[Inside the Kamui dimension, Kakashi and Obito met again after more than a decade. And what awaited them was not the joy of reunion, but the sorrow of fate's cruel twist.]
[To remove the cursed seal left behind by Madara on his heart to control him, Obito dragged Kakashi into the Kamui dimension for a life-or-death battle—bringing closure to the fight that had been put on hold since they exchanged the Seal of Reconciliation in their youth.]
---
[Konoha, Year 50. Hokage Office]
Minato sat behind his desk, pen in hand, its tip suspended in midair—hesitating to write.
He stared at the screen, eyes narrowing, a flash of realization striking him.
No wonder Obito's visit to Konoha had seemed senseless last time—almost as if he was deliberately showing himself in front of them.
So it wasn't to announce anything, but to remove the curse mark on his heart?
Minato set the pen down, crossed his hands on the desk, and rubbed his fingers together.
But still… why did Obito deliberately provoke Kakashi? He already knew what had happened between Kakashi and Rin—yet he chose to say those things to Kakashi, driving a knife straight into his heart.
On the screen, after Madara's voice sounded, the scene jumped to Obito pulling Kakashi into the Kamui dimension.
The stone pillars still stood in the dimly lit dimension.
In the scene, as Obito stumbled and fell, Kakashi reacted instantly.
His right hand erupted with lightning, the blue-white current emitting a harsh screeching sound as he charged at Obito.
Obito propped himself up on his hands, sitting half-crouched, making no move to dodge. He looked up at Kakashi charging toward him, his gaze calm, a faint smile tugging at the corner of his mouth.
But Kakashi's hand stopped steadily just before Obito's face—unable to strike.
Kakashi's hand trembled, veins bulging on his forehead.
Seeing Kakashi's hesitation, Obito smiled mockingly. "So you're still hesitating."
"Is it guilt?"
"Are you feeling remorse over the fact that you couldn't protect Rin and keep your promise to me?"
Every word stabbed into Kakashi's heart like a needle.
Seeing Kakashi still frozen before him, Obito suddenly burst into manic laughter.
"HAHAHAHAHA!"
"And if you believe that I started this war simply over you and Rin... To call you misdirected, would be an understatement!"
[Here it comes, here it comes—the second of the Four Great Uchiha Maniacal Laughs. The more they laugh, the crazier they get; the crazier they get, the stronger they become. If you don't laugh hard enough, you're not strong enough. For a proper Uchiha, maniacal laughter is the hallmark of a true powerhouse.]
The Sky Screen's narration suddenly became animated, with a hint of teasing.
[Later on, Uchiha Sarada—whether well-behaved, rebellious, or a bit of a rough girl—lacked the neurotic Uchiha traits entirely, which was somewhat regrettable.]
[On the other hand, 'Uchiha Great-Grandmother'—Uchiha Hikari—had Madara's hairstyle, spoke Obito's lines, used Itachi's Tsukuyomi, and cast Sasuke's Amaterasu. Her Uchiha concentration was off the charts—simply perfect.]
[T/N: She's a game character.]
---
[Konoha, Year 52. Uchiha Clan Grounds]
The assembled Uchiha all wore expressions as if they had eaten something sour.
Had they heard that right?
"Four Great Uchiha Maniacal Laughs"? What was that? And since when did Uchiha get stronger by laughing?
They had trained in Sharingan, Fire Release, and Shurikenjutsu since childhood. Whose training method involved practicing laughter?
But as the subsequent content on the screen appeared, they couldn't laugh anymore.
Madara, Obito, Itachi, and Sasuke—these were the Four Great Uchiha Maniacal Laugh holders?
Any one of them seemed capable of wiping out the entire Uchiha clan!
Madara went without saying—aside from Hashirama, he could suppress the whole Shinobi World.
Obito had caused the Nine-Tails Rampage and would become a Six Paths-level powerhouse in the future.
Itachi… they didn't want to talk about him.
And Sasuke would surpass even Madara in the future, fighting alongside Naruto to defeat Six Paths Obito.
