Chapter 68: White Eyes
"Obito..."
Smoke coiled in the air as Kakashi stared grimly at the black-cloaked figure before him.
Even with the mask — he knew without a doubt who it was.
Zzzzt—
Sparks of blue lightning danced in his left hand, while his Sharingan flared scarlet, more striking than ever.
Locking eyes with the masked man, Kakashi's voice was low and steady.
"You're really not coming back? You're seriously going to follow this wrong path all the way to the end?"
"Wrong?"
Obito let out a cold snort, shaking his head, face unreadable behind the mask.
"Ever since the day you stood by and watched Rin die, my heart was torn open by the hellish reality of this world.
Back then, I had nothing but pain.
But now... I have a purpose.
I'm going to create a peaceful world.
So tell me, Kakashi — what right do you have to call my path wrong?"
"...And what about our sensei? The others? What did they ever do to deserve this?"
Kakashi asked quietly after a pause, his voice heavy.
But Obito remained unexpectedly calm.
"Don't bother fishing for information, Kakashi.
I already know how you think. So do me a favor and shut up, would you?"
"...I see."
Kakashi let out a breath. His eyes, once conflicted, now held a quiet resolve.
"Obito, your will… it's always been a part of me. It's kept me going for years.
But now, the only thing I can do... is send you on your way."
"...Is that so."
Obito's voice remained emotionless — his expression unreadable beneath the mask.
"Then we're the same."
In a flash — both figures vanished.
The next moment, two shadows clashed mid-air.
Splat—
Kakashi's Raikiri pierced straight through Obito's chest —
—but at the same time, Obito's kunai sank deep into Kakashi's abdomen.
Blood spilled from both, but in the next moment, the scene shattered like an illusion —
—their bodies vanished again.
Clang!
The sound of steel meeting steel rang out, echoing across the battlefield.
Kakashi and Obito now stood locked on the other side, weapons clashing.
"You're using that Sharingan well," Obito sneered, gripping a black chain in his hand as he faced Kakashi.
"But that's all it is. Let me show you... how that eye is really meant to be used!"
"Geez, you're a slippery little river kappa, aren't ya?!"
Elsewhere, Hidan swung his massive scythe wildly at Guy, his mouth running non-stop as always.
But Guy didn't respond. He dodged swiftly, his focus sharp as he quickly assessed the surrounding situation.
"Kakashi's tied up with Obito…
Gen's on his own, dealing with someone unknown…
This situation's looking dicey."
Just then, Hidan suddenly flung his scythe outward. Guy dodged reflexively, but noticed something strange.
In a flash, the scythe snapped back — dragged by a chain — and Guy spun away at the last second.
"This psycho's taijutsu is decent, and that weapon is a pain.
Still haven't seen any ninjutsu from him… maybe some kind of secret technique?"
Guy kept his cool. He was definitely worried about Kakashi — Obito was extremely dangerous.
He was also concerned about Kitagawa Gen. The kid was strong, no doubt, but he lacked experience and might get outplayed.
Still, Guy believed in his teammates.
He trusted they could handle it.
And he would give it his all too — to make sure he could support them when it counted.
"Hey, river kappa! You fighting or not?!
If you're just gonna stand there, why don't you give up and let me sacrifice you already?!"
Hidan grew increasingly irritated that Might Guy was outright ignoring him.
His attacks sped up—
—but at that moment, Guy's expression suddenly turned serious.
"Hey, you lunatic... just one thing before we start—"
"Huh?"
Hidan blinked, confused.
In the next instant, Guy vanished—
—and slammed a kick right into Hidan's face.
Boom—!
With a dull thud, Hidan was sent flying, just as Guy's voice echoed through the air:
"I am not a river kappa.
I am the Proud Blue Beast of the Leaf!"
"...."
Just before Hidan's head crashed into a tree trunk, he muttered under his breath:
"What a stupid-ass nickname... baka..."
---
While Kakashi and Guy were forced to split up, Kitagawa Gen found himself face to face with Kakuzu.
"Kakuzu, huh?"
Gen narrowed his eyes at the strange, stitched-together man before him.
This was someone who had nearly overwhelmed Kakashi multiple times,
Only with Naruto and Yamato's help had they finally taken him down.
Definitely not an opponent to underestimate.
Still, there was one thing Gen couldn't help but question—
Did this guy really fight Hashirama Senju?
"That just doesn't seem right..."
Kakuzu was strong, no doubt—
But against Hashirama? That sounded far-fetched.
Only Uchiha Madara had ever truly forced Hashirama to go all out.
"So, kid… I hear you've learned the Flying Thunder God Technique?"
Kakuzu suddenly broke the silence, voice cold and sharp.
"I've heard tales of how Tobirama Senju and Minato Namikaze used it to terrifying effect.
I'm curious to see just how powerful it really is."
"You will."
Gen drew his White Fang short blade, purple lightning crackling down its edge.
He wasn't about to take any chances.
Not with this guy.
In fact, he already had a bold idea forming in his mind...
"I hope so," Kakuzu said, cracking his knuckles.
"Because I'm in a really bad mood right now."
Suddenly—
Kakuzu finished a string of hand seals.
A massive wave of flames surged toward Gen like a crashing tide.
"Thanks to Obito, I'm not getting that bounty anymore!"
Kakuzu was angry.
"And that guy… is one of us?!"
He still couldn't wrap his head around it.
Since when did Akatsuki have two leaders — one in the open and one in the shadows?
He could pretend not to know, sure.
But when it came to Obito, he had no leverage.
"That space-time jutsu of his..."
He couldn't even land a hit.
One mistake, and he'd be obliterated in an instant.
He'd already lost one heart. He couldn't afford to lose another.
"Obito claimed he was Madara's successor?"
Hidan probably didn't get the implications—
But Kakuzu, having lived through that era, knew exactly what that name meant.
Still, he didn't care who these people were or what schemes they were running.
"I don't care who's in charge. I'm not here for politics. I'm here to make money."
The only thing that made him feel better was that Obito had tipped him off.
"Two Leaf jonin. One of them's the Sharingan user, Kakashi Hatake — definitely worth a lot.
As for this kid…"
As the sea of flames roared, Kakuzu calmly switched to his Wind Heart.
He remembered how Tobirama and Minato used kunai to channel their teleportation.
If he could just blow away the kunai, he could counter it.
"Hmm?"
But something was off.
No kunai came flying.
As the flames began to die down, Kakuzu finally saw it —
Gen stood with one hand raised, a wall of purple lightning shielding him.
"That kind of Lightning Release…"
Kakuzu's green eyes gleamed briefly with greed—
—but something didn't feel right.
"This kid's chakra… it's strange."
Before he could analyze it, Gen moved—
so fast he was like a phantom.
And in that instant, Kakuzu saw his eyes—
They had turned into a pair of glowing white pupils...