Kakashi and Rin stood silently in place.
Obito, on the other hand, kept furiously wiping at his eyes, trying to erase that streak of blood—but it wouldn't go away. His vision was constantly drenched in crimson.
"Damn it!"
With a cry of despair, Obito's Sharingan evolved into a Three-Tomoe Sharingan, the tomoe within starting to spin.
"Takeshi! Takeshi! Takeshi!!"
As Obito roared, the spinning tomoe finally settled into a sharp, fixed pattern.
"Uh... Why are you yelling my name like that?"
Hearing Obito's shout, Takeshi emerged from the shadows, looking utterly confused as he stared at Obito.
"Takeshi, can you explain... what the hell is going on here?"
Kakashi stood up, exasperated, pointing to the ice chunk on the ground soaked in red liquid.
"What's the big deal? Never seen an ice clone before?"
Peering down at the ice block, Takeshi rolled his eyes and scoffed at Kakashi's overreaction.
"Why the hell is your ice clone bleeding?"
Rin, also with a deadpan expression, stood up. Her hands were covered in blood from when she tried to rescue Takeshi.
"Blood packs, duh. Otherwise, how would I convince the enemy I'm dead?"
Takeshi spoke as if it were the most natural thing in the world. He had spent quite a while thinking this trick up. With blood packs, he'd finally solved the technical issue of clones not being able to bleed. Sure, he might not fool an elite jōnin, but it was more than enough to trick the average dumbass with mediocre skills.
"You guys didn't actually fall for it, right? No way. You didn't, right?"
Seeing both Kakashi and Rin frozen in silence, Takeshi suddenly wore an exaggerated look of disbelief.
"By the way, Obito—why aren't you saying anything? Weren't you just shouting my name a second ago?"
He patted Obito on the shoulder, staring at his blood-smeared face with curiosity.
"Why so quiet? I literally just saved your life—Whoa, hold up, your eyes?!"
Takeshi jumped in shock as he noticed Obito's hollow gaze and the strange pattern in his Sharingan.
"That's... a Mangekyō Sharingan?"
It was common knowledge that unlocking the Mangekyō Sharingan required the wielder to experience extreme emotional trauma, triggering a unique chakra reaction in the brain that affected the eyes.
For example, witnessing the death of someone dear...
Stiffly turning his head toward the melting ice chunk on the ground, Takeshi forced a pained smile more twisted than crying.
"You guys... really believed it?"
Kakashi and Rin exchanged glances and nodded at the exact same time.
"Whose clones bleed? Rin and I both thought you got slashed by the enemy."
Takeshi felt like crying.
Obito was seriously too fragile. Rin hadn't even kicked the bucket yet, and this guy had already unlocked the Mangekyō Sharingan. It felt like he was disrespecting the character setup or something.
What now? Isn't it said that people who awaken the Mangekyō Sharingan tend to be a bit... unstable? This guy wouldn't...
"Takeshi..."
Obito's previously vacant eyes finally regained focus. He stared at Takeshi with a blank look and spoke in a chilling tone.
Takeshi broke into a cold sweat at the sound of Obito's voice and turned to face him.
"Yo, Obito. No need to thank me for saving your life. You're good now, so just—"
Before he could finish, Obito pulled him into a strong embrace.
"Thank god. You're okay, you're really okay. I seriously thought you were going to die... We just got the team back together again..."
Hearing the sobs in Obito's voice and feeling how worried he was, Takeshi was a little moved. Then, in an exasperated tone, he said:
"Uh... You kinda got snot all over my clothes. At least wipe it off with a tissue..."
...
Black Zetsu didn't see Takeshi's "resurrection." After sneaking away through the crevice under a boulder, he returned with White Zetsu to Madara's side.
"Did you succeed?"
Madara opened his eyes and looked at the black-and-white fusion in front of him.
"...I failed."
Black Zetsu's voice was hoarse as he responded.
Hearing that, Madara's face twisted with displeasure. He snorted coldly, closed his eyes again, and muttered a harsh judgment:
"Trash."
Black Zetsu nearly turned red on the spot from rage.
You're just Indra's reincarnation, a glorified chess piece—how dare you call me trash?
But remembering that he still needed this guy to resurrect his mother, Black Zetsu forcibly swallowed his anger and continued pretending to be the obedient "will of Madara."
"Hmph. At least you're loyal."
Though he wanted nothing more than to throw this failure out, Madara held back. At the very least, Black Zetsu was still loyal to him.
"If it's a failure, then just abandon that guy. We've already gained something from the others."
Madara's mood lightened slightly as he thought about Uchiha Setsuna, who White Zetsu had recently lured away from Konoha.
With Setsuna, he wouldn't need to bother with brainwashing—after all, that guy constantly claimed to be the inheritor of Madara's will. Explaining things to him would be a breeze. Still, Setsuna's age was a bit of a problem...
"I'll give you one more chance. Go and bring back that brat from the Kirigakure battlefield."
Feeling like one Setsuna wasn't enough, Madara decided to send Black Zetsu out again. As for Obito, he didn't care anymore. That guy was just a minor character.
"Understood... But Madara-sama, why don't you go after Uchiha Shisui instead? He's got way more potential."
Black Zetsu nodded but voiced his doubts. Compared to Obito, the other choice Madara made wasn't much stronger.
"Uchiha Shisui? He's a follower of Hashirama's will. Not someone who can be swayed by mere words. Rather than waste time on someone like him, it's better to go for those more easily manipulated. As a creation of my will, just follow my orders. You don't need to use a brain you clearly don't have to think about candidate selection."
Madara's words were a direct insult, mocking Black Zetsu as brainless.
Black Zetsu burned with rage again.
He really wanted to grab this old bastard by the collar and scream: You're just a pawn, you fossil! Every dream you ever had was planted by me, the great Black Zetsu! You're nothing!
But... for Mother. For Kaguya.
He remembered her face—his mother's. A face he hadn't seen in over a thousand years. And so, Black Zetsu swallowed his anger and obediently set out for the Kirigakure battlefield.
----------------
Pls Drop some Power Stones
+100 chapters and support me on Patreon(.)com/Jixo