Chapter 158: Obito's Secret? It's Not My Secret.
Juzo Biwa's hand traced the cold back of the interrogation room chair, his eyes darting between Jiraiya, Uchiha Izumi, and the ninja cat with a look of utter disbelief.
Sigh... For a moment, it felt like Uchiha Izumi was the real Akatsuki member, and he was just some irrelevant outsider.
Juzo's mouth twitched. As an official member of the Akatsuki, he knew far less than this Uchiha Izumi. It gave him the strangest sense of defeat.
What was worse, this meant he couldn't use any of the minor Akatsuki secrets he knew to exchange for information about "Uchiha Madara." He had accidentally stumbled upon far too many secrets already, and it was giving him a headache.
Just then, he noticed Izumi's gaze fall upon him. He heard Izumi speak again, and to his surprise, the Lava Release user didn't demand any key information in return. He simply skipped past the topic of Konan and Nagato, cutting straight to the chase with a cold, direct tone.
"The 'Uchiha Madara' in the Akatsuki is not the real Uchiha Madara. The real one died many years ago."
Just as Uchiha Izumi had no responsibility or obligation to keep Nagato's and Konan's secrets, he had even less reason to protect Uchiha Obito's.
Izumi spoke as calmly as if he were discussing the weather. "The 'Uchiha Madara' in the Akatsuki is really Uchiha Obito. He is an unforgivable villain, and a scoundrel that justice must eliminate."
"He's simply using Uchiha Madara's name to cooperate with Nagato and Konan. Or rather, he's using them and the power of the Akatsuki to achieve his own goals."
Jūjiro the cat added, "Meow, that sneaky rat, Uchiha Obito, also has a weird Mangekyo Sharingan that lets him go intangible so people can't touch him."
"Lord Izumi even said it's a cheap ability. Meow, I think it's called..."
"...Kamui's phasing?!"
Juzo Biwa's eyes widened in shock. So the "Uchiha Madara" Konan was talking about was a fake! That woman was also being fooled by this guy named Uchiha Obito!
No, wait. Konan must have sensed something was off, but she couldn't pinpoint it, which was why she sent him to Konoha to get information on "Madara" from Uchiha Izumi!
Suddenly, everything clicked for Juzo.
But then, he realized he had stumbled upon yet another secret he shouldn't know. If the events of this interrogation room ever got out, not only would Konan try to eliminate him, but this Uchiha Obito would probably try to kill him as well. He knew too much!
Izumi calmly continued, "It is a cheap ability, but it's not without its weaknesses. It only lasts for five minutes. After those five minutes are up, there's a certain cool-down period before he can use that phasing ability again. How long that cool-down is, I don't know yet."
Juzo Biwa took a deep breath, his expression tinged with a complex mix of emotions. "You... you just gave all this vital information away, without asking for anything in return?"
He didn't know whether to call Uchiha Izumi overly generous or if the man was deliberately trying to get him killed. Was he trying to make sure Juzo knew more and died faster?!
"Because in my eyes, these aren't secrets, nor are they information to be traded," Izumi said coolly. "This is simply stating the basic facts about a villain that justice must execute. When the Military Police release a wanted poster, do they consider the detailed information about the criminal a secret?"
"On the contrary," he continued, "the Military Police would want everyone to know as much detailed information about the criminal as possible."
Juzo opened his mouth to reply but said nothing. He felt as if his thought process and Uchiha Izumi's were on completely different wavelengths. Or maybe... Izumi's way of thinking was on a scale far grander than his own. His own mind was still that of a ninja, but Izumi... he seemed to have transcended that, a thought that appeared in Juzo's mind unbidden.
"Uchiha Obito..." Jiraiya, still reeling from the earlier information, found the name familiar. A flash of insight hit him, and he realized, "That's Minato's student! The same one as Kakashi Hatake!"
Izumi glanced at him. "Jiraiya, the first 'Child of the Prophecy' you found now harbors an extreme philosophy of making the world feel pain."
"And the second 'Child of the Prophecy' you found... his student, Uchiha Obito, has become one of the greatest evils in the ninja world. He's on a whole other level, like Orochimaru and Danzō."
"Jiraiya, you want to find a third 'Child of the Prophecy.' It makes me seriously question whether you'll just end up training another monster."
"It also makes me question if you're the true source of all this evil. Perhaps Jūjiro's criticism of you was correct."
Jiraiya was speechless. He couldn't find a single thing to say in his own defense. At this moment, he was lost in a fog of doubt.
Meanwhile...
