That Scapegoat Was You All Along!!

The living room light made the flashy magazine cover look especially glaring.

Kou snapped the book shut and straightened his back, his expression so righteous he looked like a lawyer defending himself in court.

"Like I said, this book isn't mine. It must've... no, it definitely was brought over by one of my subordinates when they came to my house and then forgotten."

"I'm really not a lolicon!!"

Obito watched him desperately trying to argue his way out of it, the corner of his mouth twitching beneath his mask.

"...I never said you were."

"You don't have to explain. I understand."

Hearing Obito's response, Kou felt the taut string inside him begin to loosen, only for Obito's next words to tighten it again.

"Of course this book isn't yours. Your type is tall girls with big butts, right?"

Obito teased him in his hoarse voice, a glint of mischief flashing in the eye visible through the mask's hole.

"I still remember that magazine I found under your bed back then. The girl was only a teenager, but she was already so mature."

Kou's face flushed bright red.

"What?!"

He instinctively retorted:

"Wasn't that when you got on your knees and begged me to help you get together with Rin? You're the last person who can say that about me, you pervert!!"

As soon as the words left his mouth, dead silence fell over the living room.

The rare, easygoing atmosphere that had felt like old times was now completely washed away.

Both Obito and Kou fell silent.

"Damn, I forgot to turn off the counterattack!!"

Kou couldn't help feeling regretful, knowing he'd made a huge mistake.

The mood had been so relaxed just now. It had felt like they'd gone back many years, back to Konoha, back to when they were just two kids throwing shuriken at each other on the training field.

That feeling was so familiar that he'd unconsciously let down all his guard—and then he'd gone and screwed up spectacularly.

"Is it because having awakened the Mangekyo has eased the pressure on me? How could I make such a rookie mistake?"

Kou murmured inwardly, still shaken.

"I've even gotten carried away without realizing it. The Uchiha genes really are too powerful..."

He cautiously raised his head and watched Obito, who hadn't said a word since then.

Obito stood motionless.

His figure was upright, and his Black Cloak with Red Clouds gleamed faintly beneath the dim yellow light.

The orange Spiral Mask hid all his expression, leaving only his right eye visible.

But at that moment, the eye held memories of the distant past.

Konoha. The Uchiha clan grounds. Kou's room.

Outside the window, cicadas sang in the summer heat. Sunlight squeezed through a gap in the curtains, drawing a thin golden line across the wooden floor.

The air was filled with the languid scent of adolescence.

Obito lay on Kou's bed with his hands behind his head, gazing at the ceiling.

His goggles hung crookedly around his neck, his clothes were rumpled, and his whole body radiated a lazy "I don't want to move" air.

"Hey, Kou, what kind of girl do you like?"

His voice was hesitant and nervous, as if he were testing the waters.

At the desk, Kou didn't turn around.

He looked at the scroll in his hands, his brows faintly furrowed, and answered irritably:

"If you have time to ask me that, you'd be better off finishing your homework.

School starts next week, and you haven't done any of it yet, have you?"

"Hey! Don't bring up something so depressing!!"

Obito abruptly sat up in bed, his voice full of protest.

"What's depressing about it?"

Kou finally turned around and glanced at him with his dark eyes, his expression full of disdain.

"Once school starts, you'll get to see Rin, the girl you think about day and night, every day. That's a good thing."

Obito froze.

"Uh... you're not wrong. Then let's hurry up and get back to school!!"

"You're hopeless when it comes to love. You're unbeatable."

Kou shook his head, turned back around, and continued reading the scroll.

"Hey, hey, Kou—"

Obito spoke again, this time more quietly and cautiously than before, as though he were asking something important.

"What kind of boy do you think Rin would like?"

Kou paused.

"Do you want the truth or a lie?"

"Of course I want the truth!!"

"...Someone like Kakashi."

"Hey!!"

Obito's consciousness slowly emerged from the memory.

The images scattered like smoke blown away by the wind, fading from before his eyes one by one.

