Perhaps by coincidence, Uchiha Obito, feeling somewhat restless, returned to the Akatsuki's secret base in the Land of Rain.
Because he thought that if he didn't come back soon, in the eyes of that suspicious old woman, it would look like he was "guilty."
That woman was secretly investigating the secrets held by Uchiha Keizumi.
Which meant she had already grown suspicious of him.
Obito believed that at such a time, he needed to show an attitude of "utter disdain." After all, the true "Uchiha Madara" would never care about an ant like Uchiha Keizumi.
"Huff… earlier I really was too hasty. In a moment of carelessness, I triggered a chain of consequences—leaving Black Zetsu still not recovered, and that Uchiha Itachi ended up dead on the spot…"
Obito reflected deeply on himself—for all of five seconds.
Then, wearing the mask that hid his face, he lightly adjusted his throat so he wouldn't fail to speak in Uchiha Madara's voice, and without a change of expression went to find Konan and Nagato.
However...
When he met the two of them, somehow, Obito felt they seemed a little strange.
Or rather, the atmosphere there was strange.
Under the mask his brows drew slightly together, but Obito didn't dwell on it. In a hoarse voice he said, "I went to Konoha earlier to investigate the Nine-Tails' jinchūriki. Hah, while I was away, the Akatsuki recruited a qualified newcomer? For the plans we'll carry out in the future, we'll indeed need plenty of capable talents."
Nagato was looking at him.
Konan was looking at him.
"We did recruit one." Konan said expressionlessly. "He's a shinobi of the Uchiha clan. Perhaps you might know him."
Obito froze.
"Who is it?" On the surface, his tone was calm and steady.
"Uchiha Obito," Konan said.
…
"Tsunade-sama, are you really going to agree to Uchiha Keizumi's request to look after the Hyūga Main House's women and children?"
Inside a certain inn in Konohagakure, Shizune, holding Tonton in her arms, asked Tsunade curiously, "If so, doesn't that mean you'll have to stay in Konoha a while longer, Tsunade-sama?"
"Doesn't matter."
Tsunade waved her hand. Her sprawled posture was hardly proper, and the loose clothes draped over her body were even a bit revealing.
But with only her and Shizune present, at most plus a dwarf little sow named Tonton, Tsunade didn't care.
Tsunade continued, "That brat let us pick up so much money in Tanzaku Quarters. I've been gambling for nearly half a month and still haven't lost it all—no matter how you put it, that counts as a favor, right? I'm just paying back that brat's favor now."
Shizune muttered, "I don't know if it's just my imagination, but I feel like that's not what you truly think, Tsunade-sama."
Tsunade lifted her eyelids slightly, gave her a glance, and asked Shizune, "Then how do you think I'm thinking?"
Shizune said weakly, "What you're doing is actually supporting Uchiha Keizumi's absolute justice, Tsunade-sama, isn't it?"
Tsunade was stunned.
Shizune went on, "Given your temperament, Tsunade-sama, when you encounter this kind of situation you would normally refuse directly. For example, back when you insisted on leaving Konoha, even though the Third Hokage, Jiraiya, and Orochimaru all did their utmost to keep you… you still left outright."
"Yet this time, you didn't refuse Uchiha Keizumi. That can only mean that, deep down, you acknowledge his justice. You even want to support him, but for the seniors' sake, you're embarrassed to say it so bluntly."
"So you support Uchiha Keizumi in this way—just like those times you rushed to the scene to back him up and helped him openly talk back to the Hokage and the others."
Tsunade: "…"
After a few seconds of silence, Tsunade couldn't help touching her smooth chin and murmured, "Am I really that obvious?"
Just then, light footsteps sounded in the corridor outside the inn, and soon there came a knock at the door.
Tsunade raised an eyebrow. "Came pretty fast."
She casually tugged up her loose clothes to cover the more seriously exposed parts a bit.
"The door isn't locked—just open it."
As her words fell, the inn's sliding door was carefully pulled open.
Hyūga Hinata, leading Hyūga Hanabi by the hand, stood timidly outside the door.
A few other Main House members of the Hyūga, few in number, followed behind her.
Under Tsunade's gaze, Hyūga Hinata spoke in a voice as weak as a mosquito's buzz: "Tsunade-sama… h-hello."
Tsunade gave a slight nod.
That counted as a response.
Then her gaze passed over Hyūga Hinata and fell on the Main House Special Jōnin behind her, Hyūga Keizuka. Tsunade's fine brows knit as she asked, "You're a Special Jōnin of Konoha—what are you doing here?"
