"Damn it!"
In a forest outside Konoha, Obito's figure appeared abruptly.
The instant he materialized, he slammed his fist into a nearby tree with all his strength.
Leaves exploded into the air—chaotic and scattered, just like his mind.
This time, he'd been completely played by a brat.
That kid was a total lunatic—reckless to the extreme, yet disturbingly logical.
Only… that logic didn't match the mindset a Konoha shinobi should have.
And for Obito, that was deadly.
"Calm down. Root-raised people are like that."
Just as Obito was about to explode again, a pitcher-plant-like monster burst from the ground beside him. Black Zetsu's half-face looked at him and shook its head.
He'd always felt Obito's plan was unreliable. But he couldn't change Obito—and now, saying it out loud was pointless anyway.
"As far as I know, Shimura Danzō holds deep hostility toward the Uchiha. So it's not strange that someone he trained would turn out like this."
"Shimura… Danzō…"
Obito had heard the name before—knew he was some "Hokage advisor"—but mostly only as words on paper.
"He's the Second Hokage's disciple," Black Zetsu continued, reading Obito's thoughts without needing to be asked. "And the Second Hokage always treated the Uchiha with caution and suspicion."
"You could say Danzō inherited his teacher's will perfectly—then took it even further."
"A rat," Obito spat, eyes dark.
Right now, his hatred wasn't only toward Ren.
He'd fully added Danzō to his kill list.
It was that old lunatic Shimura Danzō who had trained the little lunatic Shihara Ren—leading to Obito's plan collapsing… and to him getting "educated" by Flying Thunder God all over again.
He'd remember this debt.
"Forget it. There will be chances later."
Obito shook his head, unwilling to dwell on it—yet one thing still gnawed at him.
"But that kid guessed my identity. That's troublesome."
"They have no proof," Black Zetsu nodded, "but you do need to keep a lower profile."
That brat's reaction speed had been fast enough to make anyone sigh in disbelief.
"But the most urgent thing is what's on you right now. You need to find a way to deal with that Flying Thunder God mark."
"…True."
Obito nodded.
After Minato died, no one else could use Flying Thunder God, so Obito hadn't cared.
And because he didn't understand Flying Thunder God, he also didn't realize the mark could be… reused.
This time he'd been punished for that ignorance.
He had to find a solution—or else every time he ran into that kid, he'd be forced into a disadvantage from the very first move.
That wasn't something he could tolerate.
Just thinking about it made Obito's rage surge again.
Ren was Danzō's man. Obito almost instinctively assumed Flying Thunder God had come from Danzō as well.
And after what happened tonight…
In Obito's mind, Danzō had officially been "registered."
"You really deserve to die, Shimura Danzō!"
—
"…What is this? Why do I feel restless?"
Konoha. Hokage's Office.
Danzō suddenly felt a faint discomfort. He frowned and swept his gaze around the room.
But when he saw the group of Uchiha gathered inside, he immediately found it reasonable.
Even though night had fallen, the Hokage's Office was brightly lit.
Something this serious—if not handled quickly and carefully—would only create a larger disaster.
"Hmph. Uchiha… why didn't that brat die?"
Danzō snorted coldly in his mind.
Nearby, Hiruzen Sarutobi rubbed his forehead, the fatigue obvious.
Something like this happening in the middle of the night…
An attack inside the village—
And the target was Uchiha Itachi?
If this wasn't handled properly, the Uchiha would go berserk.
To be honest, for a brief moment, when Hiruzen saw Ren with Itachi, he even suspected Ren might be responsible.
But he forced himself to stay calm.
After the necessary people arrived, he deliberately kept the first responders—Kakashi and the others—inside before speaking.
"All right. Everyone's here."
Hiruzen sighed, then looked at Ren before letting his gaze settle on Itachi.
"Itachi, you're the victim. Start from the beginning. What happened?"
"Yes, Hokage-sama."
Itachi looked battered, but after basic treatment he was stable for now. He lowered his head respectfully and began.
"Tonight I planned to depart early to carry out my mission. On the way, I was attacked."
"The attacker used a space–time technique. I didn't even see the person—only a kunai—then I was knocked unconscious."
"For a moment, I suspected it might have been Ren-senpai."
At those words, brows tightened around the room.
The Uchiha present immediately began murmuring to each other.
But Fugaku only frowned in silence, and with the clan head not speaking, the others didn't dare escalate.
Hiruzen glanced at Danzō.
His own first thought had been: Was this one of Danzō's orders?
But he quickly shook it off.
Ren was too smart—if he did something like this, he'd do it cleanly and silently.
Especially with Flying Thunder God.
But now another problem rose to the surface—
Did someone else also possess a technique like Flying Thunder God?
"However, the facts proved it wasn't Ren-senpai."
"It was someone else."
Hiruzen internally groaned.
The one thing he didn't want to hear… was exactly what he was hearing.
Itachi hesitated slightly, but continued.
"While I was unconscious, Ren-senpai woke me."
"Then he fought the mysterious attacker. During that time, I quietly observed."
"That person has a space–time technique."
"And according to Ren-senpai's judgment… that person may be an Uchiha."
"What?!"
"How is that possible?!"
The room almost exploded.
The Uchiha, in particular, turned pale.
Even Fugaku stared at Itachi in disbelief—then his gaze snapped to Ren.
Space–time technique.
Uchiha.
Could it be…?
Danzō stood up as well.
His eyes swept across the Uchiha with a dark, chilling pressure that made people's skin crawl.
Others began whispering too, but Nara Shikaku quietly tugged Yamanaka Inoichi and Akimichi Chōza.
The three of them stayed completely silent.
This was not something they could safely involve themselves in.
"Enough. Quiet."
Hiruzen's face had grown serious.
He looked directly at Itachi.
"You're certain of what you're saying?"
"Yes, Hokage-sama."
Itachi understood exactly what kind of consequences this claim could bring.
But he didn't retract a single word.
"…Good."
Hiruzen turned to Ren. After a moment's thought, he asked in a low voice,
"Ren. What do you think?"
"Hokage-sama, he's right."
Ren nodded bluntly.
"And I have suspicions about the attacker's identity."
"…Hm?"
Hiruzen blinked.
I asked for the situation, and you jumped straight to identity?
Are you about to say it was Shisui?
But after thinking it through, he decided to follow Ren's lead.
"Go on. Tell me your reasoning."
"I suspect…"
Ren nodded again, expression grave.
"That man might be Uchiha Obito."
Itachi showed no reaction. He'd already been awake during the fight—he'd heard Ren say it.
Everyone else, however, fell into silence.
Uchiha Obito was a strange name—both famous and unknown.
But among those kept behind, Kakashi couldn't stay composed any longer.
He stepped forward sharply, disbelief written across his face.
"How is that possible?!"
Read 50 chapters ahead on P@treon -> patreon.com/lucarioTL