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"What in the world is going on?"
Within the Village Hidden in the Leaves, Hiruzen Sarutobi was leading a squad of ANBU as they rushed toward the site of the disturbance. Alongside them was none other than Danzo Shimura.
To be honest, Hiruzen had no intention of bringing this old friend along. However, given the urgency of the situation, he had no time to argue over such details.
"Hmph. It seems that under your leadership, Konoha has become quite the chaotic mess."
Danzo scoffed as he ran, unable to resist taking a jab. The sharp remark instantly drew a disapproving glare from Hiruzen.
But Danzo stood his ground without the slightest trace of fear. Even though his own ROOT faction had been surrounded by ANBU under Hiruzen's command and his prized 'A' agent had been taken from him, he showed no sign of backing down.
"Do you think this could be Jiraiya returning... and perhaps bringing some 'tails' with him?"
"Jiraiya?"
Hiruzen arched a brow but did not bother asking how Danzo knew about Jiraiya's return. He understood all too well that Danzo was never one to play by the rules.
As for whether Jiraiya had brought back some kind of threat...
With a quick turn of thought, Hiruzen had a good idea of what his old comrade was insinuating. Still, there were some things he had no desire to say aloud.
"Hmm?"
Just then, as they raced forward at full speed, they suddenly caught sight of Jiraiya, Might Guy, and a visibly exhausted Kakashi approaching from the opposite direction.
"Old man?"
Upon seeing Hiruzen, Jiraiya called out to him immediately.
"You came too? Wait... Danzo?"
"I went to see him tonight, but didn't expect to run into something like this. So I came to take a look."
Hiruzen explained briefly as he quickened his pace and stepped up beside Jiraiya, lowering his voice as he asked in a hushed tone.
"Who do you think it could be? Could it be… someone with a Tailed Beast?"
"Uh..."
Hearing the first part of the question, Jiraiya had been about to shake his head and explain that he had been away from the village for some time. But upon hearing the second part, his brows twitched slightly.
After a moment of contemplation, he responded quietly.
"We came back quickly, without delay. But our identities were already known to the enemy. After all, with both Orochimaru and Uchiha Itachi involved... so I can't say anything for sure."
"Is that so..."
Hiruzen murmured to himself, while Jiraiya offered a faint smile and shook his head.
"Old man, don't always assume the worst. What if this turns out to be just an accident?"
"You are not the Hokage. You wouldn't understand. From the perspective of the Hokage, there can be no room for luck."
Hiruzen was clearly displeased with his disciple's optimism. Even if Jiraiya meant well and was trying to comfort him, it was unnecessary.
To be Hokage meant that no matter how small the incident, it could never be taken lightly.
"Alright, alright. Let's just hurry over and see what's going on."
Jiraiya had no interest in debating the matter further. He chuckled as he spoke.
"For all we know, it might really be just a lit—huh?"
Yet before he could finish his sentence, his face abruptly froze.
And not just his. Everyone around them seemed to sense it at the same moment. Their expressions all darkened in an instant.
"That... is that the Nine-Tails' chakra?"
If the previous signs had merely raised their alertness, causing concern that some enemy had infiltrated the village and started a fight, then what they felt now signaled something far more severe.
This... this was a full-blown crisis for the entire Hidden Leaf.
"Why haven't we received any messages from the ANBU?"
Hiruzen's face turned ashen. Increasing his speed, he couldn't help but raise his voice in a harsh demand. One of the nearby ANBU members lowered his head and answered with guilt.
"Lord Hokage, earlier he was... he was with Lord Jiraiya and Captain Kakashi, so..."
"..."
Jiraiya, Kakashi, and Guy all looked awkward at once. None of them had imagined that the situation would take such a turn.
Hiruzen understood what the ANBU meant. After all, as long as Naruto was under the watch of these three, there should have been no problem. No one could have foreseen something going wrong afterward.
Still, he couldn't help but glare at Jiraiya before snapping forward again with a firm command.
"Move faster. We cannot let anything happen."
"Yes!"
Jiraiya did not dare slack for even a moment. Guy was so anxious he even considered putting Kakashi down and rushing ahead on his own.
