Chapter 214: Clan Head-sama, You Must Stand Up for Me
To prevent any tampering, the seal possessed a ruthless failsafe: if anyone attempted to forcibly gouge out this Rinnegan, the self-destruct mechanism woven into the formula would instantly activate. The eye would be completely obliterated, ensuring no one could claim its power.
In other words, if Uchiha Kou's deception had been exposed back then, even if Black Zetsu and his cohorts had located the Rinnegan, they would have been left empty-handed.
Orochimaru's raspy voice faded into the sterile air of the laboratory, leaving behind a heavy, stifling silence. Hiruzen Sarutobi stood motionless, his weathered face shadowed beneath the brim of his Hokage hat. He drew a long, slow breath from his pipe, the embers glowing a dull orange in the dim light.
Originally, the Third Hokage had fully intended for Orochimaru to break the seal and extract the Rinnegan. Leaving a dojutsu of such mythical caliber inside the fragile body of an ordinary little girl sat terribly with him. Since the eye had supposedly evolved from the Second Hokage's legacy anyway, the most logical course of action was to find a loyal, fully trained member of the Uchiha Clan, transplant the eye, and secure Konoha's military might.
But now? Extraction was impossible.
Hiruzen knew Stelle's Sealing Techniques all too well. Back in the day, that eccentric woman's absolute favorite pastime was researching obscure, highly dangerous seals. She didn't just study them; she obsessively drafted them onto countless scrolls. Heaven only knew what sweet words Uchiha Kou had fed her to acquire such an arsenal, but she had handed over a mountain of those sealing scrolls to him.
And now, it was painfully obvious that Uchiha Kou had dumped every single one of those formulas onto this single eye. Seals nested within seals, layered in a maddening, impenetrable web.
Black Zetsu and his shadowy group couldn't take it. But neither could Konoha.
The only silver lining in this frustrating ordeal was the sheer absurdity of the girl's luck. This child had wandered alone through the unforgiving Ninja World, somehow stumbling straight into Konoha's borders just as the Rinnegan manifested.
The Goddess of Luck truly favored the Hidden Leaf.
The embers in Hiruzen's pipe flared again, casting brief, dancing shadows against the hallway walls. In that fleeting moment, the Hokage's mind pivoted, formulating a new strategy.
"First, transfer her back to the hospital," Hiruzen ordered, his tone leaving no room for argument. "Set her up in the Intensive Care Unit. Station an Anbu detail outside the door; no unauthorized personnel are to come within ten paces. Tetsuya, I leave her physical recovery in your hands. And pay special attention to the burns on her face. You must heal them completely. We cannot allow a young girl to live with such scars."
"Rest assured, Hokage-sama. I will handle it personally," Senju Tetsuya replied, bowing his head respectfully.
Hiruzen turned on his heel, his robes swishing softly against the floor tiles as he exited the underground laboratory. He made his way back to the Hokage Building, the crisp air of the village doing little to cool his racing thoughts. Upon arriving at his office, he immediately summoned Uchiha Fugaku and Uchiha Kiyokazu.
Elder Kiyokazu had been directly responsible for locking down the incident zone, making his report crucial.
"Please set your mind at ease, Hokage-sama," the elderly Uchiha spoke, his posture rigid and formal. "Because I ordered the Patrol Team to quarantine the area the very second we arrived, our investigation is conclusive. Aside from our active Patrol members and the injured Genin, absolutely no one saw that child use the Rinnegan."
Hiruzen nodded slowly, the tension in his shoulders easing a fraction. This was the best possible outcome. Since he had already pivoted to a long-term plan—nurturing the girl to become a weapon for the village—secrecy was paramount. The fewer people who knew of her existence before she fully matured, the safer she, and Konoha, would be.
"And the boy who was found with her?" Hiruzen asked, his gaze shifting. "He is from your Uchiha Clan, is he not?"
"Yes, Hokage-sama."
Uchiha Fugaku stepped forward. Having only ascended to the position of Clan Head this year, he lacked the deep-rooted political maneuvering of Elder Kiyokazu, making this his first real opportunity to assert his authority in the meeting.
He paused, ensuring his voice carried the proper weight of a leader. "Please rest assured, Hokage-sama. Anticipating the sensitivity of the situation, I placed him under strict observation. Until I received your explicit instructions, I have forbidden him from having any contact with outsiders."
"Good. Come, let us go see him."
The sterile scent of antiseptic filled the hospital corridor as the group approached a secured room. Inside, Uchiha Obito was currently engaged in a fierce battle with his breakfast.
In a desperate bid to keep the loudmouthed brat quiet, Uchiha Youta had emptied his wallet to purchase a lavish, high-end morning meal. Unfortunately, the bribery was failing spectacularly. Obito was aggressively chewing a piece of premium tamagoyaki, his teeth grinding together so hard his jaw clicked. He glared daggers at Youta, his dark eyes burning with enough intensity to suggest he wanted to swallow the older Uchiha whole instead of the food.
