136-140

*Chapter 136: Arriving at the Land of Rain*

Uchiha Obito tightly shut his eyes.

If there was any slight deviation, he would lose his life.

But this device... Touji was undoubtedly the best candidate, so he had no choice but to trust him.

Zzzzt!

As an arc of electricity flashed, Touji’s hand plunged into Uchiha Obito’s chest.

With a cracking sound, something seemed to shatter inside.

Obito weakly collapsed to the ground, yet inside, he felt an overwhelming excitement.

The device was gone.

He was free!

He no longer had to follow Uchiha Madara’s orders!

"Hey! Don’t get so worked up, or you’ll start bleeding everywhere!" Touji rolled his eyes and quickly used healing techniques.

But Obito couldn’t contain himself and continued laughing loudly.

"You don’t understand this feeling of freedom. Having your life in someone else’s hands—it’s unbearable! Thank you, Touji!"

Ding! Uchiha Obito’s favorability has increased by 15 points! Current favorability: 79 points! You can now check in!

"Check in Uchiha Obito!"

Ding! Check-in successful! You have obtained Uchiha’s Fire Formation! Favorability increased by 3 points! Current favorability: 82 points! You can check in again!

Ding! Check-in successful! You have obtained the Shuriken Jutsu! Favorability increased by 2 points! Current favorability: 84 points!

Ding! Since you already possess Shuriken Jutsu, the lower-level skill has been upgraded to a higher level!

After Touji’s treatment, Obito recovered considerably.

Uchiha Obito let out a long howl, venting all the years of pent-up frustration from his heart.

"Alright, can you tell me about her now?"

"You better brace yourself!" Touji took a deep breath before continuing, "Actually, Uchiha Madara’s original target was Nohara Rin."

Obito’s body trembled but quickly calmed down.

"She had the same device implanted in her as you, and she also figured out how to break it. After that, you know what happened."

Obito suddenly stood up.

"You mean... Kakashi did that to destroy the device in her heart?"

"Exactly."

In that instant, Obito was filled with regret and heartache.

The Nine-Tails incident had been orchestrated by Obito, leading to the death of his teacher and indirectly contributing to the downfall of the Uchiha clan.

Most tragically, he had misunderstood Kakashi all along.

"Do you think I still have a chance?"

Touji jumped in surprise and quickly distanced himself from Obito.

Realizing Touji’s reaction, Obito hurriedly rephrased, "I mean, do I have a chance to return to Konoha?"

Touji let out a sigh of relief.

"There’s a chance. Most of the people in Konoha are under my control now. If you want to go back, you definitely can. Plus, Kakashi doesn’t know you’re alive. If he finds out, it might even cheer him up a bit."

Touji’s tone darkened.

Hatake Kakashi was undoubtedly a tragic character.

His father committed suicide, he watched his best friend Obito die, killed Nohara Rin with his own hands, and later, his teacher also died.

Kakashi had turned to reading darker books to cope. Only after discovering Jiraiya’s works did he start to recover somewhat.

If Kakashi were to see Obito, he would surely be overjoyed.

But Obito shook his head furiously.

"No, I need to kill Madara first. He’s the one who changed the course of our lives. Only then will I be able to face Kakashi!"

Touji nodded slightly.

As long as Madara was alive, the Shinobi world would never be at peace.

"But with your device disabled, he’ll definitely sense it. You won’t be able to find him! What you need to do now is continue collecting the tailed beasts. Only after gathering them all can you lure him out!"

If Madara discovered that Obito had escaped his control, he would surely go into hiding and cultivate a new puppet.

But his ultimate goal was still the nine tailed beasts.

As long as they continued collecting tailed beasts, they would inevitably cross paths with Madara.

"So, you mean I should keep using the Akatsuki to collect the tailed beasts?"

"Exactly. You should also take a closer look at Uchiha Itachi in the Akatsuki. He’s one of my allies now."

Obito nodded slightly, committing the name Uchiha Itachi to memory.

After half a month of traveling, the two arrived at the Hidden Rain Village in the Land of Rain.

Upon entering the Land of Rain, Touji finally understood the significance of the Akatsuki's red cloud and black cloaks.

They looked so high and mighty, but in reality, they were just raincoats.

Yet they weren’t exactly raincoats either.

Because when wearing these cloaks in the Hidden Rain Village, everyone gazed at them with admiration, and some even bowed to Touji.

