"Tsunade-sama is not here."
Itachi suddenly raised his voice.
Naturally, he was saying this for the surrounding Konoha ninja to hear — his intention was to signal retreat.
Hearing that, the nearby Konoha ninja looked at each other, unsure what to do.
Originally, this mission only required Itachi alone to liaise with Tsunade. The other Konoha ninja were assigned to remain hidden and respond only in case of emergencies.
But ever since the Ebisu Team of three died, the mission had completely changed in nature.
They hadn't found Tsunade, yet Itachi was still expected to assist the Cloud-nin in capturing a bloodline-limit ninja.
The Konoha ninjas all wore serious expressions, simultaneously looking toward the three Cloud-nin in their squad, then toward Itachi ahead of them.
They realized something was wrong.
How could the bloodline-limit ninja the Cloud wanted to capture turn out to be a Uchiha with the Sharingan?
It was obvious now — they'd been played by the Cloud.
"This is the bloodline-limit ninja the Cloud wants to capture?" Itachi stared coldly at the three Cloud ninja and continued, "The three of you should consider very carefully how you intend to explain this to the Advisors."
After saying that, he shot Obito a look—time to leave this mess.
This situation was far too suspicious.
A girl who possessed a Mangekyō matching Uchiha Yu's… Of course Itachi was curious. But now, he had no intention of provoking her.
Especially since he saw overwhelming killing intent in that girl's eyes.
They didn't know each other at all, yet she reacted as if he had personally wronged her.
And those eyes…
They were a shadow he could never dispel. To face them again, Itachi felt he needed time to rebuild his mental defenses.
Obito still stared at "Madara," the single eye beneath his ANBU mask filled with bloodshot veins.
The three Cloud-nin frowned. Their captain, however, didn't seem bothered by Itachi's reprimand.
What confused him was how indifferent Itachi was toward another Uchiha wandering outside the village.
That was a genuine Sharingan user!
"Captain, what should we do now?" one Cloud-nin asked.
The Cloud-nin captain answered in a deep voice:
"Wait for an opportunity."
He refused to believe Konoha had no interest in such a Uchiha.
If Konoha didn't act, their only option would be to find a way to delay that girl and her companion until reinforcements arrived.
---
The street in front of the inn was deserted. The ground was littered with items that had been dropped in panic as civilians fled.
Hikari turned slightly and said to the "Madara" behind her, "Go inside first. I'll handle things out here."
"All right!" Uchiha Yu didn't waste time — he sprinted toward the inn's front entrance.
Hikari exhaled in relief. Until she understood the enemy's capabilities, having "Madara" hide somewhere she could protect him from let her fight more freely.
After all, Madara here was just an ordinary person.
When Uchiha Yu reached the inn—
The innkeeper, seeing he was one of their guests, didn't hesitate long. He signaled the staff to open the door and let him inside.
That earned the innkeeper a point of respect in Uchiha Yu's mind — the man had a conscience, at least.
The inn's lobby was packed with guests.
Rumble—
When the crowd saw Uchiha Yu enter, the hall burst into murmurs, and they instinctively parted to clear a path. Many of them looked at him with strange, uneasy expressions.
Clearly, this entire disturbance had been sparked by that girl and this man.
But the reason behind it…
No one knew.
A missing-nin? Someone dangerous? A high-value target?
No one could tell.
Villain?
Or perhaps someone truly heinous—otherwise there wouldn't be this many Konoha shinobi surrounding him in the street.
Uchiha Yu ignored the stares, carrying his large bags upstairs and returning to his room.
Before he could even put the things down…
The space beside the bed suddenly warped. That was clearly the distortion created by the space–time ninjutsu Kamui, and a moment later, Obito slowly emerged from it.
As he stepped out of the space–time vortex—
"…This is… a woman's scent. Perfume… and sweat."
Obito raised a brow.
His sharp senses picked up the strange fragrance lingering in the air, and he couldn't help but look toward the bed.
The futon on the wooden floor was a complete mess, the pillow torn open with stuffing exposed—someone had clearly engaged in a very intense battle there last night.
Behind the mask, Obito's face went blank as he stared at the "Madara" before him, studying him carefully.
His lifesaver—and their clan's ancient patriarch—hardly seemed like someone who would be interested in women.
"…"
Then a thought flashed through Obito's mind.
In the whole Uchiha clan… wasn't he the only one obsessed with a woman?
No—Uchiha Yu was the one who liked women.
He, Obito, loved only Rin!
It was fundamentally different.
---
Inside the Sealed Space
"Scent? What scent? Yu, where did little Tsunade sleep last night?"
Hashirama asked in total confusion.
Tobirama froze for a moment—his reaction much quicker than his brother's.
Looking at the bed that resembled a battlefield…
Don't tell me…
Tobirama's expression twisted, as if he had just put on a mask of pain.
Uchiha Yu's calm voice echoed in the space:
"Tsunade didn't sleep last night."
Hashirama let out a huge breath of relief. "Good. As long as she didn't sleep!"
Tobirama's face relaxed at first—but a second later, the realization hit him.
Didn't sleep…
Meaning… the whole night—?!
---
Meanwhile.
Uchiha Yu treated Obito like thin air, walking past him with the bags, setting them down.
He said coldly, "Your efficiency displeases me."
Behind his mask, Obito grew tense, standing stiffly like a subordinate awaiting judgment.
He steadied himself and spoke in his own voice again:
"You're already revived. But I must ask—how did you do it? Will this affect our plan?"
Before Madara, Obito didn't dare show any pride at all.
His pride was something granted by Madara.
His very life was also given by Madara.
Years of acting as "Madara," working with White Zetsu and Black Zetsu, had long shaved off the brashness of his youth. He knew better than anyone how terrifying Madara truly was.
But Madara's revival—that part Obito simply couldn't understand.
Could it be… Nagato used the Rinnegan's power early?
Or perhaps Madara had arranged another subordinate besides him—someone who revived Madara ahead of time?
Wearing Madara's face, Uchiha Yu stared directly at Obito this time, speaking quietly:
"Since when… did you think you had the right to question me?"
"…"
Obito silently lowered his head.
That familiar tone—
that absolute arrogance—
that contempt for all beings—
that was Madara.
Except… the way this "Madara" treated that girl earlier had been uncharacteristic.
Standing beside that girl, Madara looked almost like…
"Wait… that girl… she looked just like Madara."
A shock hit Obito like a tidal wave.
"Don't tell me—she's Madara's daughter? Or descendant?!"
A father and child.
A grandfather and granddaughter!
That would explain why she possessed the Mangekyō Sharingan…
And why Madara's behavior toward her was so different from before.
In that instant, Obito felt as though he had uncovered the truth.
"Since you've already been revived…"
Obito hesitated a moment, about to ask whether he should continue capturing the tailed beasts.
Uchiha Yu cut him off:
"You'll continue capturing the tailed beasts. As for my revival, you don't need to concern yourself with it. Oh—one more thing. Prepare yourself. I will find time to retrieve my remains."
"Retrieve… your remains…"
Obito's voice lowered, becoming tense.
He stared into Madara's face and demanded, "To confirm you're not an impostor… you must prove your identity to me."
Uchiha Yu replied calmly:
"You were the one I saved at the Kannabi Bridge during the Third Shinobi War, in the Yamaoka Burial Grounds."
He tilted his head slightly.
"Do you need me to recite the Eye of the Moon Plan for you again?"
"N–No need."
°°°
Hungry for more chaps? Then check out our pătreon!
Link: Påtreon.com/BaphometFiction
I post 20 advanced chapters of this fanfic there.
If you do subscribe, please do so in the web patreon, not the ios app.