"Could you be a member of the Uchiha Clan, too?"
Beneath his mask, the corner of Uchiha Mu's mouth lifted slightly. He didn't answer.
He flung out a series of shuriken, moving at the same time as he closed in on Obito.
Obito snorted. His body turned intangible.
Uchiha Mu's shuriken passed straight through him.
"Useless."
Uchiha Mu didn't panic.
He waited for the moment Obito became tangible.
Kamui's intangibility couldn't last long. Especially when attacking, Obito had to become tangible.
That was the opening.
Sure enough, Obito emerged from the void and thrust a kunai toward Uchiha Mu's back.
"Now!"
Uchiha Mu spun around, his right hand clawed as he reached for Obito's wrist.
Obito was startled and tried to turn intangible again. But a strange suction suddenly erupted from Uchiha Mu's palm.
"Kamui: Absorption!"
This was another use of Kamui: sucking a target into another dimension.
Obito's body tilted involuntarily toward Uchiha Mu's palm.
"You..." Obito's expression finally changed.
He hadn't expected his opponent to somehow replicate all his abilities,
and even come up with a new application in such a short time.
"Damn it!" Obito suddenly released a burst of chakra and broke free of the suction.
But the force tugged his mask slightly askew, revealing the scarlet Sharingan beneath it—and the familiar scar at the corner of his eye.
Uchiha Mu saw it. He saw Obito's true face.
It was only for an instant, but he was certain.
The man before him really was Uchiha Obito. The boy who had once been willing to sacrifice himself to protect his comrades. The unfortunate soul manipulated by Uchiha Madara and cast into darkness.
"Obito, stop this."
Uchiha Mu suddenly spoke. "You shouldn't be like this."
"If Rin could see what you've become, she'd be heartbroken."
Obito's body suddenly stiffened.
Rin.
The name pierced his heart like a knife.
"You... How do you know Rin?" For the first time, Obito's voice trembled.
Uchiha Mu didn't answer. He simply looked at Obito in silence.
After a long while, Obito spoke. "Who exactly are you?"
"You know so many secrets."
"Have you made peace with the fact that you're going to die?"
After saying that, he used Kamui to warp the space around them.
Then he spat a vast amount of flames into the surrounding space.
The flames poured into the dimensional space and became countless fiery serpents, surging indiscriminately in every direction through the void.
The terrifying serpents sent the temperature around them soaring.
Even Mu, while using Kamui, was in danger.
After all, this was only a copied ability; holding it for a minute was already the limit.
And this wasn't even Obito's signature move, Storm Dance.
The attack's range was already enormous, and its speed was astonishing.
Most importantly, this strike directly disrupted the space around them.
At that point, Mu had no choice but to reveal himself early.
The instant Mu appeared, five identical figures scattered in every direction.
Seeing the clones, Obito cried out in shock.
"Five Elements Clone—something even I never mastered. All five natures perfectly embodied."
"How could anyone possibly do that?"
But Mu wasn't about to explain himself to Obito now.
All five figures formed hand seals at once.
Five thick chains appeared in the void, emerging from five strange locations.
They instantly bound Obito.
Seeing the chains, Obito even forgot to use Kamui.
He kept muttering to himself. "These are the Five Elements Adamantine Sealing Chains. They rival the power of the Demonic Statue of the Outer Path."
"What an anomaly..."
"No."
As he spoke, he tried to break free.
But the power of all five natures hindered even Kamui.
Seeing this, Uchiha Mu wasn't about to let such an opportunity slip away.
He fired Kamui Shuriken one after another.
Fire Release: Great Fireball Technique, one after another.
Boom! Boom! Boom!
Three tremendous explosions rang out in succession, accompanied by a ragged cough.
Obito climbed out of the rubble at the bottom of the crater, having actually broken free of the chains.
He glared coldly at his opponent.
"I never thought Konoha had a fighter like you. Kid, you've really made me angry."
"Die!"
As soon as the words left his mouth, Obito formed a few simple hand seals. Suddenly, the whole earth began to churn.
Enormous vines erupted from the ground. Mu fled frantically with Izumi.
"This is Wood Release: Hell's Chaos."
"Each vine has spatial abilities, allowing it to lock onto my position precisely. Even turning intangible can't shake the pursuit."
"This guy..."
