Chapter 21: Is Obito Really Dead? The Mysterious Visitors in Kirigakure
Byakuya's seemingly casual remark
had dealt Kakashi an enormous shock.
"Byakuya's words… actually make perfect sense.
I'm not an Uchiha.
I don't have the ability to switch the Sharingan on and off.
By the same logic…
it should be impossible for me to evolve it either.
But…
My Sharingan really did evolve.
Could it be…
Could it be…?"
Cold sweat began to form on Kakashi's forehead.
Because an impossible thought had suddenly taken root in his mind—
and no matter how hard he tried, he couldn't shake it loose.
"Could it be… that Obito didn't die?!"
Kakashi's body stiffened involuntarily.
The conjecture was far too bold.
"No, impossible.
I watched Obito die with my own eyes.
A massive boulder crushed him.
Half his body was completely smashed.
There's no way he could have survived."
Even though Kakashi kept denying the possibility that Obito was still alive,
a tiny thread of doubt refused to disappear from his heart.
"But if Obito really died…
then how did my Sharingan evolve?
One thing is certain—
I don't have a single drop of Uchiha blood."
Kakashi couldn't figure it out.
Before Byakuya pointed it out today,
he had always subconsciously assumed the evolution happened because he was simply that much of a genius.
After all, Obito's death was something he had personally confirmed.
And both Obito's and Rin's deaths had always been the deepest wounds in his heart—
things he never wanted to recall.
So deep down, he had always avoided thinking about it.
Moreover, the people who knew that Obito had given him a two-tomoe Sharingan were all dead now.
He had never even used the Mangekyō Sharingan.
So no one had ever questioned how his Sharingan evolved.
All these factors combined meant he had never once doubted Obito's death.
Until today.
For the first time, he began to question something he had never questioned before.
"Is Obito… really dead or not?"
Kakashi fell into an endless loop of thought.
No matter how he looked at it, nothing made sense.
In the end, his head started throbbing painfully.
"Kakashi-sensei, are you feeling unwell?"
Byakuya noticed and asked with genuine concern.
"Ah?
Ah… yeah~"
Kakashi waved his hand somewhat awkwardly.
"Byakuya, I'll leave these three in your care.
I have something to take care of, so I'll head out first."
With that, he vanished from the spot in a flash.
"You've finally started doubting whether Obito is dead, huh?"
Looking at the place where Kakashi had disappeared, and hearing the system notification,
a smile slowly spread across Byakuya's face.
"Another wave of plot points harvested~
Lottery!"
…
Time passed quietly.
These past few days, Byakuya had been steadily training Team 7.
During that time, they once ran into Jiraiya sneaking around the riverbank trying to peep on girls bathing.
But before Jiraiya could even catch a glimpse of Naruto's Rasengan training,
Byakuya transformed into a female clone and scolded him away.
For the moment, he had severed the bond between Naruto and Jiraiya.
A guaranteed harvest of plot points.
Ever since Kakashi began doubting Obito's death,
he hadn't shown up again.
Byakuya had used the Telescope Technique to check on him a few times.
Either Kakashi was brooding alone at home,
or he was holed up in the Hokage Tower poring over classified documents.
All in all,
Byakuya had been living quite comfortably lately.
And just as Byakuya was enjoying his relaxed days—
Karin and Izumi had arrived at Kirigakure.
"It stinks here~"
Karin wrinkled her small nose and frowned.
"So this is the Village Hidden in the Bloody Mist…
If it weren't for the mission, I wouldn't want to step foot in here at all."
"Don't worry~"
Izumi gave a gentle smile.
"I heard they have a new Mizukage now.
They're in the process of changing the Bloody Mist policies~"
"I wonder what kind of new Mizukage he is.
How well is the policy change actually going?"
Karin made a sour face.
"What if it's some old geezer?
He'll probably move super slow!"
"Alright, alright~
I'll go in first to find the target.
Wait for me outside, okay?"
"Okay~"
Karin shook the ring on her finger.
"Your invisibility can be detected by the Byakugan.
So be careful.
I'll keep an eye on that Byakugan user the whole time.
If they get close, I'll warn you right away."
What Karin didn't know…
was that her Kagura Shiki (Mind's Eye of the Kagura) had already been copied by Izumi long ago.
The abilities of the Dream card were just that terrifying!
"Thanks~"
Izumi smiled and nodded.
Then her entire body vanished in an instant.
She had activated Dream's invisibility effect!
With her form concealed, Izumi began searching Kirigakure for the whereabouts of Ringo Ameyuri.
This time,
their mission target was one of the Seven Ninja Swordsmen—Ringo Ameyuri.
Gather all possible intelligence on her.
If she was still alive, bring her back.
If she was already dead…
wait for Karin's resurrection skill to come off cooldown, then revive her and bring her back.
"Hm?
What great luck~
The target is still alive."
It didn't take Izumi long to locate her.
Though Ringo Ameyuri was still alive,
she was already on the verge of death.
She had contracted a terminal illness and was now lying unconscious in the hospital.
No one was taking care of her.
Clearly,
the soon-to-die Ringo Ameyuri had already been abandoned by Kirigakure.
"She doesn't even have a single friend?
The Bloody Mist really is cold-blooded~"
Izumi sighed softly to herself.
Then she communicated with Karin through the ring,
informing her that the target had been found
and that she was preparing to extract her immediately.
Karin should prepare to provide support.
After receiving Karin's reply,
Izumi took out a small bottle of medicine and poured it into Ringo Ameyuri's mouth.
This medicine had been given to her by Byakuya.
Specially formulated to cure all kinds of terminal illnesses.
Guaranteed to work.
And indeed it did.
Not long after taking the medicine, Ringo Ameyuri suddenly woke up.
"You… who are you?"
Seeing the black-haired girl in front of her—who wore no forehead protector—Ringo Ameyuri blinked in confusion.
But in the very next moment,
she felt the change in her own body.
"Huh?
Why… doesn't it hurt anymore?
Is this the last flash before death?
Am I… about to die?"
"No. You've already been completely healed."
Izumi smiled gently at her.
"I am Violet of the Spirit Pavilion.
On orders from the Holy Master, I've come to save you.
At the same time…
I've come to invite you to join us."