Chapter 535: Find Homura

Chapter 535: Chapter 535: Find Homura

As their gazes met, the atmosphere in the room grew oppressive.

"Heh, looks like Akatsuki hasn’t managed to uncover anything through other channels, so they’ve turned their attention to the village, hoping to obtain information about Kamigami through Konoha..."

Kagami made no attempt to conceal the thoughtful expression on his face. However, what he was considering wasn’t Obito’s threats, but rather the motive behind Obito’s actions.

There was no doubt that, after the previous battle, Akatsuki had grown increasingly wary of Kamigami. This was evident from the fact that Obito had personally appeared in Konoha and was resorting to coercion and intimidation to recruit an informant within the village.

Unfortunately, Obito’s luck was truly terrible.

Of all the people he could have chosen, he had somehow approached the leader of Kamigami himself, openly exposing Akatsuki’s next strategic priority right in front of Kagami.

Obito seemed to be enjoying the sight of Kagami deep in thought under his threats. Only after quite some time did he chuckle and say, "It’s time to make your decision. I don’t have time to sit here wasting away with you."

"Should I agree to his demands for now, then find an opportunity to set a trap later and eliminate him when his guard is down?"

Kagami deliberately wore a conflicted expression while secretly contemplating how to exploit Obito’s oversight.

Seeing that Kagami was still hesitating, Obito’s expression darkened. Releasing his killing intent, he threatened, "Hyuga Kagami, Akatsuki knows everything about you. You have no secrets in our eyes. Don’t fool yourself into thinking you can get away with anything. You have no choice. Oh, that’s right, you seem to have a fiancée too, don’t you?"

At those words, the corner of Kagami’s eye twitched, and he cast Obito a cold glance.

"There’s no need to look at me like that. As long as you choose to cooperate with us, neither your disciple nor the people close to you will be in any danger." After a pause, Obito continued enticing him, "And that Caged Bird seal on your forehead isn’t necessarily impossible to remove. As long as you provide us with information about Kamigami, we’ll find a way to help you get rid of that troublesome seal. We might even make an exception and allow you to join Akatsuki."

Obito understood that threats alone would hardly make Kagami willingly serve him, so he offered him an incentive.

He believed he had found Kagami’s weakness. After all, the stronger a member of the Hyuga branch family became, the more they resented the Caged Bird seal on their forehead, which allowed others to control their very life and death.

Of course, his promise to help Kagami remove the Caged Bird seal was nothing more than an empty promise made without the slightest sincerity.

Even if Akatsuki truly possessed the ability to break the Hyuga clan’s Caged Bird seal, they would never devote their resources to such a troublesome matter that had nothing to do with them. At least in Obito’s eyes, a mere Hyuga Kagami wasn’t worth such a considerable investment from Akatsuki!

As though he had been persuaded, Kagami feigned delight and asked, "Can you really help me remove the Caged Bird Cursed Seal on my forehead?"

Obito nodded lightly and replied with absolute confidence, "Of course. There is nothing Akatsuki cannot accomplish!"

Kagami immediately said, "All right, then. I can try to gather some information for you, but I can’t guarantee that I’ll be able to uncover anything about Kamigami."

Obito smiled in satisfaction. "You’ve made the right choice. As long as you provide us with information about Kamigami, we’ll immediately return your disciple and help you remove the Caged Bird seal!"

Kagami felt that the time was right, so he asked, "Then how should I address you? And if I manage to uncover any information, how am I supposed to contact you?"

As long as he could contact Obito of his own accord, he could prepare a trap in advance. Therefore, there was only one thing Kagami truly cared about: obtaining a means of contacting Obito and luring him out whenever he wished.

Putting on an air of mystery, Obito replied, "Who I am isn’t important. All you need to know is that my eyes are always watching you. Besides, there’s no need for you to contact me. I’ll come looking for you again."

With that, Obito stepped backward and disappeared into a swirling vortex before Kagami could ask anything else.

Clearly, Obito also understood that Kagami might only be pretending to submit to his threats, then turn around and report everything to the village, potentially drawing him into a trap set by Kamigami.

"Tch..."

Watching the vortex in the room slowly disappear, Kagami clicked his tongue after confirming that Obito had left.

With his current powers of perception and sensory abilities, even someone possessing Kamui like Obito would find it difficult to approach him without being noticed.

The reason Obito had managed to catch him off guard this time was, firstly, because Kagami genuinely hadn’t expected Obito to come knocking on his door, and secondly, because he had been completely absorbed in contemplating his experimental plans earlier, leaving him utterly distracted.

As for Obito’s parting threat that his eyes would always be watching Kagami, Kagami merely scoffed at it.

If Obito really had the guts to do that, Kagami had a hundred ways to screw him over...

...

At a training ground outside the Uchiha clan compound.

Whoosh! Whoosh!

Accompanied by the sharp sound of weapons cutting through the air, several shuriken struck the bullseyes of targets positioned at different locations with unerring accuracy.

Only then did Itachi pull off the black cloth covering his eyes.

His younger brother Sasuke had been abducted, and there had been no news of him since. Although Itachi trusted Kagami’s judgment, he couldn’t help feeling anxious.

Thus, he could only force himself to maintain his composure by practicing his shurikenjutsu.

Clap! Clap! Clap!...

Suddenly, a burst of crisp applause came from the edge of the training ground, followed by a deep, hoarse voice.

"As expected of Uchiha Itachi!"

Itachi abruptly turned his head and fixed his gaze on Obito, who was wearing his spiral-patterned mask. The three tomoe in his Sharingan slowly began to rotate.

"There’s no need to be nervous. I’m only here to discuss a deal with you!"

Having just left Kagami’s home, Obito had immediately sought out Itachi.

However, unlike the arrogant and smug attitude he had displayed at Kagami’s house, Obito was now maintaining his intangible state.

Clearly, he was considerably more cautious near the Uchiha clan compound. After all, Shisui, who possessed the Mangekyo Sharingan, was currently inside the compound as well.

Itachi didn’t have Kagami’s extensive experience in putting on an act. He instantly determined that there was no opportunity to strike, so he asked expressionlessly, "What deal?"

"I’m sure the Uchiha clan has already heard that there are two Homura in Kamigami, haven’t you? What, aren’t you curious about their identities?"

Right from the start, Obito brought up a topic he believed would undoubtedly interest Itachi.

Itachi calmly replied, "I’m more curious about your identity."

"Heh, heh..." After chuckling twice, Obito continued, "Two Uchiha possessing the Mangekyo Sharingan couldn’t possibly have appeared out of thin air. They must have left some trace within the Uchiha clan. I suspect they’re among the Uchiha clan members who went missing during the Third Shinobi World War. And as the clan head’s eldest son, you have the authority to examine the clan genealogy and investigate various records. As long as you help me identify them, I’ll return your younger brother Sasuke to you!"

A slight change finally appeared on Itachi’s otherwise expressionless face.

"You want me to help you identify Kamigami’s Homura?"