Kita had no idea about what was happening—or about to happen—in the village. Ever since she became an unofficial Akatsuki member, she had stopped interfering in village affairs. Occasionally, she was sent on missions only when the task truly required her, but over time, she hadn't taken on any village missions in the past three years.
Whether the ANBU were being formed or not, she wouldn't know and didn't care. Whether the guard squad caused trouble or which foolish idiots misbehaved in front of her—none of it concerned her. This made Kita's position in the village exceptionally awkward. People saw her as a non-human, beneath them, but no thug dared to act arrogant in her presence. They also saw her as a high-ranking unofficial Akatsuki member, yet still whispered contempt behind her back. If a commoner or ninja tried to bully someone, and Kita intervened, no one dared disobey. People either slunk away or left behind bitter words. Those she saved often looked at her with complex, conflicted gazes—resentment and gratitude mingled, as if avoiding a plague. Over time, although she didn't achieve the "everyone retreats at my approach" effect, Kita had certainly become someone people gave a wide berth.
Why do non-humans even exist?
It's not a difficult question. Non-humans have a long history, going back to a time before ninjas existed. It's hardly new: descendants of slave owners remained masters, descendants of slaves remained slaves. In ancient times, non-humans weren't as heavily oppressed. Kill seven non-humans, and you'd be executed—unlike now, when countless killings could go unpunished. Besides slaves' descendants, some were beggars, drifters, and other marginalized people. Humanity always found reasons to label certain humans as non-human. Whether through ruin, betrayal, or misfortune, once the mark of non-human was applied, and the iron collar fastened, you were cast into a foreign land. That label would remain for life, for all generations. You were non-human. Your descendants were non-human. Generation after generation, you were non-human.
Resistance, struggle, dignity, freedom—none of these existed. Once branded, you become black-and-white in others' eyes. Over time, your personality hardened: survive at all costs. Simple as that. Those non-humans who once clung to dignity were long gone. Those who remained, though once human, could only think as non-humans from then on. Low intelligence, ignorance—these were byproducts. They became no different from livestock, whose only understanding was survival.
This made the gap between humans and non-humans stark and absolute.
So, when a well-dressed, highly skilled, elegant non-human appeared in the human world—and this non-human had once saved you—it was genuinely confusing how one should regard them.
Kita's life was hard. And those who lived in the same village, breathed the same air, lived hard too.
That said, Kita had no knowledge of the village's coming events. She only knew that her study of the Four Symbols Seal was nearing completion.
"Finally! It's complete!!!"
Obito shouted, flailing in excitement. The moment the jutsu succeeded, he literally jumped for joy. Kita increasingly thought that this man, Uchiha Obito, had probably never really grown up. Not that I could shout like that anyway… she thought, too bad I'm mute.
"Nne-ne, to celebrate finally being done with these things, let's go eat some red bean cakes!"
A good idea—but Kita wasn't exactly comfortable showing too much closeness in front of Akatsuki members.
—Fine. Go ahead. Though… don't you technically not eat anything?
"I don't eat, but I can enjoy eating!" Obito declared righteously, grabbing Kita's arm. "Let's go, it's on me!" In the next moment, Kamui had already activated, and Kita barely had a chance to resist before she found herself in a village dessert shop. The sudden arrival of Obito and Kita clearly startled the shop owner. When the owner looked at Kita, the look of disgust could have pierced her spine, especially since Obito was still holding her arm, completely oblivious.
"Boss, red bean cakes, red bean dumplings, red bean soup balls, red bean pastries, red bean pudding—double portions for all!" Obito's actions always outpaced his thoughts—a conclusion Kita had drawn after brief experience with him.
"小Kita, I'll tell you, red beans are—"
The sentence abruptly ended as Kita knelt and stepped back, bowing and retreating out of Obito's line of sight before turning toward home.
A faint sigh escaped her. Frustration was evident. Obito's impulsive nature, calling her "Kita," and his actions were far from appropriate. How did I not notice this when he was pretending to be Madara? she thought.
True, back then he had tried to kill her regardless of Nagato's opinion. He hadn't considered that the Rinnegan and Geto Statue were with Nagato—if they left him because she died, what then?
