Chapter 314: Obito, What Do You Think Rin's Death Is Worth?
Seeing Yusuke being subdued by Killer Bee, Akira approached Yusuke.
One look was all Akira needed to understand that Yusuke was under the influence of a Sharingan genjutsu.
On their way to the Hidden Cloud Village, Akira had thoroughly checked Yusuke and found no signs of a Sharingan genjutsu.
So, could it be that this genjutsu was placed on Yusuke recently?
The level of a Mangekyō Sharingan genjutsu could only be broken with another Mangekyō Sharingan. Akira's eyes transformed once more into the shape of a Mangekyō Sharingan. He formed a few hand seals, and then, placing his finger on Yusuke's forehead, he whispered, "Release!"
With the power of Akira's Mangekyō Sharingan, the genjutsu on Yusuke was dispelled.
Once his mind cleared, Yusuke's entire body stiffened as he quickly realized what he had done under the influence of the genjutsu. He knelt down on one knee, filled with guilt, "Lord Akira, I... I have sinned!"
"Enough. Even Yagura, the Mizukage, couldn't resist the power of the Sharingan. It's no surprise that you couldn't either. It wasn't your fault," Akira said, waving his hand dismissively.
After all, Yusuke's chakra levels were at most comparable to that of a Jonin, so it was natural for him to fall victim to a Sharingan genjutsu.
"Thank you, Lord Akira, for your kindness!" Yusuke said gratefully, seeing that Akira did not intend to blame him.
With that, Yusuke finally stood up.
"Alright, only Naruto managed to pass the True Waterfall trial. Go on, accompany him and continue your training," Akira instructed Naruto.
With this, the incident involving Obito and Black Zetsu's attack could be considered settled.
"Got it. I'll head over right now. Don't worry, Akira, I will definitely master the Nine-Tails Chakra Mode!" Naruto said confidently, nodding to Akira.
Since neither Naruto nor Killer Bee was seriously injured, their continued training wouldn't be hindered.
However, both Rōshi and Han looked on at Naruto's departing figure with envy in their eyes.
But what could they do about it?
After all, they both failed the True Waterfall's trial.
After allowing Naruto to continue his training with the Nine-Tails Chakra Mode, Akira finally turned his attention to Obito.
He reached out and placed a finger on Obito's forehead.
Obito, who had been unconscious, was immediately awakened.
"Where am I...?"
As Obito regained consciousness, he quickly assessed the situation around him. He noticed that his chakra had been completely sealed.
Obito understood immediately—he was at Akira's mercy.
"Akira, why haven't you killed me yet? What are you planning?" Obito looked up at Akira and asked.
Defeat was defeat, and there was nothing he couldn't accept. But what puzzled Obito was that even after defeating him, Akira had chosen not to kill him.
After all, Obito was the one who orchestrated the Uchiha massacre that took place years ago, not to mention the Nine-Tails incident. He was behind both of those events.
Whether from Konoha's perspective or from the perspective of the Uchiha clan, there was no reason for Akira to let him live.
"Or is it that you want some information from me?" After thinking it over, Obito continued, asking Akira.
To Obito, the only reason Akira would keep him alive was to extract information.
However, Obito couldn't help but be puzzled internally. If Akira possessed the ability to see through past and future events, why would he need to extract information from him?
"So Akira's predictive abilities aren't all-powerful?"
"There must be some limitations to his abilities, just like my Kamui, which has a five-minute time limit!"
"Let's see what Akira intends to ask. Perhaps from his questions, I can deduce his weaknesses!"
Obito's thoughts raced as he analyzed the situation.
In his mind, Obito quickly pieced together the reasons for Akira sparing him, as well as how he should respond accordingly.
"Information? What information could you possibly give me? I know far more than you do," Akira said, shaking his head and smiling when he heard Obito's question.
"Huh? You know more than I do? What do you know?" Obito was stunned. This wasn't the script he had in mind.
Wasn't Akira supposed to ask for information that he didn't know?
"What do I know? Let's see…"
"First of all, what do you think is the real cause of Rin Nohara's death? There's no way Kakashi would have killed her without reason, right?"
"Secondly, Madara Uchiha chose you, but do you know who chose Madara?"
"You don't even know these truths, and you think of yourself as a mastermind?"
"In my eyes, you're just a poor fool who's been manipulated from the very beginning."
Akira shook his head as he spoke bluntly to Obito.
"Rin's true cause of death? And Madara was manipulated too? Who was the one behind Madara?" Obito was left dumbfounded by Akira's words.
In truth, the fact that Madara had been manipulated wasn't the most shocking thing to Obito. What really shook him was learning there was more to Rin's death.
Indeed, without any reason, Kakashi would never have killed Rin.
But then, why had Kakashi killed her?
This was something that Obito had never understood, no matter how hard he tried.
And now Akira knew the answer?
"Why? What was the reason behind Rin's death?" Obito's eyes widened as he stared at Akira, demanding an answer.
"You've got to be kidding me."
Seeing Obito's desperate expression, Akira laughed and said, "You attacked me, and I ended up capturing you alive. I haven't even interrogated you yet, but now you're asking me questions? Who's the prisoner here? Don't get it twisted!"
"What do you want in exchange for telling me the truth?"
After hearing Akira's words, Obito fell silent for a moment. He realized that he was indeed in no position to make demands, so he asked Akira sincerely.
"Now you understand why Konan decided not to return to the Akatsuki after becoming my prisoner, right?" Akira said with a smile as he looked at Obito, who was filled with curiosity.
"I see..." Obito hesitated for a moment after hearing Akira's response, then thought of Konan's situation and understood.
Nagato had even suspected that Konan was under the influence of Kotoamatsukami.
But it turned out the real reason was that she wanted to learn information from Akira—information even she wasn't aware of.
"How did you convince Konan?" After realizing this, Obito asked Akira.
Since Konan had chosen to stay by Akira's side, it must mean Akira had told her something important.
Otherwise, she wouldn't have stayed.
No matter what Akira wanted, Obito was willing to pay the price if it meant learning the truth behind Rin's death.
"Konan? She provided me with enough explosive tags, and I made a lot of money from it," Akira said.
"What? Money? You want money?" Obito looked at Akira, stunned.
"Yes, do you have any?" Akira nodded frankly.
Obito's expression turned incredulous. The leader of the ANBU and a top contender for the Sixth Hokage—Akira was motivated by money?
Obito had heard about Akira's reputation for being greedy, but he hadn't expected it to be to this extent.
"If you joined the Akatsuki, you'd probably be put in charge of finances along with Kakuzu," Obito said, half-laughing and half-bemused.
"Eh?" Akira's eyes lit up at Obito's remark.
So if he joined the Akatsuki, he could manage the finances?
Why hadn't Obito said this sooner?
If Obito had mentioned this earlier, why would Akira have stayed as ANBU Commander? He could have defected to join the Akatsuki, just like Itachi, and become a double agent—it would have been so much more interesting!
Shaking his head, Akira dismissed these nonsensical thoughts.
It wasn't important now. None of it mattered anymore—it was too late.
Given the current situation between him and the Akatsuki, even if he begged to join them, they probably wouldn't dare accept him.
With a sigh, Akira focused his attention back on Obito and said, "Alright, back to the main topic. How much do you think Rin Nohara's death is worth?"
"I want to know every detail—every cause and effect!" Obito stared seriously at Akira.
"No problem!" Akira nodded readily, then looked at Obito expectantly.