After transmigrating into the body of Uchiha Obito, Yamato Arata had long discarded his original identity. Now, he was simply Obito—a different soul wearing the same name, walking a darker path.
"Sister, I've had enough of that village. All they ever did was beat me and scream at me. I couldn't take it anymore—I escaped. I want to stay with you…"
"Xiyan… It's my fault. I shouldn't have let you suffer like that!"
Maoyue Xiyang burst into tears as she pulled her injured, disheveled sister into a tight embrace. Her clothes were torn, her face bruised, but she had made it back—barely.
Obito stood a short distance away, his Sharingan glowing faintly beneath his mask. "What happened to the Konoha ninjas who were chasing her?"
Ah Fei responded flatly, "They all killed themselves before we could capture them."
Obito narrowed his eyes. "So we can't interrogate them…"
"You think something's off?" Ah Fei asked.
"Yeah. Something doesn't sit right…" Obito's gaze fell on Yue Guangfeng's severed head lying nearby. Lifeless eyes. An unnatural stillness.
This kind of cold-blooded execution reeked of one man's methods—the embodiment of darkness in the shinobi world: Danzo.
Obito stepped forward.
"Obito, this is Xiyan—my sister," Xiyang said with a smile, her voice light despite everything.
Xiyan's eyes flicked up at the mention of his name, and an instinctive trace of fear crossed her face.
"Don't be afraid, Xiyan," Xiyang said softly. "He's your… brother-in-law now." Her cheeks flushed slightly as she tucked a strand of hair behind her ear.
Xiyan blinked, then smiled sweetly, eyes curling into crescents. "Nice to meet you, brother-in-law."
Obito stared at her. "Make a face for me."
Xiyang tilted her head, puzzled by his strange request.
Xiyan, after a moment's hesitation, stuck out her tongue, lowered her eyelids dramatically, and made a silly face.
Obito's Sharingan zeroed in on the base of her tongue.
No trace of the Root Tongue-Curse Seal—a jutsu Danzo used to prevent his members from leaking information, even under torture.
So she wasn't Root. Or at least, not anymore.
"Why did you kill him?" Obito asked, pointing to Yue Guangfeng's head.
Xiyan immediately dropped the goofy expression.
"Obito!" Xiyang called out, her voice tinged with nervousness.
"He tried to stop me from leaving the village," Xiyan said calmly. "If I didn't kill him, I would've been tied down again. I don't want any more ties to Konoha. Brother-in-law… do you think I did the right thing?"
Her face split—half innocence, half something twisted and broken.
Any adult looking at her would see it right away: this was a child who had endured something terrible. Someone whose heart had begun to distort.
Obito studied her in silence for a moment, then smiled and extended his hand. "Xiyan, welcome to Anyin Village."
She reached out with her tiny hand, only to pull back halfway. "My hands are dirty… I don't want to stain yours."
"Your brother-in-law doesn't care about that," Xiyang said, gently pushing her forward.
Had she changed that much? The once gentle, strong Maoyue Xiyan had already stepped into the shadows.
Obito hadn't planned this. He didn't do anything elaborate or manipulative. On a whim, he had altered Maoyue Xiyang's fate. He never expected it would ripple out like this.
But he didn't regret saving Maoyue Xiyang.
Life rarely goes the way you want it to. Even the strong have moments of powerlessness. The only option is to deal with what comes.
To be honest, if Obito hadn't watched the Naruto world from a third-person view—hadn't seen what Xiyan was truly like: a kind, loyal kunoichi devoted to her village—he might've believed Danzo's narrative too.
But he knew better.
Danzo's game was obvious now.
No one's heart breaks and turns completely dark that fast. Danzo must've forced her into a situation where she felt she had no choice.
And once she crossed that line, there was no going back.
Had Xiyan not killed Yue Guangfeng, maybe there'd be room to fix things. But looking at her now, it was clear—she had already fallen.
And once someone like her suspected they were exposed… they'd rather die than be used.
Obito felt a twinge of regret. If only he'd forcibly taken Maoyue Xiyan away the last time he went to Konoha…
But no. Back then, the timing wasn't right. The Dark Hidden Village didn't exist yet. And bringing a little girl with obvious emotional wounds into his chaos… it wouldn't have worked.
Who could've predicted Danzo would act so quickly?
Ever since Obito's warning that night, Danzo hadn't taken a single step outside Konoha. He'd doubled his guards, clearly afraid Obito would catch him out in the open.
After all, his Izanagi only had four minutes of activation left. Not enough to escape if things went south.
That put Obito in a bit of a bind.
"You really played your cards well, Danzo," Obito muttered to himself. "But that's fine. Right now, the one thing I need most… is time. So I'll play along for now."
That evening, Xiyang walked her sister through the Dark Hidden Village, helping her get familiar with the surroundings.
The villagers went about their work. Everything was orderly, peaceful, and full of quiet determination.
On the mountain wall beside the village, the rock statue of the village's founding leader was under construction.
Obito could've created it instantly with his chakra. But the monument wasn't about power—it was about belief. About a symbol the villagers could rally behind. If he just made it appear… it would be meaningless.
He leaned against a pillar, looking up at the night sky.
It had been nearly a year since his transmigration. In that time, he'd fought dozens of battles, big and small, and hadn't lost a single one.
Could anyone in the shinobi world truly threaten him now?
Of course. Without question.
Even during the Warring States Era, the mighty Senju only brought lasting peace by allying with the Uchiha.
Obito knew he still couldn't match Senju Hashirama or Uchiha Madara—not yet. He had no great clan backing him. The Dark Hidden Village was still young.
Even if today's shinobi couldn't compare to their ancestors, Obito didn't let that lull him into overconfidence.
Not when beings like Ōtsutsuki Toneri and Kaguya still existed—watching from the moon.
Not when the Ten-Tails Jinchūriki wouldn't appear for another decade.
Not when Shisui's eyes still needed time to be cultivated.
There was much work left to do.
"Obito-kun, just like you said… the ninja world has completely changed while I slept."
A hoarse voice drifted from the shadows.
Obito turned slightly. "Oh? You're finally awake."
"It's time for our next move," he said.
Soft footsteps echoed as a pale figure stepped from the darkness—graceful and eerie in his white robe.
Orochimaru had arrived.
**********************************************************************************************Hey everyone! Want to read ahead and unlock up to 100 early-access chapters? 📖Plus, enjoy even more exclusive novels! Join my Patreon now and dive into the adventure!
patreon.com/Rawink00