The Chess Piece

Obito's figure emerged from Kamui's spatial Uzumaki and landed steadily on the ground.

He stood in the middle of the battle-ravaged woodland, his exposed right eye slowly scanning the surroundings.

Broken tree trunks, churned soil, crisscrossing gullies in the ground...

Obito's gaze did not linger on the ruined scene for long.

He had seen this scene far too many times.

On the battlefield, in the ruins, and in the "accidents" they themselves created.

His expression beneath the mask remained unchanged; he simply glanced calmly around before looking naturally in the direction where Kou was.

"Did he get away?"

Obito spoke calmly, as if he had expected this outcome.

Kou turned to look at him, a perfectly measured hint of helplessness appearing on his face, which had been softened and made harmless by the Transformation Technique.

"After all, you can't just use your real skills, can you?"

"Using the strength of ' Shiina Sora ' from Mist Village to keep that stinky snake here is going to be a bit troublesome."

"... That's true."

Obito nodded in agreement.

Although in his eyes, Kokoro's strength was definitely greater than Orochimaru's.

Even he had to admit that the difference in strength between Koku and Orochimaru was not so great that he could forcibly capture him while holding back.

Orochimaru is by no means a waste; even he himself wouldn't dare to say that he could keep Orochimaru, one of the Sannin, alive.

Obito looked at Kokoro and comforted him in a calm tone:

"Given Orochimaru's methods, it's normal that he couldn't be kept alive."

Rather than risk exposing our identities by forcibly apprehending that troublesome guy, it's better to play it safe."

He paused, then continued meaningfully:

"After all, Mist Village is currently a crucial pawn in our strategy to weaken Konoha and other ninja villages..."

Listening to Obito's words, a shadow flashed in his eyes, but on the surface he still nodded in full agreement.

He understood what Obito meant, of course.

No matter how realistic the acting is, everything he experienced here was just a play.

The hope that Mist Village saw, the glimmer of hope that the survivors of the Blood Mist Era clung to, was nothing more than a drama orchestrated by the two of them.

Mist Village is a tool in their hands, a white glove in the open.

The false name Shiina Sora constantly reminds her of this:

My true self has never belonged to Mist Village...

"Sora-sama!!"

In the distance, the sounds of the Mist Anbu and patrols could be heard.

The voice came from the mist, carrying urgency and tension.

The footsteps grew closer, echoing in the mist.

Obito looked in the direction the sound came from, and his right eye under the hole narrowed slightly.

He glanced at Kou beside him and said goodbye in a calm tone:

"Then I'll be going now. I'll leave Mist Village to you again."

Uzumaki -like spatial distortion appeared near his right eye, gradually drawing Obito's body into it.

"Wait a moment."

He knocked on the door and called out to him.

The voice wasn't loud, but it made Obito pause slightly.

He naturally stopped displaying his Kamui, his exposed right eye calmly looking at Kou, without asking any questions, but simply turning his head quietly to the side.

Looking at Obito before him, he sighed deeply, his tone filled with reluctance:

"Thanks."

"Regarding what you told me about Orochimaru coming to capture Kimimaro."

Kō knew in his heart that if Obito hadn't come to inform him, he might not have been able to arrive in time.

Although his sensory abilities were excellent, he devoted almost all his energy to sensing Obito, who could appear beside him at any moment using Kamui, leaving him no time to sense the situation in Mist Village.

Moreover, his perception range couldn't cover this outer forest area, which was still quite a distance from the Mist Village Hidden Land.

Once he and reinforcements arrive, Kimimaro will most likely be saved, but Jūzō Biwa will very likely die at Orochimaru's hands.

Furthermore, with the support of Mist Village nearby, it will be much more difficult for me to control Orochimaru using my Mangekyo.

In a sense, Obito not only saved Jūzō Biwa's life, but also indirectly contributed to his own efforts in subduing Orochimaru.

"Heh, this must be one of the few good deeds this guy has done in recent years..."

He silently complained to himself.

Obito stared blankly for a moment as he looked at Kou's expression of gratitude, his eyes behind the mask momentarily widening in surprise.

"Thank you...?"

How long has it been since I last heard this word?

A heartfelt thank you.

In the past, that was something he was very familiar with.

That was something he thought he no longer needed.

But as he uttered those two words, a certain part of his heart stirred slightly.

Obito's lips twitched slightly beneath the mask, his voice becoming even hoarser:

"... I should be the one saying thank you."

"... ha?"

Kōdō looked at Obito, who had just uttered such a startling statement, and raised an eyebrow, his eyes filled with complete surprise and disbelief.

Obito shook his head gently, as if trying to shake off some inappropriate emotion from his mind.

His voice returned to its usual calm, and the light in his exposed right eye also returned to its composed state.

"... nothing."

Obito looked at Kokoro, speaking slightly faster, as if trying to cover up the rift he had unintentionally torn open with something else:

"There seems to be some activity in Konoha lately, so I probably won't be coming for a while."

As he spoke, he looked at the several figures that were getting closer and closer in the distance, and waved in the direction of Kou.

The gesture was casual, like saying goodbye to a friend.

The next instant, his figure slowly disappeared amidst a Uzumaki distortion of space.

Kō recalled Obito's words, a sense of unease settling in his heart.

If nothing unexpected happens, the "commotion" that Obito was referring to should be Jiraiya's return to the village.

"The Fifth Hokage of Konoha?"

He murmured to himself, a complex emotion flashing in his bright eyes:

"I really don't know if this change is a good thing or a bad thing..."

"Sora-sama!!"

The sounds of the Mist Anbu and the patrol grew closer, and blurry figures emerged from the mist, appearing at the edge of the woods.

They looked at Kou standing in the middle of the woods, and everyone breathed a sigh of relief when they saw that he was standing there unharmed.

"Sorry, Master Kong! We're late!"

The leader of the Anbu knelt on one knee, head bowed, his voice full of apology.

His forehead was covered in sweat; it was hard to tell whether he was from running or from being scared.

Those behind them also knelt down in unison.

Looking at them, a gentle smile appeared on that ordinary face:

"Don't worry about it. You've already done your best to get here, considering the distance."

He turned to the mud pits, broken trees, and the mess all around, his voice regaining the calm and decisive tone he used when giving orders:

"I'm entrusting the damage from these four weeks to you. Clean up the battle traces according to Level II standards, and report the restoration of the forest area to the logistics department for approval as per usual procedures."

"Yes!"

Listening to the response from the Anbu, the corners of his mouth turned up slightly, a mischievous glint in his smile:

"Oh, by the way, this is overtime pay. Remember to ask your team leader for it."

"Yes!!!"

The Anbu responded loudly.

Kou nodded in satisfaction, and just as he was about to turn and leave, a voice called out to him from behind.

"Sora-sama!"

He turned around and looked at the leader of the Anbu.

Feeling the knocking gaze, the young man's facial muscles visibly tensed, awkwardly forming a smile.

The curve of his smile looked unnatural, suggesting that the young man wasn't someone who often smiled in public.

Thank you, Professor Kong!

Please get some rest. We'll take care of things here... Don't worry!

The Anbu behind him nodded in agreement, their eyes filled with genuine concern and admiration as they looked at Kou.

Looking at the Mist Anbu and patrol members behind him who were all bowing to him, a gentle smile unconsciously appeared on his ordinary face:

"You are welcome."

He turned around and quickened his pace as he walked towards Mist Village.

Behind them, the Anbu and patrol members began to get busy.

No one noticed that the receding figure paused for a fleeting moment in the mist...