What should be done with this thing?
Jiraiya rubbed his stubbled chin, contemplating how to deal with the Demonic Statue of the Outer Path.
Suddenly, the massive statue twitched twice before vanishing right before everyone's eyes.
...
What just happened?
A thought flashed through A's mind—was he seeing things?
Kitsuchi's already dark complexion grew even darker.
Jiraiya instinctively rubbed his eyes and looked at the now-empty base, ruffling his already messy hair in frustration.
"We might have a problem—the Demonic Statue of the Outer Path just disappeared. Looks like someone summoned it away."
Everyone turned to look at Jiraiya.
He was at a loss.
"Hold on, let me contact the village first."
When in doubt—report first, act later.
"Search the area and see if you can find any useful information or clues."
Biting his finger, Jiraiya summoned a small toad from Mount Myōboku, instructing it to find Minato and relay the situation to Tsunade. They needed to figure out their next steps.
The Demonic Statue was summoned away?
Having awakened the Rinnegan, Takuya could sense it too.
But he had no interest in summoning the statue himself—if he actually went through with it, Uchiha Madara and Black Zetsu would lose their minds.
And the chaos that would follow? Takuya wasn't willing to take that gamble.
He had no intention of becoming the vanguard against Madara, nor did he want to end up as a mere chess piece in the Sage of Six Paths' grand plan.
The brothers could clean up their own mess.
The trio traveled swiftly, reaching Konoha by dusk.
"Lord Hokage, Lord Takuya has returned."
The Hokage's office was packed. Even the retired Third Hokage was present, along with Koharu Utatane and the rest of the elders. It wasn't just the Elder Council—anyone with enough authority to be in the know was there.
Minato, who was relaying the report, was also present.
"Bring him to the Hokage's office immediately."
Tsunade had been racking her brain over the situation—Takuya's return was a stroke of luck.
She wasn't the only one struggling. Everyone seated in the Hokage's office had long since gone numb.
Even someone as experienced as Minato seemed unsure of how to proceed.
Unconsciously, Takuya had become the pillar everyone relied on.
As long as he was there, Tsunade, Minato, and the others felt grounded.
Even the Third Hokage and Koharu—who had always been skeptical of Takuya—couldn't deny his influence.
They didn't like him, but they couldn't ignore what he had brought to Konoha.
"Lord Takuya, the Hokage has summoned you to the office immediately."
The moment he stepped into Konoha, an Anbu appeared. After parting ways with Kushina and Pakura, Takuya headed straight for the Hokage's office.
"Wow, looks lively in here."
The office, already not very spacious, was crammed with people—everyone who held any authority was present.
Even those elders who had no real power but held honorary titles were in attendance.
"Young Takuya, we were just waiting for you," Akimichi Torifu said with a chuckle.
"You haven't changed a bit—just getting rounder."
Takuya grinned.
"You little brat! This is power, strength—you understand?"
Torifu huffed in mock anger.
At the moment, he did look like a giant meatball, squeezed into a chair that seemed far too small for his bulk. Sitting beside him was Nara Shikashige, whose lean, wiry frame created a comical contrast.
One was muscular and slim, the other was, well… rotund enough to fit several of him.
"Of course, of course, the secret arts of the Ino-Shika-Chō trio," Takuya replied smoothly. "But let's get to the point—what's the situation?"
"Let's move to the conference room," Tsunade decided.
The office was too cramped for serious discussion.
Once everyone was seated in the meeting room, Tsunade wasted no time.
"You're all aware of the situation with Iwagakure. But let me summarize—the Rinnegan was stolen. Whoever did it infiltrated Iwagakure undetected. The previous commotion? That was just a prelude."
"The perpetrator possesses a very unique Mangekyō Sharingan."
At this point, Tsunade gestured for Nara Shikaku to distribute the prepared documents.
Many people glanced at the reports before instinctively looking at Uchiha Fugaku.
Their expressions said it all—Your Uchiha Clan really knows how to stir things up.
Thankfully, no one outright suspected the Uchiha of orchestrating this mess.
They simply didn't have the capability.
The triangular, clockwise-patterned Mangekyō Sharingan—it was undoubtedly Uchiha Obito's.
Among the Mangekyō Sharingan that appeared in the original timeline, only a few were truly distinctive. Obito's Kamui was one of the most recognizable.
Anyone familiar with the series could recall those eyes.
Takuya was no exception.
Before anyone could ask, Fugaku took the initiative to clarify.
"This person has no significant ties to our Uchiha Clan—"
"It's Uchiha Obito."
Takuya cut him off.
Indeed, this had nothing to do with the Uchiha Clan.
Because they simply weren't capable of something like this.
But the person in question? He had been a member of the Uchiha Clan, once.
Albeit unwillingly.
"What?"
"Uchiha Obito?"
Gasps filled the room. Those unfamiliar with the name were utterly confused—who was Obito?
Fugaku stared at Takuya in shock.
Obito?
But he's just a kid!
Setting the report down, Takuya spoke unhurriedly.
"Orochimaru managed to escape from Uchiha Madara's control thanks to Obito. He claimed he was manipulated into dissecting a White Zetsu that had transformed into Nohara Rin—then Obito appeared and attacked him with Wood Release."
"Badly injured, Orochimaru was able to break free and flee."
"Why would Uchiha Madara go to such lengths just to control Orochimaru?" the Third Hokage questioned. He knew the tangled history between Kakashi, Rin, and Obito—it was complicated.
Obito had been a pure-hearted child, deeply in love with Rin.
Takuya met the Third Hokage's gaze and explained.
"Because the Sharingan reflects the heart. Extreme emotional trauma can trigger its evolution."
"Madara's goal was to push Obito to awaken the Mangekyō Sharingan. Only then could Obito withstand the burden and consumption of the Rinnegan."
"In the coming days, Kumogakure will face trouble. If Madara wants to reclaim the remaining Rinnegan, he'll inevitably target them next."
___________________________
(P)(S): If you're interested, you can read the rest of the Chapter at Patreon com/ Emik01.
DO NOT FORGET POWER STONE AND CHATTING