"Uh..." Hatake Kusuo realized he had walked right into the line of fire. He awkwardly rubbed his nose. "We're still young. I don't know what you're talking about."
Leaving these hasty words behind, Hatake Kusuo, the man who had suppressed the entire ninja world with his swordsmanship, fled as if his life depended on it.
"Hmph! You stupid brother!" Shion's feisty temper flared up, and she spat with her hands on her hips. Then, her cunning eyes darted over to the shy Hinata. She sidled up to her and whispered, "Hinata-neechan, can you describe the situation for us? Like, the taste and everything..."
Hearing this, blood rushed to Hinata's head. Her body was no longer under her control, and she dizzily fainted into Shion's arms.
"Sister!" little Hanabi cried out, rushing to catch her.
...
On the streets of Konoha. Since its founding by the First Hokage, Hashirama Senju, the village had prospered, enduring many hardships, being destroyed and rebuilt several times to achieve its current peaceful state.
The item in Kusuo's hand was a portion of the One-Tail Shukaku's chakra, and a considerably large one at that. Gaara, who was already sealed and unconscious, now had even less of a chance of waking up easily. In the original story, Gaara had died once but was revived by Chiyo and then swayed by Naruto's "Talk no Jutsu," allowing him to be redeemed. This time, he probably wouldn't get that chance. In the foreseeable future, Shukaku would be endlessly exploited by Kusuo. And as a Jinchuriki whose fate was tied to their Tailed Beast, Gaara would naturally suffer as well.
After leaving the village, Kusuo raised his right hand and performed a jutsu. Before long, Morino Ibiki, having been summoned, hurried over with a few young ninja. These were reliable individuals personally selected by Ibiki, with clean backgrounds and exceptional talent for scientific research, not inferior to even Kabuto Yakushi. After scouring the vast ninja world and spending a considerable amount of money, he had only managed to find these few. After Kusuo personally placed the Tongue-Cursing Eradication Technique on them, they had all become his most trusted subordinates.
"Lord Kusuo, you summoned us," Morino Ibiki said, leading the group in a respectful greeting.
Kusuo stood with his back to them and gave a faint "mm."
"Use the eye on your arm. Activate it. You can contact Itachi that way," he instructed Ibiki.
"Yes!" The latter complied immediately, without a hint of hesitation. During this time, he had begun to grasp the essentials of the Breathing Style and was completely amazed by it. After witnessing treasures like the Mangekyō and Rinnegan, which would drive the entire ninja world into a frenzy, he was utterly convinced of Kusuo's power.
He extended his pale arm. After a strange fluctuation, the pinwheel pattern of the eye on his arm began to spin slowly.
Ding!!!
A deep, distant sound of a dōjutsu activating was heard.
"Alright, you can go about your business now. Remember the research projects I told you about. Develop them as soon as possible, and there will be rewards," Kusuo said, dismissing them after the jutsu was cast. He then sped off to a forest on the outskirts of Konoha.
He waited until late in the afternoon, when the sound of flapping wings suddenly broke the silence. A large number of black crows gradually coalesced in mid-air into a human face, the long tear troughs revealing his identity.
Itachi Uchiha.
"Why did you call me?" Itachi asked, his eyes full of confusion.
"For you," Kusuo said, not wasting any words. He directly tossed the scroll in his hand to Itachi.
Itachi gave the scroll a strange look. As he opened it and was about to use his perception to check its contents, Kusuo's words followed. "Don't bother looking. It's the One-Tail's chakra. Isn't Obito looking for it? Tell him he doesn't have to look anymore. It's a gift from me."
How does he know Obito's identity? Itachi's pupils contracted in disbelief.
"Heh." Kusuo didn't think it was a big deal. He knew all the masterminds hiding in the shadows of the ninja world. However, besides this, Itachi was also curious about his motives.
"Why are you helping him?" According to Itachi's understanding, the two were definitely enemies. Or rather, Obito was an enemy of the entire ninja world. No matter what standpoint he took, it was impossible for Kusuo to cooperate with Obito.
"You don't need to ask why I'm helping him. I have my own plans. Besides, this isn't the full One-Tail, just a portion of Shukaku's chakra..." Kusuo stated his intentions plainly, without going into further detail.
"Fine, I understand." Itachi could see that Kusuo had no intention of elaborating, so he agreed. With the sound of scattering crows, Itachi departed in his usual dramatic fashion.
"Hehe," a cold smirk hung on Kusuo's lips. Helping Obito successfully complete the Ten-Tails revival plan was part of his original design. As for whether Obito was competent enough to create his own Rinnegan, that remained to be seen.
