Faced with the possibility that someone had uncovered the secrets of his ability, Obito still preferred to believe he'd simply been an idiot.
"Maybe so."
Black Zetsu didn't argue with Obito's conclusion. Thinking it over, he too figured it might just be Obito's rotten luck.
Still, regardless of how it happened, Obito's secret had essentially been exposed.
"So, what now? That brat is bound to share everything his Shadow Clone discovered. Won't that affect you significantly?"
"An impact?" Obito scoffed, shaking his head. "Don't underestimate me. And don't overestimate others."
He spoke coldly.
"To enter the Kamui dimension, I have to actively absorb someone. And once absorbed, they're as good as dead. As long as I don't let my guard down again, something like that won't happen twice."
"That's true, but still…"
Black Zetsu nodded. Enemies pulled into Kamui rarely met a good end—you could literally starve to death inside that void.
And in actual combat, as long as Obito didn't recklessly absorb things, there shouldn't be any major issues. With the Sharingan, it was possible to discern threats accurately—as long as he stayed alert.
But the real problem was—
"Don't forget—Kakashi still has one of your eyes. Normally, if your Sharingan undergoes a change, his would too. And he may have already recognized you."
"Kakashi?"
Obito frowned, deep in thought for a moment. Then, he suddenly gave a carefree chuckle and shook his head.
"Forget it. That eye is his now. And even if he did recognize me… it doesn't matter. I'm no longer the Uchiha Obito of the past."
"…Wasn't he the one who—"
"Shut up."
White Zetsu blinked in confusion, just starting to speak before being abruptly cut off by Black Zetsu.
Black Zetsu knew exactly what that airhead was about to say. But Obito only turned slightly, glancing at White Zetsu—without reacting.
"You're trying to say he killed Rin? Yeah, I saw it with my own eyes that day. But I never blamed him for it. Because that moment made me realize something…"
"I'm already living in hell."
"No—the fault wasn't his. It was this entire world!"
"Whether it's the village, or shinobi, or war… whether it's Rin's death or the person I've become now…"
"It's all because of this twisted, meaningless world. This world is what turned us into tragedies."
"As long as shinobi villages and shinobi themselves continue to exist, war will never cease. And tragedies like Rin's will keep happening again and again."
"So…"
At that, Obito raised his head and looked up at the bright moon above. In his mind, he once again saw that Chidori piercing through Rin's chest.
Truth be told, he had once considered bringing Rin back. He believed that Uchiha Madara surely had a way.
But in the end, he gave up.
Even if she were resurrected—what good would it do?
Eventually, she'd just return to Konohagakure, only to get caught up in the chaos of the shinobi world once again. And who's to say she wouldn't end up dying tragically at the hands of another shinobi?
"Only by creating a new world… can we stop tragedies like Rin's from ever happening again."
"In that new world, everything will be different. In that world… Rin will exist forever."
Black Zetsu quietly nodded as he listened to Obito's words.
Perfect.
These Uchiha types—they all had convictions… but unfortunately, not much in the way of brains.
That just made them easier to manipulate.
Clearly, Uchiha Obito had now become a firm believer in the Infinite Tsukuyomi.
"I understand. Leaving the Sharingan with Kakashi is like severing ties with your past. Then what about that brat? Are you planning to keep dealing with him?"
"That kid can be dealt with later. He's smart, sure—troublesome, even. But for now, let's return. Things in Kirigakure are far from stable."
"Right…"
...
The Next Day – Konohagakure, Kitagawa Gen's Residence
Sitting in front of a mirror, Kitagawa Gen stared at his own handsome reflection. His eyes now glimmered faintly with a pale light.
Even he couldn't help but shudder slightly.
After accepting the [Special Yin Release Power] stolen from Uchiha Obito the night before, the energy had surged into his brain like a tidal wave—and from there, it had continuously fed back into his eyes.
It had nurtured them further, accelerating their evolution at a noticeable rate.
[Name: Kitagawa Gen]
[Age: 13]
[Bloodline: Ōtsutsuki Clan (Development Level: 8%)]
[Chakra Reserves: S- (Between Elite Jōnin and Kage; slightly below average Kage level)]
The power hadn't been fully absorbed yet—just like his Senjutsu, which still needed refinement and development.
But even so, his Ōtsutsuki bloodline had advanced, and his chakra level had improved—from 'weak' to 'slightly below average'.
Feeling the still-evolving power continuing to flow into his eyes, Kitagawa Gen let out a quiet sigh.
"At this rate… I really am going to turn into 'Hyūga Gen'."
...
"Hey, hey, hey, Gen—where are you going?"
"To the hospital to visit my sensei. And what are you two following me for? Don't you have class or something?"
