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Chapter 71: The Flames of Ambition
🕑 Added 2025-02-23 10:22:57 +0000 UTCChapter 71: The Flames of Ambition
The moonlight was faint, casting a dim glow over a remote canyon in the Land of Fire.
Suddenly, the space rippled, twisting unnaturally, and in the next moment, Obito’s figure stumbled out of the void.
“Damn it...”
The mask was back on his face, but the single eye exposed beneath it burned with rage and malice.
He had never imagined he would lose so miserably. If it weren’t for his habit of preparing Izanagi in advance, he might not have escaped at all.
“Obito, are you alright?”
The ground trembled slightly, and a Venus flytrap-like figure emerged, revealing Black Zetsu’s face. He hesitated for a moment before speaking.
He hadn’t expected Obito to be beaten this badly — despite his doubts about Obito’s so-called plans from the very beginning.
But given Obito's abilities, escape should have been a given. Yet now, his sorry state told a different story.
“I’m fine. Thanks to Izanagi.”
Obito's voice was hoarse, though his gaze flickered with dark intensity.
“But those two… they were truly impressive.”
“What exactly happened? Even with the Flying Thunder God mark on you, it shouldn’t have ended like this.”
Black Zetsu already suspected the answer — it was likely due to Uchiha Shisui — but he still pressed for details.
Of course, aside from Shisui, the one who truly piqued Black Zetsu’s interest was that brat, Haruta.
Wood Release.
A rare and formidable power — one that had seemingly been forced out of Haruta.
For a millennium, the battles between Indra and Asura had always been the same: Indra fighting alone, while Asura gathered tailed beasts and rallied clans to his side.
But when it came to Madara and Hashirama…
The tailed beasts had become Madara’s weapons, while Asura — or rather, Hashirama — had faced him alone.
It was hard to tell if this was Asura’s potential or purely Hashirama's individual strength. Especially the overwhelming power of his Wood Release — it was simply absurd.
“Has the divine tree’s chakra mutated this much?”
Asura inherited the Yang Release from Hagoromo Otsutsuki, and under Hashirama, this power had reached astonishing heights.
Not just in terms of physical and chakra strength — Hashirama had even manifested that Yang energy into a form that resembled the divine tree itself!
Of course, Haruta was nowhere near Hashirama’s level.
There was no trace of the divine tree's aura in Haruta’s Wood Release.
“But that kid's Wood Release still radiates a powerful life force — his Yang Release is clearly at work...”
The full expression of Yang Release meant one thing: potential.
The reason no one else could truly inherit Hashirama’s Wood Release was simple — Yang Release couldn’t be easily wielded.
Even Konoha’s experiments, at best, blended Earth and Water Release — never reaching Hashirama’s level.
Yes, part of this was Asura’s legacy — but wasn’t Asura's power rooted in Yang Release itself?
“That kid… he’s worth keeping a close eye on.”
Black Zetsu's mind churned with calculations.
Meanwhile, Obito's expression grew even more vicious.
“Uchiha Shisui… his Mangekyo Sharingan.”
“So it was as I suspected...”
Black Zetsu's train of thought broke, but he nodded at Obito’s words — it was just as he had guessed.
“That guy’s eyes… they’re dangerous. His genjutsu is terrifying.”
Obito’s breath was heavy, his voice rough.
“He didn’t even need direct eye contact — he forced me into his consciousness space with his Mangekyo power, burning and destroying my very mind.
"Those eyes… they’re anything but ordinary.”
“No doubt. It’s a truly unique ability.”
Black Zetsu frowned.
To bypass direct eye contact and manipulate someone’s consciousness outright — that was an overwhelmingly oppressive and deadly genjutsu.
“Be careful. Even in your Kamui dimension, you might not be safe from him.”
“I know… but I need to get those eyes.”
Obito’s voice was cold, his resolve firm.
Shisui's eyes were too dangerous.
The only way to neutralize that threat was to claim those eyes for himself.
But this would take time — and careful planning.
Still, as much as Shisui and Haruta concerned him, there was someone else constantly lurking in Obito’s thoughts — Kakashi.
“My other eye...”
Haruta's ability to strike Obito mid-Kamui was largely thanks to Kakashi — or rather, thanks to his own other Sharingan that Kakashi possessed.
From what he observed during the battle, Obito had pieced together the basics of his other eye’s power.
“So… the offensive aspect of Kamui is in the left eye?”
Having used his right eye for so long, Obito was keenly aware of its defensive nature.
It allowed him to phase through physical attacks by slipping into his pocket dimension.
But offensively?
All it could do was suck people into the void.
Now, though… he realized his left eye could tear and twist targets within its line of sight — even breaking through the barriers between dimensions.
“It can breach my Kamui space and threaten me directly…”
His hand clenched into a fist, and the Sharingan visible through his mask glowed faintly.
No one knew what dark schemes were brewing in Obito’s mind at that moment.
—
Meanwhile, back in the Uchiha compound, a high-level clan meeting was underway.
In the aftermath of the battle, Shisui's use of his Mangekyo Sharingan had ignited a wildfire among the Uchiha.
At first, they were stunned by the reappearance of Wood Release — but Shisui’s sudden display of the Mangekyo only added fuel to the flames.
“Clan Leader, was that truly the Mangekyo Sharingan?”
The room buzzed with barely contained excitement.
Uchiha Fugaku, the clan head, gave a somber nod.
“It appears so.”
He hadn’t expected this either.
He knew better than anyone how rare it was to awaken the Mangekyo — and now, two had appeared almost simultaneously.
Obito… and Shisui.
What did this mean for the Uchiha?
“Clan Leader, we must nurture Shisui’s talent — we can’t let Konoha manipulate him.”
An elder broke the silence, his voice firm and unyielding.
“Konoha won’t let Shisui go so easily. Only here, with us, can he be truly protected — and only we can help him master his eyes’ full power.”
“That’s right, Clan Leader.”
“We can’t let Konoha sink their claws into him!”
“And there’s also Kakashi's eye…”
The hall erupted into a chaotic chorus of voices.
Fugaku listened quietly, his expression impassive.
But deep down, he sighed.
Shisui's Mangekyo had stirred something within the clan — a spark that could easily grow into an inferno.
It was like a flame catching dry grass — spreading faster than anyone could control.
Would this fire burn towards their enemies… or consume them from within?
And if the fire grew too wild — would anyone be able to put it out?
A flicker of confusion clouded Fugaku’s mind.
Yet, even as he questioned their future, he couldn’t deny it — that same fire was starting to smolder in his own heart.
…
