novelraw Chapter 165 I only mentioned Sasuke once, and you're already going to fight me to the death?
Chapter 165 I only mentioned Sasuke once, and you're already going to fight me to the death?
Chapter 165 I only mentioned Sasuke briefly, and you're already going to fight me to the death?
In Amegakure, a light drizzle falls from the sky. Raindrops slide down the glass windows of a towering building, reflecting the image of a figure wearing a tiger-striped mask.
At this moment, he sat quietly by the window, staring at the continuous rain outside with one eye. The pattering of raindrops on the windowpane was monotonous and hypnotic, yet it could not calm the thoughts in his mind.
Obito was deep in thought.
Ever since the dream incident, he had a vague feeling that something was wrong with his surroundings, and what bothered him most was Black Zetsu's recent unusual behavior.
Obito trusted his intuition—this guy Zetsu seemed to be hiding some secret.
"Thump, thump, thump."
A sharp knock on the door suddenly broke the tranquility woven by the sound of rain.
Obito narrowed his one eye, snapping out of his distracting thoughts.
"Who?"
The door was pushed open a crack, and a figure, half black and half white, slipped in through the damp, cold air.
The one who came was truly exceptional.
Zetsu leaned out of the room and saw Obito's single eye staring down at him, which made him feel uneasy.
Obito is becoming increasingly unpredictable lately.
First, he inexplicably forced himself to "go through the front door" every time he entered the house, making him knock on the door and announce his arrival like an ordinary subordinate.
Then he stayed indoors every day, researching how to sleep.
And these past few days, I've often seen him staring blankly at the air, looking thoughtful and tense. What's wrong with Obito lately?
"What is it?"
Obito's voice was deep and hoarse, sounding somewhat jarring in the empty tower room.
Jueqian chuckled a few times and said, "It's an urgent intelligence report from Kisame."
As he spoke, he stretched out his pale right hand, pulled a scroll from his body, and tossed it toward Obito.
The scroll drew an arc in the air, and Obito raised an eyebrow upon hearing this, reaching out to accurately catch it in his palm.
Urgent intelligence from Kisame?
He and Itachi should be carrying out a simple investigation mission recently, so there shouldn't be any major trouble, right?
Obito's mind raced, but his hands didn't hesitate as he quickly opened the scroll to browse the contents.
A few lines of hastily written characters came into view. As he read, his single pupil suddenly contracted, and his previously nonchalant expression froze instantly.
The scroll stopped at his trembling fingertips. He slowly raised his head, his voice turning somber and grave through the mask: "Itachi—something happened?"
"What?!"
Zetsu was also shocked upon hearing this: "The combination of Kisame Hoshigaki and Itachi Uchiha is one of the strongest teams in Akatsuki. Who could possibly harm them?"
Obito did not answer Zetsu's question.
He lowered his eyes and glanced at the scroll one last time to confirm the details.
A sense of unease began to rise in Obito's heart.
Kisame and Itachi were different from the others; he personally recruited them into Akatsuki.
These two are not just members of the Akatsuki, but also his people.
The two are not only powerful, but their abilities are also effective against tailed beasts.
This is crucial for future plans.
Although not entirely loyal, they cannot be allowed to fail.
Then, with a "whoosh," he decisively rolled up the reel and put it away, then stood up.
Obito gave Black Zetsu a cold, wary look. "I'll go see what's going on."
Before he finished speaking, a strange ripple suddenly appeared in the depths of his right eye.
With a sound of spatial distortion, a vortex rapidly formed on Obito's body, engulfing him completely.
In the blink of an eye, the vortex and Obito disappeared together, leaving only a few wisps of distorted air currents drifting in the air.
Meanwhile, in a simple inn in Kusagakure Village, the air was filled with a faint musty smell and a hint of blood.
Inside the room, on a narrow single bed, Itachi Uchiha lay quietly on his back, his pale face turned toward the dim ceiling, his dark eyes staring blankly at a certain spot on the ceiling, unfocused.
Kisame stood not far from the bed, looking helplessly at his partner who was still in a daze and speechless.
He crossed his arms and leaned against the wall.
Even the usually carefree shark now showed signs of tension and anxiety – it was completely flustered.
Kisame had seen his share of storms, but this was the first time he had ever encountered such a situation: he knew about Itachi's illness, but he had never seen it flare up so violently.
Kisame looked down at his right hand, where there were still some brownish-black bloodstains on the back of his hand, which he had left when he had given Itachi a quick clean.
He wrinkled his nose; the metallic smell of blood mixed with the musty smell lingered in the room, making him feel very uncomfortable.
"Damn it, medical ninjas aren't easy to find in the ninja world," Kisame thought to himself, secretly lamenting.
Where can we find a medical ninja for Itachi in this place and at this time?
Left with no other choice, Kisame had to place his last hope on "that person".
He quickly reviewed the information he had just submitted via the specially made intelligence scroll in his mind. After confirming that it was correct, he sighed: With your wisdom and skill, you might really have a way to solve Itachi's problem.
At least, that person knew the truth about Itachi's serious illness and may have been prepared for it.