Fortunately, he didn't follow through with that impulse. And by now, they were already close to the scene of the incident.
With everyone accelerating at full speed, it did not take long before they arrived at the scene.
What brought them a moment of relief was the sight of Naruto in the distance, currently standing alongside Uchiha Sasuke. Yet the red chakra swirling around Naruto's body made it all too clear that his condition was far from stable.
Meanwhile, on the other side of the battlefield, Kitagawa Gen was facing off against a masked figure dressed in black.
And then, in the very next instant, all of their eyes widened in disbelief.
"That is..."
Just as Sarutobi Hiruzen and the others arrived, Kitagawa Gen stepped forward to face Uchiha Obito and spoke in a low voice.
"As I suspected... you possess a space-time technique similar to that of the Fourth Hokage."
"However, your technique seems to revolve around transferring. Whether it is my attacks or your own presence, only the moment you strike does your real body emerge, correct?"
"...Quite perceptive, aren't you, brat?"
Obito paused in silence for a moment before offering a begrudging word of praise.
Yet within him surged a wave of astonishment. It had been ten years since anyone had so swiftly seen through the secret of his Kamui.
The last time that happened, he had stood against Namikaze Minato, and that encounter had ended in utter humiliation for him.
"But so what if you've figured it out? Can you actually do anything about it?"
"Perhaps not. But I don't need to defeat you. All I have to do is stall you."
Gen shook his head slightly, doing his best to lull Uchiha Obito into lowering his guard.
"And there's another curious thing. Just now you called Kakashi-sensei useless. That suggests you know him, and not just in passing. There's some history between you two, isn't there?"
"Perhaps you bear a grudge. Moreover, your Sharingan is in your right eye, while Kakashi's is in his left. Isn't that a rather interesting coincidence?"
At those words, even Obito, for all his forced composure, found himself momentarily rattled.
True, he could brush it off as a mere coincidence. After all, the Uchiha clan was gone, and it would not be unreasonable to suspect that some Sharingan had been scattered.
But he had, indeed, cursed Kakashi as worthless just now, and whether or not there was truth to Gen's words, this was enough to make Konoha start digging.
He needed to maintain the persona of Uchiha Madara to control Nagato. He could not afford to let anyone realize he was just the nobody Obito.
"I can't let this brat keep talking nonsense."
Obito's Sharingan spun sharply. In an instant, his form began to distort.
But in that very moment, he saw that Kitagawa Gen moved even faster.
Zzzzzzzz—
Almost the instant Obito lost focus, the boy transformed into a streak of violet lightning and surged toward him.
That electric arc swirling around his hand looked just like a Chidori.
"Ignorant fool."
Obito let out a cold snort. He could tell this kid had a keen eye for opportunities, and now he sensed that Konoha's reinforcements were drawing closer.
Still, he felt no panic. In truth, Kitagawa Gen was merely handing him an opening.
"You are the one who gave me this chance."
As Gen rushed in, Obito's figure gave a slight flicker. He had already slipped into the Kamui dimension.
He had originally only intended to probe the boy's strength, but now he had to silence him for good.
Zzzzzzzz—
"Hm?"
Obito's eye twitched. Why could he still hear the electric hum of lightning within the Kamui space?
"I have been waiting for you for quite some time."
Just then, a voice echoed around him, and his Sharingan widened in shock.
Inside his supposedly exclusive dimension, another version of Kitagawa Gen had appeared.
This one was different. He radiated a torrent of chakra, a red pigment now shadowed his eyes, and more importantly, the violet thunder in his hand was already hurtling toward Obito.
"Damn it, I was tricked."
In a panic, Obito's first instinct was to retreat from the Kamui dimension. But outside, the other Gen, wreathed in violet lightning, had already driven his strike toward Obito's chest.
In this situation, retreat was no longer viable. He had to twist aside to evade the blow.
At the same time, he thrust his right hand forward. Sharp wooden spikes sprang out instantly. He had to eliminate the threat within Kamui first.
BOMMMMM—!
However, at the exact moment his wooden spikes pierced the clone of Kitagawa Gen within the Kamui space, a burst of violet lightning crashed down hard upon his face.
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[Chapter End's]
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