Naruto: Uchiha Rejects Konoha

Hearing Yagami's voice, Obito's face darkened beneath his mask. Before he could respond, Konoha's forces reacted.

Yes! Although Uchiha Madara was notorious in the ninja world, when had he ever hidden his face? How could someone so secretive be Uchiha Madara? With Madara's power, if he had wanted to destroy Konoha without the First Hokage, Senju Hashirama, he wouldn't have needed the Nine-Tails at all.

"Snort!"

Obito snorted coldly, choosing not to insist that he was Madara. A space vortex appeared in his right eye. Having missed his chance to defeat Kakashi and reclaim his eye, there was no point in staying.

"Trying to leave? It's not that easy!"

Seeing this, Yagami activated his new Mangekyō, making things much simpler. Unlike the Yin and Yang powers of Shiba Mangekyō's Time Stop, his Mangekyō's two eye techniques focused on raw power.

"Jian Yu Thunder Punishment!"

The pupil power of Yagami's right eye surged, and a sphere of lightning brewed within. Knowing the threat of Mangekyō Sharingan's powers, Obito immediately halted his Kamui transfer and made himself intangible.

As long as no attack could hit him, even the strongest pupil technique would have no effect!

A smirk played on Obito's lips. He acknowledged that in direct combat, he couldn't match Uchiha Yagami, but Yagami couldn't defeat him either.

Just then, Obito sensed an odd shift on his right side, accompanied by a rising sense of danger.

"This feeling... impossible!"

Panic flashed across Obito's face as he saw a trace of blood trickle from Yagami's right eye. Then, a brilliant flash of lightning erupted before him, and a violent storm of thunder swallowed him whole.

A loud explosion echoed through Konoha's Sixth Street, shaking the village. The Third Hokage, recalling his past experience with Susanoo, wisely ordered the nearby shinobi to retreat.

This decision saved much of Konoha's fighting strength.

Watching as most of the street was reduced to ashes, the Third Hokage's eyelid twitched. If he hadn't cleared space for Yagami and the masked man to battle, Konoha's forces might have been devastated in that instant.

What exactly was that technique?

Feeling a sharp pain in his right eye, Yagami closed his Sharingan. The fusion of his eyes was incomplete; without the Eternal Mangekyō, he still needed to be cautious.

"Lord Hokage, we Uchiha have done nothing to wrong Konoha and owe nothing to the village! The Nine Tails Rebellion has nothing to do with us."

Yagami turned to the Third Hokage. "Although that man also wields a Sharingan, we do not acknowledge him as Uchiha. I hope certain individuals will temper their prejudice against us."

Even though he hadn't managed to unmask Obito, it was evident to anyone not blinded by bias that the Uchiha were not responsible.

Of course, if some insisted on blaming the Nine Tails Rebellion on the Uchiha, there was nothing he could do. No one could awaken someone feigning ignorance.

"I understand. I will clear the name of the Uchiha..."

The Third Hokage took in the scene before him, took a deep breath, and said:

"It's not necessary. It wasn't the Uchiha who caused this in the first place, so what's the point of clearing a name? You only need to know the truth in your heart...

Additionally, a reminder—the man from earlier isn't dead. He's appeared in Konoha twice now, so something is driving him here. You'd do well to consider what he's after."

Yagami glanced at Kakashi, covered his right eye with his hand, and vanished instantly.

Obito's exposed eye was for Kamui, while his other eye—also a Sharingan—remained hidden. Having been taught by Madara, it was impossible he wouldn't know Izanami. If Danzo could use the technique in conjunction with the Four Elephants Seal, there was no reason why Obito, a born Uchiha trained by Madara, wouldn't use Izanami to ensure his survival.

And they all knew Uchiha Madara held a supply of Sharingan.

Hearing this, the Third Hokage's face darkened again. With the Wood Style issue unresolved and the mastermind behind the Nine-Tails Rebellion still out there, Konoha was truly facing troubled times.

The village was still sorely lacking in talent. Aside from Jiraiya, few could stabilize the situation. Tsunade had kept her distance, clearly uninterested in getting involved.

The Uchiha and Hyuga clans had become estranged from the village. If the mysterious man was not connected to the Uchiha, then the clan wouldn't have intervened at all.

The Hyuga, constrained by the division between the branch and main houses, were already under minimal village control, and this divide only worsened matters.

So much time had passed, and only two members of the Hyuga, both from the Police Force, were involved.

"Clean up the area! Call in the medical team..." the Third Hokage sighed, regretting his decision to return as Hokage. Perhaps these troubles would not have befallen him otherwise.

*Kamui space.* The boundaries of reality and illusion wavered, and Obito's form gradually emerged from a corner.

"A pupil technique that bypasses spatial barriers... truly terrifying."

Fear flickered in Obito's eyes; it was the first time he'd felt such fear since awakening his Mangekyō. If not for Izanami, he would've met the Sage of Six Paths just now.

"...It's surprising Kamui could be countered. Yagami's eye technique poses a significant threat to you!" Black Zetsu emerged from the ground, fear evident in his empty gaze.

He, too, had been in the Kamui space and had seen Obito engulfed by a lightning storm, watching the storm appear from and disappear into the void. Much of Kamui's space was obliterated by the attack.

"The threat is real. We must find a way to eliminate it..."

A ruthless glint flashed in Obito's eyes. He had always thought himself invincible with Kamui—after all, even his teacher Minato struggled to deal with him when he had first mastered it.

But the life-or-death experience just now had delivered a brutal lesson.

Obito removed his mask, pried out the blind Sharingan, and took another from Black Zetsu to replace it.

"Eliminating Yagami? That's no simple task. From the intelligence gathered, in addition to the thunderstorm technique you just saw, his eye abilities amplify his powers. Whether it's taijutsu, ninjutsu, or genjutsu, all reach Kage-level with his boosts, plus he has Susanoo. So a mass attack won't work."

Black Zetsu sounded discouraged, considering all the effort spent to reach this point. Would he have to delay his plans for reviving his mother just because of one man?

"We won't allow him to continue. The Sharingan can only reach its true potential when the eyes work together as a pair!"

Feeling the weight of the threat, Obito temporarily set aside his complicated emotions toward Kakashi. When he attacked next, he would wield the power of a complete double Kamui!

----------------

You can read advanced chapters here: patreon.com/GregariousLion