Konoha: Start from untying the caged bird

Page 173

No, rather than X, it's more like the hands of a clock that are moving.

A hint of surprise flashed across her face, just as Obito knew the power of Kamui when he awakened the Mangekyou Sharingan. At this moment, Izumi Uchiha finally understood what kind of power her eyes possessed.

She stared at Obito Uchiha with a look of hatred, her voice low and filled with murderous intent.

"Wait until I find Yuzuru..."

"I'll kill you again!"

Obito watched Uchiha Izumi warily, while Uchiha Izumi just ran wildly into the distance like a madman, repeatedly, as if she were really chasing after some goal.

Moreover, as she ran, flames gradually ignited all over her body. Her flesh, hair, and everything else seemed to turn into fuel for the flames, leaving only her bones, like... a ghost, rushing about.

Obito felt a slight chill run down his spine from the other person's appearance.

What kind of strange ability is this?!

But Uchiha Izumi had already run off into the distance, as if she were in a hurry.

Could it be that this place really is...?

The underworld!?

Obito Uchiha remained silent for a moment, then his hands began to tremble slightly.

If this is the world of the dead...

Lin...

don't want...

I don't want to...

He instinctively walked in the opposite direction from Uchiha Izumi.

Her haste to leave must be because there's a time limit for living people to arrive here.

I can leave when the time comes.

Obito Uchiha almost fled, heading in the opposite direction from her.

Step by step, they continued to move forward in this dim world, which seemed to be trapped in eternal night.

In this dim world, there were no stars or moon, but there was still some visibility. Obito could tell that the land here seemed not much different from the outside world. However, as he walked around, he felt as if he had not gone very far, or rather, as if he was still standing in the same place.

What's going on?!

Is this the way we can't walk?

Obito tried changing directions, but no matter which way he went, it seemed like he was still in the same place.

Is it because the ground here all looks the same, so it doesn't feel different no matter where you go?

He wasn't entirely sure, but he continued cautiously forward until a faint, warm yellow light appeared in the distance.

What is it?

He approached with a furrowed brow, only to discover that what was burning in the distance was actually a bonfire.

Beside the campfire, a short-haired girl sat cross-legged, whispering to a man with a white ponytail.

Obito's steps suddenly stopped. He subconsciously took two steps back, and then ran almost frantically. But it was too late. The girl in the distance had already given him his name in a surprised and uncertain voice.

"...Obito!?"

The moment he heard that voice, Obito's legs lost all strength. He stood there trembling, not daring to turn around, while the sound of a girl's footsteps grew closer and closer behind him.

"Is it...Obito?"

Obito stretched out a hand and tightly covered his face. Because of the transplant of White Zetsu, his face had become almost disfigured. His gaze hesitated and trembled as he looked behind him.

The short-haired girl was looking at him with an uncertain gaze, until she saw his eye and let out a soft gasp.

"It really is you..."

“Rin…” Obito’s hoarse voice rang out, tinged with an uncontrollable sob.

Lin looked at him silently, hesitated, then reached out and gently pressed her hand on his fingers, prying them open a little, and saw the ugly scar on his face.

"How could this have happened... Obito..."

"Why, you, here..." Obito stammered, the girl's fingers were icy cold, making him feel a slight chill.

"Did you come here with that girl? Ah! That's great...you're still alive."

Rin let out a sigh of relief and asked quickly, as if relieved, "Where's Kakashi? How is he now?"

Obito was speechless and could only remain silent, looking at the girl in front of him, tears streaming down his face.

Rin looked at him with confusion and worry, somewhat at a loss, and reached out to wipe away his tears: "What's wrong... what has happened all these years... Obito..."

Obito finally couldn't hold on any longer. He knelt down and cried out in helplessness and grief, looking at the girl in front of him and confessing all his experiences over the years.

How he wished, how much he wished, to see the girl in front of him again!

How much he longed to hear her voice again... how much... he wanted to tell her...

"Snapped!"

But what awaited Obito was not Rin's comfort, but a slap delivered with all her might.

