33. Facing Obito

The Land of Water.

This country is far from the Ninja Continent, standing isolated among the islands in the sea. The vast sea serves as a natural barrier, shielding the mainland from the chaos of war.

Evidence suggests that Mist Shinobi's strength is not exceptional among the five great ninja villages, placing it on par with Sand Shinobi. However, the Land of Water is one of the few countries spared from the ravages of war.

This is due to the protection of the sea; after all, if other ninja villages wish to attack Mist Shinobi, they must first overcome the obstacle of the sea.

"The environment here is very unfriendly to us! No wonder we struggled so much in the Third Great Ninja War. The heavy fog completely negated our Sharingan."

At the gate of Kirigakure, Yagami and his two companions finally arrived at their destination after days of travel.

"That's why the heart of the Uchiha is known to everyone.

Konoha struggled greatly in the Third Great Ninja War.

In the end, they simply transferred us to the coast to defend against Mist Shinobi.

Our line of sight was blocked, and Fire Style was suppressed.

They were afraid we would leave the battlefield.

Go back alive!"

Hearing this, Yagami sneered, "Uchiha will eventually leave Konoha."

This news was not yet known to the entire clan.

There are many people in the Uchiha.

Although they have all felt the targeting by Konoha's high-level officials, who knows if some individuals still want to stay in Konoha?

If the Third Hokage learns of this, it will become a troublesome matter. So it's best to keep it a secret until preparations are complete and ensure most know that the family's changes and plans are for the clan's well-being.

Of course, this does not stop Yagami from occasionally sowing distrust toward Konoha. As long as most people know that staying in Konoha is a dead end for Uchiha, there won't be much resistance when the news of leaving is finally revealed.

If, at that time, there are still those who choose Konoha, there's no other choice. To protect the clan's bloodline from being limited to Konoha, they must be resolute when necessary.

"Hmph! What's our next move?"

Leimen, a hardliner, naturally agreed with Yagami's words but knew it was pointless to discuss this now, so he focused on the task at hand.

"First, we need to gather information. There's too little news about Mist Shinobi reaching the outside world. If we don't understand it first, we can't proceed to the next step. Be cautious and avoid going too deep—this village feels ominous."

Yagami warned. He came here to find Obito, though he couldn't share this with Yan and Leimen. If he weren't so unfamiliar with the ninja world, he would have come alone...

After agreeing on a meeting time and place, the three split up. Yagami circled the outer barrier of Mist Shinobi, found a gap, and slipped inside. His target was, of course, the Mizukage Building.

At that moment, in the Mizukage Building, the Fourth Mizukage Yagura sat at his desk, his eyes blank. In the shadows behind him, Black Zetsu was reporting to Obito on recent events in the ninja world.

"That the Uchiha would undergo such a transformation—triple Mangekyō Sharingan? It's truly troublesome."

Obito didn't care about the Uchiha clan's relationship with Konoha; his concern was their strength. After all, whether Uchiha and Konoha share the same loyalty is a matter he must handle.

"You're also Uchiha. Have you thought of recruiting the clan to join us? Triple Mangekyō Sharingan would be a great asset to our plan."

Black Zetsu suggested, as his ultimate goal was to obtain the Tailed Beasts from each village, and Uchiha, with their Sharingan, was undoubtedly well-suited for such tasks.

"It's unnecessary. If the Uchiha were truly useful, Uchiha Madara wouldn't have been left alone. They're just mud that can't hold up a wall. Don't mess up our operation…someone's coming!"

Obito said disdainfully, pausing as his masked gaze turned toward the window.

"You are also from the Uchiha clan; it's not proper to speak of your own family that way!"

Yagami opened the window, jumped inside, and, glancing past Yagura, fixed his gaze directly on Obito lurking in the shadows. Black Zetsu noticed this and slowly sank into the ground.

"Mangekyō Sharingan... Are you Uchiha Yagami? What a surprise! You've come here…"

Obito was visibly unsettled; he hadn't expected Uchiha Yagami to find him. He had hidden himself so well that he shouldn't have been detected.

Mist Shinobi, separated by the sea, should have been insulated from attention. Logically, no Uchiha should have appeared here.

"It seems I've stumbled upon something interesting! No wonder the Fourth Mizukage has been making such strange decisions. Turns out he's just a puppet. Tsk, tsk, tsk! Quite the method to control a perfect Jinchūriki. How did you do it?"

