Chapter 211: Obito’s Wariness

Chapter 211: Chapter 211: Obito’s Wariness

The true value of the Sharingan could only be fully brought out in someone who possessed Uchiha blood. Because of that, Obito was extremely curious as to why Kamigami had suddenly set its sights on the Sharingan.

Zetsu gave another sinister chuckle. "I also overheard another piece of information about Kamigami. You might find it interesting!"

"What information?"

Zetsu replied, "It’s said that Homura of Kamigami is also an Uchiha. He’s suspected of possessing the Mangekyō Sharingan, and apparently, he even has a record of defeating Uchiha Shisui!"

Obito froze for a moment, and his expression immediately darkened.

There weren’t many people in the shinobi world whom Obito was truly wary of.

Among them, Uchiha Madara and the Fourth Hokage, Minato Namikaze, were the two he had been most cautious of.

After Madara and the Fourth Hokage passed away one after another, Obito gradually came to feel that the entire shinobi world was within his grasp.

But with the sudden rise of Kamigami, an uneasy feeling—that things were beginning to slip beyond his control—slowly took root in his heart.

Only after a moment did Obito finally ask, "Can this information be confirmed?"

Uchiha Shisui was currently one of only two publicly known Uchiha to possess the Mangekyō Sharingan.

If Homura of Kamigami truly possessed enough strength to defeat Shisui, then this Kamigami was no simple organization at all.

Zetsu shrugged. "It’s all information I picked up by eavesdropping. There’s no way to confirm whether it’s true or not. If you need me to, I can abduct a few Konoha shinobi and verify the information more thoroughly."

Obito immediately rejected Zetsu’s suggestion. "No. We shouldn’t make a move right now!"

Zetsu asked, "Are you worried about something?"

Obito slowly replied, "If Homura really can defeat Uchiha Shisui, then the rumor that he possesses the Mangekyō Sharingan becomes highly credible. And yet, he isn’t the leader of Kamigami..."

Zetsu said, "Rumor has it that the leader of Kamigami is someone who goes by the alias ’Yama.’ Is he the one you’re wary of?"

Obito nodded. "If he can keep someone like Homura, who possesses the Mangekyō Sharingan, under control within his own organization, then this Yama is probably an extremely troublesome opponent. I have no desire to provoke someone like that without good reason."

Zetsu said, "I’m actually starting to wonder just who this Yama really is!"

Turning his gaze toward the battlefield in the distant marketplace, Obito watched the fierce battle between Uchiha Ryota and Hyuga Hizashi as he said, "As long as Kamigami doesn’t interfere with our plans, there’s no reason for us to make an enemy of them. Once we begin our operation and gather all nine Tailed Beasts, everything in the shinobi world will be ours to decide."

Zetsu agreed, "Besides, we have the Rinnegan. Before those eyes, none of this amounts to anything!"

"Let Konoha investigate Kamigami for us. Once the right opportunity presents itself, we can decide whether or not to make a move." After saying that, Obito seemed to remember something and asked, "Have the movements of every member of the organization been confirmed?"

Zetsu replied, "Don’t worry. Uchiha Shinichi and Jūzō Biwa’s team already returned to the Land of Rain ahead of schedule. Sasori and Kakuzu’s team, along with Hiruko and Shinno’s team, have gone to the Land of Wind. At the moment, aside from us, there aren’t any other Akatsuki members in the Land of Fire. We won’t be used by Kamigami like we were last time."

Obito casually asked, "The Land of Wind?! Did those two teams go there to deal with Orochimaru after his defection?"

Zetsu explained, "I heard that Sasori planted a spy by Orochimaru’s side. My guess is that the spy sent Sasori information about Orochimaru’s whereabouts!"

Just then, the battle in the distant marketplace finally reached its conclusion.

In the end, Uchiha Ryota gained the upper hand and defeated Hyuga Hizashi. However, Ryota had not completely lost his reason. After knocking Hizashi down, he didn’t deliver a killing blow and instead turned around and left the marketplace.

Looking at the injured Hizashi lying on the ground, Obito felt a sudden temptation.

If he secretly killed Hyuga Hizashi right now and framed Uchiha Ryota for it, the Hyuga and Uchiha Clans would probably become mortal enemies on the spot.

But before he could make a move, Zetsu suddenly said, "Someone’s coming."

After weighing his options, Obito abandoned the idea.

"Let’s go."

The moment the words left his mouth, Obito’s figure vanished into a twisting vortex.

Zetsu glanced toward the marketplace one last time before silently sinking into the trunk of the giant tree, disappearing without a trace as though he had never been there at all...

......

At the marketplace.

Whoosh! Whoosh!

Amid the sharp sounds of rushing wind, two figures landed in the marketplace, where flames were already roaring into the sky.

Both men wore waistcloths emblazoned with the character for "Fire," revealing their identities as members of the Twelve Guardian Ninja, who served directly under the Land of Fire’s daimyō.

Konoha’s current operation to hunt down Kamigami extended across numerous towns and marketplaces throughout the Land of Fire. Because of this, the Fire Daimyō had dispatched several members of the Twelve Guardian Ninja to assist Konoha with the operation.

These two members of the Twelve Guardian Ninja had spotted the raging flames rising from the marketplace from afar and hurried over.

Seeing the injured people lying amid the flames, one of them immediately shouted, "Asuma, hurry! We need to save them!"

Asuma, who had already become a member of the Twelve Guardian Ninja, replied solemnly, "Chiriku, be careful. The enemy might still be nearby!"

The other member of the Twelve Guardian Ninja accompanying Asuma was Chiriku, a monk from the Fire Temple.

He nodded, then disappeared in a blur and immediately began rescuing the injured from the raging fire.

A short while later, Asuma discovered Hizashi lying beneath a pile of rubble, severely wounded.

As the Third Hokage’s son, Asuma knew perfectly well just how strong Hizashi was.

He hurriedly helped Hizashi up and exclaimed, "Hizashi-senpai, who attacked you?!"

Asuma’s shout immediately drew Chiriku over.

"Cough... cough..."

After coughing heavily twice, Hizashi weakly replied,

"It was Uchiha Ryota. That bastard has completely lost his mind!"

Asuma and Chiriku exchanged stunned glances.

Neither of them had expected an Uchiha clansman to go so far as to attack a fellow Konoha shinobi, wantonly destroy a marketplace, and slaughter innocent civilians.

Just then, another group of Konoha shinobi, drawn by the flames blazing over the marketplace, rushed to the scene.

When everyone learned that Uchiha Ryota had not only attacked Hizashi, who had been traveling alongside him, but had also destroyed the marketplace and killed or injured large numbers of innocent civilians, they were immediately filled with righteous indignation.

Even during wartime, Konoha shinobi rarely slaughtered civilians without cause, much less civilians of their own country.

Ryota’s indiscriminate killing enraged everyone present. Asuma and Chiriku in particular, being members of the Twelve Guardian Ninja who served directly under the Fire Daimyō, loudly demanded that Uchiha Ryota be arrested.

News quickly made its way back to the village.

Upon learning that Ryota had openly attacked a fellow Konoha shinobi—and that his victim was none other than the younger brother of the Hyuga Clan Head—Shisui immediately went to find Hyuga Kagami...