He closed his eyes. The visible eyelid trembled faintly, as if he were suppressing the emotions welling up inside him.

After a long while, he slowly opened his eyes. The feelings in them had settled into calm.

He looked at Kou before him.

The boy who had once lain beside him on Konoha's training field, counting the stars, had now grown into a mature man.

Compared to the boy in his memories, he was more mature and more handsome.

Yet the weariness concealed beneath the swaggering front in his brows had never changed.

Kou was still the same Kou as before.

But he was no longer the Uchiha Obito he used to be.

"...I'll be going."

His voice had returned to its usual indifference, as though that silence had never happened.

Seeing that Obito hadn't snapped, Kou finally felt the taut string inside him relax.

But a flicker of surprise immediately crossed his eyes.

"Aren't you going to ask what Nagato said to me?"

"There's no need."

Obito replied coolly, his tone tinged with disdain.

"He's just a puppet with contingencies planted all over him by that old bastard Madara.

I don't even have to think about it. It's obviously some childish attempt to drive a wedge between us."

His voice was full of scorn.

"He's just a naive kid, after all."

Kou's mouth twitched faintly at Obito's dismissive words.

"'Kid'? He's five years older than you. You're really getting into character, huh? You actually think you're Uchiha Madara..."

He muttered to himself, a complicated look flashing through his dark eyes.

"But if he didn't think of himself as Uchiha Madara, the Uchiha Obito I used to know would never have done such utterly vile things."

"Self-hypnosis? Split personality? Whatever the case, this guy is definitely not normal..."

He murmured inwardly, his expression unchanged.

"I'm going to carry out an Akatsuki mission next."

Kou's voice returned to its usual casual tone.

"I'll leave a Shadow Clone in the Mist Village. If you don't have anything else to do, you can stay here and help me keep an eye on the Mist Village."

"That way, I can avoid this guy and stop by the Uzumaki ruins to investigate once the mission is done."

He silently added to himself.

Obito nodded. There was no hint of emotion in his one visible eye.

He turned around to leave.

Kou waved at him perfunctorily.

"Take care. I won't see you out."

Obito had already raised his hand, intending to wave back before activating Kamui.

His hand stopped.

"Kou."

"Hmm?"

Kou looked at him, puzzlement flickering in his dark eyes.

Obito was silent for a moment.

"...It's nothing."

He said it flatly.

Then he activated Kamui.

Space twisted into a spiral around him, swallowing his figure bit by bit.

He disappeared from the room, as if he had never been there.

"...What was that about?"

Kou muttered to himself.

He let out a long breath, as though expelling all the stale air from his chest.

Kou stood up, walked to the window, and pushed it open.

The night breeze swept in, damp and cool with the Mist Village's characteristic moisture. It brushed his face and cleared his hazy head a little.

"Now, as long as I get the Mist Village's work arranged, I can make my move."

He murmured under his breath, a sharp glint flashing in his dark eyes.

"I'll just have to make Mei Terumi suffer a little. To keep her from suspecting anything, I'll have to give her a heavier workload these next few days."

The corners of his mouth lifted slightly, his smile carrying a hint of pleasure and anticipation.

Everything was proceeding smoothly, just as he'd expected!!

That was what he thought, before turning around and preparing to head back to his bedroom for a good night's sleep and a hopeful tomorrow.

Outside the window, the mist still billowed, and the night remained deep.

The next day.

Mist Village Assistant Office.

Kou sat behind his desk, staring in bewilderment at Mei Terumi as she handed him a leave request.

An ominous feeling grew stronger and stronger.

"This can't... be such a coincidence, can it?"

(What Obito wanted to say was actually, "Thank you for staying by my side," but in his current state, it was impossible for him to say it aloud.

So I'm adding this note here. Also, this is friendship between men from Konoha, not gay. This book won't whitewash Obito either; it will simply delve into the characters' psychology. I hope everyone won't misunderstand.)