"Sora, I want to go support the Fourth Hokage. You…"
Shisui carefully finished placing the Sharingan he had just dug out of Danzō's eye socket, speaking with hesitation.
Even after reaching the point of rebellion, Shisui still worried about that blond-haired man.
It couldn't be helped.
Minato Namikaze's charisma was maxed out—so overwhelming that even an Uchiha could not help but admire him.
Sora shook his head.
"The Fourth Hokage can handle the Nine-Tails. He doesn't need your help. Even Clan Head Fugaku going won't change much."
"Our priority is evacuating the clan safely. They need us here."
As he spoke, Sora suddenly addressed empty space ahead.
"Come out. I've already sensed you."
Shisui's body tensed instantly, muscles coiling, ready to strike.
…
…
Several seconds passed.
Nothing happened.
"You're… sensing someone?"
Sora did not answer.
"Just stay alert."
Who caused the Nine-Tails' rampage?
Uchiha Obito.
What were his objectives?
First—kill the Fourth Hokage.
Minato's space–time ninjutsu was a major obstacle.
Second—seize the Nine-Tails to lay groundwork for the Eye of the Moon Plan.
Third—frame the Uchiha for the attack, deepen the rift between the village and the clan, and pave the way for the clan's purge.
As a Mangekyō Sharingan user himself, Obito understood better than anyone how terrifying those eyes were.
Kamui was practically unbeatable. Only space–time techniques or Mangekyō abilities could counter it.
One stone, three birds.
Eliminate future threats to the Eye of the Moon Plan ahead of time.
…
So far—
He had failed every objective.
Minato was alive.
The Nine-Tails was not in his possession.
And the Uchiha…
Putting himself in Obito's position, Sora was certain—
Obito would never want the Uchiha clan to leave Konoha.
Within the village, he could monitor them, eliminate or recruit anyone who might awaken the Mangekyō.
But if the Uchiha scattered across the shinobi world?
Who knew when a Mangekyō wielder might suddenly emerge and trap him in a Mangekyō genjutsu?
That would be the end.
If I were Uchiha Obito—
Even wounded from fighting the Fourth Hokage, I would strike while Fugaku is absent.
Fugaku's departure was partly his own decision—
And partly Sora deliberately giving Obito confidence to act.
Sora understood the mindset of Mangekyō users.
Other than fellow Mangekyō wielders—
Who else mattered?
Didn't Obito, newly awakened to his power, dare challenge Minato Namikaze?
Reckless courage.
Of course, it was possible Obito had learned his lesson after that beating and returned home to study Madara's remnants.
But Sora would not gamble on that possibility.
Witnessing Minato's death was far less important than protecting the clan.
Minato was doomed.
Not because of strategy—
But because Kushina would die.
Two generations of Flying Thunder God users—
Both destined to die for someone precious.
…
Sora and Shisui led the evacuation at the front. Ninja cats and civilians moved in the center. Former Military Police members guarded the rear.
No—
They were no longer Military Police.
They were simply Uchiha shinobi with awakened Sharingan.
Every few minutes, Sora would stop and say something like, "I see you."
Shisui didn't understand.
But after being snapped at earlier, he didn't dare ask.
…
"I can sense you. Stop hiding."
…
Two seconds later, just as Shisui prepared to move again—
A figure slowly seeped out of the trunk of a massive tree ahead.
Black cloak.
Spiral mask.
One exposed eye—crimson, three tomoe.
An eerie, sinister aura spread through the night.
"Heh… is it because of that strange summon? Not a bad pet."
…
Sora smiled.
Obito.
Still just as foolish.
The masked man chuckled coldly.
"I let you sense me on purpose, brat. I want to talk."
"Who are you?" Sora asked knowingly.
"I am no one. Nor do I wish to be."
"If you insist…"
"I am merely a ghost of the Uchiha."
Shing—
Shisui drew his blade sharply.
"You're the one who controlled the Nine-Tails!"
…
Obito ignored him and looked at Sora.
"You're a perceptive child. You've recognized the village's reality."
"After all these years, your clan has finally realized—remaining in Konoha offers no future."
…
Shisui's pupils contracted violently. Cold sweat soaked his back.
Those words—
They pointed too clearly.
There was only one person he knew who would speak like that.
The legendary—
"Uchiha Madara!!"
Shisui's voice trembled.
Even the famed "Shisui of the Body Flicker" felt fear at that name.
Sora raised a hand calmly.
"Don't shout."
He glanced back—the clan was still several hundred meters away.
"Fine. I'd like to talk too."
"If you truly are that legendary figure."
…
"Then follow."
Obito's body spiraled into a vortex, reappearing dozens of meters away. He repeated the motion, retreating deeper into the forest.
Such uncanny space–time ninjutsu made even Shisui waver.
Could he really be…?
…
Smoke and mirrors.
Sora tossed the sealed Danzō to Shisui and rode Rayquaza forward.
Several kilometers from the main group, Obito finally stopped and turned.
"You brats could join—"
BOOM!!!
Before he finished—
An endless sea of emerald flames filled his vision.
A mythical dragon plunged from the heavens.
Genjutsu — Sharingan: Paint the Dragon, Give It Life!
What—?!
The tomoe in Obito's eye fused instantly, transforming into a three-bladed Mangekyō pattern as his body slipped into a space–time vortex.
But the emerald flames clung like parasites—
Following him into the warped dimension.
Not real fire.
Genjutsu!
Obito's heart lurched.
Without hesitation, he activated Izanagi.
Unlike Danzō, he was a true Uchiha—and a Mangekyō user. His Izanagi duration and efficiency far surpassed Danzō's.
It worked.
Unfavorable reality was rewritten.
…
Obito stood on a tree branch, heart pounding.
If he hadn't implanted a spare Sharingan after losing to the Fourth Hokage—
That attack might truly have killed him.
Even if he survived—
He would have lost his only Mangekyō Sharingan.
…
A genjutsu rivaling Mangekyō level—
What the hell was that?!
"You—"
Before he could finish—
A brilliant beam tore through the air.
It pierced Obito's body and struck the tree behind him.
BOOM!!!
The explosion roared. Splinters scattered like shrapnel.
Without giving him a moment's reprieve, Sora pressed his hand against Rayquaza's head, mind linking with it.
"Wreak havoc, Rayquaza."