"Looks like Hiruko is going to lose..."
Watching the battle reshape the terrain, Shinnō gave his verdict from his perch in the treetops, then took another bite of the apple in his hand.
An unsettled Zabuza looked at Shinnō and asked, "Your companion is about to lose. Aren't you going to help him?"
Shinnō glanced at Zabuza, casually tossed the apple core onto the ground, and said flatly, "Aren't you keeping me occupied? Besides, a one-on-one fight is perfectly fair. I'd rather not interfere."
A little taken aback, Zabuza instinctively looked toward Hozuki Mangetsu on the other side.
All he knew was how to hack at people with a massive sword. He couldn't understand why Shinnō was hanging his teammate out to dry.
Shinnō rubbed his palms together and jumped down to the ground, keeping a close watch on Hiruko. Of course, he couldn't simply stand by and let Hiruko die, but letting him suffer a little was necessary.
After all, Hiruko wasn't on his and Orochimaru's side. Even after Sasori disappeared, he had maintained his arrogant attitude, which irritated Shinnō immensely.
Shinnō had only taken a few steps forward when he stopped and spat. "That fellow Tobi is here. Looks like I've lost my chance to teach Hiruko a lesson."
At those words, Hozuki Mangetsu and Zabuza both looked toward the battlefield, their brows furrowing.
The Fourth Mizukage stared fixedly at Obito before him. He would never forget that mask.
It was the Sharingan beneath that mask that had brought him an indelible humiliation. Before Sunagakure fell to the Akatsuki, he-a village's Kage who had been controlled by the Akatsuki-had been the laughingstock of the Shinobi World.
And precisely because he had experienced that control, the Fourth Mizukage understood Obito's power all too well.
Obito had first controlled