Obito looked up blankly, covered his face, and was at a loss.

"Why!"

Lin's eyes were filled with tears, but halfway down, they vanished into nothingness, dissipating into the space.

Why would you do that?!

"Aren't you the one who most wants to become Hokage?!"

"You! Didn't you once tell me that no matter what, you must become the first person in the Uchiha clan to become Hokage?!"

"Why...why did you have to become like this because of me..."

Obito knelt numbly on the ground, one hand still trembling as he covered his face, unable to speak, while the girl in front of him cried louder and louder.

"Obito, the one who would help old ladies cross the street, my most cherished comrade, why did he become like this?!"

She covered her face with her hands, squatted on the ground, and burst into tears.

Obito helplessly crawled on his knees to her side, wanting to touch her but too afraid to, and could only stammer in a hoarse voice, "I...I..."

"Do you think doing this will bring me back to life?!"

"Do you think I'd be happy or pleased if you did this for me?!"

Lin looked up, tears still streaming down her face, but she just wiped them away forcefully with her hands.

"Stop joking!"

"How could I possibly be happy to see Obito like this?!"

Her words left Obito speechless, and he could only lower his head and clutch his head in anguish.

"I don't know... I don't want to... I..."

Suddenly, a huge impact came from behind, and Obito was sent flying in a sorry state, crashing to the ground and leaving a long trail. He spat out blood, turned his head and saw a familiar figure appear beside him.

Uchiha Izumi, her body engulfed in blazing flames, turned to look at Rin, who was still weeping in the same spot, and let out a low, desperate cry.

"Cannot find..."

She murmured softly, then turned her head to look again, only to see Obito getting up from a distance. She turned her head thoughtfully to look at Rin, whose features were no longer recognizable, but flames had coalesced into an insanely crazed smile.

"I see..."

"You...also have people you can't bear to part with..."

Uchiha Izumi reached out, and Rin, who was lying on the ground, was lifted up by the neck by her hand. When Rin came into contact with the flames, she let out a low groan of unbearable pain. Obito was struck dumb and instinctively shouted, "Your parents are still in my hands!"

He unleashed his divine power, and two haggard figures were thrown out. Obito gripped their necks tightly with both hands. At that moment, a figure suddenly appeared behind him, and two white streaks of light flashed past his hands. Before Obito could figure out what was happening, a sharp pain shot through his hands.

Hyuga Yuzuru finally appeared, holding Uchiha Izumi's parents in his arms. Under their incredulous gazes, he breathed a sigh of relief and whispered with an apologetic smile, "I'm sorry, if we didn't do this, your parents wouldn't be able to..."

Before he could finish speaking, Izumi dropped Rin, the flames on her body went out, and her flesh and bones began to grow back. Tears immediately fell as she finally burst into tears, rushing to Hyuga Yuzuru and tightly embracing her father, mother, and Hyuga Yuzuru.

Obito was kneeling on one knee, both arms severed, a ferocious glint in his eyes. But when his gaze fell on Hinata Kizuna's back, he also saw Rin, who was clutching her neck and coughing softly.

Lin...

He remained silent, then dejectedly lowered his head.

Hinata Yuzuru wanted to say something, but Izumi's sobs drowned out his voice. Her haggard-looking parents also hugged her tightly. Although they had too many questions in their hearts at this moment, they could only gently comfort her and try to cheer her up.

Hyuga Yuzuru exerted a little force to break free, surveying the space around him before leaving a Flying Thunder God mark on his feet.

Could this be the legendary underworld?

Or perhaps, it's the place where a person's soul returns to the Pure Land?

He looked into the distance and saw a middle-aged man with white hair sitting by the campfire, silently staring at the fire-shaped hat on his forehead. The man's appearance seemed somewhat familiar, and after a moment's thought, he suddenly realized who he was.

Sakumo Hatake!?

Hinata Yuzuru was amazed. He never expected that the power of the spring could actually bring people to this place, which is closest to heaven and hell, a place where only souls who still have lingering attachments to reality would be stopped.

