Chapter 201: The Fuse of the Uprising

Shisui stared blankly at the young man with long hair in front of him. In his memory, his sensei wasn't particularly tall—back during the Crimson Night, the Caged Bird was only sixteen years old, not fully grown. Although, according to the traditions of the shinobi world, he was already old enough to get engaged or married, he was still just a boy.

However, today, standing amidst the storm and tsunami was Yuto, now a twenty-year-old man.

With even more perfect eyes and chakra roaring within him, even with his hands casually tucked in his pockets, standing nonchalantly, he was clearly conveying the same message to the world: I am an existence beyond the comprehension of ordinary shinobi.

The man named Yuto was incredibly strong.

So strong that, even after suffering losses, the Five Great Shinobi Villages dared not seek revenge lightly. So strong that some shinobi in Konoha secretly murmured to themselves, "To be fair, the Hyuga clan creating something like the Caged Bird seal is indeed a bit excessive." So strong that even Obito, who possessed Kamui, could only choose to endure.

"...Moon God-sama," Obito spoke softly, "I apologize. To see you, I had to resort to such means."

Yuto waved his hand dismissively, "It's just as well. I have something to discuss with my dear students."

Shisui, watching Yuto's back, was taken aback. It was as he suspected—sensei had definitely arranged for Natsume Mahiro to lead Konoha shinobi here for a reason... Unfortunately, he had no clue what his sensei intended to do, unable to guess his true thoughts.

"Moon God-sama, should we have a private conversation first? Then you can..." Obito suggested.

"No problem" Yuto replied with a bright smile, turning his head. "My dear students, your sensei needs to discuss a grand world-destroying conspiracy with this masked fellow. Could you give us some space?"

Obito Uchiha, Ruri Mochizuki, and Shisui Uchiha stood speechless.

—Four years apart, and you've grown so bold, not even bothering to hide your intentions?

"Katsuyu-sama, please heal them." Before Shisui and the others could respond, Yuto used reverse summoning to send the young shinobi and his clone to the Shikkotsu Forest.

On the stormy sea, only Yuto and Obito remained.

"Moon God-sama," Obito began, having learned his lesson this time, "I apologize. I visited Amegakure, but neither Konan nor Kitsu knew where you were."

"Get to the point," Yuto yawned. "I need to discuss something with my students shortly."

"Yes," Obito sighed in frustration, realizing he had no leverage over Yuto.

The man before him was already terrifyingly strong four years ago, and he had undoubtedly grown even more powerful since then. The legends of Madara and Hashirama were long gone, and no one alive now could stand against him. Though Obito had Kamui and could escape, he knew he needed Yuto's agreement to complete the Eye of the Moon Plan.

Although Yuto always spoke with an air of superiority, Obito believed they could still negotiate.

—During these four years, Yuto had not revealed his true identity to the world. Even now, when they were alone, he hadn't called out Obito by his name. There was a base level of mutual understanding and restraint.

"Moon God-sama, I've heard that you posses a Rinnegan," Obito stated.

"Hmm? What about it? Are you planning to take it now?" Yuto asked.

"No, no, not at all. Use it as you please. However, I know you made a promise that one day, that Rinnegan would be returned to us, to be implanted in the chosen one."

"Who? With whom did I make such a promise?"

"...That person... The one..."

"I can't hear you," Yuto continued to smile, hands still in his pockets as he stared at him.

Obito took a few deep breaths, as if giving up resistance, "You made a promise to Madara Uchiha."

'Oh? Not claiming to be Madara, huh?' Yuto shook his head, "Madara Uchiha helped me with something before he died, so I'll keep my promise."

Obito sighed in relief. As long as Yuto didn't keep the Rinnegan for himself, it was fine.

"Moon God-sama," Obito chose his words carefully. Although he felt he couldn't defeat Yuto, possessing Kamui gave him the courage to speak his mind.

"What are your thoughts on the shinobi world?"

"Oh? Done with the serious talk and moving on to ideals?" Yuto chuckled.

"The shinobi world... It's not a good place."

"You're absolutely right, Moon God-sama," Obito said sincerely. "The shinobi world is a place of death and despair. According to historical records, plagues, famines, wars... countless disasters have plagued this land since ancient times."

"The First Hokage pacified the chaos, creating the one village per nation system, even distributing the tailed beasts equally among the other shinobi villages, aiming for eternal peace and ensuring that children could grow up healthy."

"That dream was certainly noble, but in reality, the First Hokage's efforts achieved little."

"Konoha has been established for only fifty-five years, yet it has already participated in three shinobi wars. The one village per nation system, instead of maintaining long-term peace, only gave the major powers more time to accumulate strength and engage in even bloodier wars. The nine tailed beasts were evenly distributed among the villages, but on the battlefield, the weapons causing the most casualties were, in fact, the Jinchuriki!"

"This world... is hell."

"So what?" Yuto shrugged. "I've heard about the so-called Eye of the Moon Plan from Madara. Dragging everyone into an illusion, is that really a good idea?"

"Isn't it?" Obito countered. "No one will know it's an illusion. Everyone will live with their loved ones and comrades... No, that's not an illusion. That's reality!"

The two stood silently on the sea for a while before Yuto finally spoke softly, "I'm not interested."

Obito sighed inwardly. He hadn't expected Yuto to join his plan immediately. He had hoped to glean some insight into the man's true intentions.

In the past, Yuto's goal had been to break free from the Caged Bird seal. But now? Having achieved that, what were his true thoughts? Regarding this world...

"Are you done?" Yuto asked.

"Yes, I'm done... Moon God-sama," Obito replied, hesitating. He wanted to discuss weakening the major shinobi villages and gathering the tailed beasts but was worried that saying too much might anger Yuto. It was best to leave it at that.

After all, since Yuto had appeared in front of Konoha shinobi, he probably wouldn't remain hidden anymore. There would be plenty of opportunities later.

Activating Kamui, the masked Obito slowly faded away.

Sensing that Obito's chakra was no longer nearby, Yuto used summoning jutsu again to bring Shisui and Ruri back.

"I went through great lengths to bring Konoha's shinobi here because I need to use you all for something... Shisui, don't look so shocked. I think the village will be more than willing to help." Yuto paused, looking into the distance as he spoke softly, "That guy... He is Obito Uchiha."

(End of Chapter)