"Despite the Akatsuki's fearsome reputation outside, they are seen as a symbol of hope here in the Land of Rain."

Touji nodded slightly.

Pain’s goal was to save the Land of Rain and rid the world of suffering.

But Nagato had taken a misguided path.

Still, the Land of Rain was the first to benefit, as no other small nation dared to invade with the Akatsuki’s protection.

Passing through the village, Touji arrived at a tall office building.

Inside, there were many ninjas wearing the Akatsuki's red cloud cloaks and some masked individuals who glanced around warily.

Touji chuckled.

The Akatsuki’s headquarters operated like any other village, taking on various missions.

The difference was that the Akatsuki accepted missions that other villages wouldn’t, including assassination tasks that were too shady for the other villages to handle.

That’s why there were so many masked individuals, unwilling to show their true faces.

Under Obito’s lead, Touji entered a spacious room.

Pain and Konan were inside.

Konan looked at Pain with deep emotion in her eyes, though it seemed more like she was gazing at a long-lost friend.

As the two entered, Pain turned slightly, sizing up Touji.

"Someone so young?" Pain furrowed his brow.

"Don’t be fooled by his youth, Lord Pain. He’s quite famous!"

"Famous, huh? Another rogue ninja?" Pain’s body trembled. "Could it be... Touji, the Shadow of a Moment?"

Upon hearing the name, Konan also looked at Touji in surprise.

"That’s right, it’s him! Now can I officially become a member?" Obito crossed his arms arrogantly and laughed.

"If he really is the Shadow of a Moment, then yes, you are qualified."

In that moment, Obito excitedly grabbed Touji in a hug.

But then Pain's tone shifted.

"But first, he has to prove he is the real Shadow of a Moment."

"How should I prove it?"

"The best way for a ninja to prove themselves is through combat. Your opponent will be Konan!"

(End of Chapter)

*Chapter 137: Battle Against Konan*

Konan smiled gently as she approached Touji.

"Don't be afraid. You don't necessarily have to defeat me, but you must show your strength!"

*[Ding! Konan! Current favorability is 51 points! You can now check in!]*

*[50 favorability points unlocked: Dance of the Shikigami!]*

*[60 favorability points unlocked: Paper Clone!]*

*[70 favorability points unlocked: Paper Shuriken!]*

*[80 favorability points unlocked: Paper Rain!]*

*[90 favorability points unlocked: Paper Spear!]*

*[100 favorability points unlocked: Divine Paper Master! Shape me however you like! Unlimited check-ins activated (seven-day interval between check-ins!)]*

Touji frowned slightly.

Generally, as long as a conversation happens, you can check the opponent's favorability, jutsu, and other attributes. However, while Konan's stats had appeared, Pain had shown no reaction at all.

"It seems you need self-awareness for this to work."

"Check in with Konan!"

*[Ding! Konan check-in successful! You have obtained the Dance of the Shikigami! Favorability increased by five points! Current favorability is 56 points!]*

Touji snapped back to reality, a faint smile on his face. "Well then, please go easy on me, Sister Konan."

Konan smiled gently, then her body instantly turned into countless sheets of paper, scattering around the area.

At that moment, every single sheet of paper was Konan. She could appear at the location of any sheet if she wished. Such a surprise attack was hard for most ninjas to defend against.

However, Touji had the Byakugan.

The Byakugan allowed for a 360-degree field of view. Touji could see everything clearly from every angle. Any sneak attack would be a joke to him.

This was the power of the Byakugan.

The biggest weakness of the Dance of the Shikigami was oil, but another way to counter it was with fire!

Touji quickly formed hand seals, and with the final Tiger seal completed, flames spewed from his mouth.

"Fire Style! Great Fireball Jutsu!"

Touji now had a large amount of chakra, so he no longer needed to conserve it. The fireball he unleashed covered half of the room.

In an instant, almost all of the paper fragments were ignited, while the remaining paper rapidly gathered together.

"Touji-kun, using Fire Style inside the room isn’t very considerate, is it?" Konan said, a playful smile on her face.

Touji chuckled awkwardly. His Fire Style attack had almost burned down the house. Fortunately, Pain had suppressed half of the flames with a jutsu.

"Alright, no more Fire Style then."

*[Ding! Konan’s favorability increased by one point! Current favorability is 57 points!]*

Konan smiled again and transformed back into paper.

Without the option of using large-scale Fire Style techniques, Touji had to proceed cautiously. The Byakugan rapidly scanned for Konan’s position.

