Chapter 291: Target—Naruto

Chapter 291: Chapter 291: Target—Naruto

Konoha.

Standing atop a rooftop, Obito gazed out over the peaceful, prosperous village beneath the night sky and murmured to himself, "This prosperity is nothing but a fragile illusion. All it would take is the slightest touch from me to destroy it. What is there in such a brittle world that’s worth clinging to...?"

After letting out that quiet lament, Obito stepped backward, his body disappearing into a distorted vortex that materialized out of thin air.

Not long afterward, the distorted vortex appeared once more.

This time, it emerged inside Naruto’s room.

Stepping out of the vortex, Obito stared coldly at Naruto lying on the bed.

The sleeping Naruto was completely unaware of the intruder who had suddenly appeared in his room. Drool trickled from the corner of his mouth as he dreamed away, imagining himself at Ichiraku Ramen, stuffing his face to his heart’s content.

Obito glanced toward the window.

He knew Konoha’s ANBU Team 11 was stationed outside, keeping watch.

Among Team 11, the only person Obito was truly wary of was Uchiha Shisui.

As for the others—even Kakashi, who had been hailed as a genius since childhood, graduating from the Academy at five, becoming a chūnin at six, and reaching jōnin at only twelve—Obito didn’t particularly care.

And as for Hyuga Kagami and Guy...

Obito gave a disdainful snort.

"Dead lasts."

Previously, when Obito learned that Hyuga Kagami and Guy were members of ANBU Team 11, aside from his initial surprise, all that remained on his face was faint disdain.

In his eyes, the village truly must have run out of talent. They had actually gone and recruited notorious dead lasts like Hyuga Kagami and Guy into the ANBU, an organization that was supposed to accept only the elite.

Pulling back his wandering thoughts, Obito slowly reached toward the sleeping Naruto.

Whoosh...

Suddenly, a kunai shot through the window and intercepted Obito’s hand as it reached for Naruto.

The corner of Obito’s mouth curled slightly upward, yet his hand didn’t stop moving, as though he hadn’t even noticed the kunai that was about to strike his wrist.

Clang...

The instant the kunai struck his wrist, Obito made his wrist intangible.

The kunai passed straight through it and slammed into the nightstand beside Naruto’s bed.

At that moment, several figures leaped into the room through the window.

They were none other than Kakashi, Shisui, and Guy of ANBU Team 11!

At the same time, Obito grabbed the sleeping Naruto and yanked the groggy boy—who still hadn’t even figured out what was happening—straight into the distorted vortex.

Seeing the mysterious man in the spiral mask make Naruto vanish into thin air, Kakashi, Shisui, and Guy were all shocked.

Kakashi immediately barked, "Who are you?!"

Deliberately imitating Madara, Obito answered in a hoarse, aged voice,

"I’ll be taking the Nine-Tails’ jinchūriki!"

Clatter...

With that, Obito’s figure flickered as he smashed through the window on the other side of the room. Amid the sound of shattering glass, he disappeared into the depths of the night.

Kakashi’s expression hardened as he ordered, "Guy, go inform the Hokage! Shisui, get Kagami outside. We’ll pursue this mysterious man together. We absolutely cannot let Naruto fall into his hands!"

"Right!"

Guy and Shisui responded simultaneously.

In the next instant, Kakashi, Shisui, and the Hyuga Kagami transformed from Shisui’s Shadow Clone raced off in the direction Obito had disappeared.

Meanwhile, Guy fired a distress flare into the sky as he rushed toward the Hokage Building.

Inside the Hokage Building.

Despite the late hour, the Hokage’s office was still brightly lit.

The Third Hokage, Danzo, Koharu Utatane, and Homura Mitokado—the four senior leaders of the village—were seated together, discussing the two anonymous letters that had recently been delivered to the Hokage Building.

The earlier anonymous letter contained only a single brief sentence:

The rogue ninja Hiruko was plotting an attack on the village.

The second letter, which had arrived later—just yesterday—stated that the Uchiha clan was about to launch a rebellion, and that it would happen within the next day or two.

Staring at the two anonymous letters on the table, Koharu furrowed her brows deeply. "Not a single clue about the person who sent these letters?"

The Third Hokage shook his head. "I’ve already assigned the ANBU to investigate, but so far, we’ve found nothing. Whoever sent them was extremely cautious and left no traces behind."

Homura Mitokado said, "I suspect the sender is someone inside the village. They’re very familiar with the layout of the Hokage Building and its security arrangements. It’s even possible that the sender is one of the guards stationed here."

Koharu compared the two anonymous letters again before saying, "The handwriting on these two letters is completely different. Perhaps they weren’t sent by the same person."

The Third Hokage took a deep draw from his pipe before nodding. "Mm. The ANBU investigating the matter reached the same conclusion. There are most likely two different senders."

"Hiruko..." Koharu murmured the name softly before continuing, "I remember him somewhat. He conducted human experiments without authorization. You sent Tsunade, Jiraiya, and the others to capture him, but he managed to escape."

The Third Hokage said nothing and merely nodded in silence.

Even now, he could still remember the eager look Hiruko had given him all those years ago when he was choosing students at the Ninja Academy.

But Hiruko’s aptitude had simply been far too mediocre. After weighing his options, the Third Hokage had ultimately chosen the three with greater potential—Tsunade, Orochimaru, and Jiraiya—and passed over Hiruko.

Homura Mitokado asked bluntly, "Hiruzen, do you think he’s a threat?"

Pulled from his memories, the Third Hokage replied, "He should possess the strength of a jōnin. He poses a certain degree of threat."

"Only an ordinary jōnin..." Koharu muttered.

She pushed the first anonymous letter aside, then tapped the second letter on the table with her finger. "Let’s put Hiruko’s matter aside for now. What do the rest of you think about this anonymous letter accusing the entire Uchiha clan of preparing to rebel?"

Danzo, who had remained silent until now, finally spoke. "The threat posed by the Uchiha far exceeds all others. Regardless of whether the contents of this anonymous letter are true, we must take it seriously. I propose that we immediately place the entire Uchiha clan under comprehensive surveillance!"

The Third Hokage did not immediately agree to Danzo’s proposal. A trace of hesitation appeared on his face.

The mysterious and formidable power of the Uchiha clan’s Mangekyō Sharingan inspired deep wariness even in the Third Hokage, the man known as the Professor of Ninjutsu, who had dominated the shinobi world for decades.

Moreover, the anonymous letter had stated with absolute certainty that the Uchiha clan’s rebellion would take place within the next day or two. That alone made it impossible for the Third Hokage to simply dismiss the warning.

But once the village placed the entire Uchiha clan under comprehensive surveillance, the relationship between the Uchiha and the village—which had only recently begun to ease—would inevitably deteriorate once again.

And if this anonymous letter turned out to be a false accusation, repairing the village’s relationship with the Uchiha clan afterward would become extraordinarily difficult.

Whoosh... Boom!

Just then, the sudden explosion of a signal flare shattered the silence of the peaceful village.

The Third Hokage abruptly rose to his feet, his expression turning grave as he looked out the window...