He glanced at Rin, who was silently sobbing with her face covered, then at Obito, who stood motionless and dejected not far away, and finally fixed his gaze on Izumi, whose crying was gradually subsiding.

"I'm sorry, this is the only way to get Uncle and Aunt out of the Divine Might Space unharmed—if we force it, they will never be able to come out unharmed no matter what."

I'm sorry for making you worry.

Hinata Yuzuru spoke softly, while Izumi simply shook her head, weeping, and reached out her hand to him. Hinata Yuzuru hesitated for a moment, then reached out and tightly grasped her hand, choking back tears as she said, "Yuzuru..."

Simply calling his name was enough. All the despair and sorrow she had felt, her worry for him, and the bitterness and grievances in her heart were poured out in that simple call, along with her tearful eyes.

Out of reason, Hyuga Yuzuru still had a lot to say, but after a moment of silence, he ultimately said nothing. He simply glanced at Hatake Sakumo in the distance and whispered, "I will come again later."

Hatake Sakumo seemed to have something to say, but seeing the somewhat chaotic scene, he simply nodded gently, looking at Obito and Rin in the distance with complicated eyes, then at Hyuga Yuzuru, and finally turned to look at the campfire in front of him, sitting there like a stone sculpture.

Hyuga Yuzuru immediately said, "Release the spell."

Izumi nodded slightly, and then Hyuga Yuzuru felt as if the gravity around him had suddenly disappeared, and a pulling force came from above, and the feeling of weakness in his body gradually subsided.

It seems that the living humans here will gradually become weaker.

Letting the pulling force pull him upwards, Hyuga Yuzuru looked coldly at Obito not far away. At this moment, Obito was desperately trying to stay here, but he couldn't resist the pulling force. He shouted Rin's name loudly, but Rin just kept sobbing until Obito was about to leave, and then she finally shouted loudly.

"Don't let this go on, Obito!"

Obito opened his mouth wide, wanting to say something to Rin, but then the world brightened again.

Izumi, along with his parents, Obito, and Hyuga Yuzuru, returned to the grove. At that moment, the body that had been cut in half at Hyuga Yuzuru's feet still lay there. He formed hand seals and first put the body back. Only then did Izumi notice that white human tissue was faintly visible inside the body of the dead Hyuga Yuzuru.

It was exactly the same as White Zetsu.

"This is a White Zetsu body cultivated in the Konoha Research Laboratory. It has no consciousness, but it can be controlled by ninjutsu and has chakra. White Zetsu can use a complete transformation technique, which can change the body completely into a human form."

That's why none of you noticed anything unusual about the body.

Hinata Yuzuru gave a brief explanation, then looked at Izumi beside him and said calmly, "We'll talk later. Now, take your uncle and aunt back first."

Izumi hesitated for a moment, wiped away his tears, and gripped his katana tightly. But when he looked at his haggard parents beside him, he could only nod vigorously. Without saying a word, he picked up his parents with both hands and ran away into the distance.

The reason for his urgency was that Danzo, who had already opened his one eye and was standing not far away, was now experiencing a surge in power. The treetop he was standing on had been broken off by his foot and crashed heavily to the ground with a loud thud.

"You've come... Hinata Yuzuru..."

Danzo's voice was extremely deep.

At this moment, Obito Uchiha's hands were severed, and he knelt on the ground. He had no desire to fight, nor did he seem to intend to run away. He just knelt there listlessly, pressing his head against the ground in pain, with tears falling down his face.

Neither Danzo nor Hyuga Yuzuru were willing to waste a moment paying attention to him.

Hinata Yuzuru breathed a sigh of relief. Since there were only these two people, there was probably no need to waste any more time.

"I'm very curious, Danzo."

He betrayed the village and left.

What is your purpose?

As far as I know, your dream is simply to become Hokage, isn't it?

In his current state... forget about becoming Hokage, even returning to Konoha is impossible."

As Hyuga Yuzuru spoke, the blue light in his eyes began to flicker, and his entire body shimmered with a faint golden light as he bowed slightly.