"What a goddamn pain in the ass!"
Teizawa cursed under his breath as he headed home, turning the matter over in his mind.
He wasn't particularly worried about Obito's combat strength.
Obito's abilities were admittedly underhanded. He appeared and vanished without warning, shifting between intangibility and solidity, then fled the moment a fight turned against him.
But in an actual battle, he wasn't all that impressive.
Teizawa knew everything about him. Nearly every move Obito made was within his predictions.
Fighting him was practically the same as beating up a living target.
Teizawa could hit him whenever and however he pleased.
The real problem was Obito's Kamui Mangekyō Sharingan.
Teizawa wasn't afraid of Obito. He was even confident that he could beat him like a stray dog caught in the rain.
But he couldn't stop him from escaping.
Every time the fight reached a critical moment, Obito retreated into the Kamui dimension like a turtle withdrawing into its shell.
No matter how hard Teizawa struck, he couldn't break it open.
To a certain extent, the Kamui dimension was simply too broken.
Once the danger had passed, Obito would crawl out from some forgotten corner and start causing trouble again.
"He's nothing but a sewer rat!"
Teizawa cursed again, leaving deep footprints in the sand as he considered ways to deal with Obito.
Suddenly, inspiration struck.
If only he could obtain the other Kamui Mangekyō Sharingan.
Obito's other eye was with Kakashi. Teizawa had known that for a long time.
The two eyes were originally a pair. Only when reunited could they unleash Kamui's true power.
If Teizawa possessed one of them, he could interfere with Obito's intangibility.
He might even be able to follow Obito into the Kamui dimension and seal off his escape route completely.
The Five Great Shinobi Villages were preparing a joint operation to encircle Amegakure.
Would Kakashi be joining them?
If he came, Teizawa had to obtain the other Kamui Mangekyō Sharingan.
Then, the next time he encountered Obito, he could use that eye to ambush him and eliminate him once and for all.
Kamui against Kamui.
Space against space.
Let's see how you run then.
The more Teizawa thought about it, the more he looked forward to the possibility.
Kakashi, you'd better come.
The corners of his mouth curved upward, and his steps became lighter.
He could already picture Obito trapped inside the Kamui dimension with nowhere left to run.
While lost in thought, Teizawa arrived home.
The courtyard lights were on.
Warm yellow light spilled from the windows, illuminating the stone path outside the entrance.
Teizawa opened the door and stepped into the entryway.
Then he froze.
Temari stood at the front of the living room, holding a book facedown so that he couldn't see its title.
She wore plain house clothes, and her long blond hair hung loosely over her shoulders. Her expression was serious, almost as if she were teaching a class.
Kneeling in a perfectly straight row before her were Hinata, Karin, Amaru, Sen, Yukata, and Matsuri.
They were arranged from tallest to shortest and oldest to youngest, like fruit lined up on a skewer—or kindergarteners waiting patiently for someone to hand out candy.
Each of them sat in exactly the same posture.
Their hands rested on their knees, their backs were perfectly straight, and their eyes stared directly ahead.
Even their expressions were nearly identical.
Their cheeks were flushed, their lips pressed tightly together, and their eyes sparkled.
Teizawa stood in the doorway, uncertain whether he should enter or retreat.
He looked at Temari.
Then he looked at the six girls kneeling in a row.
Every thought he'd had about Obito, Kamui, and Izanagi shattered into dust and scattered in the wind without leaving so much as a trace.
"Kazekage-sama is home!"
All seven voices rang out in unison, clear and crisp as chiming silver bells.
Their greeting echoed through the quiet living room.
It was so perfectly synchronized that they had obviously rehearsed it. Their tone, volume, and even the upward inflection at the end were identical.
Teizawa shuddered.
It felt as though lightning had struck him, leaving him numb from head to toe.
He rubbed his temple, his voice sounding slightly unsteady.
"What's going on here? Is this some kind of illegal gathering? Once more than two people get involved, doesn't it become a crime?"
Amaru burst out laughing and hurriedly covered her mouth.
Her eyes curved into crescents, completely betraying her amusement.
Karin adjusted her glasses and pursed her lips, though it was impossible to tell whether she wanted to laugh or cry.
Sen lowered her head, the tips of her ears turning red.
Matsuri did the same, twisting the hem of her clothes between her fingers.
Hinata's face was as red as a boiled shrimp. The blush spread from her cheeks to her ears, then all the way down her neck.
She bowed her head, wishing she could crawl into a crack in the floor and disappear.
Temari, however, remained composed.
She hid the book behind her back without the slightest change in expression.
"What illegal gathering? We were just... studying."
"Studying?"
Teizawa raised an eyebrow. His gaze moved from her face to the six girls kneeling in a row, then returned to her.
"Studying what? How to sit in a row and wait for snacks?"
Amaru finally couldn't hold back and raised her hand.
"Master, Temari-onee-san was teaching us how to—"
"Amaru!"
Temari hurriedly interrupted her, but it was already too late.
"—make Master happy."
Amaru's bright, clear voice echoed throughout the silent living room.
Every word sounded as though it had been carved into stone.
The room fell deathly silent.
Hinata buried her face against her knees, her shoulders trembling slightly.
Karin's glasses nearly slid from the bridge of her nose, and she fumbled to push them back into place.
Sen and Matsuri exchanged a glance before lowering their heads at the same time.
Sen's ears were so red they looked ready to bleed.
Matsuri's neck had turned as red as a boiled shrimp.
At last, Temari's face flushed.
The color spread from her cheeks to her ears, then down her neck.
She opened her mouth to explain but discovered she couldn't produce a single word.
All she could do was glare fiercely at Amaru.
Amaru stuck out her tongue, looking completely innocent.
As Teizawa watched them, the corners of his mouth slowly lifted.
His smile grew wider and wider.
He walked over and crouched in front of them, carefully studying each face in turn.
Temari's embarrassment, Hinata's shyness, Karin's flustered expression, Amaru's innocence, Sen's gentleness, and Matsuri's obedience...
He took his time, admiring them one by one as though appreciating a painting.
"Temari-sensei..." He looked up at Temari, a teasing smile tugging at his lips. "You've taught them well."
Temari's face grew even redder.
She pushed the book farther behind her back, her voice dry and strained.
"I... I was only... explaining a few things..."
"And a casual explanation required this many students?"
Teizawa stood and plucked the book from behind her back.
He couldn't recognize a single word written on the cover.
The illustrations, however, needed no explanation.
They were enough to make anyone blush.
"Mm. You chose a pretty good textbook too."
(End of Chapter)
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