The heavy wooden door swung open. The moment Obito spotted the imposing figure of the Clan Head stepping into the room, he practically launched himself out of his bed, pointing an accusing finger.
"Uncle Clan Head, you have to stand up for me!" Obito yelled, his voice echoing off the sterile walls. "Youta actually drugged me! He knocked me out cold! If he dares to lay a hand on a precious young sprout of our Uchiha Clan today, he'll dare to lay a hand on you, the Clan Head, tomorrow!"
The sheer weight of the treasonous accusation hit Uchiha Youta like a physical blow. His vision literally swam, and he waved his hands frantically, sweating bullets.
"I didn't do it on purpose!" Youta stammered, casting a terrified glance at Fugaku. "He was just being completely unreasonable! I had no other choice but to resort to drastic measures!"
It wasn't entirely Youta's fault. How could anyone expect a kid bursting with as much chaotic vitality as Obito to stay unconscious just from minor Chakra exhaustion? The boy had woken up practically bouncing off the walls mere minutes after being dumped in the hospital bed.
The very first words out of Obito's mouth upon waking were demands to see A-Mu.
Since Youta was under strict orders to isolate the boy, he had simply locked the hospital room door. This, predictably, went over like a lead balloon. Obito refused to listen to reason. No matter how much Youta tried to explain that it was for his own good, Obito's logic remained stubbornly simple: 'If everything is fine, why won't you let me see her?'
From there, the chaos escalated. Obito's first escape attempt involved trying to squeeze through the third-floor window. After being hauled back inside by his collar, he suddenly clutched his stomach, wailing about a severe ache and demanding to use the bathroom. The exact second the bathroom door clicked shut, the sound of a sliding window echoed out.
Youta was an Elite Chunin. He wasn't about to be outsmarted by a six-year-old's bathroom trick. He caught the boy dangling from the ledge and dragged him back in.
But children possessed a terrifyingly infinite well of rebellious energy. The more Obito was told he couldn't see A-Mu, the more desperately he fought to reach her. He threw pillows, knocked over chairs, and caused an absolute racket, eventually escalating into a messy, flailing physical brawl with his guard.
Youta was trapped. He couldn't actually strike the boy—Obito was a genius of their own clan, a prodigy who had awakened his Sharingan at the tender age of six. His potential was limitless. Utterly pushed to his breaking point, Youta had simply slipped a mild, side-effect-free sedative into Obito's water, finally buying himself a few hours of blessed silence.
Listening to Youta's frantic defense, Fugaku pinched the bridge of his nose, gaining a deep, exhausting new understanding of just how much of a headache this particular child could be.
"If you hadn't been blocking the door and refusing to let me find A-Mu, would I have caused any trouble?!" Obito fired back, entirely unrepentant. "It's completely your fault!"
He puffed out his chest, ready to launch into another tirade, but Fugaku cut him off with a stern look.
"Enough, Obito. Hokage-sama has something he needs to ask you. As for your other grievances, we will discuss them later."
Only then did Obito's gaze shift past his Clan Head. He blinked, suddenly realizing that the Third Hokage himself was standing right there in the room. The boy's bravado vanished instantly, replaced by a stiff, nervous posture. He quickly stood at attention.
"H-Hello, Hokage-sama," Obito stammered, swallowing hard. "Is there something you need from me?"
"Don't be nervous, child. Come, sit down and let's talk."
Hiruzen offered a warm, grandfatherly smile. He walked over and sat on the edge of the hospital bed, patting the mattress beside him.
Once Obito had obediently shuffled over and sat down, his hands gripping his knees, Hiruzen spoke in a soft, reassuring tone.
"Obito, are you and A-Mu good friends?"
"Of course!" Obito answered instantly, his previous nervousness evaporating at the mention of her name. "We are the best of friends! Better than anyone else!"
"I see. Then how exactly did you meet A-Mu?"
Like opening a floodgate, the question completely unleashed Obito's enthusiasm. He animatedly recounted the entire incident at the Jonin Training Ground, his hands waving in the air as he described how A-Mu had bravely stepped in to save him. He spent several minutes relentlessly praising her, bragging about how incredibly smart and amazing she was.
But as his story caught up to the events of the previous day, his bright expression faltered. A deep worry clouded his dark eyes.
"Hokage-sama," Obito pleaded, his voice dropping to an anxious whisper. "A-Mu didn't hurt that person on purpose yesterday. It was only because that bad guy wanted to kill both of us! She only fought back to protect me. Please don't blame her, okay? If... if someone absolutely has to be punished, then punish me! I'm tough! I'm not afraid of being punished!"
Hiruzen's smile widened, the wrinkles around his eyes softening with genuine warmth. He reached out with his large, calloused hand and gently patted the top of Obito's head.
"Do not worry yourself, Obito," the Hokage reassured him gently. "You are both good children, and good children should never be punished."
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