Obito's Late-Night Visit

The sky was desolate, with only a few stars in the distance left uncovered by the Dark Clouds. It looked like tomorrow would be another overcast day.

But as long as one was willing to wait, the Dark Clouds would eventually scatter, and the skies would clear.

The Uchiha's future would be the same.

Over the next while, Uchiha Yashiro and Uchiha Chi chatted merrily. By the time they had thoroughly arranged the details of their next move, it was already deep into the night.

Before leaving, Uchiha Yashiro awkwardly asked Uchiha Chi how much compensation he owed.

Though the two had become acquainted through a fight and could now be considered half-allies, he still had to pay what he owed. After all, he really had burned down the other man's yard.

So Uchiha Chi ruthlessly fleeced him.

He passed off that weed-filled yard as premium land in the Land of Grass, claiming it was worth fifty thousand ryo per square meter... One hundred square meters came to five million ryo.

After learning that he needed to pay five million ryo in compensation,

Uchiha Yashiro, a Three-Tomoe clansman with elderly parents above him and children below him, fell silent for a long time before finally saying with difficulty that he did not have that much money.

Seeing Uchiha Yashiro's embarrassed expression, Uchiha Chi could not help sighing. The only thing that could crush a mature man was having no money.

But he was not a bad person, after all.

After learning in detail about Uchiha Yashiro's salary in the Security Force,

Uchiha Chi thoughtfully tailored a repayment plan just for him.

As long as he repaid a certain amount each month, half the interest would be waived.

The original interest rate was two percent per day. After the reduction, it became one percent.

The required monthly payments were not much either. At the very least, he would have more than enough left over for meals, though he might not be able to afford meat.

Beyond that, Uchiha Chi had even considered the possibility of Uchiha Yashiro meeting with an accident. If he became unable to repay the debt in the future, his children could inherit the IOU.

In short, as long as he worked hard enough, he would eventually pay off this debt.

Uchiha Yashiro was deeply moved. He even dropped to his knees on the spot, performing a dogeza to thank Uchiha Chi for his generosity.

Naturally, Uchiha Chi stopped him in time. After all, he was not a bad person. Since Yashiro had already agreed to repay the money, why did he need to perform a dogeza?

So, he reminded Uchiha Yashiro that he had not pressed his fingerprint yet and told him to do it while kneeling.

Watching Uchiha Yashiro's back disappear into the night, Uchiha Chi lowered his head to look at the IOU in his hand, the corners of his mouth unconsciously lifting.

There really were more good people in this world...

As though it had sensed Uchiha Chi's thoughts, the streetlamp outside the door suddenly flickered twice.

He had just turned to head back inside when he heard a vigorous shout from nearby.

"Who's there? Stop right there!"

"Hmph, trying to run!?"

This was followed by hurried, chaotic footsteps. It sounded like one person was chasing while another was fleeing.

Two minutes later.

Uchiha Yashiro returned to Uchiha Chi with an unconscious man slung over his shoulder, dead or alive unknown.

"Chi." His expression was serious, and his tone somewhat tense. "This guy had been lurking around outside your door, looking all sneaky. Could he be..."

He meant that this person might have been sent by a faction allied with Uchiha Fugaku.

He could not help being nervous. He and Uchiha Chi had just finished discussing their countermeasures inside, only for someone to be spying outside.

Did that not mean their plan was about to be exposed?

With that thought, intense killing intent flashed through Uchiha Yashiro's eyes.

The clan's future could not be reduced to ashes like this!

"Calm down first, Old Yashiro," Uchiha Chi soothed him.

After thinking it over, he felt it was unlikely that anyone would be spying on him.

After all, he had made up this faction himself.

He had pinned the blame on Danzo, while using White Zetsu as the prototype.

As for White Zetsu?

It was possible that White Zetsu was monitoring the Uchiha, but it was unlikely that White Zetsu would be monitoring him, Uchiha Chi.

If Obito was a White Zetsu trap, with at least one White Zetsu hiding within a ten-meter radius wherever Obito was,

then he, Uchiha Chi, was White Zetsu repellent.

Ever since he had kicked Afie around like a football last time, there had never again been an Old Lady pretending to fall wherever he was. The old folks in the clan compound all walked briskly, terrified that someone might kick them from behind.

So... who could this person lurking outside his home be?

Uchiha Chi shifted his gaze to the unconscious figure.

Just then, he heard an unconscious murmur from Uchiha Yashiro.

"Rin..."

Uchiha Chi's expression immediately became rather interesting.

After pondering for a moment, he said to Uchiha Yashiro, "Put him down first."

Uchiha Yashiro obediently did so, unloading the person from his shoulder as though removing armor.

Bang!

A heavy object slammed into the ground. Seeing the other man's twitching feet, Uchiha Yashiro nodded in satisfaction. "He's not dead yet."

"..." Uchiha Chi's mouth twitched. He crouched down and turned the figure on the ground over.

When he saw those brownish-yellow goggles, Uchiha Chi nodded in understanding.

"Obito?" he softly tried to wake him. "Obito?"

Obito did not respond.

Instead, Uchiha Yashiro, who was standing to the side, spoke up.

"You know him?" Uchiha Yashiro blinked, thoroughly puzzled. "Then why was he running?"

Uchiha Chi looked up at the Three-Tomoe Sharingan that Yashiro still had not deactivated. "..."

Why did it feel like Old Yashiro's ninja aptitude was not exactly passing either?

In the middle of the night, a Three-Tomoe Sharingan suddenly emerged from the darkness. Who would not panic?

Uchiha Chi found it too troublesome to explain, so he simply turned back to Obito and lightly patted his face twice.

Why did that... feel a little off?

Maybe two more pats.

Still not right.

Uchiha Chi narrowed his eyes and looked closer, only then noticing that Obito's face was bruised and swollen.

Just then, Uchiha Yashiro's embarrassed voice came from above him.

"He kept running. I told him to stop, but he would not listen, so I had no choice but to catch up and grab him... Then he struggled, so I could only use a little force..."

"..." Uchiha Chi silently glanced at Uchiha Yashiro again.

"Sorry." Uchiha Yashiro grew somewhat awkward under his gaze and rubbed the back of his neck. "I didn't know he was your friend, Chi."

"He isn't my friend, and you did very well," Uchiha Chi said, shaking his head in praise.

"If it had been me, I probably would have hit him even harder. I might even have accidentally killed him..."

Just then.

Uchiha Obito's body twitched twice, and his eyes slowly opened.

The first thing he saw was the Three-Tomoe Sharingan beside him.

It was this guy! The guy who had beaten him half to death without saying a word!

"Ah!!" Obito let out a piercing scream as he braced himself on his hands and scooted backward.

Bang!

With a dull thud, a fist struck his face, and Uchiha Obito once again sank into a deep sleep.

"..." This time, it was Uchiha Yashiro's turn to stare silently at Uchiha Chi.

Uchiha Chi shrugged. "Like that."