So as an Uchiha, did they really need to laugh maniacally to become strong?
Someone swallowed hard, seriously considering practicing in front of a mirror at home.
Fugaku sat in the main seat, his expression shifting through a range of emotions.
He looked at young Sasuke beside him, then at Itachi sitting in a distant corner—his feelings were mixed.
Two of the Four Great Maniacal Laugh holders were his own sons.
Those two seemed normal right now—one quiet and introverted, the other lively and active, neither showing any sign of madness.
No—wait. Itachi did seem to have some psychological issues. He might actually fit the Sky Screen's description.
As for Sasuke… well, there was no need to even mention him. Everyone had already seen his future self laughing maniacally.
Just thinking about that laugh made one's scalp tingle.
'Sigh. Maybe I don't laugh enough—that's why I'm not as strong as my two sons?'
Fugaku touched his own face, tried to curl his lips, and forced out a smile.
It looked worse than crying. Mikoto glanced at him and opened her mouth, but ultimately said nothing.
Also who was "Uchiha Hikari"?
Fugaku's brow furrowed deeper.
Combining traits from all four of them—she sounded terrifyingly powerful.
Was she some kind of reincarnation of the Sage of Six Paths?
Tetsuka, on the side, muttered quietly—not loud enough for everyone, but loud enough for those nearby to hear: "We've been enforcing the 'smile policy' lately… but our strength hasn't increased. Maybe we should learn from the guys on the screen—smile like they do, and we'll get stronger too."
As he spoke, he flashed a standard eight-tooth smile at Inabi beside him.
Inabi shot him a glare and hissed under his breath: "Shut up!"
---
[Konoha, Year 60. Somewhere on a cliff's edge in the Shinobi World]
Obito sat on the high ledge, watching the version of himself laughing maniacally on the screen, trembling with rage.
"What the hell! This screen is absolutely making up fake things to slander me."
"How could I ever laugh like that?!"
That looked no different from an idiot!
The more he thought about it, the angrier he got, and kicked a small stone at his foot.
The stone flew off the cliff, and it took a long while before a dull thud echoed from below.
"And… that guy Kakashi really is worthless. He had a Chidori in hand and still couldn't kill me?"
---
[Akatsuki Hideout]
Deidara looked at Itachi with a sly grin. "Itachi-san, I didn't expect you to be one of the Four Great Maniacal Laugh holders! I'm curious—what do you look like when you laugh like that?"
He tilted his head, already imagining Itachi throwing his head back and roaring with laughter.
That constantly expressionless face suddenly contorting, mouth wide open, letting out a "HAHAHAHA."
Deidara shuddered; the image was too much to handle.
The other Akatsuki members were also curious, all turning their gazes toward Itachi.
This man, with the permanent deadpan face—and the Sky Screen was saying he would laugh like that too?
Sure enough, Uchiha had to be crazier to get stronger.
Hidan hoisted his scythe and sidled over with a grin. "Itachi-san, how about a demonstration?"
Itachi shot him a blank stare.
And Hidan shrank back, taking two steps back. "Fine, don't laugh. No need to glare at me."
Kisame hugged Samehada, his shark-like face curling into a meaningful grin. "Itachi-san, I bet your laugh would be terrifying."
"…Whatever."
But inwardly, Itachi was wondering: when had he ever laughed like that?
Perhaps the Sky Screen was referring to another timeline's version of him.
He hadn't even smiled more than a handful of times in his life—let alone laughed maniacally.
---
[Konoha, Year 83. Sasuke's home]
Sakura held Sarada in her arms, patting her chest in relief. "Thank goodness, it's best that Sarada didn't inherit any of those strange traits."
Sarada looked up at her mother, confused. "Mom, what are you talking about?"
"Nothing," Sakura smiled and ruffled her hair. "I'm just glad you're a normal kid."
Sarada pouted. "I've always been normal."
Sakura looked at her daughter's young face and silently counted her blessings.
Luckily Sarada hadn't inherited any of those neurotic Uchiha traits. One Sasuke was already enough to worry about. If there were another… she didn't even want to think about it.
*****
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