No Trace? Goodbye Akatsuki (Seeking Follow-ups)

Fire Release: Red Scorch. This was the ability Mo had gone to such lengths with Kakashi to legitimize, and it counted as the core Fire Release ninjutsu he had half-created himself.

In truth, as the Uchiha clan's foremost genius, with that reputation to vouch for him, it would not have mattered much even if Mo had suddenly claimed out of nowhere that he had created an A-rank ninjutsu.

But Mo was greedier than that. What he wanted to legitimize was not merely a single ninjutsu, but Green Child's entire fire-control ability. For that, he needed a clear path of creation.

To achieve that, he had deliberately revealed parts of his abilities during several past missions, vaguely allowing rumors such as "blood-red flames" to spread.

Then, through Kakashi, Shisui, and Team 8, he had completely legitimized "Red Scorch."

In fact, Red Scorch did share many similarities with Chidori.

Although Uchiha Mo's Fire Release had been enhanced by "Blazing Fire" and gained greater power, it had not fundamentally separated itself from ordinary Fire Release. As for how to elevate it further, Mo had drawn inspiration from Chidori.

The core of Chidori was an extreme transformation of Lightning Release chakra nature, while the core of Red Scorch was an extreme transformation of Fire Release chakra nature.

Mo possessed the ability to control fire, so he did not need to worry about any issues concerning Fire Release shape transformation. He only needed to take Chidori as a reference and push Fire Release's explosive and burning traits to their limits to naturally unleash immense power!

That became Red Scorch's basic form. Once the basic form had been settled, its subsequent shape transformations were even simpler for Mo, who could control fire.

"What an incredible technique. I can feel that chakra on the verge of exploding, yet you can actually keep it under control..."

Nagato's face was filled with amazement. As a sensory ninja, aside from the Sand Ninja lying on the ground, he was the person present who could best sense the power of this technique.

As soon as those words fell, Yahiko came back to his senses as well. He walked up to Mo and said in a complicated tone, "No matter what, we owe you another one. Thank you for your help."

Mo's gaze fell upon an illusory panel.

Blue Baby Fusion Rate: 11.83% + 10.74% (Unlocked abilities: Invisibility. When both reach 30%, unlock ability: No Trace)

Seeing that the next-stage ability was not Intangibility, Mo frowned slightly and replied casually, "It's still too early to thank me."

Yahiko tilted his head in confusion. "What do you mean?"

"The reason so many Sand Ninja have been roaming around the Land of Rain's border is because I killed someone fairly important to them within the Land of Rain before this."

The three of them froze instantly. After processing the information, the scene from a month ago surfaced in their minds in unison.

"You bastard!"

Nagato, who had led the way, instantly flew into a rage. He stepped forward, veins bulging on his neck as his purple eyes narrowed. Terrifying ripples spread through the air. He clenched his right fist tightly, raised it, and was about to swing it at Mo's face.

Mo calmly watched Nagato. Yahiko immediately rushed forward, grabbed Nagato, and shouted, "Calm down, Nagato!"

Seeing this, the three members of Team 8 immediately moved behind Mo, watching the trio warily.

"Nagato, neither you nor Mo can be blamed for this. The one who made the decision is the one who should bear responsibility. Otherwise, the chain of hatred will link everyone together!"

Yahiko stared at Nagato solemnly. Their eyes met, and Nagato's body stiffened before he slowly lowered his arm.

Only then did Yahiko release Nagato. Turning to Uchiha Mo, he said, "Thank you for your honesty. I apologize to you on Nagato's behalf."

Uchiha Mo did not answer. Instead, he turned to look at Nagato.

"Those eyes are far more terrifying than you imagine. If you want to be killed by your own eyes, stay angry. Go ahead and try."

Those eyes were not simply the Rinnegan. They were Madara Uchiha's eyes, containing ocular power that could be called the ultimate! Just now, Nagato had merely become angry, yet his ocular power had unconsciously surged and released an aura so terrifying it was horrifying. Even Obito in the Fourth Shinobi World War, with Uchiha blood and half his body made of Hashirama cells, could only control the power of one eye.

Thus, Mo hoped even more that Nagato could use those eyes to bear sufficiently abundant fruit.

As soon as he said that, Nagato showed signs of erupting again. Fortunately, Yahiko reached out and stopped him beforehand.

Yahiko turned his gaze toward Uchiha Mo. "Thank you for the warning. But for the sake of the Land of Rain, I may have to reveal your information."

Mo glanced at Yahiko, unmoved.

"Do as you please."

With a ninja war imminent, earning some extra hatred from the Sand Hidden Village ahead of time was not a bad thing for Mo. In the ninja world, there were the fewest powerful shinobi proficient in Wind Release. Mo could foresee that his future relationship with the Sand Hidden Village would not be particularly amicable.

Hearing that, Yahiko smiled and once again extended his right hand toward Uchiha Mo.

"Thank you for understanding. The ninja world has been growing more and more unstable lately. I want to establish an organization and create a peaceful world where people can understand and communicate with one another. Mo, we're friends now, aren't we? I'd like to invite you to join us and build this organization together!"

Although Mo had acted extremely coldly, Yahiko understood that this was normal behavior for a ninja from a great nation. Moreover, after helping them twice and proactively explaining the reason, Yahiko believed that Mo was surely a caring person at heart.

Mo glanced at Yahiko's outstretched right hand. "What a naïve person. Even if people understand one another, so what? Will hatred disappear because of understanding? If the two people beside you were suddenly killed one day, and the murderer openly told you about his grievances and difficulties, would you forgive him and let go of your hatred?"

Yahiko suddenly furrowed his brows, but after a moment, they relaxed again. His gaze was steady and solemn as he looked unwaveringly into Mo's eyes. He nodded and said softly, "I would."

As soon as those words fell, Mo could clearly see the expressions of Nagato and Konan behind Yahiko turn unpleasant.

But Mo's interest was not in them at that moment. He raised his gaze and, for the first time, truly looked at the man who had merely served as Nagato's backdrop in the original story.

The corners of his mouth rose faintly on their own. "Naïve, but not childish. What a disgustingly revolting person. Don't you understand? Acting like that only makes kindness worthless. If you repay resentment with virtue, then what will you use to repay virtue?"

Yahiko's expression remained unchanged as he seriously looked into those clear black eyes.

"Kindness is kindness. It doesn't need to be defined by value."

Mo sneered and turned sideways.

"Like you? Too naive. Mercy is the privilege of the strong. If you remain strong, then of course you can keep being foolishly kind. But you're weak. Sooner or later, someone will pay a painful price for your kindness..."

As his words fell, he turned his head and glanced at Nagato.

"When that time comes, Nagato, you can come find me."