A White Zetsu suddenly emerged from the ground beside Obito, immediately drawing his attention away from the strange feeling lingering in the back of his mind.
Obito slowly turned his head.
"What is it?"
White Zetsu grinned playfully.
"We checked it out."
"Everything is exactly like we expected."
Its smile widened further.
"We can proceed with the plan."
Silence filled the cave for a moment.
Then…
Obito slowly stood up from his seat.
The dim light cast long shadows across the spiral mask while space itself seemed to distort faintly around him.
"…Very well."
His voice sounded low and cold.
"Soon…"
"…I'll be facing you again, Shiki."
A dangerous grin slowly formed beneath the mask.
"I hope you like the gift I prepared this time."
"…A little payback for your own gift, I suppose."
As he spoke, his hand slowly grabbed the empty sleeve where his lost arm once had been.
The memory of that humiliation clearly hadn't faded even after all these years.
"Hahahaha…!"
Mad laughter echoed throughout the underground cave like a maniac finally seeing the beginning of revenge within reach.
Even the nearby White Zetsu instinctively fell silent for a moment while watching him.
"…Wow."
"He's really still mad about the arm thing."
The creature scratched its cheek awkwardly while watching Obito laugh like a complete lunatic in the middle of the cave.
Honestly…
White Zetsu sometimes felt that humans held grudges over the weirdest things.
It had already been years.
Yet Obito still occasionally touched that missing sleeve like a widowed old man remembering his first love.
"…How scary."
White Zetsu muttered quietly.
"At this rate, Lord Madara's plan might succeed purely through the power of spite alone."
"Hahaha…"
Obito's laughter continued echoing through the cave.
White Zetsu stared at him for another second before slowly sliding a little farther away.
Just in case.
After all…
People laughing like that usually weren't mentally stable anymore.
A few days later in konoha village....
Shiki was currently lying lazily with his head resting on Yugito Nii's lap while enjoying the soft massage of her fingers through his hair.
The atmosphere inside the courtyard remained peaceful.
Warm sunlight filtered through the trees while the faint sound of wind brushed against the leaves above.
Then...
Thud. Thud. Thud.
Rapid footsteps suddenly approached from outside.
And filled with obvious worry.
Shiki's closed eyes opened slightly.
A moment later
Bang.
The door slid open heavily.
Kushina appeared first, slightly bent forward while breathing hard, her face flushed red as strands of hair stuck against her forehead.
It was obvious she had rushed here as quickly as possible.
Not long after
Another hurried figure appeared behind her.
Uchiha Mikoto.
Unlike Kushina's obvious panic, Mikoto looked more restrained…
But the anxiety in her eyes was even harder to hide.
Before either woman could speak
Shiki lazily raised one hand.
"You can leave."
The sudden words caused both women to stiffen slightly.
Kushina looked confused for a second, clearly about to say something.
But Shiki wasn't looking at either of them.
Instead...
His gaze remained fixed outside the courtyard.
At some point, an ANBU operative had already appeared there silently.
The masked shinobi immediately knelt.
"Lord Shiki, it's urgent—"
"I know."
Shiki interrupted calmly before the ANBU could finish speaking.
Then his eyes shifted slightly toward Kushina and Mikoto.
"…It seems someone else already came for the same matter."
The ANBU instantly understood.
After giving the two women a brief glance, the masked operative lowered his head respectfully.
"Yes."
Swoosh.
His figure disappeared immediately afterward.
Silence returned briefly.
Then Shiki finally turned his attention fully toward Kushina and Mikoto.
Kushina hesitated slightly before speaking.
"…Shiki."
Her voice carried unusual seriousness.
Beside her, Mikoto slowly lowered her head.
For a proud Uchiha woman to show such an expression already explained enough.
"…Please help us."
Kushina glanced toward Mikoto beside her before speaking in a lower voice.
"…Itachi disappeared."
"The Uchiha Clan has already been searching everywhere for him…but there's still no trace."
As she spoke, even Kushina's expression became heavier.
Because everyone understood what that meant.
If even the Uchiha Clan couldn't find him inside Konoha so quickly…
Then this was no ordinary kidnapping.
"That's why we came here."
Kushina looked directly toward Shiki.
"I told them about your perception abilities... so please!"
Then...
To Shiki's slight surprise
Even Kushina slowly lowered her head as well.
After all…
Mikoto was her best friend.
And Kushina knew very clearly that if anyone in Konoha could locate someone instantly…
It would be Shiki.
But…
Shiki remained silent.
Not because he didn't want to help.
Rather
He had already used Observation Haki across the village the moment they arrived.
Yet he still found no sign of Itachi anywhere inside Konoha.
That alone already explained enough.
At the same time…
Shiki's thoughts remained calm.
During these past few years, after deciding against constantly keeping Observation Haki active over the village, he had quietly prepared other methods instead.
Ways to instantly know if the people around him were ever truly endangered.
And none of them had been triggered.
Meaning
The people connected to him hadn't been targeted.
