Just a pure clown

Obito Uchiha's laughter did not cease; instead, it grew louder and more unrestrained.

He doubled over, clutching his stomach with his only remaining hand, his entire body trembling as if he had just heard the funniest joke in the world.

"Hahahahaha—no, I can't, it's too funny, hahahahaha."

Truth be told, while Obito Uchiha was a fool before awakening his eyes and possessed a singular, twisted purity afterward, that did not mean he was truly dim-witted.

The reason for his reaction was that he had genuinely perceived the shift in Genkawa Uchiha's attitude.

Yes, after Mitokado Homura and Utatane Koharu spoke up to intervene, he had understood exactly what Genkawa Uchiha was thinking.

Perhaps this was the unspoken understanding between enemies.

Mitokado Homura's expression, however, grew increasingly unsightly.

He stood his ground, lips pressed into a thin line, the veins on his forehead throbbing.

Utatane Koharu's complexion was no better; she narrowed her eyes, staring at Obito Uchiha with a gaze as cold as ice.

Having held high positions for so many years, both were naturally incensed at being mocked by an enemy in such a manner.

Obito Uchiha finally stopped laughing, straightened his back, and wiped the corner of his eye with his remaining hand.

"Apologies, apologies, I truly couldn't help myself."

He looked at Mitokado Homura and Utatane Koharu, the curve of his lips impossible to hide. "You just said that Konoha will handle me? Are you certain you are capable of handling me?"

Mitokado Homura ignored his sarcasm, turning instead to look at the surrounding ninjas and Anbu, speaking in a deep, resonant voice.

"Obito Uchiha, you have defected from Konoha, assaulted the Jinchuriki, and controlled the Nine-Tails to attack the village, resulting in the sacrifice of the Fourth Hokage, Minato Namikaze, and his wife, Kushina Uzumaki, alongside the death and injury of thousands of villagers. Such crimes are unforgivable!"

His voice echoed across the ruins, every word striking like a hammer.

"All Konoha ninjas, hear my order: apprehend the rogue ninja Obito Uchiha immediately!"

Utatane Koharu followed up immediately: "This is a direct order from the village advisors; no one is permitted to defy it!"

The target of these words was clear; they were aimed entirely at Genkawa Uchiha.

The ninjas and Anbu exchanged glances; though they felt uneasy, an order was an order.

They tightened their grips on their weapons and began to close in on Obito Uchiha.

The charges had been set in stone.

Defection.

The Nine-Tails Incident.

The death of the Fourth Hokage.

Under the watchful eyes of all, these crimes were firmly nailed to Obito Uchiha. Regardless of who he once was or what grievances he might have had, from this moment on, he was a sinner of Konoha.

The moral high ground now stood firmly with the village.

Genkawa Uchiha watched this scene and let out a soft laugh.

The sound was not loud, but everyone present heard it clearly.

"Very well, I shall leave this fellow to you."

He shrugged, and the bright yellow chakra on his body receded like a receding tide.

The bones, flesh, and meridians of his Susanoo dissipated into the air as if they had never existed.

He took two steps back, then two more, and finally two more again. Seemingly satisfied with the distance, he nodded, crossed his arms, and stood to the side.

"I won't concern myself with this matter any further; you handle it."

Seeing this, Mitokado Homura and Utatane Koharu simultaneously breathed a sigh of relief.

Their greatest fear had been that Genkawa Uchiha would ignore their orders and continue to intervene.

The man's Susanoo was far too terrifying; if he truly started a ruckus, those present would likely be no match for him.

Now that he had voluntarily stepped aside, it could not have been better.

After all, the capture of a Konoha criminal had to be carried out by the village itself.

And Wood Release, too, had to remain under the village's control.

Fugaku Uchiha stood with a dark expression, his face grim. His fists clenched and relaxed, clenched and relaxed, but in the end, he chose to remain where he was.

He understood the advisors' intentions all too well, but as the head of the Uchiha Clan, he could not afford to make the wrong choice at this moment.

The next instant, Mitokado Homura raised his hand and brought it down heavily.

"Move!"

Dozens of ninjas and Anbu charged toward Obito Uchiha simultaneously.

Obito Uchiha stood his ground, watching those rushing toward him, and grinned.

His right eye began to rotate.

Space twisted around him, and his entire body seemed to be kneaded by an invisible hand, starting from his feet and gradually transforming into a rotating vortex.

His body was sucked into the center of that vortex bit by bit, moving from the bottom up, faster and faster.

The ninjas who rushed forward lunged at nothing; their kunai and shuriken passed through that distorted figure, striking absolutely nothing.

Only the head and shoulders of Obito Uchiha remained.

