Uchiha Obito stared at the kunai that had come out of nowhere—and at the voice that rang beside his ear.
For a split second, his mind went blank.
Even beneath the mask, his face flushed hot.
Damn it… I got played?!
This brat—had he been pretending from the very beginning? Was all of that just bait, meant to lure him out so he could strike?
Feeling the shrill whistle of the kunai stabbing in from behind, Obito activated Kamui at full speed while twisting his body aside.
With only one eye, his phasing speed was naturally slower than when both eyes were available. At such point-blank range, he had no choice but to rely on raw movement as well!
Shhk—
The two figures crossed paths in a flash. Moments later, both landed some distance apart.
Obito lowered his head and glanced at his left arm.
Blood was pouring down from his shoulder.
"…Good. Very good."
His gaze darkened.
He couldn't even remember the last time he'd been injured.
Five… six years ago, perhaps?
That night.
The night he released the Nine-Tails.
And back then too—he had been wounded by the Flying Thunder God.
[New Mission Acquired]
[Objective: Defeat the Attacker]
"So you're the one who attacked him?"
Ren flicked a glance at his mission panel, then raised his brow as he looked at Obito.
Honestly, he really hadn't wanted to face Obito this early. At the very least, he'd planned to wait until his own strength was more solid.
But this bastard had chosen to frame him.
Still… maybe there was room to salvage things.
At the very least, all the hatred couldn't be allowed to land squarely on him.
"Sharingan?" Ren's gaze sharpened as he suddenly noticed something. His eyes dropped to Obito's feet, then his expression turned vicious.
"So you are an Uchiha."
"Figures. You Uchiha really are all insane."
"This is because I beat him during the Chūnin Exams, isn't it? So you decided to frame me like this?"
"Lord Danzō was right—every last one of you Uchiha is rotten to the core!"
"..."
Obito froze.
What the hell is this lunatic even talking about?
Still, he instinctively replied in a cold voice,
"Who I am is none of your business. I only know that you were about to kill him, so—"
The moment the words left his mouth, even Obito felt something was off.
Why did it sound like he was the one accusing Ren now?
"As expected—you are working together!" Ren seized on the slip instantly, his eyes growing darker.
"So this really is a joint effort to frame me."
"Then I'll just keep you here."
With that, Ren hurled a kunai straight at Obito.
"Idiot," Obito cursed under his breath.
Did this guy really think he was Minato, planning to keep him here?
He didn't even bother dodging—the kunai passed straight through his body.
With Kamui, Obito could ignore almost all physical attacks.
At the same time, his thoughts raced.
This was bad.
Really bad.
He hadn't expected to run into someone like this—someone who, the moment he realized he was being framed, decided to erase all evidence without hesitation.
If Ren really went through with killing Itachi, the entire plan would collapse.
Worse—if this brat voluntarily submitted to the Yamanaka clan for memory inspection, things would spiral out of control.
Obito wasn't afraid of exposure. With Kamui, the shinobi world was still a place he could come and go freely.
But Akatsuki was still in its preparatory stage.
Right now, trouble was the last thing he needed.
So I'll just overwrite his memory, Obito decided grimly. Make him forget me—and lock in the fact that he attacked Itachi.
"And besides…" Obito's gaze hardened.
"He injured me."
Half his body was White Zetsu—but the part Ren had cut was his real flesh.
"Consider it payback."
"You're not Namikaze Minato."
Whoosh—
In the next instant, Obito charged straight at Ren.
Ren didn't retreat—he surged forward to meet him.
The distance between them vanished in a heartbeat.
Clink—
A black iron chain slipped from Obito's sleeve and snapped into his hand.
Ren didn't even look at Obito's face.
The moment they closed in, his kunai thrust forward—
Straight through Obito's body.
Just as before.
And at the same time, Obito struck back.
The iron chain lashed out, wrapping toward Ren—
But just as it was about to touch him, Ren's figure vanished.
When he reappeared, he was already standing atop a nearby tree.
"Such a creepy space–time technique," Ren said calmly. "I think I've already figured out how you framed me."
His gaze flicked briefly to the unmoving body of Uchiha Itachi on the ground.
Noticing a fresh wound on Itachi's body—blood still seeping out—Ren spoke in a low voice.
"All you needed was to throw a kunai to draw attention, then appear from a blind spot with your space–time jutsu and strike. Simple, right?"
"You talk too much," Obito snorted.
Being seen through so cleanly irritated him—but given what Ren had shown so far, such analysis wasn't surprising.
"This ends now. You don't have a chance."
"What if I call for backup?" Ren suddenly asked, blinking innocently.
Obito's heart skipped.
"Sure, Itachi's state would be hard to explain," Ren continued, smiling.
"But the moment reinforcements arrive, you'll have to retreat—or you'll implicate the Uchiha."
"And all I'd need is one Yamanaka to check my memories."
"Then you'd have nowhere to hide."
"..."
Obito opened his mouth—then closed it again.
Damn it.
This brat—was he doing this on purpose?!
"But forget it," Ren suddenly sighed, shaking his head.
"If my memories were examined, Lord Danzō's matters would be exposed too."
"So… let's just settle this here."
Ren lifted his gaze.
"Though before that, I realized something interesting."
"…Hm?"
Before Obito could react, dozens of kunai exploded outward, completely blanketing him.
"Childish," Obito scoffed, ignoring the scattered blades as his eyes locked onto Ren emerging from the side.
"This is meaningless!"
Buzz—
Ren's kunai slashed through Obito's body again—still intangible.
And Obito seized the moment.
This time, he would grab him.
Rewrite his memories.
End it.
"This time, you're dead!"
The distance was too close.
All Obito had to do was reach out—
And at that exact instant, Ren's chakra surged violently.
[Cursed Seal]—Activate!
[Yin Release]—Activate!
[Yang Release]—Activate!
Three forces erupted at once, elevating Ren in every possible way.
Obito's expression changed instantly.
He felt it.
This brat was different—completely different.
But it was too late to stop.
Too fast.
Everything happened within a thousandth of a second.
In Obito's moment of shock, the figure before him vanished.
"Wind Release: Vacuum Blade!"
Agony tore through Obito's back.
A razor-sharp force ripped into him, threatening to cleave straight through his body.
"Gah—!"
Obito let out a hoarse cry.
Behind him, Ren stood with his kunai raised—
Its edge blazing with a fierce, dazzling light.
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