Chapter 139: "I've Long Been in Hell"
"Too late?"
Uchiha Kei slowly stepped onto the edge of the battlefield, frowning at the sea of corpses strewn before him.
He had finally confirmed what he had sensed earlier—that chakra.
It was Wood Release.
There could be no other explanation.
With a quiet sigh, Kei felt a headache coming on. His gaze shifted toward the black-clad figure not far away, who was holding Rin Nohara's lifeless body and weeping uncontrollably.
That must be… Uchiha Obito.
Despite knowing the truth, Kei still decided to confront him—for the sake of his own plans.
Especially after noticing that white, plant-like substance covering the man's body—his heart skipped a beat.
If my memory's correct… that's White Zetsu.
Taking a deep breath, Uchiha Kei began walking toward Obito.
With each step, his eyes shifted, slowly turning into a pair of scarlet Mangekyō Sharingan.
When he was only a dozen paces away, his expression remained calm, his tone cold and detached:
"Put her down."
"Who are you? Did you kill Rin Nohara?"
Though Kei already knew the answer, he had to pretend otherwise.
After all, Obito wasn't in his right mind right now—completely unhinged and dangerous.
And worse, his body was laced with White Zetsu's cells.
It was no exaggeration to say that this very moment laid the foundation for Obito's future evolution: mastering the Rinnegan, becoming the Ten-Tails' Jinchūriki, and eventually stepping into the Sage of Six Paths mode.
---
"I killed Rin...?
Heh… I killed Rin?"
Obito, still facing away, began to tremble as he clutched her corpse tighter.
The white shell of Zetsu around him rippled and shifted again, gradually creeping up and fully enclosing his face.
"You said I killed Rin?!"
As the words left his mouth, Obito lunged at Kei without hesitation, his speed near-instantaneous.
His right arm lashed forward—
Wood Release: Piercing Tree Technique!
But Uchiha Kei wasn't like the Mist Anbu from before.
He knew exactly who Obito was.
And more importantly, he understood the specific abilities granted by his Mangekyō Sharingan.
Apart from not knowing the precise "theme" of Obito's ocular powers, Kei could see through almost everything else about him.
---
"Die!"
"Raiton: Raikiri!"
Kei's cloak fluttered though there was no wind.
In a flash of lightning, his ninja blade was already unsheathed.
As blade met wooden spike, Kei instantly noticed something was wrong—The wooden spike was phasing through.
---
His Sharingan saw it clearly.
In that crucial moment, his right eye shimmered, releasing a strange, foreign chakra.
"Chrono Drift!"
It was a technique derived from the feedback loop of his Mangekyō.
Though its full potential was said to rewind time itself, Kei's current mastery only allowed him to slow it—for others.
But that was enough.
All he needed was an instant.
---
Suddenly, Obito's movements slowed dramatically.
Even in the slowed-down frame, Kei could clearly see the madness in his eyes.
With a subtle shift, Uchiha Kei narrowly avoided the phasing wooden spikes.
In the same fluid motion, he twisted his blade downward—
—and in the blink of an eye, his sword, charged with lightning chakra, pierced straight through Obito's body!
A surge of violent lightning erupted.
Obito let out a sharp cry, his body convulsing from the impact as Kei's blade passed completely through him.
"You…"
Obito stared in disbelief at the wound now torn across his chest.
The injury was already beginning to regenerate rapidly—
—but there was no mistaking it.
He had been hit.
---
"You're not paralyzed?"
Kei raised an eyebrow, equally surprised.
Obito was still on his feet.
No signs of paralysis. No sluggish movement. Just... rage.
And Kei had not struck the white Zetsu-covered areas either.
After a moment's thought, Kei could only sigh to himself.
What absurd luck.
The benefits of being fused with White Zetsu were beginning to show.
Not only did Obito now possess insanely fast regeneration, but he also seemed immune to most negative effects, paralysis included.
"Who the hell are you?"
Obito seemed to regain a shred of clarity.
He clenched his fists and glared at Kei.
"And what the hell was that just now?!"
"Just a Leaf shinobi."
Kei replied coolly, trying to remain vague—he knew his identity wouldn't stay hidden forever, but there was no need to give anything away yet.
"And you? You killed Rin. You killed Kakashi. You slaughtered an entire unit of Mist ninja. Aren't you afraid of retaliation?"
"Retaliation…?"
Obito laughed.
A dry, bitter, insane laugh.
"You think I care about revenge?
I've been in hell all along.
Afraid? No—I should be thanking all of you!
I should show you all just how grateful I am!"
---
With a deranged gleam in his eye, Obito lunged again.
He was fast—too fast.
His right fist lashed out like a cannon.
Kei met the charge head-on without hesitation.
---
At this point, Obito had the backing of White Zetsu and Mangekyō Sharingan.
His strength, chakra, and speed were overwhelming.
Each punch landed with terrifying force—rivaling even Tsunade's monstrous strength.
But… despite all that power—
He was sloppy.
Obito, for all his might, lacked solid fundamentals.
He had power, yes—but he had no idea how to use it.
Both he and Kei had grown up as nobodies within the Uchiha clan, sidelined and overlooked.
At least Kei had a father who was once a chunin, who taught him some basics.
Obito, on the other hand, had no one.
All he had ever learned came from the academy and his own clumsy training.
Kei, with full knowledge of Obito's abilities, didn't need to go all-out.
Even while limiting his use of ocular jutsu, he could hold his ground—
—and with time, his advantage only grew.
Obito was getting frustrated.
Why can't I land a single blow? It's like he's seeing right through me…
Another brief clash.
Kei seized the perfect opening.
Just as Obito began to phase—
Kei activated his left eye's Mangekyō ability:
"Chrono Leap."
In a ghostlike blur, he slipped behind Obito—
—and drove his blade deep into his chest once more.
Obito tried to phase, tried to disappear into intangibility again.
But this time… something changed.
---
His body shimmered—then began to fade entirely.
Right before Kei's eyes, Uchiha Obito simply… vanished.
As though he'd never been there at all.
Only the corpses remained.
And above them—
bathed in blood-
red light—hung a crescent moon, dyed crimson by the carnage.
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