Chapter 447: Obito Eavesdrops
"What?! Granny Chiyo lost her memory?!"
Onoki couldn't help revealing a look of delight.
Something this good could actually happen?
If Granny Chiyo had lost her memory, didn't that mean she had forgotten how to use One's Own Life Reincarnation? Madara's entire scheme would collapse on the spot.
Unbelievable.
He had just spent so much effort trying to persuade Chiyo, only for her to remain unmoved. Yet now the problem has solved itself without any effort at all.
This was fate.
Fate itself was standing against Uchiha Madara!
"What are you laughing at, Onoki? You bastard! Hearing that Granny Chiyo got hurt and lost her memory makes you happy, huh?"
"I get it now. Before, Chiyo rejected you completely, so you were just some stray mutt on the roadside with no chance at all. But now that she's lost her memory, you think you can take advantage of the situation, right?!"
"No wonder you're grinning so creepily, you old dog! As the Tsuchikage, even your pursuit of the woman you like relies on such filthy, shameless methods. Truly worthy of you, Onoki!"
Roshi immediately launched into another barrage of insults.
Onoki was cursed out so thoroughly that the smile on his face froze stiff.
The worst part was that he couldn't even explain why he had smiled. Madara was standing right beside him, so all he could do was silently endure the abuse while secretly glancing at Madara from the corner of his eye.
Sure enough, Madara's expression looked terrible.
The moment Madara learned that Granny Chiyo had lost her memory, his mood instantly hit rock bottom.
He had finally been close to convincing Granny Chiyo with his "revive him first, then he will revive them later" strategy. And now she has amnesia.
"Why not have a medical ninja treat her?"
Madara asked in a deep voice.
"We already consulted them. That was actually the medical ninja's recommendation."
Sarutobi Hiruzen answered instantly.
"Granny Chiyo's memory loss was caused by severe emotional trauma. The damaged area is the brain, the body's most delicate and complex part. Ordinary medical ninjutsu can't treat it."
Otherwise, one careless mistake could worsen her condition. She might even end up in a vegetative state. That's why the medical ninja recommended a gentler approach—letting Granny Chiyo rest and recover peacefully, relying on the body's own natural healing abilities. Maybe one day the damage will repair itself on its own."
As expected of the "Professor" of the ninja world, Sarutobi Hiruzen may not have specialized in medical ninjutsu, but he still possessed extensive knowledge in the field. The lie he fabricated was flawless, completely trapping Madara.
"..."
Madara said nothing further.
He didn't ask questions like, "When will she recover?" or "What are the chances of recovery?"
Because he already knew the answer.
If there were any certainty at all, the atmosphere wouldn't be like this right now.
It was unbearable.
Even if he managed to stop Obito now, his future plans would still be impossible to continue.
And according to the intelligence Madara had gathered over the past few days, One's Own Life Reincarnation was a technique that consumed both life force and chakra.
Even if Chiyo were assassinated and then revived through Impure World Reincarnation, recovering her memories would be meaningless—she still wouldn't be able to use One's Own Life Reincarnation.
Impure World Reincarnation bodies didn't possess life force.
Just like Impure World Nagato, who had the Rinnegan and chakra, yet still couldn't use Rinne-rebirth.
Hm?
"Onoki... you've been sneaking glances at me, haven't you?"
Madara noticed Onoki's gaze and frowned.
"I—"
"Onoki, you mongrel. Having disgusting thoughts yourself is one thing, but now you're judging a gentleman by your own petty standards and assuming Uchiha Madara would also try taking advantage of the situation like you would?"
With that single insult from Roshi, Madara's suspicion was successfully dispelled.
"Onoki, I look down on you. Biwako has been dead for more than ten years, yet I still conduct myself honorably. But you're running around like some crazed dog in heat, trying every shameless trick to get close to Granny Chiyo."
Sarutobi Hiruzen also joined in condemning Onoki.
"Fine, fine! I'm shameless, I'm disgusting, I admit it already! Stop talking and move aside so we can leave first!"
Onoki finally couldn't endure it anymore and simply accepted every accusation.
Right now, every second mattered.
One step too late, and Uchiha Obito might succeed, putting the entire ninja world in danger.
And so, Onoki and Uchiha Madara were transported to Amegakure first through the Flying Thunder Formation.
After the Flying Thunder Formation squad returned, they followed Sarutobi Hiruzen and Roshi toward the desert outside the village to transfer Granny Chiyo to Kirigakure for her vacation.
Meanwhile.
In the Land of Rain.
Inside a mountain cave's stone chamber that no sensory ninjutsu could detect whatsoever, specifically because Konan had covered the exterior with layers of paper using her Paper Person of God Technique, the same concealment method she had once used in the original story to hide Nagato from detection.
Uchiha Obito, who had been suspected by both Uchiha Madara and Onoki of using genjutsu and whose plan was already on the verge of success, lay on a cold, hard bed with his eyes tightly shut.
The room was completely empty aside from the bed and the person lying on it.
But in reality, this seemingly plain stone bed was a specially designed real-time body monitoring device created by Orochimaru. Countless wires extended beneath it, all connected to the monitoring room next door.
Inside the monitoring room, people constantly observed Obito's physical condition, making sure they could act the instant he awakened.
Shiromo felt somewhat speechless at the moment.
Truthfully, he didn't really care what Obito's final fate would be.
But after learning the final version of the plan everyone had discussed, he couldn't shake the feeling that everyone involved, including Nohara Rin, was essentially driving Obito into a dead end.
Then again, maybe this was simply the ninja world's special method of "redemption." If someone wanted to be redeemed, they first had to confront every failure and sin of their past.
Otherwise, the redemption wouldn't be "pure" enough.
Shiromo felt he needed to adjust his way of thinking. He couldn't keep using his own worldview to judge the affairs of the ninja world.
Otherwise, he would only head further and further in the wrong direction.
"He's waking up! He's about to wake up!"
"Rin, we're leaving it to you all! Let them go first, then you go in afterward!"
The moment the red warning light lit up, Konan immediately turned toward Nohara Rin and the others beside her.
"Mm, leave it to me."
Rin nodded firmly and rushed out carrying a medical kit.
The rest of the "supporting actor squad" followed behind her.
The two locations were only separated by a few steps, so Rin and the others quickly arrived at the stone chamber where Obito was lying.
After learning the story behind the Akatsuki, Rin was more than willing to assist Konan.
The Akatsuki had originally been founded with such bright ideals and positive intentions, only for her teammate Obito to drag it into darkness. Yet Obito still talked endlessly about how dark the ninja world was—to the very organization he himself had ruined.
It wasn't Obito who destroyed the Akatsuki. No, according to him, it was the chaotic era itself that destroyed the Akatsuki.
And not only the Akatsuki—even Rin's own death was selectively blamed on the cruel era instead of himself.
No matter what happened, it was always "the world's fault."
That mentality had turned Obito into the ultimate anti-human, anti-world supervillain.
Now, she had to use the cruelest method possible to force this supervillain to wake up and face reality.
As for the "supporting actor squad," they were simply here for entertainment.
"Rin-nee, why is he helping Uchiha Madara instead of helping Konoha?"
Hyuga Hanabi, one of the "supporting actors," asked an innocent question from the doorway.
At this moment, Obito had already awakened, but he remained motionless, continuing to lie flat on the bed.
"Maybe because Uchiha Madara was the one who truly invested himself in Obito."
After thinking for a moment, Rin answered.
(End of this chapter)