"Rain Village's envoy? Juzo Biwa, the Rogue Ninja of the Seven Ninja Swordsmen of the Mist?" When Fugaku heard the report from the ANBU ninja, he had a hard time connecting the two.
The ANBU ninja explained, "Juzo Biwa is suspected of joining the Rain Village and is now a shinobi of their village. Because of his envoy status, he's a special case, and the Hokage wants the Military Police to release him as soon as possible."
Fugaku understood. "Understood."
He slowly rose from his chair, a sense of relief washing over him. The fact that the Hokage was using the Military Police for this task meant that, in the Hokage's eyes, the Uchiha's Military Police were still useful. As long as they were useful, the Konoha elders wouldn't resort to extreme measures against the Uchiha clan, and the clan wouldn't be forced into a corner. This would create a delicate balance.
Fugaku felt he was the one maintaining this balance and that his efforts were finally paying off. Things weren't as pessimistic as he and Itachi had initially thought.
He quickly rushed to the underground interrogation room in the Military Police headquarters, worried he'd be too late and Juzo Biwa would already be a corpse. To his surprise, the room was empty. After questioning the guards, he learned that Juzo had been released two minutes ago.
"Izumi... he let him go?" Fugaku was stunned. This was completely unexpected.
"I can't believe I got the information this way."
Juzo Biwa, who had re-slung the massive Kubikiribōchō on his back, had a complicated look on his face. "So, the question is, is it the right choice to pass this information on to that woman?"
"This was a dangerous mission. That woman giving it to me definitely didn't have my best interests at heart!"
Passing this information on would surely make Uchiha Obito his mortal enemy!
Lost in thought, Juzo didn't notice a bizarre-looking White Zetsu clone, its presence erased, hidden among the thick leaves of a nearby street tree. The clone, having secretly infiltrated the Uchiha compound, watched Juzo walk out of the Military Police building.
The White Zetsu narrowed its eyes. "He walked out of the Military Police building alive. Does that mean he exchanged information with Uchiha Izumi? Does he know things he shouldn't?"
Just as the White Zetsu clone transmitted the information, it heard a faint rustling behind it. The moment it turned its head in surprise, a hand grabbed its neck, twisting its head 360 degrees. The hand then turned into searing magma, which instantly swallowed the White Zetsu clone.
"There are too many 'rats.'"
Uchiha Izumi jumped down from the tree branch, his expression impassive.
"Meow, it's that weird creature again." Jūjiro the cat jumped down after him, a suspicious look on its face. "Last time, near the Konoha cemetery, there was a strange white humanoid creature just like this one. That thing must be related to Uchiha Obito."
"Lord Izumi, does this mean Uchiha Obito is hiding in or near Konoha? Did he get his courage back after you scared him off?"
"It seems he was watching Juzo Biwa," Izumi said. "Uchiha Obito is most likely keeping an eye on Juzo."
"Perhaps Uchiha Obito found out that Konan wanted to get information about 'Madara' from me."
Jūjiro mused, "That sneaky coward Uchiha Obito probably doesn't want the other Akatsuki members knowing his secrets. Meow, is he trying to kill Juzo?"
"So, letting him go was a way to lure out the villain," Izumi said darkly.
Outside Konoha...
"Obito, there's new information," Zetsu said, his voice flat as he walked behind Obito. "Juzo Biwa was arrested by the Military Police, and Uchiha Izumi went into their headquarters. The two of them most likely had a meeting."
"Half an hour later, Juzo Biwa safely walked out of the Uchiha Military Police building. He might have reached an information deal with Uchiha Izumi."
Zetsu paused, then added, "He's probably already in possession of information about you, and about me."
At this point, Zetsu was a bit worried. If Uchiha Izumi knew Obito's secrets so clearly, could he also know Zetsu's? No, it wasn't possible! Even Uchiha Madara couldn't see through his true secret. Uchiha Izumi was just Madara's descendant. No matter how powerful that boy was, he couldn't possibly be on the same level as Uchiha Madara, the ultimate "tool."
"Hmph!" Obito's cold snort interrupted Zetsu's thoughts. "Since he knows secrets he shouldn't, there's no way I'll let him live to tell them."
"Obito, he might send the information to Konan through his ring or his summoning animal," Zetsu pointed out. "Even killing him might not be enough."
Uchiha Obito froze. "Shut up!" He was sick of Zetsu always undermining him. He turned to glare at Zetsu. "You're nothing more than a manifestation of Madara's will. He told you to assist me before he died. When I say what to do, you do it. I have my own plans and my own mind, I don't need you talking out of turn."
"Yes, of course," Zetsu replied ambiguously, then followed Obito's orders without another word.