At that moment, Touji saw the next move with his Byakugan: Konan was descending from above, aiming straight for his neck.

Quickly, Touji drew his Thunder Sword and swung it upwards.

Pain frowned, surprised as he looked at Touji. Uchiha Obito, on the other hand, smirked mischievously.

As Konan's head appeared, a bolt of electricity shot toward her, causing her to panic and scatter into paper again.

However, Touji clearly felt that his blade had struck Konan earlier.

The paper fragments gathered together once more, forming Konan’s figure. This time, there was a hole in her shoulder, and black smoke was rising from it.

"Touji-kun, I must admit you’re strong. But if you can withstand this next move, I’ll consider it a win for you!"

As Konan spoke, wings formed behind her, and she raised one hand high. Above her hand, a paper spear began to take shape.

Touji wasn't planning to let Konan finish her jutsu. Just as he prepared to attack, he noticed that his feet were trapped by paper.

More and more paper wrapped around him, and in an instant, Touji was cocooned, with only his head exposed.

"It seems you won’t be able to dodge this!"

Seeing this, Uchiha Obito became anxious. He turned to Pain and said, "Pain-sama, this match is over, right? Shouldn’t we stop it?"

"If he can’t dodge this, then he’s not the true Shadow of Instants, and he’s not worthy of joining the Akatsuki. Even if he is, he doesn’t deserve to join us."

Uchiha Obito frowned. He knew all too well how deadly Konan’s Paper Spear could be. If it hit directly, Touji wouldn’t survive.

Touji hadn’t just saved Obito’s life; he had also pulled him out of his cycle of hatred.

Quietly, Obito activated his Sharingan, ready to ensure Touji's safety at the first sign of danger.

By now, the Paper Spear had fully formed.

Touji was still trapped in the cocoon, struggling to break free to no avail.

"One move to decide it all! Paper Spear, go!"

With a powerful swing, Konan launched the Paper Spear, causing a loud sonic boom as it tore through the air.

Obito was about to use Kamui, but suddenly noticed Touji’s calm expression, even with a slight smile.

"Does this kid have a trump card?" Obito wondered.

As Obito hesitated, the Paper Spear struck the cocoon, scattering paper fragments everywhere.

But strangely, there was no blood, and Touji’s figure had vanished.

"Where did he go?" Pain was stunned, unable to believe that Touji had disappeared before his eyes. No matter how hard he searched, he couldn’t find any trace of Touji.

"Where is Touji?" Konan, equally puzzled, looked around.

She had clearly trapped Touji, and it was definitely not a substitution jutsu or shadow clone. But that made it even more terrifying.

Konan had no idea when or where Touji might strike next.

She waved her hand, summoning all the paper fragments to her.

As the paper gathered, Konan realized something was wrong. There was far more paper than before, and she had gained several extra layers, making her body much larger.

Her heart skipped a beat. She tried to disperse the extra paper, but at that moment, an arm emerged from her own body, grabbing her by the throat.

Konan looked at the hand in disbelief.

She had never imagined that Touji would turn into paper and hide on her own body, using her own paper as cover.

She had no choice but to admire Touji’s cleverness.

"I lost," Konan said with a bitter smile, though she was completely convinced of her defeat.

However, Pain’s expression darkened as he shouted, "Get off of Konan right now, Touji!"

*Three chapters in one! Please subscribe and support!*

*Chapter 138: Eternal Mangekyō (Subscribe Please!)*

Touji was startled by the killing intent emanating from Pain.

However, when he looked at his current state, he realized it was a bit awkward.

He transformed into paper and started falling in pieces.

Konan blushed slightly, and when she saw Touji turn into paper, her face showed an expression of disbelief.

"How do you know Dance of the Shikigami?"

Touji was taken aback and unsure of how to explain. At that moment, Uchiha Obito stepped forward.

"Touji spent some time with Kakashi before, and since he has the Sharingan, his copying abilities have become even stronger than Kakashi's."

Pain's face lit up with realization, but he still seemed annoyed with Touji.

"I’ve heard about your reputation in Konoha. Don't bring that behavior to the Akatsuki!" Pain huffed coldly.

Touji's mouth twitched.

What do you mean by 'Konoha's behavior'?

Touji thought that while in Konoha, he had worked diligently and didn’t do anything out of line.

Even if some of the girls had feelings for him, that was their choice. Besides, Konan was much older—there was no way her affection would increase!

