Obito's Fear

Outside Konoha, atop a towering tree, space suddenly twisted.

Obito stood silently on the tree, staring down at the canyon stretching for a thousand meters below him, momentarily speechless.

"..."

Was that really a slash a human being could unleash?

Although he had awakened his Mangekyō with only one eye remaining and had never seen Uchiha Madara fight at full strength,

he had an instinctive feeling that even Madara in his prime probably could not have delivered such a stunning strike!

One slash had cleaved the Nine-Tails in two, carving a massive wound through the entire forest when viewed from above.

Even now, the artificially created canyon was filled with the power of lightning, which had yet to disperse.

Compared to that, his Kamui was like the ability of a raw recruit.

Other than fooling some bumpkins who had never seen space-time ninjutsu, it was only somewhat useful for running away.

"What is it, Obito? Are you afraid of that clansman of yours?"

A half-black, half-white figure silently emerged from the tree. With a pitcher-plant-like ornament atop his head, he looked exceptionally bizarre.

It was Black Zetsu possessing White Zetsu.

Black Zetsu looked at the seemingly endless canyon and could not help but sigh.

He had not expected that, in this era, aside from the reincarnations of Indra and Asura, another person capable of standing shoulder to shoulder with Uchiha Madara would emerge.

He had misjudged them. Hagoromo's traitorous descendants always seemed to produce such unexpected gains.

Obito snorted coldly and shot Zetsu an unfriendly look.

"How many times have I told you? Call me Uchiha Madara when we're outside!"

Black Zetsu, possessing White Zetsu, spread his hands helplessly.

Have it your way. A puppet's puppet could never escape his control.

It was just face. For the great goal of freeing his mother, he did not care.

After rebuking Black Zetsu, Obito turned his gaze back to the scar running through the forest below, his expression beneath the mask turning cold.

"It's just a Mangekyō. Squandering his ocular power so recklessly, he'll go blind sooner or later."

"Someone like that poses no threat to our plan at all."

Black Zetsu agreed with Obito's assessment.

Unless one was a reincarnation of Indra's chakra, even the strongest Mangekyō had its limits.

Although he did not know why an ordinary Mangekyō could unleash a move so powerful it even rivaled Uchiha Madara in his prime,

it was probably related to the special ocular technique he had awakened.

Was it a type that amplified ninjutsu, or perhaps one that directly strengthened Susanoo?

Though there was not enough evidence to tell, using Susanoo and a Mangekyō-exclusive ocular technique at the same time consumed an enormous amount of ocular power.

Without the Eternal Mangekyō's power to prevent blindness, that Uchiha was probably already on the brink of losing his sight after unleashing a slash of such tremendous power.

Still, the Uchiha clan was indeed troublesome. The slightest emotional upheaval could awaken a Mangekyō and make them stronger, turning them into unknown threats.

Even more troublesome than Susanoo were their unknown ocular techniques.

They had absolutely no intelligence on the person who had delivered that slash, which was why they were in such a passive position now.

Hagoromo's descendants, those traitors who had betrayed his mother... A chill flashed in Black Zetsu's eyes.

"How do you plan to deal with that Uchiha, Uchiha 'Madara'?" Black Zetsu asked teasingly, trying to steer Obito toward a certain decision.

After considering it briefly, Obito said,

"The plan hasn't begun yet, so the Nine-Tails can stay in Konoha for now."

"Once his Mangekyō goes blind, kill him directly, and wipe out the entire Uchiha clan while we're at it."

Compared to that stunning slash, Obito was actually more concerned about the moment Susanoo first appeared.

No matter how powerful it was, as long as he used intangibility, he could evade that move perfectly.

But the other party had torn open space with a mere raise of his hand. The Eye of Thunder Punishment Evil Radiance that spanned the sky, and that Susanoo divine weapon that seemed to have been drawn from shattered void,

made it impossible for Obito to remain calm.

There was no proof, but if it was a Susanoo divine weapon capable of directly attacking him while he was intangible, then Uchiha Genya's threat level had to be raised by several ranks.

If this man did not die or go blind, Obito would not be able to sleep peacefully.

A clan as uncontrollable as the Uchiha had to be purged as soon as possible.

Black Zetsu revealed a cold smile.

Madara's chosen pawn was truly useful. A little guidance had produced exactly the result he wanted.

A clan as uncontrollable as the Uchiha truly should be eliminated before more trouble could grow.

Lest even more uncontrollable Mangekyō emerge.

By the time the Anbu took over the scene, Xuanye was already preparing to leave.

Anbu and Security Division members were handling disaster relief and restoring order, while reinforcements from the other clans and the Anbu were rushing over as quickly as possible.

The Nine-Tails had already been suppressed. All that remained was disaster relief.

On his way over, Sarutobi Hiruzen saw the canyon cleaved open by Susanoo and could scarcely believe his eyes.

It had not seemed overly shocking from afar, but only upon seeing it up close did he understand what terrifying power it truly contained.

It was simply not a power of this world!

If Konoha became enemies with the Uchiha, that slash would fall upon Konoha...

Sarutobi Hiruzen nearly shuddered on instinct and immediately made up his mind: they absolutely could not break with the Uchiha.

Seeing Xuanye preparing to leave, Sarutobi Hiruzen suddenly called out to him.

"Xuanye, wait a moment."

Xuanye turned back, his gaze upon Sarutobi Hiruzen carrying a faint trace of impatience.

"Third Hokage, please address me as Captain of the Security Division."

At his age, he still needed to be reminded to use someone's official title while on duty.

Sarutobi Hiruzen choked on his words. After a moment, he decided to let the matter pass and said, "Minato's child should be entrusted to the village's care."

As expected, Sarutobi Hiruzen immediately set his sights on the child in Xuanye's arms.

Based on what he knew of Namikaze Minato, since Minato had used the Dead Demon Consuming Seal at the end, it was highly likely that he had sealed the Nine-Tails inside his newborn child.

The child also had Uzumaki bloodline, making him perfectly suited to be a Jinchuriki.

The Nine-Tails Jinchuriki absolutely could not be controlled by an ambitious clan like the Uchiha.

Xuanye narrowed his eyes.

Even he had his limits.

Openly treating a newborn child as a weapon somewhat violated Xuanye's principles.

"Before the Fourth Hokage died, he entrusted his orphaned child to my care," Xuanye replied flatly.

Sarutobi Hiruzen frowned. "But the Nine-Tails Jinchuriki must remain under the village's control!"

This time, Xuanye turned around and faced Sarutobi Hiruzen directly.

Without him realizing it, a dangerous aura had entered his gaze.

"...I'm not discussing this with you."