Chapter 20: Obito's Recruitment
In the forests of the Fire Kingdom—
Tap tap tap…
More than a hundred Uchiha clan members walked steadily through the dense woods. At the front stood the third elder, Uchiha Takuya.
Ever since he witnessed the "future" through Kaien's illusion, he had been completely convinced by Kaien's vision. He had voluntarily chosen to support this group of Uchiha who were fleeing the village. Although Itachi was a powerful fighter, he was still young and lacked experience in many areas. Takuya believed his assistance would provide the needed stability and guidance.
Among the more than one hundred Uchiha traveling together, most belonged to the Hawk Faction. A few others had special talents or unique capabilities. All of them had been personally selected by Uchiha Kaien, and their minds had already been altered by Shisui, making them loyal followers who would now fight for the Uchiha's future without hesitation.
These Uchiha were all trained ninjas—mostly Chūnin, with a few Jōnin and Genin. This group represented nearly half of the entire clan's combat strength. The rest—around a thousand civilians and their families—had not come along. First, they needed to establish a strong foothold outside the village before considering relocation.
Whether the Uchiha remained in the village or chose to leave, both groups had their reasons and burdens to carry.
Just then, a figure landed beside Itachi and handed him a stick of three-colored dango.
Without showing any emotion, Itachi took the skewer.
"You didn't have to come" he said.
Though his tone was cold, he still placed one of the dumplings in his mouth.
Uchiha Izumi smiled faintly.
"If you're not around, who else would eat these with me by the river?"
Ever since that night when Itachi had invited her, Izumi had finally come to understand his feelings. In the end, before she even knew the full truth, she gave up everything and chose to stay by his side.
The Uchiha nearby, sensing the moment, gave the two some space and quietly dispersed.
Itachi remained silent, his expression softening slightly.
After a moment, he gave a rare chuckle.
"Senior Kaien's plans include some interesting new dishes. I'll treat you to them once they're ready."
Izumi's eyes sparkled, her gaze fixed only on Itachi.
Their journey was long and draining. Their destination was the small Land of Fields, a minor country on Konoha's border. There, a hidden village awaited them—Otogakure, the Sound Village.
The others selected by Kaien were traveling via different methods—they didn't all have the strength to make the journey on foot.
Suddenly, Itachi sensed something.
"Stop!" he ordered, raising his hand in a clenched fist.
The entire group froze behind him.
Up ahead, the air distorted. A swirling vortex formed, and from it emerged a masked man, appearing as if from thin air.
Itachi narrowed his eyes.
"You're the one who's been lurking around the shrine, aren't you?"
Obito gave a faint smile.
"I didn't expect you to be so perceptive. Did you notice me back then?"
Itachi's expression remained cold and distant—unfazed, emotionless.
He gestured with a wave of his hand. The other Uchiha continued walking past them in silence.
Now, only Itachi and Obito remained.
Obito didn't stop them. His objective was clear—he came for Itachi.
Recruiting Itachi would make his plans much easier.
"I heard what happened to Shisui," Obito began. "Konoha is already rotting from the inside. It's no longer a place worthy of your loyalty."
Itachi didn't respond.
Obito was a bit surprised at his silence but continued nonetheless.
"Join our organization. The future of the ninja world—"
"Uchiha Madara!" Itachi suddenly shouted.
Obito was stunned by the outburst. The moment he looked at Itachi—
Tsukuyomi.
Without hesitation, Itachi activated his ultimate technique.
The surge of Mangekyō Sharingan power enveloped Obito, dragging him into a world of black, white, and red—the world of Tsukuyomi.
Tied and bound, Obito looked at Itachi calmly.
"So you mistook me for Madara, huh?" he said, unbothered.
Itachi didn't reply. He raised a blade and struck.
Clang.
Obito scoffed coldly. He activated his own Mangekyō power, trying to shatter the illusion.
But the illusion only trembled slightly—then stabilized.
Obito's eyes widened.
The knife plunged into him again. Pain ripped through him. But the illusion held firm.
He returned to the stake. Another stab.
This was Itachi's Mangekyō Sharingan power—Tsukuyomi—at its fullest. Obito, despite his powerful will, was still tortured within for seven days.
Eventually, his Sharingan downgraded from Mangekyō to the basic three-tomoe form.
Then, even the tomoe disappeared.
When Obito finally escaped the illusion world, his body was trembling and vulnerable.
And before he could react, a kunai pierced his throat.
His form flickered and vanished.
"Ambitious fool…" Itachi muttered.
He wasn't surprised. He had expected a substitution technique.
Suddenly, he stumbled, covering his eye with one hand, barely able to stand.
Drip… drip…
Blood-tears ran down his cheek.
The intense stinging in his eyes persisted until the Uchiha group rushed back toward him.
Izumi rushed to his side and began treating him with a worried expression while the others stood guard.
After a while, the pain eased slightly, and Itachi was able to stand again.
"We can't stay here any longer. Let's move."
———
Kaien had already revealed Obito's secrets to Itachi.
So today, Itachi had poured all of his eye power into Tsukuyomi, with the sole goal of forcing Obito out of his Sharingan state.
Itachi knew Obito was the one who manipulated the Nine-Tails, making Konoha suspicious of the Uchiha.
In the future that Kaien showed him, Sasuke's death was also tied to Obito.
Itachi's hatred toward Obito ran deep.
His illusion today was an all-in, desperate strike.
Fortunately, it worked.
Obito liked pretending to be Uchiha Madara?
Then, let him bear the consequences.
Today was a hard-earned lesson for Obito.
And from now on, Obito would no longer see Itachi as someone he could manipulate.
Because Itachi was no longer alone—he now had over a hundred loyal Uchiha by his side, including Izumi.
———
Inside the Kamui dimension—
Obito stood up, his hand covering his eye.
"You look like you suffered a loss," came a slow, whispery voice.
A figure spread out like dark leaves—Black Zetsu.
When Obito removed his mask, his left Sharingan had turned dull gray—its light gone.
Black Zetsu's eyes widened.
"You even used Izanagi? Is Itachi really that strong?"
Izanagi—the forbidden Uchiha technique that rewrites fate at the cost of losing a Sharingan's light.
Obito's time-space ninjutsu, Kamui, gave him overwhelming advantages against ninjutsu and taijutsu.
But he had one fatal weakness—he couldn't defend against genjutsu.
That's why, in the early days, Obito had avoided taking major risks.
Only after Itachi, Shisui, and Fugaku were gone did Obito finally feel confident to move freely. Without Mangekyō users, no one could threaten him with illusions.
Sasuke, while powerful, specialized in ninjutsu—not illusions.
And now, today—it had only been the beginning of the conversation, and he was already ambushed.
It had to be said—Itachi's illusion completely restrained him.
Obito clenched his fists.
"It was just a momentary lapse."
He removed the now-useless eye.
"Good thing Itachi doesn't know about Izanagi. Otherwise, it could've been dangerous."
"He didn't agree to join you?" Black Zetsu asked.
Obito shook his head.
"I thought he was different. Turns out he's just another Uchiha lunatic. Attacked me without a word."
He sounded frustrated. After all, each Sharingan used meant one less in his stockpile.
...And aren't you a lunatic too? Black Zetsu thought silently.
"Will you go after Itachi again?"
Obito exhaled slowly.
"No. Let him go. It's better that he left Konoha anyway. Without him there, it'll be easier for us to capture the Nine-Tails later''
…
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Translated By – Ancient Lores
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