoma, our conversation ends here. Go on with your business! As long as you don't disrupt the overall situation on the front lines, you can do whatever you want, and I won't hinder you from carrying out the orders of Teacher Sarutobi and Danzō."

Orochimaru waved him away.

Aburame Ryoma left without a word. He felt Orochimaru was just being alarmist. However, he had also made up his mind to contact Kirigakure Shinobi later and have them pay even more attention to Hyuga Ritsu. This time, they must kill Hyuga Ritsu.

Otherwise, If it dragged on until the end of the war, he wouldn't be able to use Kirigakure Shinobi as a sharp blade to eliminate Hyuga Ritsu. It would then be incredibly difficult to kill Hyuga Ritsu reasonably.

Thinking of this, Aburame Ryoma quickened his pace.

In the underground cave, the candlelight was dim.

A one-eyed young man, with half his body stitched with white flesh, was doing a handstand on one finger. After a few seconds, at the moment he could no longer maintain it, he executed a beautiful somersault and landed steadily on the sheer rock face.

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

A pure white, chrysanthemum-faced humanoid creature approached the one-eyed youth.

"Give me another week, and I'll completely control this body. Then I can go back to the village. Tobi, do you think I should send Rin some flowers when I get back?"

The one-eyed youth, called Obito, crossed his arms and seriously pondered this question, which seemed utterly meaningless and foolish to any observer. He even earnestly sought the opinion of the chrysanthemum-faced humanoid beside him.

"Huh? I don't understand that. Why send flowers? Can't I send poop?"

"Ah! Tobi, you bastard, you're disgusting! Who would give that to a girl? I... Ah! Get away from me! I'm so stupid for asking you!"

The one-eyed youth yelled in frustration, as if trying to erase the unsightly image that had subconsciously surfaced in his mind.

The chrysanthemum-faced creature, however, looked wronged and mumbled softly, "What's wrong with what I said? What's the point of flowers? Aren't they less interesting than poop?"

And in the shadows of a corner, a yin-yang face appeared. Watching the noisy one-eyed youth and the chrysanthemum-faced Tobi, the half-white side of the face grinned and said, "The time is almost right. We need to make Uchiha Obito feel despair as soon as possible. Otherwise, it will be troublesome if he really tries to force his way back to Konoha!"

"Then, activate!"

The half-black side of the face emitted a hoarse, low voice.

The next second, The yin-yang face sank into the rock wall, leaving no trace that anyone had been there. The oblivious one-eyed youth in the room, unaware of the suffering and torment he was about to face, remained immersed in his innocent and simple worries and joys!