Chapter 20: Chapter 20. Obito’s Recruitment
In the dense forest of the Land of Fire, the rhythmic sound of footsteps echoed through the air.
Tap, tap, tap...
A procession of over a hundred Uchiha clan members made their way through the woods, leading the group was the third elder. Ever since glimpsing the future in Natsuki's vision, he had been convinced by his perspective and willingly volunteered to assist the Uchiha group in their escape.
While Itachi possessed formidable combat abilities, he lacked experience in many aspects. Having the elder's assistance provided an extra layer of security.
The majority of the more than one hundred Uchiha clan members belonged to the Eagle Faction, with a few others possessing unique talents.
Carefully selected by Natsuki and having their minds subtly influenced by Shisui's Kotoamatsukami, these Uchiha were now dedicated to supporting Natsuki and fighting for the future of their clan.
Comprising mainly chunin, with a few jounin and genin among them, this group represented nearly half of the entire clan's combat strength.
The remaining Uchiha members—close to a thousand civilians and their families—had chosen to stay behind, needing to establish a stable foundation before considering relocating their loved ones.
Whether within the village or on this journey, the challenges faced by both factions of the Uchiha were significant.
A figure swiftly joined Itachi's side, presenting him with a bunch of dangos.
Itachi accepted them with his usual stoicism, stating, "You don't need to come with me."
Despite his cold tone, he consumed the dango handed to him.
Izumi, standing nearby, wore a subtle smile. "If you leave, no one will accompany me to eat dango by the river."
Since the night Itachi extended the invitation, she finally comprehended Itachi's intentions and decided to leave everything behind, following Itachi.
The other Uchiha present seemed to give them some space, subtly expanding the distance between them.
Itachi remained silent for a while, his expression undergoing a subtle change. Eventually, he chuckled, "The plan includes many new delicacies. Once they're prepared, I'll invite you to try them."
Izumi responded with a sweet smile, her gaze fixed on Itachi.
Despite the challenges of the journey, Itachi and the others were headed to their destination, on the outskirts of Konoha, where boarded the Sound Ninja Village.
As the group proceeded, Itachi appeared to sense something amiss. Abruptly, he commanded, "Stop!" and clenched his fist.
All the tribesmen behind them halted.
In the open space ahead, space distorted, and a vortex materialized, revealing a masked ninja who appeared out of thin air.
Itachi regarded him warily.
"You are the one wandering around the shrine, right?"
Obito smiled softly. "I didn't expect you to be so perceptive. Did you notice me by then?"
Itachi's response was cold, devoid of enthusiasm or panic, maintaining a distant demeanor.
He gestured behind him, and the other Uchihas silently passed by the two of them, continuing their travel forward.
Left alone, Itachi and Obito faced each other. Obito did not attempt to stop the others. His primary objective was Itachi. Recruiting him would make it much easier to achieve his goals.
"I heard about Shisui. Konoha has long been decayed, and staying there is not a good choice for you."
Itachi remained silent, showing no inclination to engage in conversation.
Obito's reaction to Itachi was peculiar, but he continued, "Join our organization, the future of the ninja world..."
"Uchiha Madara!" Itachi exclaimed.
Obito was taken aback. Why did Itachi suddenly shout? At that moment he looked at Itachi—
"Tsukuyomi!"
There was no trick, only an immediate deployment of full strength! The powerful power of the Mangekyo Sharingan surged forth.
Obito's expression changed as he found himself in a world where black, white, and red converged, trapped by Tsukuyomi.
"Itachi, how do you know me?"
Despite being bound, Obito posed the question with a cold expression. He didn't appear surprised to be under a genjutsu; instead, he found it somewhat intriguing that Itachi recognized him as Madara.
Itachi stood before him in silence, knife in hand, poised to strike.
Obito snorted coldly, the power of his Mangekyo Sharingan exploded with full force.
However, the illusion only trembled for a moment and then returned to normal, much to Obito's surprise.
A knife pierced his body, and Obito felt intense pain. Yet, the environment remained intact.
He opened his eyes and found himself back at the stake. Another stab...
This was the ocular technique of Itachi's Mangekyo Sharingan!?
"Tsk, another stab," Obito grunted, his mental energy rapidly depleting.