*Ding! Konan’s favorability increased by three points! Current favorability: 60 points! You can now check in!*

Touji’s mouth twitched, turning to see Konan’s face flushed red.

Touji was speechless.

But checking in is always a good thing.

"Check in with Konan!"

*Ding! Check-in successful with Konan! You've obtained Paper Wings! Favorability increased by four points! Current favorability: 64 points!*

Touji was overjoyed.

As a ground-bound creature, he had always dreamed of flying.

In his original world, he hadn’t even flown on an airplane, but here in the ninja world, he now had wings!

With wings, he could take to the skies.

Once he controlled the air, many ninjas would just be standing on the ground, helpless, as his easy targets.

While Touji was imagining himself flying, Konan walked over and whispered, "You still left a few pieces of paper behind..."

"Touji! You jerk!"

Startled, Touji quickly spread his wings and flew away.

Not long after, Uchiha Obito caught up.

"Even if you're bringing Konoha’s behavior with you, you shouldn't target Konan..." Obito sighed, then tossed a ring to Touji.

Touji caught the ring, which had a red gemstone engraved with the character for "one."

This symbolized Touji officially joining the Akatsuki.

At the same time, Uchiha Obito wore the ring with the character for "void," which had previously belonged to Orochimaru.

Touji looked a little innocent.

He was just trying to get stronger, not intentionally raising favorability!

As for the paper, that was just due to unfamiliarity with the technique.

"Alright, I won’t meddle in your personal life, that's your business. But it seems like Pain is a bit pleased." Obito chuckled coldly.

Touji paused for a moment, then quickly realized.

If you had no desires and defected from Konoha without reason, joining the Akatsuki would seem suspicious to Pain.

Now, Touji appeared to have an interest in women, making everything easier to explain. Controlling him would also be easier.

Touji smiled helplessly.

Since Pain misunderstood, Touji wasn’t going to bother explaining.

"So, do we have any tasks?"

"The Akatsuki operates pretty freely, with no set tasks. You're free to arrange things yourself."

Touji rubbed his chin, thinking for a while.

"Then let’s head to Konoha. It's time to introduce you to Kakashi."

Uchiha Obito froze for a moment, then went completely silent.

*Ding! Uchiha Obito’s favorability increased by five points! Current favorability: 89 points!*

Touji was thrilled and decided to push further.

"While we're at it, you should visit Rin!"

*Ding! Uchiha Obito’s favorability increased by two points! Current favorability: 91 points! You can now check in!*

"It worked!"

Touji was excited. Just by saying two sentences, Obito's favorability increased by seven points.

But this tactic could only be used once; from now on, it would be a slower grind.

"Check in with Uchiha Obito!"

*Ding! Check-in successful with Uchiha Obito! You've obtained the Sharingan! Favorability increased by two points! Current favorability: 93 points!*

Touji couldn't help but tremble in excitement.

He hadn’t expected to gain the Sharingan through a check-in.

And not just any Sharingan—Obito’s was a Mangekyō Sharingan! Combined with Uchiha Shisui’s eye, Touji could now evolve into an Eternal Mangekyō Sharingan.

At that moment, Touji felt an intense pain in his right eye as blood trickled down from the socket.

After a few seconds, the pain subsided.

The red tomoe in Touji's pupil transformed into the shape of a pinwheel.

Uchiha Obito noticed the change in Touji's eyes and was shocked.

"Eternal Mangekyō! How did you do that?!"

Obito watched Touji’s transformation closely, disbelief written on his face.

Touji finally calmed down.

Uchiha Madara’s Rinnegan evolved from the Eternal Mangekyō Sharingan with the addition of Senju Hashirama’s cells.

Now, all Touji needed was a left Eternal Mangekyō Sharingan, and he could have a chance at evolving into the Rinnegan.

And that eye was with Kakashi.

With this thought, Touji was even more eager to return to Konoha.

"Let’s go to Konoha Village!"

After several days of travel, Touji and Obito arrived at Konoha.

Following the Konoha Destruction Plan, two months had passed, and the village had returned to a state of peace.

However, there were noticeably fewer ninja guarding the village than before.

Training a ninja requires a lot of resources.

As a result, most of the ninjas were out on missions.

This allowed Touji and Obito to easily slip inside.

But shortly after entering the village, a figure slowly approached.

"Master, you're back!" Yamanaka Ino’s face lit up with joy. But when she noticed Uchiha Obito, her expression returned to normal.