His final smile lingered in everyone's sight, and his voice emerged from the twisted space, thick with mockery.

"This is Konoha—always prattling on about the village and the greater good, while you yourselves know full well the dirty deeds you commit in the shadows."

His gaze swept over Mitokado Homura and Utatane Koharu.

"You want to have me dealt with by the village? Do you even have the right?"

The vortex gradually closed.

Obito Uchiha looked toward Genkawa Uchiha.

The latter was looking back at him, and the two exchanged a silent gaze.

Genkawa Uchiha was smiling.

Obito Uchiha was smiling as well.

Then, Obito Uchiha vanished.

The ninjas and Anbu stood where they were, looking at one another in dismay.

Some looked around, others leaped to higher ground to search, but they found nothing at all.

Obito Uchiha had evaporated into thin air, leaving not even a trace behind.

Mitokado Homura's expression turned incredibly ugly.

He whipped his head around to look at Genkawa Uchiha, who stood to the side with his arms crossed.

"Did you know all along that he had the ability to escape?"

Genkawa Uchiha raised an eyebrow, offering no reply.

Utatane Koharu's voice grew even heavier: "Why didn't you stop him? With your abilities, you clearly could have—"

"Enough."

Genkawa Uchiha cut her off.

He dropped his crossed arms, stepped forward, and stared straight at Mitokado Homura and Utatane Koharu.

"What did you just say? I didn't stop him?"

His voice was not loud, but every word was crystal clear.

"You two jumped out just now, righteously declaring that the village would handle it and telling me to stop. What, were you just talking to the air?"

Mitokado Homura opened his mouth.

Genkawa Uchiha did not give him a chance to speak.

"Now that he's run off, you come over to blame me? You push the responsibility onto me, and suddenly you're the clean ones?"

He spat on the ground.

The saliva landed squarely on Mitokado Homura's shoe.

Mitokado Homura froze in place.

The surrounding ninjas and Anbu were all stunned; the air seemed to have solidified.

"You..."

"You what?"

Genkawa Uchiha's voice echoed over the ruins, carrying undisguised mockery.

"It was clearly you two who wouldn't let me act, insisting on taking the credit for yourselves because you wanted to get your hands on the Wood Release. Now that he's escaped, you want me to take the fall?"

He spread his hands and looked around at the ninjas.

"Tell me, aren't they just pure clowns?"

With that glob of spit still hanging on his shoe, Mitokado Homura trembled with rage, his lips quivering as he couldn't utter a single word.

Utatane Koharu stood to the side, her face livid, yet she was equally unable to speak.

"I..."

"I what?"

Genkawa Uchiha, completely disregarding the gravity of the occasion, sneered repeatedly.

"A fine plan you had there. Now that you've botched it, you feel like idiots, don't you?"

The ninjas lowered their heads one by one.

Some tried to pretend they couldn't hear, shifting their gazes elsewhere.

Others stared at their own toes, as if there were something worth studying there.

Some people quietly took half a step back, seemingly wanting to distance themselves from this nest of trouble.

An indescribable sense of shame began to spread through the crowd.

They had all heard it.

They had all seen it.

And they all understood that what Genkawa Uchiha said was the truth.

Any normal person could understand and empathize with the thoughts of the two advisors; if it were them, they would have done the same.

But to try and shift the blame onto others afterward, and in full view of everyone, was simply too much to stomach.

Genkawa Uchiha paid no mind to the expressions on the two advisors' faces, instead walking over to the side of Fugaku Uchiha, patting him on the shoulder with a look of deep lament.

"Fugaku, in the past, your younger brother here was a bit stubborn and extreme in how I viewed things. I didn't consider your difficulties, and I owe you an apology."

As he spoke, he shook his head and sighed, "To think that as clan head, you have to deal with this kind of trash every day—if it were me, I would have broken down too. Only now do I see that things haven't been easy for you."

These words were dripping with sarcasm and mockery, so biting that Fugaku Uchiha's face twitched.

If the atmosphere at the scene hadn't been so tense, he might have actually laughed out loud.

Perhaps she was muddled by anger, but Utatane Koharu shrieked, "Genkawa Uchiha, do not forget your status! I now have reason to suspect that you let him go on purpose."

Thump!

Fugaku Uchiha had been feeling a secret thrill upon hearing Genkawa Uchiha's words, but the moment Utatane Koharu spoke, his heart sank, and he thought, This is bad.

Beside her, Mitokado Homura's expression also shifted, and he instinctively moved to stop Utatane Koharu.

But it was too late.

Genkawa Uchiha's smile vanished, his face turning expressionless as he stepped toward Utatane Koharu, staring her straight in the face.

"Done acting? Very well. You had better be able to take responsibility for your own words."