On the main street of Konohagakure, Kitagawa Gen walked with his head down, heading toward the hospital. Behind him trailed Naruto and Sasuke, which annoyed him a bit.
He'd noticed something was off with his eyes early that morning, and was already considering whether to get some colored contact lenses to cover them up.
After all, he clearly remembered how Kakashi used a colored lens to hide his Sharingan and managed to fool the two behind him for quite a while.
Of course, things weren't that bad for him just yet. Even a close look only revealed a faint shimmer—but better safe than sorry.
Right now, though, he still needed to check on Kakashi. But the moment he stepped out, these two little brats latched onto him.
"It's our day off. Who goes to class on a break?"
Naruto rolled his eyes, but his expression quickly shifted to excitement.
"Hey, hey, Gen, can you help me train? I had no idea you were that strong!"
"Tch. You thought they let me take missions outside the village as a joke?"
Gen let out a smug hum and then shook his head.
"Still, don't count on me to help you train. I'm a ninja—I've got plenty to do. Besides, Jiraiya-sama is way stronger than me. And I already taught you the method, didn't I?"
"Jiraiya? Method?"
Sasuke shot Gen a puzzled look, then glanced over at Naruto. Naruto froze for a moment, then immediately pulled a disgusted face.
"Eww, you mean that pervy method?"
"You've pulled your share of pranks too, haven't you?"
Gen shrugged.
"In the end, it's just another kind of prank. What's there to be afraid of?"
"Hmm… I guess that makes sense."
Naruto gave a small nod. Though he looked reluctant, he was clearly intrigued.
"You really ran into that guy? And how did you get so strong?"
Naruto was easy to distract, but Sasuke was another story.
Last night, when Gen brought up Uchiha Itachi, it had struck a deep nerve. Before Sasuke could ask more, they'd run into another Uchiha.
And that guy had been completely outmatched by Gen—even had his mask knocked clean off.
Sasuke didn't recognize the man, but that didn't matter.
What mattered was that the guy was terrifying. He could use space-time jutsu—and yet Gen had handled him with ease.
He had even gained the upper hand and held out long enough for Konoha's reinforcements to arrive.
Sasuke couldn't make sense of it. This guy wasn't much older than him. And he was an Uchiha too. So why…
"You mean Uchiha Itachi?"
Gen pretended not to understand but eventually gave a vague reply.
"Yeah, I did meet him. But unfortunately, we didn't actually fight. As for getting stronger…"
He scratched his head.
"Honestly, I wouldn't say I've gotten that strong. I just worked really hard. I mean, look at Uchiha Itachi—at my age, he was already…"
Gen trailed off, noticing that Sasuke's face had darkened. Clearly, he'd realized something.
He quickly changed course—he had originally meant to say 'already wiped out your whole clan like bean paste'.
"…already captain of the Anbu. Kakashi-sensei told me that. They both served in the Anbu together."
"I see…"
Sasuke lowered his head. He had always known that Uchiha Itachi was extraordinarily gifted. His father's praise for him had been nothing short of overflowing.
But what did he need to do—how hard did he have to work—to catch up to someone like that?
"Do your best, Sasuke."
Seeing this, Gen walked up and gave him a pat on the shoulder, smiling.
"I once had a sensei who was known as the dead last in his class. But now, he's one of Konoha's top jōnin—just behind Kakashi-sensei.
"He worked incredibly hard. He knew he couldn't match Kakashi's natural talent, but he believed he could become a genius through sheer effort.
"He gave it his all—and he made it. I believe you can too."
"A genius through sheer effort, huh…"
Sasuke repeated the phrase under his breath, a faint murmur at the corner of his lips.
"I'm heading out now. Oh—and thanks for staying with Naruto last night."
Kitagawa Gen shrugged and gave a small smile. Then he turned, waving casually behind him as he prepared to leave. But just then, Sasuke suddenly looked up.
"Gen-senpai… did you also get this far just by working hard?"
"Me, huh…"
Gen froze for a moment, pretending to think deeply before finally nodding.
"That's right. I got to where I am today through sweat and perseverance!"
...and my cheat.
But hey, didn't I also put in effort to get through all those damn missions?
"Hard work, huh…"
Sasuke watched Gen's retreating figure, and his expression gradually turned serious.
He had always thought of himself as hardworking, but compared to that upperclassman, the gap was undeniable.
Maybe… maybe he needed to work even harder.
"Alright! It's decided!"
While Sasuke was deep in thought, Naruto suddenly shouted beside him.
"I'm going to try it out right now! Let's see if that method really works!"
Method?
Naruto's outburst reminded Sasuke of something—and a strange idea popped into his mind.
Should I… try that 'method' too?