Thinking about all this, Kisame turned his head and looked at Itachi on the bed. His feelings were extremely complicated. This companion was more than just a mission partner to him.
Kisame chuckled self-deprecatingly.
From his perspective, whether out of personal friendship or to complete the "Eye of the Moon" project for the adults, he did not want Itachi to have any accidents at this critical juncture.
Well, to put it bluntly, Itachi and I are kindred spirits who've been slacking off and wasting our lives the whole time.
Kisame shook his head and smiled bitterly as he recalled the various missions he had carried out over the past two years.
As Kisame was reflecting on this, he suddenly felt something and abruptly sat up straight.
Suddenly, ripples appeared in the air in the center of the room, and a black circular vortex materialized out of thin air.
Kisame's expression turned serious, and he respectfully bowed his head: "My lord!"
As the vortex vanished in a flash, Obito Uchiha suddenly appeared in the room.
Wearing an orange tiger-striped mask and a jet-black robe, he surveyed the room as soon as he appeared, his gaze settling on Itachi on the bed.
With just a glance, Obito's one eye narrowed slightly: Itachi's face was ashen, his breathing was disordered, and his chest was barely rising and falling under the thin blanket—the situation was worse than he had expected!
"What's going on?" Obito didn't have time to think and stepped forward to ask in a deep voice.
The voice penetrated the mask, lowered, and sounded unusually cold and stern.
Kisame looked up, his face full of wry smiles and helplessness: "I don't know the specifics either. Itachi was perfectly fine last night. But this morning, he suddenly—"
As Kisame finished speaking, he subconsciously glanced at Itachi, only to see Itachi still staring blankly at the roof, motionless, not even moving his eyes.
I didn't pay any attention to their conversation.
Kisame was even more worried, but she tried her best to keep her voice steady and reported everything she knew truthfully: "He vomited blood as soon as he woke up this morning, and it was worse than ever before! I—I don't know why he suddenly did this. He was perfectly fine the night before, he didn't fight, and no one attacked us. It couldn't be because he had a nightmare and was scared like this, could it?"
Kisame's last half-sentence was purely a helpless jest; he knew it sounded absurd, and regretted it as soon as it left his mouth.
To his surprise, Obito remained silent after hearing the previous report, but when he heard the word "nightmare," his single eye behind the mask's hole lit up: "Nightmare?"
Obito's voice trembled slightly, as if he had heard something extraordinary.
Kisame had confirmed it, and he wondered if he had actually been right.
Just as he was about to wave his hand to explain, he saw that Obito had already withdrawn his piercing gaze and slowly turned around to stare at Itachi on the bed, or rather, stare at Itachi's empty and blank eyes.
For a moment, the only sound in the room was the pattering of raindrops hitting the eaves outside the window.
In the dim light, Kisame couldn't see Obito's expression behind his mask, but he could sense a sudden change in Obito's aura.
Dreams —
During this time, wasn't Obito constantly racking his brains trying to figure out how to infiltrate that "dream world" again?
Kisame's comment immediately reminded Obito of that dream.
Moreover, Obito not only served as a spectator several times, but also took on the role of the main character himself.
He was very clear about the details of both dreams.
That dream he had with Kakashi when they were kids is one thing.
If it's the dream where the fourth generation didn't die.
Obito narrowed his one eye, a glint of light flashing within it: If Itachi had truly "experienced" such a dream, the impact on him would be unimaginable!
In this light, Itachi's current state of being distraught and nearly dying from vomiting blood makes perfect sense.
He took a deep breath, suppressed the jumble of thoughts in his mind, and began to appreciate the current situation: this might be a golden opportunity!
Excellent, a golden opportunity!
Uchiha is a rare talent.
His strength was unparalleled even within the Akatsuki organization, but there was one problem—he could never be completely subdued and lacked sufficient loyalty.
Obito had considered various methods, but Itachi remained steadfast and always wary of him.
But things are different now, if things really turn out as I predicted.
I might be able to use this opportunity to make him completely submit to me!
With this in mind, Obito waved to Kisame: "You go out first and stand guard outside the door. I have some questions for him to ask him alone."
Kisame nodded and replied, "Understood."
He then stood up, silently left the room, and gently closed the door, leaving only the two of them inside.
After watching Kisame leave, Obito slowly walked to the bedside and looked down at the haggard-looking Itachi Uchiha.
In the dim light, Itachi's face was as pale as paper, his forehead was covered in a fine layer of cold sweat, and his eyes were empty and unfocused, as if he was completely immersed in his own world and did not even notice that another person had entered the room.
Obito observed intently for a moment, and seeing that Itachi showed no reaction, he called out twice in a low voice, "Uchiha Itachi!"
No one answered.
The person on the bed didn't even lift their eyelids, remaining frozen there like a wooden or clay sculpture.
Obito couldn't help but frown.
He certainly didn't expect to wake Itachi up by calling out a couple of times, but the other party's distraught state was truly unexpected.
It seems the dream had a greater impact on him than he had imagined, but Obito wasn't in a hurry.