One minute ago, he was jumping for joy at finishing his seal studies. Now, Kita's kneeling retreat snapped Obito back to reality. In that moment, he realized the harsh reality: the shop owner's complex gaze, the patrons' shock, disgust, and awe—it all became painfully clear.
He knew the life of non-humans, the treatment they received. He had watched a human child crush a non-human mother's baby. That scene was vivid in his memory. Back then, to prove the world was hell, Obito had watched helplessly. Now he stood with a non-human—Kita—and the result was her bowing and retreating. It seemed this was the first time Kita had shared a frame with a man in the Akatsuki cloak publicly.
Obito had never thought less of Kita. She was his equal in many ways, capable of wearing him down. She was the woman who had uncovered everything about Uchiha Madara. Even when he was Madara, he had never felt contempt toward her. Now, after years of friction, they shared not just rivalry but mutual respect. So, when Kita cried during that one team-building day, it had been entirely genuine, and his nickname for her, "Kita," was equally sincere.
Now, patrons stared in awe, illustrating the world's cruel reality. Obito felt tears welling up. He remembered the temple, the traveler, the infant thrown. The desperate mother, the bloodied forehead…
"BAM."
Blood spattered the floor, bright red.
Obito longed to go back, to save that child, to stop the action.
"What are you looking at?! Kita, what's wrong?! What did she do?! What did they do?! Why can't you accept this?!!"
A roar from the depths of his heart, tears streaming down his face.
No one answered—patrons, the owner, mothers holding children, husbands—no one dared speak to a man in the Akatsuki cloak.
"Speak! Did she kill your family?! Did she hurt you?!! Huh?!!"
The answer: no.
Obito's ferocity scared children to tears, and the already tense atmosphere collapsed entirely. Some fled, some hid, leaving only him standing in the warm, decorated shop. The world felt utterly meaningless.
He grabbed a long bench and smashed it against the clean wooden table, thinking of Kita's kneeling, the infant in a pool of blood, the mother's shattered head, and himself leaning on the beam all those years ago, watching silently.
—Forgive me… please, spare my child… please… please…
—Wah, mama… wah, mama…
—Forgive me… spare my child… please… I have only one child…
"BAM!"
The violent act abruptly ended. Obito had hoped he'd caught the child, and stopped the throw…
"What are you doing?"
Pain's cold voice froze him, halting the motion. The smashed bench clattered to the floor. The trembling patrons scurried away. Some watched from afar, some peered timidly. Obito wiped his tears and faced the one he had wronged, seriously speaking:
"Rinnegan… Nagato… let's execute the Eye of the Moon Plan together. I won't be the Ten-Tails' jinchūriki. You take it; I'll give you my eyes. Let's do it together."
Pain asked, "What are you saying?"
Obito feigned surprise, as if it was impossible that Pain would ask.
"See?! This world is hell!" Obito pointed at the void, voice both incredulous and tragic.
"Do you realize what happened?! Kita knelt to me! She's my equal; she's the woman who can wear me down, the woman I couldn't kill in five years! We're enemies, rivals, friends—but what are these people? Huh?! What do they even matter?! What did Kita do wrong?! She's protecting them desperately—why must she be treated this way? Unfair, isn't it?!"
When has this world ever been fair?
Pain clenched his fists and struck Obito hard in the face.
"!"
The blow landed solidly, grounding him. Pain said,
"Fool, what do you know about Kita?"
Obito wiped the blood from his lips, stood stubbornly, and shouted what he had longed to:
"I know she's desperately protecting this village. For that alone, she shouldn't face such coldness! They've done nothing wrong. They don't deserve this treatment."
Righteous indignation, justice unyielding.
Pain recalled Kita's words: Obito didn't belong in Akatsuki. His world was black and white. Making him grow up would be exhausting.
Indeed, Kita had been right again.
Pain sighed, utterly drained.
…
━━━━ ❖ ━━━
If you're enjoying the journey so far and want to read ahead, you can check out 50+ advance chapters on Patreon: Patreon.com/Crimson_Lore
Every 100 Power Stones = 1 Extra Chapter
Add to Library!