Obito Thinks He Is Very Smart

"Have I been discovered?"

Obito muttered to himself, unsure if he had truly been exposed.

Logically speaking, in his Phasing state, his body was hidden within the Kamui Space.

As long as he didn't actively reveal himself, no one should be able to track him, unless the other party possessed astonishing talent in space-time ninjutsu, like his teacher, Minato, who never kept his promises.

But Youhu was an exception.

Without any space-time talent, he had still managed to break the impossible and taught him a harsh lesson.

As Obito hesitated, Youhu's gaze had already shifted away. After walking forward a dozen meters, he repeated the words he had just spoken.

So, this Anbu hadn't discovered me after all.

Seeing this, Obito breathed a sigh of relief, though he immediately felt a flicker of irritation.

To think that he, facing a mere Uchiha Anbu, had actually scared himself silly. Was it because he saw the shadow of Teacher Minato in this guy?

Obito tried to calm his emotions. He intended to continue observing Youhu to see exactly who he was.

After a while, Youhu, who had been wandering aimlessly through the Hero Cemetery, arrived at a secluded corner and spoke to himself:

"It seems Brother Obito really isn't nearby. That's for the best; I truly don't want to become Brother Obito's opponent."

"In the years after my parents sacrificed themselves, it was Brother Obito's deeds that inspired me and supported me to keep going until now."

"I also wanted to become the Hokage's disciple and become a hero like Brother Obito, but why, of all people, did Brother Obito have to become the Masked Man?"

"If I have the chance to see Brother Obito in the future, I must convince him to change his ways."

As he spoke, Youhu took off his mask, revealing the face of a handsome youth. His expression was filled with conflict and nostalgia, and tears seemed to hang at the corners of his eyes.

Obito, who was peeking, found Youhu's face somewhat familiar.

During his final year at the Ninja School, he seemed to have seen this clan brother who had just enrolled.

This clan brother was named Uchiha Youhu. Like him, he was an orphan, and his talent was quite average.

However, when it came to his studies, Youhu was very hardworking. Every day after school when he returned to the clan compound, Obito would see Youhu training diligently.

Other than that, the two had very little interaction; they were essentially strangers who happened to know each other.

He hadn't expected that after his "death," he would actually become the "Konoha Hero" that Youhu looked up to.

As he fell into his memories, a strange emotion suddenly welled up in Obito's heart. It was the first time he had felt the taste of being admired and being needed by someone.

This sensation made Obito somewhat addicted.

"If I hadn't chosen to become the Masked Man back then, but instead returned to Konoha as a Konoha Hero..."

"Would I be able to enjoy a happy life now, too..."

Obito couldn't help but think.

The next second, Obito dismissed these unrealistic fantasies.

The life of Hero Obito had already ended on the day he witnessed Rin die; now, there only remained Obito, the inheritor of Uchiha Madara's will.

However, he could certainly make good use of the fact that Youhu admired him.

Judging by the combat talent Youhu had displayed, he might be able to replace Uchiha Itachi and join the Akatsuki.

It was a pity that Youhu had no important people in his life, and the only person he cared about was Obito himself. In the short term, it would be impossible to guide the evolution of his Sharingan; at most, he could only serve as a pawn to monitor Konoha.

Having made up his mind, Obito stepped out from the vortex and appeared before Youhu.

"Youhu, what do you need me for?"

"Brother Obito? When did you arrive..."

Youhu, who had been talking to himself, was startled by Obito and hurriedly put on his white mask. Then, as if remembering something, he said with some excitement:

"Brother Obito, so you still remember me."

"Of course..." Obito nodded slightly, putting on the air of a senior expert, and said:

"Speak, what exactly do you want from me? If you're trying to persuade me to return to Konoha, there's no need. After causing the Nine-Tails' Rampage, I am no longer a ninja of Konoha."

"Why?"

Youhu asked, puzzled: "Brother Obito, do you have some kind of hardship? Were you being controlled by someone?"

"..."

Obito thought of the curse mark on his heart. To some extent, he was indeed restricted by Uchiha Madara, but his desire to realize the Moon Eye Plan was genuine.

"No one can control me. I have my own reasons for acting this way."

"In the years since I left Konoha, I have seen through the entire ninja world. I already have a plan to bring about absolute peace to the ninja world."

"I knew Brother Obito was still that same hero from before..."

Youhu was somewhat excited, then asked with a look of longing: "Can you tell me about it? I want to know Brother Obito's true thoughts, and I want to understand you a little better."

"If you are willing to listen, of course I can tell you..."

Obito was satisfied with Youhu's expression, secretly thinking that his charisma was still quite effective; after becoming a Konoha Hero, he had gained a fan with no small amount of strength.

If it were that guy Kakashi here, he would surely try to persuade him to change his mind, leading to another big argument between the two.

What Obito didn't notice was that when he was explaining the Moon Eye Plan to Youhu, Youhu revealed a smile that signaled his scheme had succeeded.

Youhu didn't know that Obito was staying nearby, so he had intentionally used a verbal probe to trick Obito into revealing himself.

Obito knew that Youhu was just bluffing and hadn't actually discovered him, so he didn't come out, choosing instead to secretly peek at every move Youhu made and eavesdrop on his inner voice.

What Obito didn't know was that Youhu actually knew Obito was nearby and was intentionally pretending not to know.

By opening up, he lured Obito into revealing himself and firmly established his identity as a little fanboy, successfully gaining Obito's trust.

After this triple-nested deception, he had indeed obtained Obito's initial trust.

Obito believed that he was an Uchiha who could be utilized, even going so far as to tell him all about the Akatsuki organization's plans.

After listening to Obito's plan, Youhu put on a look of epiphany and said:

"So, Brother Obito, you intend to collect the Tailed Beasts and create an ultimate weapon to deter the Five Great Nations from starting wars, keeping the Ninja World in a state of long-term peace."

"I knew it, Brother Obito, you are still the great hero in my heart."

"What you want to protect is no longer just a small Konoha, but everyone in the Ninja World. This dream is even greater than becoming Hokage."

"Brother Obito, take me with you! I want to act alongside you too!"

As he said this, Youhu's face was full of fanaticism, as if following Obito was the entire meaning of his life from now on.

"My plan is too dangerous; it's not something a mere Anbu like you can get involved in. It's enough for you to stay in the Anbu and be my informant. I won't let you put yourself in danger..."

Obito shook his head gently, rejecting Youhu's desire to follow him.

He felt that Youhu was a bit pitiful; Youhu's combat talent was decent enough, but his intelligence was not on par with his own.

He had only told Youhu about Nagato's plan, and Youhu was unexpectedly moved to tears, but his true goal was to implement the Moon Eye Plan—to cast the Infinite Tsukuyomi on everyone in the Ninja World.

Unfortunately, this plan was too shocking.

Before its official implementation, he would not tell anyone.