He sneered inwardly: Kisame may not know what Itachi truly cares about, but he knows it very well.
He deliberately dragged out his words, slowly saying, "Uchiha Itachi, are you really not going to care about Sasuke now that you're in this state?"
The voice wasn't loud, but every word struck the weasel's ear with precision, like a sudden clap of thunder!
Itachi's mind was a jumbled mess, with various fragments of memories flashing through his mind: Shisui solemnly entrusting him with the Sharingan, asking him to protect the village and the future of the Uchiha clan; the loving smiles of his parents before they died, how they would rather kill themselves than turn their blades against each other;
The image of his younger brother kneeling in a pool of blood, weeping in despair; and the grown-up Sasuke, his face twisted with hatred, his eyes straining to swing his sword at him.
These memories almost tore Itachi's mind apart!
At that moment, Obito's words pierced Itachi's eardrums like a needle.
Uchiha Itachi, who had been as stiff as a puppet, suddenly shuddered!
His previously empty and unfocused eyes suddenly narrowed, and in an instant, a sharp, piercing light returned. "Sasuke—?"
Suddenly, his pupils focused, and his previously dull and lifeless eyes became incredibly sharp!
With a surge of killing intent erupting from his body, Itachi turned his head almost without hesitation and glared at Obito beside him. The anger and vigilance churning in his eyes made the temperature in the entire room seem to drop several degrees!
"Amaterasu!"
Itachi let out a low shout, and his Sharingan instantly transformed into a scarlet Mangekyou Sharingan, with black tomoe spinning wildly in his pupils.
Before he finished speaking, a soft "poof" sound was heard, and a cluster of pitch-black flames appeared out of thin air on Obito's body!
The black flames were silent yet powerful, spreading along his left chest in an instant and burning a large hole in his clothes!
All of this happened in the blink of an eye!
Before Obito could even react, he felt a searing pain in his left chest, followed by black flames that frantically devoured his flesh and blood. The pain made him shudder: "Ah!!"
A scream erupted uncontrollably from beneath the mask.
Obito was horrified.
This madman activated his Kaleidoscope and instantly unleashed Amaterasu—so decisive and ruthless!
The burning sensation in his chest instantly brought Obito back to his senses.
The Amaterasu Flame is known as the inextinguishable flame, and he knew better than anyone the terrifying power of this eye technique.
Obito forcibly suppressed the horror in his heart, and his one-eyed Mangekyou Sharingan spun rapidly. He gritted his teeth and forcibly activated Kamui, instantly transferring his body, which was affected by the black flames, into another dimension!
With a spatial distortion and fluctuation, the Amaterasu Black Flame, along with a large area of burning flesh, was absorbed.
The eerie sound abruptly stopped, and the black flames vanished without a trace, as if they had never existed.
On the wooden floor of the hotel room, only Obito's kneeling figure and a wisp of anxious atmosphere remained.
"Ugh!" Obito groaned, half-kneeling on the ground. Although he had escaped danger with the help of Kamui, a large chunk of his left chest was missing. It looked as if it had been ripped out of thin air. The remaining cuts around it were smooth and even. What was strangely exposed was not bloody muscle and bone, but a pale white substance that was slowly oozing a viscous juice, with faint steam rising from it.
Itachi couldn't help but slightly raise an eyebrow.
His gaze swept over the shocking hole in Obito's left chest, and his heart sank: Amaterasu, she's gone?!
The black flames vanished without a trace, as if they had never existed.
Itachi struggled to his feet from the bed, took a step to steady himself, bent one knee slightly, and assumed a fighting stance.
A pair of scarlet kaleidoscope writing wheels looked particularly eerie in the dim light.
Itachi stared intently at Obito, his chest heaving rapidly, clearly indicating that forcibly unleashing his eye technique had placed a tremendous strain on his ailing body.
But he remained defiant, his imposing manner undiminished, his voice low, hoarse, and cold: "So you really do have some designs on Sasuke!"
He knew his days were numbered—Itachi clenched his fist in resentment, and decided to take advantage of the remaining warmth of the spoon to uproot this troublemaker in front of Sasuke!
Obito was also feeling bad at that moment.
He clutched the empty space in his left chest, gasping for breath, and took several breaths of cold air before he could barely steady himself.
Although cutting off a piece of White Zetsu's tissue wouldn't be fatal to him, the pain would still be real.
He raised his head, his gaze sharp as he stared at Itachi before him, suppressing his rage as he roared, "Uchiha Itachi! What do you think you're doing?!"
His voice trembled with a mixture of anger and lingering fear.
Fortunately, the left side was hit!
Obito was truly enraged: he had only mentioned Sasuke once, and this guy had gone straight for the kill.
His response was a suffocating silence.
Uchiha Itachi had somehow appeared and was now blocking the doorway where Kisame had just retreated, sealing off Obito's escape route.
Obito was completely bewildered by Itachi's serious expression and the surging chakra surrounding him.
Is this madman about to fight to the death?
I just mentioned Sasuke briefly, and you're already going to fight me to the death?
As for?