Obito: You Idiot!

The atmosphere at the scene was strange.

Genkawa Uchiha almost laughed. The sight before him had nearly made him lose his composure.

The others, meanwhile, were shocked by the Third Hokage's decisiveness. He had directly suspended a consultant from her duties, which was rather astonishing.

Those with sharp minds instinctively looked toward Genkawa Uchiha, already placing him firmly among those who could not be provoked.

Leaving everything else aside, that half-bodied Susanoo from earlier had already filled many people with despair.

That was no longer power an ordinary ninja could wield.

After dealing with Utatane Koharu's matter, Hiruzen Sarutobi let out a soft sigh and turned to face Fugaku Uchiha.

"Clan Head Fugaku, Advisor Koharu was indeed biased in her handling of this matter. I hope you will not take offense."

Whatever else could be said, Hiruzen Sarutobi had handled this matter quite decisively.

Fugaku Uchiha's expression eased somewhat. He gave a slight nod, accepting the explanation.

A consultant being suspended was clearly enough for him.

For some reason, Fugaku Uchiha felt unusually at ease. Especially when he stood beside Genkawa Uchiha, that feeling became all the more obvious.

Had I been too harsh on Genkawa all this time?

The thought inexplicably surfaced in his mind.

Hiruzen Sarutobi then turned his gaze toward Genkawa Uchiha. "Genkawa, you stopped the enemy here and prevented the village from suffering greater losses. You did well."

He swept his gaze over the ninjas and Anbu present, raising his voice slightly.

"You all contributed to this matter. The village will remember your service."

He was clearly trying to brush Utatane Koharu's matter aside.

Having received the Hokage's acknowledgment, Fugaku Uchiha's expression immediately improved considerably.

He instinctively glanced at Genkawa Uchiha, only to find that the latter merely gave a faint laugh and did not respond to Hiruzen Sarutobi's words at all.

Clearly, this attitude of saying nothing was itself a statement.

Hiruzen Sarutobi noticed Genkawa Uchiha's attitude.

That soft laugh had been quiet, but he had heard it perfectly clearly.

Genkawa Uchiha had not even spared him a proper glance. He merely lowered his head and fiddled with the sword in his hand. A vague unease rose within Hiruzen Sarutobi, but he quickly suppressed it.

Now was not the time to pursue such matters.

He looked around.

The ruins were still smoking. Charred tree stumps lay everywhere, and the ground was covered in cracks.

The scale of this incident was too great to conceal. He had to reach a conclusion quickly and keep the impact to a minimum. Otherwise, if the village's civilians learned of it, another wave of unrest would surely follow.

"All personnel, listen up."

Hiruzen Sarutobi's voice was steady.

"Clean up the battlefield immediately and assess the losses. The injured are to report to the Medical Corps. Everyone else, return to your posts."

What injured people were there? So far, the most seriously injured person had already left.

Between Obito Uchiha and Utatane Koharu, who knew which of the two was more wounded?

Hiruzen Sarutobi's words were meant to downplay the matter. As his companion of several decades, Mitokado Homura immediately understood his intentions.

Without hesitation, he turned and began assigning personnel, directing the ninjas and Anbu to disperse.

Those people were more than happy to leave this troublesome place as soon as possible, and they scattered after acknowledging the order.

Genkawa Uchiha watched this unfold, and the curve of his lips became more pronounced.

First suspend the consultant, then deal with it lightly. Once the uproar passed, quietly restore her position. By then, no one would mention what happened today again. He knew this routine far too well.

"The Hokage is certainly decisive."

Genkawa Uchiha spoke, his tone unhurried.

"But isn't merely suspending her position as consultant a little too simple?"

Hiruzen Sarutobi's expression changed, his brows knitting tightly.

Just as he was about to say something, a figure suddenly stepped forward.

Kakashi Hatake!

He took several quick steps toward Genkawa Uchiha, his one exposed eye fixed firmly on him.

