Naruto: Fire-Release system

Chapter 23: How Could This Be Fake? Obito's Eyes Are Full of Rin!

After Uchiha Yi left, Kakashi leaned helplessly against a tree, lost and unable to regain his usual calm demeanor as a ninja.

In that conversation, Uchiha Yi, who had been pretending to be Uchiha Obito, revealed many shocking truths.

One of the most painful was the memory of the Nine-Tails' attack on Konoha, a tragic event that brought untold suffering to the village. Even his mentor, the Fourth Hokage Minato Namikaze, and his wife, Kushina Uzumaki, had lost their lives that night.

And "Obito" claimed that it was his doing.

In other words, Minato and Kushina's deaths were directly his responsibility!

How could this be possible?

Kakashi's first reaction was disbelief. The Obito he knew would never do something like this!

The Obito of the past was kind, always willing to help others even if it meant being late, helping elderly ladies cross the street.

Both Minato and Kushina had been so caring and protective of him. So why would he do such a thing? What had he experienced to make him this way?

No matter how Kakashi tried to deny it, the truth was glaring him in the face.

He had considered the possibility that this "Obito" was an imposter. But as someone who knew Obito best, he could tell from the familiar gestures, the painful words, and the stories only they shared.

And most of all, in "Obito's" eyes, he could see nothing but Rin.

This was how Kakashi was sure—it was his old friend, transformed yet unmistakable. No matter what Obito had become, he couldn't be wrong.

Recently, a mysterious Uchiha had stirred up trouble in Konoha, killing the Third Hokage's grandson, Konohamaru, and hinting that Kakashi's father, Sakumo Hatake, the White Fang, had been betrayed by Konoha's high-ranking officials.

Regardless of his personal beliefs about this, it had caused the village's leadership to doubt him.

It was this suspicion that forced him to leave the Anbu, regardless of his own wishes.

That alone was exhausting for Kakashi, and now "Obito" had revealed that Konoha's upper ranks had a hand in Rin's death, too.

Considering the fall of the Land of Whirlpools, the decline of the Senju clan, and the Uchiha massacre, it seemed that these tragedies—dark and tragic—had all been orchestrated by Konoha's top officials, led by the Third Hokage, Hiruzen Sarutobi.

Even Kakashi, as steadfast as he was in his loyalty, couldn't help but feel his resolve wavering.

Perhaps there were truths hidden within Konoha that he had yet to uncover.

"Kakashi-senpai… should we continue the mission… or return to the village?"

Uzuki Yugao looked troubled, wondering if she'd just stumbled upon a dangerous secret that could mean a silencing.

"Hmm… But before we go back, I need your cooperation," Kakashi said, turning to his teammates.

"If you report what you've just heard to the village, it could cause unnecessary turmoil."

"So, until I uncover the truth, we can't let anyone else know. I need your discretion…"

"What? Kakashi, are you planning to silence us?"

"Are you going to betray the village?"

Before Kakashi could finish his words, their other teammate looked horrified, stepping back with suspicion and fear.

"I…"

Damn it!

"Can you let me finish my sentence?!"

"Forget it!"

For a moment, Kakashi almost let out a curse. With all that was already weighing on him, his teammate was just adding to the frustration.

He gave up trying to explain, instantly moving beside his teammate and knocking him out with a swift chop.

"Kakashi-senpai, when you say not letting anyone know, does that include the Hokage?"

Seeing that Kakashi hadn't harmed their teammate, Yugao realized she might have overthought things. But even so, his actions still pushed the boundaries of a ninja's duty.

If Konoha's leadership found out, he might even be branded a rogue ninja.

"The Uchiha massacre only recently ended, and the village is still unsettled by that mysterious Uchiha's appearance."

"If we spread this information, Konoha might fall apart."

Kakashi's voice was somber; he had wrestled with this decision internally for a long time.

Regardless of whether his father's death was linked to Konoha's leaders or if Rin's death was orchestrated by them, he intended to uncover the truth.

But until then, he didn't want to cause unnecessary disruptions.

Right now, the most important thing was to find Obito. He had so much he needed to say.

Though "Obito" had revealed a lot just now, there were still so many unanswered questions.

But that clumsy, absent-minded personality—that was just like the Obito he knew.

In that way, some things hadn't changed at all.

"For the sake of Rin, he's taking revenge on everyone who had a hand in her death?"

Slowly calming down, Kakashi began to piece together some of Obito's words, deducing that his likely destination was the Hidden Mist Village. Besides Konoha's leadership, Mist had played a major role in Rin's death.

And while Konoha was well-defended, Mist Village was a much easier target.

"Alright."

After a struggle, Yugao reluctantly agreed to trust Kakashi.

"To be safe, I'm going to seal this memory for now."

Kakashi nodded, his voice serious.

"Understood."

At this point, Yugao didn't have any objections left. It was only a memory seal, after all, and it wouldn't have a major impact.

Meanwhile, after playing the role of Obito and putting on a heartfelt performance for Kakashi, Uchiha Yi was feeling quite pleased.

He wondered if Tobi would be surprised when he found out his cover had been blown.

He was eager to see Tobi's reaction when he faced Kakashi, now aware of the truth.

Uchiha Yi took pride in his ability to impersonate Obito so convincingly. Cosplayers of the past had only scratched the surface, imitating the look without capturing the essence.

The only cosplayer he ever respected was the one who released a short video titled He Loved Rin Even More Than Obito.

That video had taught Uchiha Yi the true essence of playing the role of Tobi.

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