The Uchiha Are About to Face Great Calamity

The mask fragments flipped through the air, landing on the ground with a soft clatter.

Obito Uchiha stood where he was, his right arm and a small portion of his shoulder gone, yet very little blood flowed from the wound.

His right arm had been grafted from a White Zetsu, as had most of his shoulder, making it vastly different from a normal human body.

The face now exposed to everyone was terrifying; the right side was covered in scars, the skin shriveled and twisted as if it had been crushed by a heavy weight and then haphazardly fused back together.

The left side of his face, however, remained normal—young and intact.

The contrast between the two sides created a stark, jarring image.

Obito Uchiha made no move to cover it.

At this point, concealment was meaningless.

The mask was shattered, his identity exposed, and his arm severed—what more could he do? Could hiding his face make it as if none of this had ever happened?

His gaze was locked firmly onto Genkawa Uchiha.

The emotions burning within those eyes were incredibly intense.

Anger!

Resentment!

Humiliation!

And a murderous intent so potent he wished to tear his opponent into a thousand pieces.

If looks could kill, Genkawa Uchiha would have been pierced through a thousand times over by now.

Genkawa Uchiha ignored the glare, landing on the ground and watching the other man with a faint, mocking smile.

A sound of rushing wind cut through the air.

Fugaku Uchiha appeared at the edge of the battlefield, his Three-Tomoe Sharingan spinning rapidly as he stared fixedly at the revealed face.

The twisted right side: ugly and unfamiliar.

The intact left side: young and recognizable.

Something exploded in the depths of his mind.

The age was about the same as Genkawa's.

The contours... the brows and eyes...

Fugaku Uchiha's pupils contracted sharply as a name was unearthed from the depths of his memory.

"Obito?"

His voice was not loud, yet it reached the ears of many present with perfect clarity.

"Are you... Obito Uchiha?"

Obito Uchiha shifted his gaze from Genkawa Uchiha to glance at Fugaku Uchiha.

The corners of his mouth twitched, first into a faint smile, which then widened until it erupted into a burst of laughter.

"Hahaha... Hahahahahaha!"

The laughter echoed across the ruins, carrying a hint of madness, a touch of mockery, and something else entirely undefinable.

Then, the laughter stopped abruptly.

Obito Uchiha stared straight at Fugaku Uchiha, the figure of the Uchiha clan head reflected in his eyes.

Genkawa Uchiha saw it clearly: both of the man's eyes were normal at the moment, though the right was a Mangekyō, while the left was merely a standard Three-Tomoe.

A moment's thought made it clear: the Sharingan in his left eye must have been obtained from Madara Uchiha, or perhaps it was part of Madara Uchiha's original stockpile.

As a former Uchiha clan head, it was only natural for him to have a few private reserves.

After all, one had to have them to use Izanagi.

At this moment, Obito Uchiha spoke.

"Clan Head Fugaku, will you regret seeing my true face?"

Fugaku Uchiha's expression turned ghastly; he clenched his fists until his knuckles turned white, asking what was on his mind.

"The Nine-Tails Incident—was that your doing?"

"It was."

Obito Uchiha answered crisply and cleanly, without a hint of hesitation.

Fugaku Uchiha took a deep breath, his voice trembling: "Why would you do such a thing? You were clearly... clearly such a good child before. Obito, what has happened to you?"

"Why?"

Obito Uchiha repeated the question, as if savoring its absurdity.

"All of this is because of war, because of the stupidity of people like you, and because of the twisted nature of this world itself."

His voice rose, laced with a near-paranoid fury.

"War makes ninjas slaughter one another, makes loved ones lose those they cherish, and turns friends into enemies. Rin died, Kakashi was ruined—everyone is struggling in agony, everyone is merely gasping for breath in this hellish world."

"That is why I must destroy all of this."

He stared fixedly at Fugaku Uchiha.

"I will create a perfect world—a world without war, without pain, without tears. In that place, everyone will be able to find what they desire."

Fugaku Uchiha opened his mouth to speak, but no words came out.

He did not know what Obito Uchiha had endured to become what he was now; he only felt a chill seep into his very bones.

The opponent was an Uchiha, the one who had incited the Nine-Tails Incident, and now he had appeared within the village. It was clear that he harbored malice toward both the village and the Uchiha clan.

Especially since... he also possessed the Wood Release Kekkei Genkai!

All these realities pointed to one conclusion: the Uchiha... were about to be in deep trouble.