BOOM!
With a powerful push from his feet, Kusuo shot into the sky.
...
In Amegakure, Obito frowned, staring at the scroll on his desk. Itachi had been very direct, simply tossing it to him and leaving without any explanation. This was typical of Itachi. But Obito was still puzzled.
The news that Kakuzu and Hidan had been defeated in Sunagakure had just arrived this morning. That afternoon, this scroll containing the One-Tail Shukaku's chakra was delivered. It was all very bizarre. The only one capable of defeating an Akatsuki two-man team was undoubtedly that guy, Hatake Kusuo. That meant the One-Tail had likely fallen into his hands.
So why is he helping me? Obito wracked his brain but couldn't come up with an answer.
"Whatever. The experiment is about to begin anyway. Once my clones are successfully fused, the first thing I'll do is pay him a visit to collect what's mine!" Obito's eyes shone with a cold, sharp light.
That guy, Hatake Kusuo... this action was clearly looking down on him! Stealing the One-Tail and then sending a portion of its chakra—the mockery contained within it drove the troubled young man mad with rage, making him want to kill Kusuo immediately.
'Just you wait! Wait until my Rinnegan is born! By then, even without that废物, Nagato, I will be able to defeat you fair and square!'
He had been defeated by Hatake Kusuo twice. Each time, he had to flee for his life. Obito's heart was filled with humiliation and hatred.
For Rin! For that dream world of the Eye of the Moon... Hatake Kusuo must die!
-------
Enjoying the story? Support the author and get access to early chapters by joining my Patreon!
Find me at My : pat*eon*com/RuneA
I, Herta's Fiancé, the Universe's Number One Male Fist (114 Chapter (Simulpub-Full) )
Zenless Zone Zero: I'm a Succubus in Sixth Street (330 Chapter)
Reborn in Type-Moon, My Sister is Aoko Aozaki (254 Chapter)
MyGO!! A Story Voiced by Me (130 Chapter)
BLEACH: Blade of Purification (140 Chapter)
Konoha: Starting the Game as Yoriichi (330 Chapter)
My Real Job is Spying on Konoha, but I'm Also its Hokage (140 Chapter)
The Pinnacle of the Navy! Starting from Being Captured by Garp (160 Chapter)
Watching Yu-Gi-Oh! short videos is making the veteran players lose...(80 Chapter)
Uma Musume : The Trainer Who Just Wants to Live (200 Chapter)
Zenless Zone Zero The Random Kamen Rider (170 Chapter)
Genshin Impact: It All Began With Me Being Stepped On by Arlecchino (120 Chapter)
Naruto: I Can Synthesize Summoning Beasts (90 Chapter)
Demon Slayer: The Great Swordsman's System, Disciple of Yoriichi (130 Chapter)
My Wife is a General, but I'm an Emanator of Abundance! (140 Chapter)
Type-Moon: My Nine-Fold Path (140 Chapter)
Uma Musume: They're Peeking at My Diary, and All of Tracen is Panickin (Ending)
The Wild History of Type-Moon world (70 Chapter)
Reborn in Conan, But I Refuse to Be the Bad Guy (80 Chapter)
Ruan Mei is begging me to go back? But there's no going back anymore (140 Chapter)
Just a Slacker at Tracen Academy (140 Chapter)
Survival in Blue Archive (70 Chapter)
Kimetsu no Yaiba: Doma Wasn't Hated Today, Either (100 Chapter)
The Vibe of This Chat Group is a Little Off (100 Chapter)
Heartbreak Simulator: I Broke Them and Made Them Cry (80 Chapter)
The Talentless Trainer Doesn't Want to Restart (80 Chapter)
A Journey Starting as a Quincy (80 Chapter)
Uma Musume: The Master of Romance Obstruction (80 Chapter)
Uma Musume: You Can't Be a Hero Without a Little Chemical Enhancement (40 Chapter)
Honkai Impact 3rd Your Boyfriend is Really Amazing (40 Chapter)
Warhammer 40K: My Fiancée, Fulgrim (140 Chapter)
Classroom of the Elite: Trying to Capture Me! (110 Chapter)
Genshin Impact My Named Senji Muramas (150 Chapter)
A Chef, the Vice-Captain of the Rocks Pirates? (120 Chapter)
Naruto : My Uchiha Girlfriend is Too Tsundere (70 Chapter)
If there's a particular novel you're enjoying on Patron, please give it a 'like' so I know to focus on it.