**
"Bang!"
Inside the Kamui Dimension.
Obito crashed heavily onto the ground.
The violent impact added to his injuries, making him shudder in pain once again.
He almost screamed out.
"Damn Uchiha Itsuki, I'll definitely kill you!"
Obito let out a hoarse roar.
But...
Curled up in a ball, his roar lacked any real intimidation.
He never imagined that this would be the outcome of their battle.
Too humiliating!
Too embarrassing!
The damage and insult were overwhelming.
Even without checking, Obito knew that something down below had likely exploded.
Maybe…
No way!
Absolutely not!
Even if it had, Hashirama's cells could still repair it!
Obito tried to pump himself up.
As a man, that part of him could not fail.
Absolutely not!
He began to recall the recent battle, trying to shift his focus.
Only then did he realize how similar this battle was to the one he fought years ago with the Fourth Hokage.
This made him once again suspect that Itsuki knew his true identity.
But!
How could he possibly know!
Struggling to stand, Obito contacted Black Zetsu, instructing him to immediately gather more intelligence on Uchiha Itsuki.
"Haven't we already collected info twice?" Black Zetsu's displeased voice echoed.
He was still mourning White Zetsu's death.
"Keep gathering!" Obito's voice was cold. "I want all the information on Uchiha Itsuki, don't overlook a single detail."
"You're crazy, do you know how long that'll take? How much time we'll waste?"
"Just do it!"
"...Fine!" Black Zetsu felt a twinge of suspicion.
What's up with Obito?
From the sound of his voice, he seemed to be in pain.
Could it be that he went to confront Uchiha Itsuki and got beaten up?
That was possible.
After all, Uchiha Itsuki was someone even Nagato had suffered at the hands of.
...
"Buzz!"
Itsuki shared the battle he'd just had with Obito with his two other clones.
This was one of the perks of his unique clone technique.
The clone in the new village didn't react much.
But the one beside Konan couldn't help but chuckle.
"What's so funny?"
Curious, Konan looked up.
Itsuki smiled and ruffled her hair, saying, "I just gave the masked man a good beating for you."
"The masked man?"
Konan's eyes lit up.
The masked man was the true mastermind behind the Akatsuki.
Although Pain and his group were the true founders of Akatsuki, after their defeat, they had only managed to rebuild with the masked man's help.
But!
Konan had always remained cautious of him.
She believed his plan wasn't as simple as he claimed.
She even suspected that he wasn't Uchiha Madara at all.
"Hehe!"
Itsuki chuckled as he pulled Konan into his arms, whispering softly into her ear.
Konan couldn't help but smile. "You're so bad."
"You don't seem to like that masked man?"
"How could I?" Konan replied coldly. "It's purely mutual exploitation, and besides..."
Itsuki understood what Konan was about to say next. "That masked man isn't Uchiha Madara, and he's set a trap on Nagato, ensuring he can't rebel against him."
Konan's slender, jade-like fingers instinctively gripped Itsuki. In a low voice, she pleaded, "You have to save Nagato. He's my only family."
"Don't worry, I'll help you!" Itsuki smiled faintly, his eyes subtly glancing to the side.
Pain's figure flickered in the shadows.
After making brief eye contact with Itsuki, Pain slowly retreated.
Itsuki's smile widened.
Although the masked man had laid a trap on Nagato, Nagato was still an Uzumaki.
And besides...
The mysteries of the Rinnegan were something even Uchiha Madara couldn't fully comprehend.
Now that Nagato was aware of the problem, how would he respond?
Itsuki was looking forward to it.
Obito, you probably have no idea you're about to get betrayed, do you?
...
At this moment, Itsuki had returned to the Uchiha clan grounds.
"So, how are things going, everyone?"
The clan grounds seemed eerily empty.
There were barely any people on the main street.
Hundreds of Uchiha ninjas had been pulled away, leaving only the security forces to maintain the clan's defenses.
The Konoha Police Force was down to just a squad.
Even Itachi and Shisui had been reassigned.
As a result...
When Itsuki shouted, only about a dozen people appeared.
At this moment, the Uchiha only had 200 combat-capable ninjas.
They were led by Zongyi and Setsuna, scattered across various corners of the clan grounds.
It could be said that the Uchiha were now spread thin, but their vigilance was high.
And this was all part of Itsuki's plan.
Itsuki pulled out a kunai, stuck it in the ground, and shouted, "Go wherever you want!"
Swish!
The kunai disappeared, replaced by a person.
Uchiha Itachi!
"Is this the Flying Thunder God?"
Itachi's eyes sparkled with excitement.
"It's really handy. I was over 200 kilometers from Konoha, but I returned in an instant."
"Enough talking, get to work!"
Itsuki impatiently tossed Itachi another kunai.
Six words in kanji were engraved on it: **Go wherever you want.**
The Second Hokage Tobirama's Flying Thunder God technique used a pattern-based seal, while the Fourth Hokage Minato's used a text-based seal.
Itsuki didn't want to be like them.
He wanted to leave his own mark on the world.
"Got it!"
Itachi quickly left.
The dozen or so Uchiha ninjas followed him out.
Itsuki's plan was simple.
Using the Flying Thunder God technique, they would transfer all the elderly and children of the Uchiha clan to the new village.
Since there were too many people, the transfer had to be done in batches.
It was a huge operation, and if word got out, the Third Hokage would definitely launch an immediate attack.
Therefore!
The first group to be transferred had to be loyal and low-profile.
Uchiha Fugaku's wife, Uchiha Mikoto, for instance, would definitely be among the last to go.
Were there spies within the Uchiha clan?
Yes!
So, the last few batches would be at considerable risk.
Fugaku accepted this.
It was his responsibility as clan leader.
However!
What pained Fugaku the most was that he didn't trust Uchiha Itsuki.
He was deeply worried that his wife would disappear without a trace, alive or dead!
That bastard Itsuki had been after his wife for ages, and who knew if he'd take this opportunity to hide Mikoto away?
And yet Fugaku was powerless!
It was driving him mad.
Thinking about Fugaku's helpless expression made Itsuki laugh.
"Mikoto-sister!"
Rubbing his hands together with a mischievous grin, he muttered, "If I don't go to the clan leader's house now, wouldn't that seem suspicious?"
"Yes, for the sake of the clan, I must visit the clan leader's house."
"You spies are just too despicable. My sacrifice is too great."
With a cheerful grin, Itsuki headed toward Fugaku's house.
(End of Chapter)