Meanwhile, on the perimeter, Mitokado Homura and Utatane Koharu had completely abandoned any pretense of decorum.

Both of their eyes were locked onto the wooden spikes remaining on the battlefield—those sharp Wood Release creations that had erupted from the ground to entangle the Susanoo.

"Wood Release..."

Mitokado Homura's voice was trembling. "That is Wood Release!"

The color had drained from Utatane Koharu's face as well. "Impossible... hasn't Wood Release been lost to time? Since the First Hokage, no one has been able to..."

Wood Release.

It was the power of the First Hokage, Senju Hashirama—the power that could suppress the Nine-Tails and pacify a chaotic world.

And now, this power had appeared in the hands of an Uchiha.

The two exchanged a glance, seeing the unease reflected in each other's eyes.

This could not continue; they absolutely could not let Wood Release spread, and they certainly could not allow it to remain in the hands of an Uchiha!

Even without speaking, their years of tacit understanding meant they both understood what the other was thinking, and their expressions darkened in unison.

The surrounding ninja reacted in various ways.

Some had their eyes wide, mouths agape, unable to utter a sound.

Others instinctively took two steps back, as if those wooden spikes might suddenly come to life and lunge at them.

Still others let their kunai clatter to the ground, completely unaware of the sound.

Their shock was no less intense than that of Mitokado Homura and Utatane Koharu.

That was Wood Release, the legendary Kekkei Genkai mastered by the First Hokage, Senju Hashirama—the power that had suppressed an entire era of the ninja world.

And now, that very power was being displayed right before their eyes.

How could it not be earth-shattering?

At the same time, on the other side, Orochimaru stood in the shadows, his golden slit pupils glowing with a terrifying intensity.

His body leaned forward involuntarily, his tongue flicking out to slowly lick his lips, his breathing growing heavy.

"Wood Release, it's actually Wood Release... hehehe."

His voice was so low it was almost inaudible, yet the excitement and longing contained within it were so thick they threatened to overflow.

Standing beside him, Danzō Shimura had completely lost his usual composure.

His body lurched forward, one foot already stepping out of the shadows as if he were about to charge straight into the fray.

"Lord Danzō."

Orochimaru reached out and grabbed his sleeve.

But Danzō seemed not to hear him; his exposed eye remained fixed on the Wood Release on the battlefield, his pupils dilated, his entire being plunged into a state of near-madness.

Wood Release...

This is Wood Release...

If this power could belong to me...

If I could be like that guy, possessing both the Sharingan and Wood Release...

His breathing grew heavier, and his clenched fist dug his nails deep into his palm, drawing blood.

While the crowd was lost in their own thoughts, Fugaku Uchiha tried to say something, but was interrupted by Genkawa Uchiha.

"Clan Leader, in this situation, don't deceive yourself, and don't think you can change his mind with a few words. This guy is a textbook Uchiha; how do you think he awakened his Mangekyō?"

Fugaku Uchiha's expression froze.

That's right.

The Uchiha... aren't they just like this?

In that moment, he felt a strange sense of defeat.

Genkawa Uchiha raised his hand, and his bright yellow half-body Susanoo raised its hand as well.

"Oi~! Do you have anything else to say?"

Obito Uchiha sneered, "Do you think you have me cornered just like that?"

Genkawa Uchiha raised an eyebrow, glancing down at his feet.

There, a faint chakra signature flickered.

Had it not been for the ability of these eyes, which were hypersensitive to space, he would have almost certainly missed its presence.

White Zetsu!

It had appeared within the earth beneath his feet without him even noticing.

"Stop!"

At that moment, Mitokado Homura and Utatane Koharu arrived simultaneously, the former immediately calling out, "He is the culprit behind the Nine-Tails Incident; he should be dealt with by the village."

Even with their fear of Genkawa Uchiha's Susanoo, the appearance of Wood Release compelled them to choose the path most beneficial to the village.

They wanted to keep Wood Release under the village's control.

Clearly, they did not want Genkawa Uchiha to continue his assault.

Though they understood Genkawa Uchiha's temperament, they were confident that with so many eyes watching, he would not go too far, which was why they had chosen to intervene.

Their reasoning was not necessarily wrong, but Genkawa Uchiha wore a bizarre expression, caught between laughter and silence.

He looked first at Obito Uchiha, then at Mitokado Homura and Utatane Koharu.

"Are you certain?"

Likewise, Obito Uchiha looked at the two of them, as if he had thought of something hilarious, and burst into laughter once more.

"Hahaha... This is Konoha. Truly interesting."