Chapter 10
Standing before Obuya was a tall, gaunt middle-aged man dressed in the distinctive attire of the Uchiha Clan. The red-and-white clan fan emblem was boldly emblazoned across his back, unmistakable even at a glance. His sharp features and narrow eyes gave him a perpetually severe expression, as though he had come not merely to speak, but to pass judgment.
"You must be… Obuya?"
The man crossed his arms over his chest, his posture rigid and domineering. His voice carried a sharp edge, less like a question and more like an accusation.
Obuya did not answer. He simply gave a small nod.
"You little brat, you've got some nerve," the man continued, his tone growing harsher. "You knew who Kirito was, yet you still dared to harm him. So young and already this ruthless… don't expect a good end waiting for you."
His words were clearly meant to intimidate.
But Obuya remained unmoved.
There was no fear in his heart.
He understood the current political climate of Konoha well enough to know that the Uchiha Clan was in a delicate position. Someone like Kirito—reckless and prone to causing trouble—was unlikely to be worth escalating tensions over.
More importantly, Kirito might bear the Uchiha name, but like Obuya himself, he was only a recent addition to the village. He lacked pure Uchiha blood, making his standing within the clan little more than superficial.
From Obuya's perspective, the clan leadership would never intervene for someone so insignificant.
And yet… someone had come.
That alone made the situation unusual.
"Come with me," the man said coldly.
"Come? To where?" Obuya asked, though he already knew the answer hardly mattered.
"The clan head has heard that you possess a talent for medical ninjutsu," the man replied. "I've been sent to bring you to him. If you cooperate, Kirito's matter can be settled as well."
Obuya immediately understood the true purpose of the visit.
This man hadn't come for Kirito at all.
He had come because of Obuya's Kekkei Genkai. Curiosity, interest… and perhaps something darker.
They wanted to see it for themselves. But Obuya knew one thing with absolute certainty—he could not go.
If the Uchiha Clan were to discover that his ability might one day allow him to extract and transplant Kekkei Genkai… whether he would leave alive was another matter entirely.
For a clan whose legendary Sharingan was both their pride and their power, such an ability would represent an intolerable threat.
"I don't have time to entertain your invitation," Obuya said flatly. "As for Kirito, he brought this upon himself. Do as you wish."
Without waiting for a response, he turned and began to walk away.
The man's expression darkened instantly. A flash of cold fury appeared in his eyes.
"Whether you come with me today isn't up to you," he said, his voice dropping to a dangerous tone. "I'll give you one last chance to think it over."
As he spoke, his eyes shifted.
They turned a deep crimson red, and within them, two tomoe slowly spun into existence.
Twin Tomoe Sharingan.
Obuya's expression grew serious.
"So this one really is an Uchiha by blood," he thought.
But even that wasn't enough to make him back down.
"If I don't go with you… do you really intend to attack me here?" Obuya asked calmly.
He knew Konoha's rules well. Ninja were forbidden from using jutsu within the village unless facing external threats. The destructive power of ninjutsu was too great—one careless technique could cause enormous damage to buildings and civilians alike.
"Not exactly attack," the man replied with a faint sneer. "I might simply test your skill with jutsu. Perhaps give you some guidance on your Fire Release training."
"Oh?" Obuya said, his voice steady. "Hearing you say that… I'm actually looking forward to it."
The man's face darkened further.
"If I don't teach you a lesson, you'll never learn your place."
His hands moved suddenly, forming seals with practiced speed.
"Fire Release: Great Fireball Technique!"
He inhaled deeply before exhaling a massive fireball, larger than a grown man. The blazing sphere roared forward, heat distorting the air around it as it rolled toward Obuya like a miniature sun.
Even a glancing hit from such a technique would leave severe burns. A direct hit would strip flesh from bone.
"Barrier!!"
Obuya had anticipated the attack.
The moment the final seal was formed, he activated his Surgical Barrier.
The fireball surged forward relentlessly, crashing into the invisible boundary.
At the same time, blue electricity erupted along Obuya's right arm. The crackling energy gathered and condensed, taking on a shape that grew clearer by the second.