If Madara had lived a little longer, he wouldn't have needed you at all. Zetsu thought, but kept the words to himself.
Mount Myoboku.
In the smoky depths of Mount Myoboku, a cloud of white smoke appeared with a poof, and a figure emerged. It was Jiraiya, who had requested another Reverse Summoning Jutsu from the toads.
A deep sense of unease was etched on Jiraiya's face. After a moment's hesitation, he walked straight towards the ancient stone temple. Inside, a single candle flickered, casting a dim light on a massive, aged figure on a stone seat. It was the Great Toad Sage, its eyes half-closed as if in a drunken stupor.
"Who approaches?"
The standard greeting made the somber Jiraiya's mouth twitch. The Great Toad Sage was at it again, asking who he was even though it clearly knew.
"Ah, it's young Jiraiya," the Great Toad Sage's voice drifted out from the seat as if through a thick curtain of water. "You've come with your doubts again. Is it about that child, Uchiha Izumi, again?"
Jiraiya took a deep breath, his knuckles turning white as he clenched his fists. His expression was bitter. "Great Toad Sage, I learned from Uchiha Izumi that Nagato is still alive."
"And that boy, the one I thought was the 'Child of the Prophecy'... I can barely recognize him now. He founded the Akatsuki, and he believes in 'making the world feel pain.'"
"Nagato wants to use people's fear of pain to..."
Jiraiya relayed everything he had heard from Uchiha Izumi to the Great Toad Sage, without leaving a single detail out.
The two toad sages, Fukasaku and Shima, silently hopped to Jiraiya's side. They looked at the heavy expression on his face, unsure of what to say.
Jiraiya looked up and asked, his voice filled with self-reproach, a question he had never asked the Great Toad Sage before. "Great Toad Sage, will finding the 'Child of the Prophecy' really bring peace to the ninja world?"
"Just as Izumi said, my actions don't seem to have had a positive impact on peace at all. Instead, because of my carelessness, I led Nagato down this dark path."
"Am I... am I really suited to teaching the 'Child of the Prophecy'?"
Jiraiya was filled with shame and self-blame, feeling that it was all his fault, as he had been Nagato's and Konan's master.
The Great Toad Sage's cloudy eyes finally shifted. Its old, raspy voice was calm. "Young Jiraiya."
"Just as I told you before: the 'Child of the Prophecy' will bring about either unprecedented peace or destruction to the ninja world. The choice is for the child to make."
Jiraiya froze. "So... Nagato chose destruction?"
Jiraiya bit his lip, feeling even more remorseful.
"Young Jiraiya, you said that Uchiha Izumi told you the true 'Child of the Prophecy' is by his side. That means the boy Nagato is not the 'Child of the Prophecy.'"
"You planted the wrong seed, and that sapling was bent in the wrong direction by the storm," the Great Toad Sage said slowly. "He wasn't the 'Child of the Prophecy'... but by chance, he endured the trial meant for one. It is understandable that he failed and took the wrong path."
"Since you're aware he took the wrong path, what you must do isn't to blame yourself. You must find the true 'Child of the Prophecy' and have that child make the right choice. Let him see if the future they choose is better than the one he chose."
The Great Toad Sage let out a dry cough. "I haven't said so much in a long time. My throat is a bit sore."
Jiraiya understood. Find the true 'Child of the Prophecy,' let them change the world, and make Nagato see the error of his ways.
Phew!
Jiraiya let out a long breath, and the self-blame and confusion on his face were instantly gone.
"Great Toad Sage, I will find the true revolutionary! Since they are in Konoha... since they are near Izumi... I'll find them soon enough!" Jiraiya's voice was filled with resolve as he prepared to leave.
"Wait." The Great Toad Sage's two simple words stopped Jiraiya in his tracks.
It slowly looked at the Fukasaku and Shima. "You two should go to Konoha with young Jiraiya... go and meet that boy, Uchiha Izumi. Gauge him, and see if his eyes can truly see a future more distant than the one I saw in my dream."
"And while you're at it, help young Jiraiya find the one who will be the savior of the ninja world, somewhere in the great village of Konoha."
Fukasaku and Shima were momentarily stunned. Jiraiya had never told them about Uchiha Izumi's alleged 'prophetic' ability. This was the first time they had heard that anyone possessed an ability similar to the Great Toad Sage's! For over a thousand years, no one had had a prophetic ability similar to the Great Toad Sage's, but now there was one, and he came from Konoha, from the most troublesome of all clans, the Uchiha.
Fukasaku and Shima both nodded. "Yes, Grand Elder."
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