Honestly…
The life and death of strangers had little to do with him in the first place.
He wasn't some saintly sage working day and night to save everyone in the world.
Through Observation Haki, Shiki could already sense Tsunade inside the Hokage building issuing orders one after another with visible restlessness.
Kurenai remained beside her as well.
Both were completely fine.
The backup preparations he left on them also remained untouched.
Which meant…
Obito deliberately avoided touching his people.
"…Coward."
Shiki thought inwardly with faint disdain.
Then his Observation Haki swept elsewhere again.
And... Uchiha Shisui he was safe too.
That part genuinely surprised him slightly.
Originally, Shiki thought Obito's target would be Shisui after learning about Kotoamatsukami.
Yet instead…Itachi had been taken.
Why?
That part puzzled him the most.
"…Please help me…"
The somewhat trembling voice suddenly pulled Shiki out of his thoughts.
"…I'm willing to do anything."
Shiki slowly stopped using Observation Haki and lowered his gaze.
Because Shiki had remained silent for too long…
Mikoto had misunderstood.
The proud Uchiha woman was now kneeling completely on the ground with her forehead pressed against the floor.
"Kuh– Mikoto!"
Even Kushina looked startled.
But Mikoto still kept her head lowered seriously.
"…Please."
For a moment, only the sound of wind could be heard in the courtyard.
Yugito's fingers also stopped moving slightly as she quietly observed the scene.
Shiki really couldn't take it anymore and let out a soft sigh.
"…You didn't need to go that far."
His calm voice made Mikoto's body stiffen slightly.
"It's not like I refused to help."
"I was merely checking a few things."
Mikoto slowly raised her head.
Hope immediately appeared in her previously despairing eyes.
But then–
Shiki shook his head slightly.
"…Itachi isn't anywhere near the village."
The moment those words fell
Mikoto's face instantly turned pale.
Even Kushina's expression sank heavily.
If Shiki himself couldn't detect Itachi inside Konoha…
Then that meant the situation was already far worse than they had imagined.
However...
Before despair could completely settle in–
Shiki spoke again.
"…I'll personally look into it."
"Don't worry."
Those simple words instantly caused the heavy atmosphere to loosen slightly.
Mikoto's trembling fingers slowly tightened against the ground.
At this moment…
Those words alone felt like grasping the only remaining lifeline in the darkness.
Meanwhile, Shiki slowly stood up from Yugito's lap.
His movements remained calm and unhurried, as always.
As if this wasn't some major crisis at all.
Then he casually reached toward the nearby swords resting beside the courtyard wall.
Clink.
The faint sound of metal echoed softly.
Yugito looked up at him quietly.
Shiki simply patted her gently on the head before leaning slightly closer to her ear.
His voice lowered.
"…This could be a trap."
Yugito's eyes narrowed slightly.
"Go find Tsunade and… bring Kushina with you too while you're at it."
"Then, under my order… gather Shisui Uchiha and place him under strict protection."
"Tsunade. Kushina. Rin. Kurenai. You."
"Stay together and don't separate."
Yugito immediately understood the seriousness hidden beneath his casual tone.
After all…
If even Shiki himself considered the possibility of a trap seriously enough to arrange everyone together…
Then the enemy this time clearly wasn't simple.
But inwardly, Shiki remained calm.
A single Obito alone wasn't enough to threaten him or anyone around him.
He hadn't spent these years relying only on his templates.
With his memories and inspiration, he had even transformed one of his Haki techniques after gaining inspiration from Joy Boy in the One Piece world.
Although it still wasn't at Joy Boy's level, it was already enough to protect them against genjutsu, cause a mental shock, or at least give them enough time to react.
And if something happened…
Shiki would know instantly.
After giving his final instructions, Shiki slowly walked toward the courtyard entrance.
Creak.
The wooden door slid open softly.
Warm sunlight immediately poured across the ground outside while the wind brushed gently against his clothes.
The peaceful atmosphere of the courtyard contrasted sharply against the tension quietly spreading throughout Konoha.
Behind him, Kushina finally helped Mikoto back to her feet while Yugito prepared to leave immediately for the Hokage building.
Shiki, however, didn't look back.
Step.
Step.
His footsteps remained calm and unhurried as he walked outside.
A moment later...
His body slowly rose upward.
The power of the Fuwa Fuwa no Mi quietly spread outward as gravity around him lost all meaning.
Whoosh.
Without causing any major disturbance, Shiki floated higher into the sky above Konoha.
Below him...
The village gradually became smaller.
The Hokage Monument.
The Uchiha district.
The bustling streets.
Everything slowly shrank beneath his gaze.
With a thunderous sonic boom, he blasted out of the village, pushing his Observation Haki to its absolute limit.
Moments later, space itself warped. Obito didn't step through immediately—instead, he flung a cluster of White Zetsu clones into the open rift first.
Ever since that day, his confidence had faltered.
Even with Shiki far away, the memory of that eerie sword slash–one that could halt regeneration made him question whether even Izanagi could undo his death.
He had no desire to find out.
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