Kakashi saw a sheet of flames burning behind Uchiha Chizumi, stretching backward in a perfectly straight line for dozens of meters.
At Chizumi's feet lay a ninja blade that had been broken clean in half.
That convinced Kakashi even more that Chizumi had just been in a fight.
Wait—this spot looks like…
Kakashi suddenly stiffened. Wasn't this where Rin's gravestone was located?
His eyes darted to a headstone beside Chizumi; when he saw the stone was intact, he finally breathed out in relief.
But a fresh bouquet of white flowers set beside the grave caught his gaze for half a second, puzzling him. He looked back at Chizumi, eyes wide, as if he'd stumbled onto something startling.
No, that can't be right… Rin and Uchiha Chizumi weren't even in the same class—Rin is three years older! I've never noticed any connection between them before!
Before Kakashi could speak, Chizumi's calm voice drifted over:
"The flowers were left by Uchiha Obito."
Kakashi, who had just realized something, froze in place the very next second.
Kakashi: "???"
"...Obito?!"
Almost by reflex, Kakashi looked toward another gravestone a short distance away—the one that bore Obito's name.
"Don't tell me you don't recognize Uchiha Obito anymore, meow… Hatake Kakashi?"
The sharp, odd tone belonged to Jujiro, Chizumi's ninja cat. "If I'm not mistaken, you and he were both students of the Fourth Hokage, yes?"
Kakashi knew Jujiro—several of his own ninken had once been beaten up by this very cat.
The moment "Obito" came up, Kakashi put aside the purpose of this visit to Chizumi and said:
"You may be misunderstanding. Obito… died in the Third Great Ninja War—killed by enemy shinobi."
"Then let me ask you: is his body actually in that grave?"
Jujiro's question made Kakashi shake his head instinctively.
It was a cenotaph—Obito's body had never been recovered. There wasn't even ash beneath the stone.
Jujiro suddenly hopped onto Kakashi's shoulder, almost making it sag.
—What a fat cat! (A thought Kakashi kept to himself.)
Pressing its four claws against Kakashi's masked cheek, the cat narrowed its eyes and demanded:
"Are you doubting Chizumi-sama? Do you think he would lie to someone like you? Are you questioning Absolute Justice?"
Kakashi hesitated.
He recalled the rumors—Chizumi's eyes could see information others could not, could pierce the evil of one's past and future.
And tonight, Chizumi had publicly displayed the terrifying power of his Mangekyō Sharingan, making the claim that his eyes could "see through sin" even more credible.
Kakashi felt lost.
He had come simply to thank Chizumi in person. Although late, Chizumi had allowed him to glimpse the hidden truth behind his father's death. For years Kakashi had drifted through life, closing off his heart, unwilling even to mention "Sakumo Hatake"—yet dark suspicions had always flickered inside him, unsupported by evidence.
Until tonight, when one of Danzō's crimes was exposed by Chizumi and Danzō himself fell apart, Kakashi chose to believe Chizumi.
Exactly—if I believe Chizumi that my father's death involved Danzō, why is my first reaction disbelief when he says Uchiha Obito is still alive?
Could it be… Obito really is alive, just as Chizumi claims?!
"Uchiha Obito is not dead," Jujiro declared disdainfully while Kakashi was still reeling. "And… not only is he alive, he has become a villain burdened with grievous sins. Chizumi-sama said the 'evil' on him is so thick it's practically black."
The cat's eerie tone filled the air; Kakashi could even smell fish on its breath—it had clearly eaten some today.
"Oh, and meow," Jujiro added, "Chizumi-sama just said Uchiha Obito once turned his blade on the Fourth Hokage. The Fourth's death may be tied to him, meow."
Kakashi: "!!!"
He felt as if struck by lightning.
…
Outside Konoha
Obito had already fled the village at top speed, yet the dread Chizumi evoked in him refused to subside.
Looking down, he stared at the third of his hand that was missing. Waves of searing pain forced him to draw sharp breaths.
"Obito, avoid fighting that man for the time being," came Zetsu's voice from behind. "He's formidable. His Mangekyō technique is bizarre—nothing I've ever heard of. Without solid intel, confronting him would put us at a heavy disadvantage."
As Zetsu spoke, a white Zetsu clone split from his body.
Obito pulled out a kunai, sliced off a section of the clone's hand, then gritted his teeth and cut away the charred flesh of his own wound. Blood flowed.
He grafted the clone's piece onto his own hand. Thanks to the First Hokage's wood‑cell healing, the bleeding stopped within moments; bone and flesh knitted themselves together without any external binding.
Zetsu's warning, however, went in one ear and out the other.
He had only one burning question: How did Uchiha Chizumi know so much about me? Did someone tell him—or did his eye technique reveal it?
Thinking, Obito shot Zetsu a sidelong look.
"H‑hey now…" Zetsu immediately understood and protested, "I was born from Madara-sama's indomitable will, and you're the Uchiha who inherited that will. How could I possibly betray you?!"
"Hmph… You'd better not."
Obito snorted darkly.
…
"Chizumi… sama."
Kakashi knew Chizumi was technically his junior, yet he couldn't simply call him by name; they weren't close, and Chizumi's power was likely far above his own.
Kakashi already believed ninety percent of what Jujiro had said. Perhaps this was one benefit of Chizumi's unwavering adherence to Absolute Justice—no one in Konoha ranked higher for credibility.
Taking a deep breath, Kakashi could no longer keep calm. Jujiro was silent now, but its words kept echoing in his mind, refusing to let him rest.
Kakashi's voice finally broke out, unable to suppress the urgency:
"Could you… tell me about Obito's crimes—about the evil he's committed?"
~~~
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