It must be acknowledged that Obito's mental power was remarkably resilient. Enduring seven days of torment in the fantasy world, he still stood firm.
However, due to the mental power consumption, his Sharingan exited the mangekyo state and shifted into the three-tomoe form.
It reverted from the three-tomoe form and exited the Sharingan state once more.
Just as Obito had just escaped the Tsukuyomi World and before he could recover his composure, a kunai was thrust into his throat.
"Ambitionist..." Obito's body vanished from the ground in an instant.
Itachi gazed at the vanished body of Obito without any surprise.
Well...
Itachi covered his eyes, unable to remain standing.
He quickly took two steps back and leaned against a tree.
Tick tock…tick tock…
Blood and tears from his eyes dripped onto his body.
The intense stinging persisted until everyone in the Uchiha turned around to look for him.
Quan received treatment from Itachi, his face reflecting distress, while the others stood guard nearby.
After a while, Izumi's treatment began to show some effect, and at least Itachi could stand up normally.
"You can't stay here for long; leave now!"
...
Natsuki had already told Itachi on all the details about Obito.
So, Itachi directly employed all the ocular power at his disposal to sustain Tsukuyomi, inevitably forcing Obito out of the Sharingan state.
Knowing that this person was the mastermind behind controlling the Nine-Tails and manipulating Konoha to be suspicious of Uchiha, Itachi harbored intense hatred toward him.
Sasuke's future demise in the foreseen scene was also attributed to Obito.
Itachi poured every bit of power he could muster into Tsukuyomi, making it a completely desperate attack.
Fortunately, it worked!
Since Obito liked to masquerade as Uchiha Madara, let him continue his act.
This encounter served as a profound lesson for him.
At least now, Obito wouldn't be fixated on Itachi all the time.
Itachi was no longer alone; he had more than a hundred followers, along with Izumi.
...
Divine space.
After breaking free from the Tsukuyomi illusion, Obito covered his face and rose to his feet.
"It seems you were at a disadvantage?" Black Zetsu spoke slowly as his figure split and opened like an aloe leaf.
The mask was lifted, revealing that the Sharingan on Obito's left side had turned gray, losing its effectiveness.
Black Zetsu was shocked. "You used Izanagi? Is Itachi that powerful?"
It's a Uchiha technique that can alter destiny, rewriting all disadvantages.
Originally, Obito's divine power of time and space ninjutsu gave him a significant advantage in almost all types of battles involving ninjutsu and taijutsu.
However, he had a major weakness—he couldn't defend against illusions.
In the original timeline, Obito never dared to venture out early on because, without the Mangekyou Sharingan, he wouldn't be able to counter illusions effectively.
It wasn't until Uchiha Itachi, deceived by Danzo, wiped out the Uchiha clan, with Fugaku and Shisui dead, that Obito began to roam freely.
This was because, without the Mangekyou Sharingan, no one posed a threat to him in terms of illusions.
Even Sasuke, being more of a ninjutsu-type ninja, wasn't particularly talented at illusions.
Unexpectedly, when he encountered Itachi today before he could finish his words of solicitation, Itachi unleashed a powerful assault.
While Itachi's tactics had elements of a sneak attack, it had to be acknowledged that Itachi's mastery of illusions was incredibly refined.
"It was just a miscalculation." Obito got back on his feet.
"Fortunately, Itachi didn't discover my use of Izanagi; otherwise, it could have been dangerous." Obito removed the blind Sharingan from his eyes.
"He didn't accept your proposition?" Black Zetsu asked with curiosity.
"I don't know. I thought Itachi was a unique individual, but it turns out he's just as erratic as other Uchiha. He attacked me immediately."
Obito's tone was laced with irritation. He hadn't experienced the night of the Uchiha clan massacre. In truth, he didn't have an abundant supply of Sharingan, and now he was down one.
'...Aren't you also somewhat unhinged?' Black Zetsu remained silent for a moment.
"Are you still planning to take action against Itachi?"
Obito shook his head. "Let him go. Uchiha Itachi possesses such formidable combat strength. It doesn't matter if he leaves Konoha; it will make it easier for us to capture the Kyuubi in the future."
Obito should consider himself fortunate. If Shisui hadn't been incapacitated due to excessive use of his ocular abilities, things might have taken a different turn.
Weekly Power Status
-- Power
Ranking 
-- Power
stone