Chapter 53: Kakashi and Obito – The Three-Tails' Chakra?
The Land of Water—under the moonlight, the heavy mist gave the night an especially dreamlike and disorienting quality.
In the Hidden Mist Village, the thick blanket of darkness had caused all shops to close early. Even the lights on the streets had quietly gone out.
Only the faint whisper of the wind stirred within the village—everything felt eerily still.
Whoosh, whoosh, whoosh—
Suddenly, dark figures darted across the once-silent streets.
These shadows, silent as ghosts, moved stealthily through the thick fog, all heading toward the Mizukage Building.
Woooo—
Moments later, the sharp wail of sirens shattered the village's silence.
It was as if the alarms had sounded the beginning of chaos.
"Enemy attack! We're under attack!"
"They've started a rebellion! Protect the Mizukage!"
"Idiot! The Mizukage is the real curse on this village!"
At that moment, the village exploded with screams and curses. Explosive tags and ninjutsu roared across the area, blending with the piercing alarm into a cacophony of madness.
"...Truly terrifying."
Hidden in the shadows, Jiraiya watched the chaos unfold, swallowing hard.
Although he had intel that Mist Village was on the verge of internal collapse, seeing it with his own eyes left him speechless.
He had witnessed war before—but a full-blown riot within a village? This was a first.
Even Kakashi, who had once been dragged into a plot to assassinate the Hokage, had never seen something like this.
The Mist shinobi had lost all reason, attacking one another as if they were lifelong enemies, not former comrades.
And the scale of this conflict... was no less than a full-scale war.
"Tch. If only they'd had this fire back then, maybe things wouldn't have turned out like this for me."
Zabuza's eyes were distant and filled with mixed emotions. He had once launched a rebellion himself—one that ended in failure.
What was unfolding before him now... was the very scene he had dreamed of.
But he quickly snapped back to reality. This "spectacle" belonged to others. He had nothing.
And right now, his life was still in someone else's hands.
"What exactly are you planning?"
Zabuza raised his head, eyeing Jiraiya and the others as he asked in a low voice.
"I've already led you into the Land of Water. And I got you into the village too. So now what?
If you're planning to kill me, at least make it quick.
I may not want to die, but I'm not afraid of it either. Honestly? Seeing things fall apart like this… I'm satisfied."
Beside him, Haku looked up as well, eyes full of worry and wariness.
Though the Konoha shinobi hadn't mistreated them, Haku had been part of the ANBU before—he knew how the darker side of Konoha operated.
"Gen, are you able to pinpoint the curse seal's location now?"
Jiraiya ignored the two and turned to Kitagawa Gen, speaking in a hushed voice. Kakashi leaned in too.
"I can."
Gen nodded, raising a finger to point ahead.
"Before, we were too far—I could only sense it vaguely. But now, I can locate it precisely. It's just over there."
"There?"
Kakashi followed Gen's gaze, then turned toward Zabuza.
"What's over in that direction?"
"Tch…"
Zabuza scoffed but still looked where they indicated. His brows furrowed briefly before curling into a cold smirk.
"That place? That's one of the ANBU's bases. If I'm not mistaken, it belongs to that fat bastard Fuguki Suikazan."
Suikazan Fuguki?
Gen's expression shifted at the name. He suddenly turned to stare at Zabuza.
For some reason, that look sent a shiver down Zabuza's spine…
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"Only someone who has carried out so many dirty missions for the village and was ultimately betrayed could truly understand—this world is nothing but a lie."
Chaos had already erupted within Kirigakure, and deep within the underground base of the ANBU, Kisame Hoshigaki had just finished off Fuguki Suikazan.
Just as he was about to leave, however, he was stopped by the Fourth Mizukage.
Kisame braced himself for yet another brutal battle—but to his surprise, the Mizukage didn't attack. In fact, he seemed to agree with Kisame's actions. His words, unexpectedly, struck a chord.
"When I killed my comrades, I realized it too."
Kisame's voice was low, but his eyes were tinged with red.
"A shinobi of the Mist, forced to kill fellow Mist shinobi—what does that make me? An ally? An enemy? What is my purpose? Where do I stand?"
"Where am I going? Where can I find peace? The only thing I know for sure… is that I'm a lie."
"Then allow me to free you from the pain of this falsehood. Let me build a place where you truly belong."
At that moment, a voice suddenly echoed from behind the Fourth Mizukage. It was clearly different from the Mizukage's.
"Who's there?"
Kisame's expression changed instantly. His hand instinctively reached for the hilt of Samehada.
"We'll start with this nation."
A shadow slowly stepped out from behind the Mizukage. His face remained hidden in darkness, but he didn't seem concerned about Kisame's guarded stance.
"You've fought all this time for the sake of killing your comrades. Let it all begin here."
"Begin here…"
Kisame narrowed his eyes. His expression grew strange—but deep inside, something stirred. He had chosen this moment to act precisely because of the strange currents within the village.
Was all of this… part of a plan?
Still, he forced his attention back to the mysterious figure before him.
"You seem to trust me… yet I don't even know who you are."
The figure didn't answer. Instead, he slowly opened his eyes—glowing crimson, like a beacon within the shadows.
"Eyes that shine in the darkness…"
In that instant, Kisame seemed to understand.
"I see now. I always thought it was the Mizukage acting on his own… but it was you all along. You've been controlling him with your Sharingan this whole time…"
Kisame suddenly laughed.
"This world truly is full of lies. The power to manipulate the Fourth—the Jinchūriki of the Three-Tails—you must be an Uchiha…"
Boom—!
Before Kisame could finish, the wall beside them exploded violently!
Three figures rushed in through the debris, their eyes scanning the room—only to fixate on the man in the shadows.
"We finally found you… Uchiha Obito!"
"..."
Kisame blinked. Obito?
Who the hell is that?
Wasn't this guy Uchiha Madara?
Obito's face darkened. He had already recognized the intruders.
Jiraiya… that damned brat from before… and—
"Kakashi…"
He couldn't believe it. Why now? Why did they have to show up now, of all times?
Ever since he ran into that damned kid, it felt like his luck had gone straight to hell.
"Obito…"
Kakashi's gaze locked onto him. After a long pause, he spoke softly.
"Is it really you?"
Obito was silent. He wanted to curse, but the words that came out were different.
"Kakashi… you're still the same useless fool. What a disappointment."
"Why?"
Kakashi took a deep breath, his voice trembling with pain.
"If you were alive all this time… why didn't you return to the village? Why did you become like this?"
"Does it even matter?"
Obito spread his arms, his tone indifferent.
"If you want a reason, fine— Rin's death. Is that good enough for you?"
With just that one sentence, Kakashi's breathing grew heavy.
Kisame stood on edge, both alert and intrigued. Jiraiya sighed inwardly. But Kitagawa Gen—he was staring intently at the Fourth Mizukage, whose blank expression resembled that of a puppet.
Because in that Mizukage… he sensed the same feeling he had when he first met Naruto.
"Three-Tails' chakra, huh…"
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