Chapter 37: Obito’s Contact—Do You Want True Power?

"Wait... he actually cut through the lightning?!"

White Zetsu’s mouth fell open in shock as he stared at the scene before him.

He had been waiting to see when Uchiha Reiji would activate the Eight Gates and wondering which gate he had mastered.

But he never expected this.

Reiji had actually relied on a Lightning Release technique to close the distance and reach Raiga in melee!

"Was that Hatake Kakashi’s Chidori? It feels different."

Black Zetsu’s hoarse voice sounded as he looked toward Obito.

When it came to familiarity with Hatake Kakashi, there was no doubt Obito was the one to ask.

"It looks similar, but it’s different."

Obito pondered for a moment before saying:

"First, the sound. It doesn’t have Chidori’s characteristic cry of a thousand birds."

"Second, the power. Kakashi’s Chidori shouldn’t be capable of cutting through lightning."

White Zetsu offered a possibility.

"Could Hatake Kakashi have improved Chidori again?"

That seemed possible.

After all, Kakashi was a Lightning Release genius who had created an A-rank Lightning Release technique at only twelve years old.

It wasn’t strange for him to further develop his signature technique after all these years.

"Compared to Kakashi, I think it’s more likely that Uchiha Reiji improved it himself."

"Heh. I thought he’d need the Eight Gates just to fight Raiga on equal terms."

"I didn’t expect him to kill Raiga like this. I’ve really underestimated him."

Obito spoke leisurely.

"He improved it himself? How is that possible? He’s still so young!"

White Zetsu couldn’t believe it.

"There’s nothing impossible about it."

"He’s a genius who awakened the Three-Tomoe Sharingan at ten years old. You can’t judge someone like him by normal standards."

Black Zetsu spoke calmly.

He had been lurking in the shinobi world for a thousand years and had seen countless members of the Uchiha clan.

Someone capable of awakening the Three-Tomoe Sharingan at such a young age was at least a once-in-a-decade genius.

"He seems to have noticed us..."

"How interesting."

Obito looked at Reiji, who hadn’t relaxed even after defeating Raiga.

He was rather amused.

At that moment, he stopped hiding his presence.

His figure passed through the forest like a phantom.

"First time meeting you, Uchiha Reiji."

Reiji took a deep breath, suppressing his turbulent emotions.

He had sensed for some time that someone might have been watching him from the shadows.

He hadn’t been sure whether it was merely his imagination.

That was why he hadn’t used the Eight Gates when fighting Raiga.

He wanted to remain prepared in case there was another enemy hiding nearby.

And now, there really was one.

And it was none other than Uchiha Obito!

The instant Reiji saw the single-eyed spiral mask, he immediately realized who had appeared.

His mind raced as he tried to determine Obito’s purpose.

"Don’t be nervous. I have no ill intentions toward you."

"Don’t you want to know why Raiga came to attack you?"

Obito spoke in a deep voice.

He sounded like some mysterious, high-level villain.

There was absolutely no trace of the foolish Tobi persona he would use in the future.

Reiji completely ignored Obito’s first statement.

You have no ill intentions?

You have nothing but ill intentions toward the entire Uchiha clan.

On the night of the Uchiha massacre, the two biggest beneficiaries of the Sharingan were Danzo and Obito!

Reiji remained extremely vigilant and spoke.

"Who leaked my information to Kirigakure?"

"Smart."

Obito praised him.

"It was someone from Root."

"They leaked your deployment schedule and information about your abilities to Kirigakure. That’s why the Mist sent someone to kill you."

"Of course, Kirigakure probably didn’t expect that the assassin they sent would be one of the Seven Ninja Swordsmen."

"They thought the mission would be foolproof."

"Instead, you killed him."

As he spoke, Obito glanced at Raiga’s lifeless body without the slightest trace of regret.

After all, the entire Kirigakure was merely a collection of tools in his eyes.

Losing one of the Seven Ninja Swordsmen wasn’t worth mourning.

Reiji didn’t believe Obito’s attempt to distance himself from Kirigakure for even a second.

But when he heard the words Root, it felt as though the final piece of the puzzle had fallen into place.

His earlier suspicion had been confirmed.

Of course it was you, Danzo.

Throughout the entire Naruto series, Danzo could practically be described as someone who never did anything remotely decent.

He contributed to the Uchiha massacre, resulting in Sasuke’s tragic life.

He joined forces with Hanzo to destroy the Akatsuki, indirectly creating Pain, one of the major villains of the series.

He killed Nonō Yakushi, contributing to Kabuto’s tragic life, and Kabuto later became one of the major forces behind the Fourth Great Ninja War.

Reiji had always suspected that Danzo might target him someday.

But he never expected Danzo to already be trying to kill him.

He had even gone so far as to hand military intelligence to Kirigakure just to have him assassinated!

For a moment, Reiji was so furious that his teeth nearly itched.

"That’s a nice emotion."

Obito chuckled.

"The darkness within Konoha goes far beyond what you can imagine."

"Continue to hate."

"Hatred will give you power."

Reiji remained expressionless.

"What exactly are you trying to say?"

How dark Konoha is?

As a transmigrator, did he really need Obito to tell him that?

"Besides telling you about Root, I’ll give you another piece of secret knowledge."

"A secret that the Uchiha clan deliberately buried."

"As a member of the Uchiha clan, you’ve probably heard the legend of the Mangekyō Sharingan, right?"

Obito spoke slowly.

Seeing that Reiji seemed interested, the corners of his mouth curled slightly beneath his mask.

"If you want to awaken the Mangekyō Sharingan..."

"If you want to obtain true power..."

"Then kill the person most important to you."

"Do that, and you’ll gain the power necessary to take revenge on Danzo."

"I’ll leave aside whether what you said is true."

Reiji finally asked the question he actually cared about.

"Why are you telling me this?"

Obito chuckled softly.

His body suddenly twisted and distorted before gradually disappearing.

Only his final words remained behind.

"You’ll find out someday."

"I’ll be looking forward to our next meeting."

Not far away.

A figure was rapidly approaching with the Body Flicker Technique.

"Reiji! What happened here?"

Uchiha Shisui stared in shock at the devastated ground and the corpse of the Mist shinobi.

He had been conducting a routine patrol nearby when he noticed signs of a Lightning Release battle and immediately rushed over.

"Finally, I’m safe..."

Only after confirming that Uchiha Obito had left—and that Shisui had arrived—did Reiji finally relax.

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