In an instant, it formed into a monstrous head—ferocious and imposing.
The creature resembled a mythical beast, its entire form composed of brilliant blue lightning. Arcs of electricity snapped and hissed across its surface, filling the air with the sharp scent of ozone.
From the Uchiha's perspective, the outcome seemed obvious.
The fireball should have engulfed Obuya completely, reducing him to a charred and smoking wreck.
But suddenly—
Crackle!
A grotesque electric head burst straight through the fireball.
The flames split apart as the beast surged forward, its lightning tearing through the inferno as if it were nothing more than smoke.
The head was followed by Obuya himself.
His arm seemed to have vanished, replaced entirely by the roaring form of the lightning beast.
"What kind of jutsu is this?!"
The man's composure faltered for the first time.
Through his Sharingan, he searched desperately for the hand seals.
There were none.
Within the barrier, Obuya's speed had doubled. In the blink of an eye, he had already closed the distance.
He's now directly in front of the man.
"You little brat—" the man snarled. "You're far too inexperienced to fight me!"
His hands moved again.
"Earth Release: Earth Flow Wall!!"
Boom!
A massive wall of earth erupted from the ground, rising more than ten feet into the air. It formed instantly, cutting off Obuya's advance.
"My Earth Flow Wall can withstand high-level Wind Release," the man said confidently. "And you think you can break through it? Today, I'll show you the power of the Uchiha Sharingan…"
His eyes widened as the twin tomoe spun rapidly.
He intended to copy Obuya's technique—to use his own power against him.
But instead, confusion filled his gaze.
"How is this possible…?"
Under the Sharingan's perception, there was nothing.
Nothing at all.
Then—
Crackle…
A strange sound echoed from the wall.
It was the unmistakable sound of high-voltage electricity arcing through the air.
The next instant—
Boom!
The wall disintegrated.
The earth crumbled into fine dust, collapsing as though its very structure had been undone.
Before the man could react, the lightning beast burst through the fading debris.
The electric head slammed into his chest.
It didn't strike like a normal attack—it seemed to pass into him, as though the lightning itself had invaded his body.
Violent arcs of electricity surged throughout him instantly.
His body stiffened.
The heat was unbearable, like being burned from the inside out. His muscles locked, and his hair curled from the scorching energy.
Black smoke began to seep from his nose and mouth.
The crimson glow of the Sharingan faded from his eyes.
Then he collapsed forward like a puppet with its strings cut, landing face-first on the ground.
Though his body twitched occasionally, it was clear he was no longer capable of fighting.
He was alive—but barely conscious.
"My Lightning Release isn't something you can casually copy," Obuya said quietly.
The technique he casually referred to as Lightning Beast was the second-stage ability of his Cardiac-Shock Path—a far more advanced form than before.
Its power had increased several times over.
Obuya found the results deeply satisfying.
He looked down at the fallen Uchiha.
This would have been the perfect opportunity to seize the Sharingan Kekkei Genkai.
But now was not the time.
First, he had not yet advanced to the one-star demon stage or awakened the Human Modification Fruit ability. Without it, extracting a Kekkei Genkai was impossible.
Second, even if he possessed that power…
This was still Konoha.
Someone might be watching.
Obuya turned away without another glance and walked calmly into the distance, leaving the twitching Uchiha behind him.
---
Far above Konoha, atop the tallest building in the village—
Two figures stood silently, observing everything that had transpired.
"That wasn't ordinary Lightning Release," said the Third Hokage, Sarutobi Hiruzen. "Or perhaps… it wasn't Lightning Release at all."
As a master of countless techniques, Hiruzen immediately recognized the unusual nature of Obuya's power.
Beside him, Minato nodded.
"Hokage-sama is correct," he said. "That boy didn't form a single hand seal. This seems to be part of his Kekkei Genkai."
Minato paused before continuing.
"And it carries a powerful paralyzing effect. Anyone struck by it would lose their ability to fight almost instantly."
Hiruzen narrowed his eyes slightly as he gazed into the distance where Obuya had disappeared.
"A troublesome ability…" he murmured.
And a dangerous one.