Obito Appears

Kuja City Palace.

Empress Hancock lounged lazily against an ornate window, absentmindedly twirling a lock of hair around her fingertips.

Beyond the window lay an azure sky and boundless sea, yet her beautiful eyes were not focused on the scenery.

Instead, a dreamy smile touched her lips, as though she could see through space itself and catch sight of someone patiently guiding his clansmen.

"Shisui..."

As she silently repeated that name, a warm current rippled through her heart.

She recalled his gentle voice, his focused gaze, and that damned purity of his that remained untouched by her charm!

The Empress's thoughts drifted farther and farther away, even beginning to sketch out some unrealistic visions of the future.

An alluring blush spread across her exquisite face, and a sweet, foolish smile curled her lips.

At that moment, she was no longer the lofty Empress.

She was more like a young maiden deeply in love.

Suddenly, the Empress frowned as she sensed an unfamiliar presence.

Buzz—

The space at the center of the bedchamber rippled like water, sending ring after ring of waves outward.

The next moment, a strange figure wearing an Orange Spiral Mask, with only a single scarlet Sharingan exposed, appeared there without a sound.

It was Obito Uchiha, who had been lurking for months and had only just recovered from his injuries!

Speaking of Obito, things had truly not been going well for him lately.

In order to obtain a large number of Sharingan as strategic reserves, Obito had chosen to help Itachi exterminate the clan.

Unexpectedly, that very night, Itachi had been persuaded by a few words from his Big Brother and abandoned the plan to massacre the clan.

Before Obito could see whether he could gain anything else, every one of his secrets had been exposed by Uchiha Yoru.

His identity, his abilities, his goals—everything had been seen through.

Driven into a corner, Obito had chosen to fight, only to find that his Space-Time ability was countered by his opponent.

Obito had only appeared to flee. In truth, he had followed the three of them all the way to Naka Shrine, watching helplessly as they vanished on the spot.

"I can't allow someone like Uchiha Yoru to exist. He knows far too much!"

That thought had kept surfacing in Obito's mind.

They said they had gone to the New World and would never return.

Obito did not believe that nonsense at all.

Using his Space-Time ability, Obito had indeed sensed turbulent space-time in the area around Naka Shrine.

Without thinking much about it, Obito had chosen to follow them.

But unlike traveling through his own Kamui Dimension, this turbulent flow was incredibly powerful. The intense spatial barriers continuously squeezed his body.

They had nearly crushed all his internal organs...

Just when Obito thought he was certain to die, space suddenly contracted and expanded, allowing him to seize the opportunity to escape through a gap.

After narrowly escaping with his life, Obito had not even had time to catch his breath.

From afar, he saw Uchiha Yoru fighting an unfamiliar woman.

He could already use Susanoo proficiently! And what was that pitch-black form?

Uchiha Yoru was actually this strong?

Obito's first reaction was to run, to flee this place.

But no matter how hard he tried, he could only travel back and forth between his Kamui Dimension and reality.

He couldn't return to Konoha?!!!

That discovery gave Obito quite a fright. He still had to create a New World, still had to revive Rin—how could he possibly stay here?

After confirming that he could not return, Obito's first thought was to find Uchiha Yoru.

And threaten him into opening a passage back.

But then he looked at the lineup before him.

Uchiha Yoru, Uchiha Itachi, Uchiha Shisui, Fugaku Uchiha, along with a group of Uchiha elites.

Then he looked at his body, severely injured by the space-time turbulence.

Obito swiftly regained his senses and chose to hide in the Kamui Dimension to recover.

That delay lasted several months.

By the time Obito returned to reality and wanted to have a talk with Yoru—

He saw over a hundred Uchiha elites training with shouts and cries, cultivating that pitch-black energy that made his heart tremble slightly.

It seemed he had even less chance of winning now.

No, he could not expose his whereabouts.

The moment he thought of how Uchiha Yoru's Mangekyo restrained his Space-Time ability—

If negotiations broke down after he revealed himself and the Kamui he relied on for survival failed, he would die.

He was not afraid of death, but if he died, how would he create a New World? How would he revive Rin?

No, absolutely not. He had to think of another way!

Thus, after a change of thought, Obito Uchiha came to the highest point of Kuja Island, intending to find the powerful woman who had fought the Uchiha before.

Only by cooperating with a powerhouse from this world would he have a chance to defeat Uchiha Yoru!

And so, Obito found Empress Hancock.

"Who?!"

The Empress was instantly jolted awake from her romantic fantasies. Like a lioness whose territory had been invaded, she immediately entered a combat stance.

Murderous intent filled her beautiful eyes as she stared coldly at the uninvited guest, a sharp killing aura radiating from her body.

"You dare trespass into my bedchamber! Are you courting death?!"

Obito ignored the Empress's killing intent and got straight to the point in a disguised voice that was low and hoarse.

"Boa Hancock, Empress of Kuja Island. There is no need to be nervous. I have not come to make an enemy of you. I have come to help you."

He raised a hand slightly to show that he bore no ill will, then continued.

"I know that the Uchiha Clan's sudden arrival is a tremendous threat to you.

"I understand them. They may seem obedient now, but they are merely lying low.

"Once they gain a firm foothold, do you think you will still be able to sit securely as Empress?"

The Empress gave a cold snort and did not respond, the wariness in her eyes undiminished.

Seeing this, Obito believed he had persuaded her and continued.

"Rather than raise a tiger only to invite disaster, it is better to strike first! We can cooperate. I guarantee that I will help you drive the Uchiha out of Kuja Island!"

"Why should I cooperate with a sneaky man like you?"

After hearing his purpose, the Empress sat back down on the seat formed by her pet serpent's coiled body, her expression arrogant.

She had no interest in driving the Uchiha away now.

Over the past few months, the two sides had gotten along fairly well. With them around, the Kuja Tribe's warriors had become more motivated to train.

Not to mention that person's presence.

If she drove the Uchiha away, Shisui would be unhappy, wouldn't he?

Shisui thought the Empress looked down on his abilities, so he said confidently,

"Your Majesty, there is no need to worry. I know the Uchiha elites extremely well. As long as you cooperate with me, I guarantee that we can eradicate the Uchiha."

"Oh!" The Empress suddenly became interested and asked, "Then do you know Shisui?"

As she asked that question, an embarrassed flush involuntarily appeared on her face.

Unfortunately, Obito did not notice the Empress's odd reaction, and his tone remained confident.

"Of course. To be honest with Your Majesty, Uchiha Shisui is the key to driving the entire Uchiha Clan out of Kuja Island."

"What do you mean?" The Empress sensed that something was wrong, her brows knitting together.

"One of Shisui's Mangekyo abilities is called Kotoamatsukami. As long as we deal with Shisui first and obtain that eye, we can use it to control Uchiha Yoru, then destroy the entire Uchiha Clan."

Obito seemed to radiate wisdom as he reached his conclusion.

"So, we deal with Uchiha Shisui first!!"