But suddenly, Obito stopped attacking.
He looked to the left, his brow furrowing.
Mu also sensed several Kage Level presences drawing near.
"Kid, whoever you are, I'll find you."
With that, Obito's body slowly vanished.
Mu didn't pursue him.
Instead, he looked at the two minutes remaining on his Copy Card.
He let out a long breath.
"He's finally gone."
"But that fight was exhilarating."
"It was my first time using Kage Level power, but I didn't feel out of my depth."
"Looks like I really am a genius. All I've lacked is opportunity."
But it wasn't safe to stay here. Konoha's powerful fighters had arrived.
Holding the unconscious Izumi, he vanished in an instant.
He left Izumi somewhere hidden.
Then he turned and headed toward the clan compound.
A minute after Mu disappeared,
a group of Root shinobi suddenly appeared on the battlefield.
After carefully inspecting the area for three breaths, their bodies trembled, and they hurried back to Root one after another.
As soon as they left, the Third Hokage arrived with a group of clan leaders.
The aura of a Kage Level battle. It seemed tonight was destined to be restless.
Once the operation had begun, there was no turning back.
"If anyone gets in the way of that boy Itachi's mission, kill them."
"Yes, Lord Hokage."
In an underground chamber,
several Root shinobi knelt on the floor.
"Lord Danzo, we've investigated. Both sides in the battle were Kage Level."
"They were powerful. We couldn't interfere."
"Kage Level?"
"Are there hidden experts in Konoha?"
"That old Sarutobi really was holding something back."
"Hmph."
"No matter what, no one can stop me from becoming Hokage."
Meanwhile,
inside the Uchiha Clan compound,
in the clan leader's bedroom,
a blood-soaked boy with a Ninja Blade strapped to his back pushed open the door and entered.
"Father."
Itachi's voice came out, choked with emotion.
Uchiha Fugaku and Uchiha Mikoto knelt on the floor.
Hearing Itachi enter,
Fugaku spoke first.
"I don't want to kill my own son."
But Itachi still drew his Ninja Blade and stood behind Fugaku.
Hearing the blade leave its sheath,
Fugaku sighed inwardly.
"So you've chosen their side."
"But Itachi, promise me you'll look after Sasuke."
"Do it!"
"Don't be afraid. This is the path you chose. Compared to you, our pain will last only an instant."
"Even though we don't share the same views, I'm still proud of you."
At that moment, tears filled Itachi's eyes. He raised the blade in his hand, preparing to bring it down.
Suddenly, a black kunai shot in through the doorway.
With a sharp clang, it knocked Itachi's blade aside.
At the same time, the bedroom door swung open.
A boy who looked remarkably like Itachi walked in slowly.
Uchiha Fugaku and his wife sensed a familiar presence and turned to look at the boy in white.
Together, they exclaimed in disbelief,
"Mu! Weren't you outside the clan compound? Why have you come back at a time like this?"
"You're a Chunin. Weren't you unable to train?"
"How can you now...?"
Itachi also froze at Mu's appearance and stepped back two paces. After all, this younger brother who couldn't train had barely interacted with the clan.
"Mu, how could it be you?"
"Surprised?"
Honestly, I'm surprised, too!
Seeing the situation,
Uchiha Mikoto spoke up.
"Mu, you shouldn't have come."
"You were the child I worried about the least."
"Having no talent is actually the happiest thing."
"Itachi chose the hardest path. He has to bear the burden of all this."
"Don't stop him, okay?"
"I'm proud of you."
"No, I can get you out of here. I won't let anyone find you."
"No need, good boy."
"You've been away all these years. Thank you for all your hard work."
Fugaku spoke earnestly.
"But you are the future of the Uchiha Clan."
"Your mother and I have reached the time when we must leave."
As he finished speaking, Fugaku seemed to make some difficult decision.
With a forceful pull, he easily gouged out both of his own eyes.
He held them out to Uchiha Mu.
"Since you've been dragged into this too, you can keep these eyes."
"I hope you make good use of them."
"Mu. Don't stop Itachi."
At that moment, Mu numbly accepted the blood-soaked eyeballs.
His father's words still echoed in his mind.
[Ding;] [Congratulations, host. You have obtained an S-rank item: the Mangekyō Sharingan of a Kage Level powerhouse.]
Before you continue