When the impossible happens, even the boldest hesitate.
"…."
The more Obito watched Itachi's defiance, the more irritated he became.
And yet—
Itachi was someone he had personally brought into the organization.
Ignoring him, Obito shifted his focus back to Kamizuki Gen—
only to find the man doing something utterly incomprehensible again.
Gen raised a hand, placing a finger to his lips in a silencing gesture.
"Shh."
His voice dropped.
"If you treat me like an ordinary opponent…"
"…you've already lost."
"???"
Obito frowned deeply.
"Arrogant!"
He had seen pretenders before—
but never someone this outrageous.
Kakashi had been arrogant in his youth—
but in front of Madara, what was Kakashi?
Even old Madara, crippled and bound to a chair, radiated a presence no one dared meet head-on.
And yet—
this Kamizuki Gen…
somehow gave Obito the faint illusion—
of approaching that same level.
From childhood to now—
he kept running into people like this.
Obito gritted his teeth.
He hated this type.
"Come," Gen lifted his chin slightly, his expression filled with disdain. "Show me whether you have the measure… whether you're qualified to test me."
"…Measure…"
Itachi, momentarily dazed, was pulled back to reality by that word.
It was one he often used himself.
But soon—
he realized something was wrong.
Talking about measure…
to Madara?
That was practically inviting death.
The situation had already spiraled beyond control.
Itachi had no idea how to stop "Madara" anymore.
All he could do—
was silently pray that Gen would say less.
He had already tried.
Against that space-time technique—
he had no way to stop a killing blow.
"Brat," Obito's voice turned icy. "Let me teach you a valuable lesson."
"You'll regret being born into this world."
"Then prove it," Gen replied calmly.
He even shook his head in disappointment.
Truthfully—
Obito, as he was now, only had two real trump cards:
Kamui.
And a half-formed Wood Release derived from Hashirama's cells.
These were enough to place him among the top tier of the shinobi world.
But—
what if he lost Kamui?
Just moments ago—
when Obito first used Kamui—
Gen had already, silently—
cut it away.
Obito's Sharingan flared crimson again.
He tried to activate it—
again—
and again—
But—
no matter how he channeled his Yin Release chakra—
it wouldn't flow into his Mangekyō.
He couldn't open Kamui.
"…What's going on?"
His thoughts churned violently.
But he found no answer.
Gen chuckled softly.
"Seems you're not as strong as you think."
He couldn't use Kamui himself—
this wasn't copying.
This was cutting.
Which meant—
as long as they were in combat—
Obito simply couldn't use it.
One of his core abilities—
gone.
For someone like Obito, whose combat style relied heavily on a single technique—
this was devastating.
A perfect silence.
Honestly—
Gen had no intention of escalating things before "Equality for All" came off cooldown.
Too risky.
If a real fight broke out—
he would definitely die.
But—
Obito's intelligence…
wasn't exactly top-tier.
Teasing him a little?
Perfectly safe.
If it were the real Madara—
would he have stopped just because someone told him not to sit?
The moment someone spoke out of line—
a Susanoo hand would've already crushed their skull.
Itachi and Zetsu both noticed—
something was wrong.
Obito…
had stopped.
Frozen.
At that moment—
two figures entered the room, breaking the suffocating tension.
"That's enough."
The Deva Path stepped forward.
"I am the leader of the Akatsuki."
Those cold Rinnegan eyes fixed on Obito.
"The members I personally approve… do not require your test."
Gen almost lost it.
Even this "You doubt me, then I'll prove it to you" nonsense—
had made its way into Akatsuki now?
Behind the mask, Obito's face twisted with anger.
But Pain showed no fear.
If Obito targeted other members, Nagato might ignore it.
But Gen—
was someone he personally recruited.
Someone he intended to win over.
He wouldn't allow this.
If they wanted Gen on their side—
they couldn't retreat when "Madara" pressured him.
Seeing Obito fall silent—
Pain scanned the room calmly.
"There must be some misunderstanding."
He might as well have said—
Give me face. Let this end here.
Of course—
Nagato and Konan both knew exactly why "Madara" targeted Gen.
Which only proved—
how necessary Gen was to balance him.
Obito stared coldly at Pain.
Then at Konan.
Then at Gen—
still sitting there, utterly composed.
And finally—
he understood.
"…Heh."
A cold laugh escaped him.
"When you see such an outstanding young genius… it's only natural to feel the urge to test him."
Pain's arrival had given him an exit.
Until he figured out why Kamui had failed—
he wouldn't act rashly again.
For the first time—
Obito was shaken.
Seeing him back down—
Nagato, controlling the Deva Path, let out a quiet breath.
Obito steadied himself, ignoring Gen—
and turned to Itachi, who still stood in the corner with his hand on his blade.
"This," he said coldly, "is the new member I've brought in."
"Uchiha Itachi."
Itachi released his grip on the sword.
He stepped forward slowly.
The farce—
was over.
Konan glanced at "Madara," clearly agitated—
then at Gen, still lounging on the sofa.
It felt…
surreal.
The confrontation she had imagined—
had already happened.
And far sooner than expected.
Gen spoke calmly:
"Leader… who are these two?"
He added lightly,
"I should clarify—I didn't provoke them."
Konan answered on Nagato's behalf.
"This is Uchiha Madara—an ally of the organization."
"And this is Zetsu, an official member responsible for intelligence."
Originally—
she hadn't planned to reveal this so soon.
But circumstances had changed.
Obito stared intently at Gen—
waiting to see his reaction upon hearing the name Madara.
Shock.
Fear.
Anything.
But—
nothing came.
Gen's expression didn't change at all.
As if—
it meant absolutely nothing.
◇ BONUS & SUPPORT ◇
◇ 1 bonus chapter for every 10 reviews — drop a comment!
◇ 1 bonus chapter for every 100 Power Stones.
◇ Read chapters ahead on Patreon → patreon.com/c/CelestialInkstudios