Kita learned about this while assisting Konan. Shigure had been busy lately with public works, leaving little time to "serve" Konan personally, so Kita, with free time at home, became Konan's helper. It wasn't about serving tea or fetching water—it was about temporarily taking over as Anbu leader, managing the daily affairs of the Anbu in Shigure's absence. When Obito came to tell her about the matter, Konan was naturally present, using the opportunity to slack off.
"I just don't get it. Why's it so messy back in Konoha?" Obito grumbled, recently inflamed by Konoha's affairs, his swearing frequency unusually high.
Konan munched on sunflower seeds, enjoying the humor, and reminded him casually, "Keep your swearing private. Don't curse while dressed like that. You do understand the image, right?"
"Tch, look at you, making sarcastic remarks." Obito complained, clearly annoyed by Konan's jab. Konan, however, didn't mind, calmly pouring herself a cup of tea to soothe her dry mouth from the seeds, and said, "If I were being sarcastic, I'd kick you out."
Kita smiled, pouring herself a cup and one for Obito as well. "Want me to apologize for causing all that chaos in your Konoha?"
A joke, of course. Obito waved his hand irritably. "Konoha and all its mess… just keeps giving me headaches."
Even after defecting from Konoha, for Obito, the village remained an inseparable part of him. No matter how dark or contradictory it was, just like Itachi said, Uchiha Itachi was still the Konoha Uchiha.
Kita thought, seeing Obito's irritation, that perhaps a little comfort was in order.
"Humans… desires never end, Obito. Things here aren't like Konoha." She pointed at Konan. "Besides, who could really stir up trouble with this little devil around?"
Konan pouted, flicking a sunflower seed shell at Kita. "Are you complimenting me or insulting me?"
Kita laughed. "Complimenting."
Obito felt wounded. "My chest is so heavy… I come here looking for relief, and you two just flaunt your closeness?"
"Heh," Kita smiled, shaking her head. Then she added thoughtfully, "Konoha is different from Amegakure. Amegakure isn't built on clans, but Konoha is. Clans, villages… there aren't many like Itachi who aren't bound by their clan. The relationships between clans influence the next generation. Remember the Uchiha incident? A clan's destruction didn't just reduce combat strength—it bred suspicion between clans and between clans and the village. That creates distance."
Kita spoke eloquently. Obito found her words convincing, while Konan's expression was pure admiration. She pinched Kita's cheek playfully. "Amazing, Kita. You can see all this so clearly. Weren't you supposedly uninterested in these things?"
Indeed, she wasn't interested… but lately, she was quite idle.
Obito mulled over Kita's words, thinking about how to address the clan-based structure long-term, and asked, "So… this problem can't be solved?"
"You mean clans acting independently?" Kita replied.
"Yeah, what else?" Obito asked bluntly. Kita shrugged. "Are you planning to go help Konoha fix it?"
The question froze Obito. He had long defected and had no intention of returning. He didn't care what became of Konoha. Even years ago, knowing of Orochimaru's attack, he hadn't cared. If the village were destroyed, he might be upset for a few days, but revenge? No. And his childhood dream of becoming Hokage to end wars? Long gone. He now understood many of the wars were Konoha's own doing. That boy who dreamed of being Hokage had a purpose, unlike him—left with nothing.
Obito sighed and spoke honestly. "I don't know… I just feel like I see some truths, and it's… uncomfortable."
It was indeed uncomfortable. Discovering all the rights and wrongs felt like a stone pressing against his chest—hard to breathe, yet not suffocating.
Konan finished a handful of seeds, casually tossing another into her hand.
"Yeah, I know that feeling. When ideals are shattered, it's like this."
Her words weren't comforting. If they were, she would have looked Obito in the eyes; she wouldn't have munched seeds while saying it.
"Back when we admired Hanzo, he was so imposing. We even got to name my teacher. Gosh, we worshiped him. Later… you know. Ah, don't remind me of that idol-crushed feeling. I never want to remember it again."
Kita raised an eyebrow, glancing at Konan. "You admired Hanzo?"
"Childish history, not worth mentioning. I was small then. He protected some Amegakure ninjas… sigh, too complicated."
Kita chuckled, clearly a mocking laugh.
Obito sipped his tea, pondering whether this was truly the feeling of shattered ideals. Half a cup later, he decided it was.
"Come on, tell me about the open and hidden struggles here. Let me balance this frustration in my heart. You've led the Amegakure ninjas for years—you've got dirt. Spill it."
Obito sought gossip, directing the request at Konan. She didn't resist, blinking thoughtfully as she considered her years in charge, then replied with relish:
"Shigure always bullies me. He takes advantage of my favoritism, forcing me to work every day!"
The Anbu hidden nearby cracked up. Konan's eyes darted, continuing, "And these four, following me around like tails—annoying! Forget this month's pay."
The Anbu stopped laughing, now whimpering.
Kita chuckled, tilting her head. "Pain said only shared suffering allows understanding. Why don't you understand? Four of them follow you around annoyingly, but those same four following me—can you handle it?"
"Huh? What? Didn't hear you~" Konan feigned ignorance.
Obito felt extremely conflicted.
"Hey, you two… can you stop showing off? I came for comfort, not to be tortured."
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