Feigning ignorance of Obito's identity, Yagami spoke cautiously. There were things he could know internally, but speaking too much openly would attract the attention of prying eyes. Intelligence analysts in the ninja world were not to be underestimated.

"Are you curious about this method? Seems you're ambitious yourself! Want to join me? You've awakened Mangekyō, so you must know the secret on the Uchiha stone tablet, correct?"

Obito's uneasiness diminished. Black Zetsu had mentioned that Uchiha now ran a hiring company that accepted missions from the ninja world.

With dissatisfaction in Kirigakure and among some of the Fourth Mizukage's ranks, applying through Uchiha's company wasn't impossible. Uchiha, with multiple Mangekyō Sharingan users, could easily support a coup if not restrained by Konoha.

If they assisted another village's coup, they wouldn't face as many obstacles; as a hired party, they could avoid population and territorial concerns, and there'd be no worry about the fight spilling into the clan's lands.

"The stone tablet's secret? Did you control the Mizukage because of that? Sorry, I'm not interested in something so illusory. Compared to that… you were behind the Nine-Tails Rebellion! You let the whole Uchiha clan take the blame for your actions. How noble of you!"

The act was almost complete, and Yagami decided to make a move. Whether or not he could extract the method for controlling a Jinchūriki from Obito, exposing this "25-year-old boy" was one of his main purposes for coming.

Similar to dealing with Danzō, one couldn't always stay on guard against hidden enemies. Since he couldn't predict when an enemy would strike from the shadows, it was better to bring them into the light.

Obito hadn't surfaced in the ninja world yet, much like the Uchiha clan, who lacked the strength to challenge the entire ninja world. In other words, the Akatsuki organization wasn't yet fully developed.

For now, Yagami intended to direct others' attention to Obito. If he pushed him into the spotlight, Konoha and Kirigakure would inevitably watch him closely. At the very least, Uchiha would no longer bear the brunt of Obito's machinations.

Seeing Yagami suddenly appear before him, Obito broke into a cold sweat. He managed to evade the immediate threat with Kamui, then commanded Yagura to attack Yagami.

"A manipulated Mizukage is no match!"

Activating his Mangekyō, Yagami channelled Yang's energy into his arm and struck Yagura, sending him hurtling out of the Mizukage Building. The piercing sonic boom made Obito's skin crawl.

What speed! What terrifying power!

Is this the ability of the Mangekyō? A single hit from him would leave me half-dead!

Without further hesitation, Obito activated Yagura's Tailed Beast transformation. He wasn't concerned about Kirigakure nor about the impact the ensuing battle might have on the village.

Yagami ignored Obito for now. Kamui was too elusive; if Obito didn't want to engage directly, no amount of speed could pin him down.

He focused instead on Yagura, hoping to glean something from him. Obito likely wouldn't reveal the technique himself.

Although that previous punch was powerful, if the Wood Human Technique could withstand it, then the Three-Tails, renowned for its defence, would have no problem.

When Yagura reemerged from the smoke, he had already taken on a miniature Three-Tails form cloaked in red chakra layers.

"This… can't see through at all! Looks like I'll have to force a full Tailed Beast transformation..."

With a grim resolve, Yagami turned into an afterimage, charging at the Three-Tails.

The Three-Tails roared to the sky, its three tails whipping toward Yagami. Their clash sent shockwaves through the nearby buildings.

"Fool! Thinking he can go head-to-head in taijutsu with a half-tailed Jinchūriki…"

Watching Yagami's fighting style, Obito sneered. Yagami's strength and speed were impressive, but that was all. The human body has limits.

A Jinchūriki, with the Tailed Beast's chakra shroud, could resist many severe injuries that ordinary people couldn't withstand.

But as he noticed the skeletal fist clashing with the Three-Tails' tail, Obito's sneer faltered.

Susanoo! Obito knew of it, but he had yet to awaken it. Not everyone was like Madara, able to summon Susanoo even with one eye; unlocking it with just one Mangekyō was exceptionally challenging.

Engaging the Three-Tails, Yagami activated Susanoo's second form, the skeletal structure gaining an armour coat. This was the optimal form for Mangekyō Sharingan at this stage. Full-body Susanoo was still too taxing on the Mangekyō.

Even with the possibility of replenishing ocular power, Yagami had no interest in experiencing the pain of the Mangekyō strain.

By now, the massive commotion had drawn the attention of Mist Shinobi, and a large number of Kirigakure shinobi rushed over. Witnessing the half-tailed Mizukage and the imposing figure of Susanoo, they all felt a chill down their spines.

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