Chapter 443: Doxxing Obito
Ōnoki looked at the current Uchiha Madara the same way one might look at a former dream girl who had become a cheap shampoo girl charging five hundred ryō a session—it was simply tragic.
The moment Ōnoki realized Madara had fallen under a genjutsu, he had actually considered taking advantage of the situation to do something to Madara and make up for the fear Madara had instilled in him all those years ago.
But now, all Ōnoki felt was bitterness.
In truth, both of them were remnants of the past—shinobi from a bygone era.
So Ōnoki did nothing at all. He simply released Madara from the genjutsu.
And after dispelling it, Ōnoki even stepped back a few paces, giving Madara some personal space to process things himself.
Inside the genjutsu.
Before Madara stood the Allied Shinobi Forces and the tailed beast-transformed jinchūriki.
Madara stood atop a cliff, becoming one of the "Four Great Maniacal Laughing Uchiha," laughing arrogantly.
"Hahahahahaha—gaah?"
Madara's laughter abruptly stopped.
The moment he left the genjutsu world, he reverted back into that miserable being with no chakra, no power, and no ability to die.
Like falling from the heavens back down to the mortal world.
Madara's current sensory abilities were abysmal, so naturally he couldn't perceive what had happened to his body.
But sometimes, being unable to notice a change in yourself was itself proof that a change had already occurred.
What level had he been at inside the genjutsu just now?
He had been fully revived, regained his Rinnegan, and effortlessly crushed the Allied Shinobi Forces and the tailed beasts.
And now he couldn't even sense what was behind him.
So this… was genjutsu.
He, Uchiha Madara, had actually fallen under someone's genjutsu.
Was it Ōnoki's doing?
How humiliating.
Madara silently closed his eyes, shut the mouth that had been laughing moments earlier, and became completely motionless.
As though he were dead.
"Uh…"
Ōnoki noticed Madara's tiny movements, and the corner of his mouth twitched.
Had Madara become so despairing that he was trying to escape reality?
"Madara, give up on the Infinite Tsukuyomi. That is not the future of the ninja world."
Ōnoki cautiously tried to persuade him.
Infinite Tsukuyomi…
Madara thought back to the genjutsu he had just experienced.
It had fulfilled his innermost desires, just like an Infinite Tsukuyomi created solely for him.
Could it be…
Uchiha Madara suddenly opened his eyes.
That was it.
It was definitely that little bastard Obito!
Only he could know the details of the Infinite Tsukuyomi. He must have used genjutsu on Madara to extract information about becoming the Ten-Tails' jinchūriki and the secrets of the Infinite Tsukuyomi!
Possibly even… the secret of the seal on his heart.
"Madara, you…"
Ōnoki was startled by the sudden sharpness in Madara's eyes.
Madara turned his gaze toward Ōnoki and weighed the situation internally. He felt it was necessary to alter some of his plans now.
Previously, his mindset had always been simple: as long as he ran faster than everyone else, it would be enough.
But with his current body, running fast was impossible. He needed a long-term strategy.
So merely outrunning others wasn't enough anymore. He had to make his competitors stumble instead.
"Ōnoki, I never thought you'd grow bold enough to lecture me."
Madara let out a cold snort.
Those words were actually sincere.
Waking up to discover he'd fallen victim to genjutsu was already humiliating enough. And the person who had witnessed him in such a pathetic state had turned out to be Ōnoki.
If Hashirama had said such things to him, that would've been one thing. But what was Ōnoki supposed to be?
"Enough. Don't speak yet. There's something concerning the survival of the ninja world that you absolutely must do."
Madara raised a hand, cutting off Ōnoki before he could speak.
"..."
Suspicion filled Ōnoki's eyes.
Uchiha Madara caring about the survival of the ninja world?
Really?
Wasn't this just a clumsy attempt to change the subject and cover up his embarrassment?
And what a painfully awkward change of topic it was.
"Someone just used genjutsu on me. Why do you think they did that? Don't tell me you've spent decades as Tsuchikage and still can't figure out something this obvious."
Seeing that Ōnoki didn't seem convinced, Madara sneered and questioned him in return.
"To extract information that only you know?!"
With that reminder, Ōnoki instantly realized the implication, and his expression changed dramatically.
This was bad.
It had become a different kind of diversion tactic.
He had come here intending to stop Uchiha Madara's scheme. Madara had indeed been stopped, but another person had taken advantage of everyone's lack of vigilance and moved freely without opposition.
"Wait a moment."
After calming himself, Ōnoki walked over to Madara and circled around him, patting various parts of Madara's body as though searching for something.
"What are you doing?"
Madara frowned.
"Checking something."
Ōnoki's expression turned grave.
Madara falling under genjutsu didn't necessarily mean what he claimed—that someone had come to steal secrets.
It was also possible that, like Ōnoki himself, someone who had once suffered at Madara's hands had come seeking revenge.
But after carefully inspecting Madara from head to toe, Ōnoki found no traces whatsoever of retaliation.
Sure, injuries on an Impure World Reincarnation body would naturally regenerate.
But the problem was that if someone knew Madara was an Impure World Reincarnation body, they obviously wouldn't choose meaningless ordinary attacks for revenge.
There wasn't even the slightest odd smell or stain on Madara.
That alone explained a lot.
Madara was probably telling the truth.
The other party had really come to steal secrets from Madara's mind.
"Who was it? Tell me quickly."
Ōnoki asked anxiously.
"Now you're panicking? Why not keep saying 'wait a moment'? And why didn't you continue chasing your beloved Chiyo?"
Madara mocked him with a sneer.
"Th-that…"
Ōnoki thought about it for a moment. He still couldn't abandon the "pursuing Chiyo" cover story.
After dealing with this current crisis, he still needed to remain wary of Uchiha Madara.
"Compared to my beloved, the safety of the ninja world is more important. If the ninja world disappears, then even if I win the heart of the one I love, where would we spend our peaceful old age?"
Ōnoki gave a perfectly reasonable explanation.
"Fine. Ōnoki, you're somewhat to my liking after all, so I'll tell you. The one who used genjutsu on me was someone I once chose as my proxy."
"Originally, I intended for him to assist me in carrying out the Infinite Tsukuyomi. But now it seems the brat has grown up. His ambitions have expanded, and he's no longer content with being merely a tool."
"Who is this person?"
Ōnoki hurriedly asked.
"That person is Uchiha Obito."
Madara sneered inwardly.
Since Obito had chosen betrayal, then Madara would show no mercy in return.
He was going to expose Obito directly and let the entire ninja world know of his existence.
Only then could people like Ōnoki specifically work to stop Obito from becoming the Ten-Tails' jinchūriki, buying Madara enough time to revive himself.
"Uchiha Obito? Who's that?"
Ōnoki's previously serious expression instantly turned puzzled.
"During the Third Great Ninja War, he was a young Uchiha who your Iwagakure shinobi nearly crushed to death using Earth Release: Rock Lodging Destruction." (Earth Style: Rock Breaker)
"..."
Even after Madara's explanation, Ōnoki still didn't recognize the name.
Too many people had died to that technique on the battlefield. How was he supposed to remember every single one?
(End of this chapter)