Chapter 263 – Isshiki? Rin? What Twisted Story Is This?
"It's time to act."
Standing at the edge of Konoha's bustling streets, Obito murmured to himself.
He had already released that so-called 'evolved one' from the dimensional rift, and he'd taken the time to observe carefully.
He had to admit—the creature was indeed powerful.
Even with Obito's utmost caution, that being seemed able to sense him at all times. Its awareness and perception unsettled him. The sheer force that radiated from its body was terrifying.
"That power… it feels a lot like Ōtsutsuki Genshiki's. But this thing's mind… it's broken."
The figure had monstrous strength, yes—but its eyes were vacant, its movements sluggish, as if it wandered without purpose.
"Is that really an 'evolved one'? Or just… a failed experiment?"
Obito tilted his head, then dismissed the thought. If it was defective, so much the better.
He didn't realize that inside his own body, Isshiki was sneering.
"Pathetic fool. Did you think just anyone could bear my Kāma? Even Jigen barely endured it. My vessels through the ages—almost all failed. And those white Kāma? Empty shells. Fragments without will or soul."
That "evolved one" Obito had stumbled across was one such failure—too strong to vanish completely, but too unstable to ever serve as a true vessel.
"If it had any value, I'd have kept it. Instead, I'll use it as bait."
Bait for Genshiki. Bait for Gen. Either way, it would serve its purpose.
Obito, oblivious, walked deeper into Konoha, his mind already on the next step.
"So, Sasuke's in the hospital. They're preparing to give him Itachi's eyes."
He chuckled under his breath. "As if that changes anything. True peace can only come through evolution."
He phased through the wall into Sasuke's ward, intent clear: strike quickly, then draw Gen out. If not here, then in the Mist. Either way, his plan was foolproof.
Or so he thought.
"You finally came."
The calm voice froze him mid-step.
His gaze snapped to the windowsill, where a lone figure stood bathed in moonlight. Silver light traced the outline of his back, as if the night itself bowed around him.
"Kitagawa Gen…"
That silhouette—impossible to mistake. Obito's heart clenched with a mix of dread and hatred.
"You… knew I would come?"
"Don't flatter yourself," Gen replied without even turning. "I noticed you the first time you crept into Konoha. I let you be, because I wanted to see what you were really after. Now, I know."
Obito's Sharingan flared warily. His body tensed.
Gen finally turned his head, his eyes glinting with genuine curiosity.
"Tell me, Obito… do you even know what you're doing?"
Obito scowled. "What's that supposed to mean?"
"I mean exactly that. Do you truly understand what you're chasing?"
Gen's tone was sharp, but there was confusion in it too. Obito had lived years in the Mist, plenty of time to uncover the truth of Rin's death. And yet here he stood, still bound by illusions—still blind.
"Do I know what I'm doing?" Obito echoed, then let out a low laugh. "I know more than you think. My purpose is greater than you could ever grasp."
"Oh?" Gen cocked his head. "And yet, haven't you noticed the thing festering in your chest? Haven't you wondered why Konoha and the Mist seem so conveniently… entangled in your tragedy?"
Obito's lips curled into a cold grin. "Of course I know. I know my body's corruption. I know what happened that night. And still—so what?!"
His voice rose, trembling with conviction and fury.
"This world is hell! Your so-called peace is nothing but an illusion, built on countless corpses. Every treaty, every smile—it's soaked in blood. War could erupt again at any moment."
His breathing quickened, eyes burning.
"I see the truth. This cursed world must be remade. And I'm the one who'll do it. I—"
"So your solution," Gen interrupted flatly, "is to kill everyone?"
Obito froze.
"After all," Gen continued, "where there are people, there's conflict. Where there's conflict, there's war. So true peace, to you, is wiping out mankind?"
"…"
The words rang uncomfortably familiar. Obito clenched his fists.
"I'm not as extreme as you make it sound."
"Oh? Then what? You plan to drag the world into some great illusion?"
Gen's voice was calm, but his gaze was sharp as a blade.
Gen cut Obito off again, his eyes narrowing as he scanned him from head to toe.
"After all, aren't you the one who keeps preaching about creating a world of peace—where Rin and everyone else can live happily?"
"…"
Obito froze. He felt like he'd just been baited into spilling information.
"Think what you like. This rotten world has no right to exist. I'll build peace in my way, no matter the cost!"
"So that's why you've never reclaimed Kakashi-sensei's Sharingan eye," Gen said with a strange look. "You're trying to sever your old bonds, aren't you?"
Obito's silence was answer enough.
Gen shook his head, half amused, half grim. "No wonder the Second Hokage called the Uchiha insane. When you lose it, you really cut ties with everyone—even the teacher and his wife who actually cared for you."
"Don't act so high and mighty!" Obito snapped, his chakra flaring dangerously.
"You think your hands are clean? How many have you killed? How many corpses did you leave in the Cloud Village raid? Don't pretend you don't keep count."
Gen sighed, drawing his short blade in one smooth motion. His hair and cloak lifted as if stirred by an invisible gale.
"That's where we differ, Obito. My way of solving problems… is to destroy the root. And if I can't do that, I destroy the one who poses the problem."
Obito's Sharingan narrowed. "…What are you implying?"
"You," Gen said flatly, "are the type to flip the entire table just to make a point. Rare, but not unique. Which brings me to two questions."
He vanished, reappearing before Obito in an instant. Chakra roared like a storm as White Fang's short blade came free, distorting the very air.
"First—when you die, do you really believe Rin Nohara will mourn for you?"
"Tch!"
Obito blurred away, flickering through space with Kamui, reappearing outside the hospital grounds.
But the sound of that blade still rang in his ears, and Gen's voice followed like a phantom.
"Second… do you even know who you are anymore?"
A violent shockwave ripped through the area. Even hidden within Kamui's dimension, Obito could feel Gen's pressure crushing against him.
Even Isshiki, lurking in the recesses of Obito's consciousness, grew tense.
"…Did he notice something? Or…"
Gen's raw power was no surprise—anyone who had clashed with Genshiki and survived had to be terrifying. But this… this was beyond expectation.
And worse, Isshiki realized, Gen seemed to sense that something within Obito wasn't right.
"…And his strength—after fighting Genshiki, it's grown even more. This is why that fool keeps his eyes on him."
Natural energy cloaked Gen's body, thicker and denser than even during his battle with Genshiki. Isshiki's unease deepened.
But then—Obito slipped out of Kamui's dimension altogether.
"Hmph. Shameless," Obito spat, fists clenching, chakra spiraling around him. "Even with your power, you try to rattle my heart?"
He took a deep breath, glaring at Gen with burning eyes.
"Then hear me. If I lose today, I won't be like Kakashi. I will have Rin's mourning!"
"…?"
Gen blinked, caught off guard by the bizarre declaration.
Obito's voice rose, fevered. "I walk this path because she guided me! It's her encouragement that shows me what must be done!"
He didn't even notice the black markings crawling across his skin. He only felt the surge of overwhelming power filling him, overflowing as if he'd been reborn.
"Don't think you're the only one who can evolve, Gen! With Rin behind me, with her voice leading me forward—I will evolve too!"
He roared, unleashing his chakra in a violent eruption. His form twisted, empowered, warped—an evolution born of madness.
"…"
Gen's eyes widened. 'Isshiki… Rin? What kind of twisted story is this!?'
"…Why," Isshiki muttered inside, his expression contorted with pain, "why do I always end up choosing defective vessels…"