Hyūga Keizuka was taken aback. "Ah… Keizumi-sama asked the Hyūga Main House to temporarily stay at this inn. I'm Main House as well."
Tsunade said, "What I agreed to that brat to protect are these weak women and children, not a Special Jōnin."
She waved her hand again and said, "Forget it. Since you've come anyway, you can run errands for me while you're at it!"
"Oh, no—" Tsunade corrected herself. "I already have a runner. You can be the runner for my runner!"
Shizune, holding Tonton, froze. "Eh?"
Hyūga Keizuka: "…"
It seemed he didn't have the right to refuse either. After all, one was Uchiha Keizumi and the other was Tsunade—before these two, he had absolutely no say.
For the continuation of the Hyūga Main House bloodline!
He could only grit his teeth and shoulder this pressure!
"Yes, Tsunade-sama."
Hyūga Keizuka then forced a smile at Shizune. "Shizune-sama, if there's anything you need, you may dispatch me at any time."
…
"Huff… huff…"
Mitarashi Anko panted rapidly. She looked rather battered; her left shoulder seemed dislocated, making her entire left arm hang limply.
There was some obvious bruising on the right side of her face; the hair tied behind her head had come loose, and the mesh underlayer she wore had several torn gashes.
Her whole state screamed exhaustion.
On the ground at her feet lay dozens of small black snakes already cut into two, and one huge white serpent that looked as if it could swallow a person whole was now covered in wounds as well.
"Tch. Go play by yourselves—anyway, they're not after your life. Next time you run into this many enemies, don't summon me."
After speaking human words to Mitarashi Anko, the scarred white serpent instantly turned into a puff of white smoke and vanished.
With the summoned beast bailing outright, when a Root shinobi rushed in, blade coming down with the spine toward her—
Anko could only raise her right arm immediately and use a kunai to parry.
But already exhausted as she was, the collision of weapons sent the kunai flying straight out of her hand.
"You really did learn quite a bit from Orochimaru."
Utatane Koharu looked at the now unarmed Mitarashi Anko.
She took a step forward and said, expressionless, "But my Root shinobi were drawn from the Utatane clan's Konoha elites. Among them, 2 are Special Jōnin, 1 is a Konoha Jōnin, and the rest are elite-level Chūnin."
"For you to hold off these 6 alone until now—it's no wonder… that Orochimaru back then became your supervising Jōnin and regarded you as his student. Though now, you are merely a disciple he discarded."
Mitarashi Anko bit down lightly, and just as she was about to say something—
A familiar voice came from afar, drawing rapidly nearer.
"Root! What do you think you're doing?!"
Both Mitarashi Anko and Utatane Koharu were simultaneously taken aback.
"…Izumi?!"
Anko immediately turned her head toward the sound and saw a familiar figure charging over. At a glance she recognized her—the Uchiha Izumi who had parted ways with her after leaving the dessert shop!
But wasn't her home and Anko's home in two completely different directions?
Why would Izumi show up here?
"Koharu-sama, that seems to be Uchiha Keizumi's subordinate—the young Uchiha genius who opened the three-tomoe Sharingan at such an early age."
A Root guard spoke softly to Utatane Koharu.
"I know her," the old woman said.
Utatane Koharu's old face sank. If, in vast Konohagakure, there was anyone she took the greatest issue with, it was undoubtedly Uchiha Keizumi.
And second on her list was Uchiha Keizumi's ninja cat; third was Uchiha Keizumi's subordinates!
She remembered clearly that this Uchiha girl had once mocked her!
And it had been right to her face, with no scruples at all!
She was just as rude as Uchiha Keizumi.
No sense whatsoever of respect between junior and senior!
When Uchiha Izumi rushed over, she did not hesitate to stand at Mitarashi Anko's side. Seeing Anko in such a battered state, the youthful, pretty face of Izumi went cold.
Izumi's indifferent gaze swept over the surrounding Root shinobi.
It finally locked onto Utatane Koharu, whose expression looked somewhat ugly.
"Advisor Koharu, as the leader of Root, is this how you groundlessly try to kill shinobi of the village? What you're doing tonight is the barefaced conduct of villainous scum."
"Perhaps Root is a dark abyss—one that not only turned Shimura Danzō into a source of all evils, but dragged you into the abyss of sin as well."
Izumi showed her no good face, because in her eyes, Mitarashi Anko was already her best companion.
And Mitarashi Anko also believed in the senpai's absolute justice.
She had even received acknowledgment from Keizumi-senpai.
If Root shinobi laid hands on Mitarashi Anko, didn't that mean, in another form, laying hands on absolute justice itself?
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