"That person just now... was he really Obito Uchiha?"

His voice was very low. Though it trembled slightly, he forcibly kept it under control.

Genkawa Uchiha lifted his eyes and glanced at him.

"What do you think?"

If you can't find it by searching the book title, try searching the author instead. It may have simply been renamed!

Those words pierced Kakashi Hatake's chest like needles.

His pupils constricted slightly. His lips moved, but no words came out.

His hand unconsciously rose to his left eye—the Sharingan Obito had given him.

That eye was faintly burning.

Kakashi Hatake's expression became dazed, as though he had fallen into a memory he was unwilling to face.

"Although I never attended the Ninja Academy, I was still your classmate. There's no way I'd mistake what that guy looked like."

As he spoke, Genkawa Uchiha patted Kakashi Hatake on the shoulder.

"I have no interest in what happened between you before, but that guy killed the Fourth Hokage and his wife. Kakashi Hatake, what will you do?"

As he said this, Genkawa Uchiha leaned slightly closer, smiling as he looked directly into the other man's eyes.

At that moment, Genkawa Uchiha looked like a villain.

But... he really was curious.

"I..."

Kakashi Hatake was in a trance. He staggered back two steps before managing to steady himself.

"I don't know," he said.

Genkawa Uchiha burst into laughter and did not bother with him any further.

He had said what needed to be said. As for what Kakashi Hatake would do in the future, that was the other man's business. When the time came, Genkawa Uchiha only needed to sit back and watch the show.

Outside the village, in dense woods several miles away.

Space suddenly twisted, and a vortex appeared from nowhere.

Obito Uchiha's figure stumbled out of it, his body swaying as he nearly fell to the ground. He reached out and grabbed a tree trunk, barely managing to steady himself.

At the stump of his severed arm, White Zetsu tissue slowly wriggled, trying to repair the damaged area. But that arm was completely gone, along with half of his shoulder, shredded into pieces by that chakra sword.

"Pwah!"

He suddenly coughed up a mouthful of blood. Pulling open the front of his clothes with one hand, he saw a deep wound across his chest as well.

It had been inflicted by the chakra sword's aftermath. Clearly, the injury was not light, and he had been enduring it the entire time he was in Konoha.

Now, he finally could not hold it in any longer.

"Damn it..."

Obito Uchiha gritted his teeth and slammed a fist into the tree trunk.

With a bang, bark shattered and wood chips flew.

He was unwilling to accept this.

He had only intended to take a look at that so-called genius and probe his abilities.

If possible, he would merely use words to tempt him, planting a wedge between the Uchiha Clan and the village.

But what had happened?

He had been suppressed, lost an arm, had his mask smashed in public, and finally fled in panic like a stray dog.

Genkawa Uchiha.

He ground that name between his teeth again and again.

A figure slowly emerged from the soil beside him. Its body was split black and white, with pitcher-plant-like leaves wrapped around its torso.

"My, my, what a sorry sight," White Zetsu said, his voice carrying a hint of mockery.

Black Zetsu's voice was much steadier. "Your identity has been exposed. This will have a considerable impact on our plans."

Obito Uchiha did not respond. He merely stared in Konoha's direction, complicated emotions churning within his intact left eye.

"I know. I'll adjust the plan."

Black Zetsu asked, "What will you do?"

White Zetsu also asked with a grin, "Yeah, yeah. Do you have a new plan?"

Obito Uchiha's face twisted. "Shut up. I am Madara Uchiha. I will not fail."

Seriously? Even at a time like this, you were still saying that?

Had he immersed himself so deeply in the act that he had fooled himself? Did he really think he was Madara Uchiha?

If Madara Uchiha were like this, he would probably die of shame.

It was only because Black Zetsu had no face and could not make expressions. Otherwise, his expression would surely have been spectacular.

"So, what exactly is your plan?" Black Zetsu asked.

Obito Uchiha's face twitched, and he fell silent for a moment.

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