"So, you’re into this kind of play?"

Touji coughed awkwardly, trying to hide his embarrassment.

"How did you find me?" Touji asked, confused.

With the combined strength of himself and Uchiha Obito, even the ANBU would struggle to track them.

Yet Yamanaka Ino, a mere genin, had found him.

"I don’t know why, but when you entered Konoha, I could just sense it. Especially when you call for me, I feel an overwhelming urge to find you!"

A favorability of 999 really is something else. This wasn't just favorability anymore.

It was as if a mysterious thread now connected the two of them.

(End of chapter)

Chapter 139: Possessed by Luck (Requesting Subscription!)

Ino Yamanaka obediently stood beside Touji, while Obito Uchiha knelt in front of Rin Nohara's grave, refusing to get up for a long time.

Because Rin became the jinchuriki of the Three-Tails and attacked Konoha, her grave was in a remote location. Based on the handwriting on the tombstone, it was likely inscribed by Kakashi Hatake.

An hour passed before Obito finally stood up.

"Thank you!"

Obito said solemnly, and from his voice, it seemed like he had just stopped crying.

"Shall we go find Kakashi now?"

"Okay!" Obito hesitated but agreed.

The three of them arrived at Konoha Village, where Kakashi was casually flipping through his Icha Icha book with one hand.

When Obito saw this, his body couldn't help but tremble.

"Calm yourself; I'll go talk to Kakashi!"

Touji's lips curled into a slight smile. He wouldn't miss the chance to increase favorability on both sides.

After all, he only needed Kakashi’s other eye to evolve into the Eternal Mangekyō Sharingan and then completely evolve into the Rinnegan. The power boost from that would be immense.

Touji stood beside Kakashi, who looked up curiously but froze when he recognized Touji.

"You brat! Where have you been!?"

Kakashi angrily punched Touji's shoulder, making him stumble back several steps. Fortunately, Ino caught him, or he might have ended up sitting on the ground.

"Kakashi-sensei, do you really have to hit me so hard as soon as we meet?" Touji smiled helplessly.

"You dare to talk back? The two village advisors have put a bounty on you! Lady Tsunade even had a huge fight with them over it." Kakashi glared at Touji before his tone softened. "Where have you been all this time?"

"I went to find a friend of yours. I believe he’s very important to you."

"A friend?" Kakashi grew suspicious. "If it’s a friend who turned you into a rogue ninja, I wish you hadn't gone to find him!"

Touji felt warmth in his heart and then smiled. "What if it was Obito Uchiha?"

"Obito doesn’t count—" Kakashi paused mid-sentence, his expression suddenly changing as he grabbed Touji’s shoulders. "Who did you say? He’s dead!"

"That’s exactly why I had to confirm it right away."

Kakashi trembled, looking at Touji with gratitude.

"So, what’s the result? He died right in front of me. It must be a false report."

[Ding! Kakashi Hatake’s favorability increased by 1! Current favorability: 89 points!]

"A false report? I went through a lot of trouble to bring him back," Touji said mischievously.

Kakashi's whole body shook, and the book in his hand dropped to the ground as he stared at Touji in shock.

"You're joking, right? That’s not funny!" Kakashi grabbed Touji’s arms, his hands trembling, and even started stuttering.

"Look over there," Touji said, nodding towards where Obito stood not far away.

Kakashi's heart began pounding rapidly.

Even though the man wore a mask and looked completely different from his memories, Kakashi was certain that the person standing there was Obito Uchiha.

Weak-kneed, Kakashi walked towards him.

Obito, clearly unprepared, tried to back away but only managed a few steps before Kakashi grabbed him.

"Obito?"

"It’s me. I’ve returned."

Upon hearing his voice, Kakashi trembled all over. Even though the voice had changed, Kakashi was sure—it was the Obito who had sacrificed himself to save him.

Without hesitation, Kakashi embraced Obito tightly.

Watching the long-separated friends reunite, Touji couldn't help but feel happy as well.

Suddenly, Touji felt a tug on his clothes. Turning around, he saw Ino blushing and looking at him.

"Master, look at them reuniting like long-lost lovers. How about we get a little closer too?"

Touji froze for a moment, then tried to escape, but Ino immediately hugged him tightly. Despite being just a girl, Ino’s arms felt like steel, and Touji couldn’t break free no matter how hard he tried.

Obito and Kakashi chatted for a long time, mostly reminiscing. When Kakashi asked what Obito had been doing, Obito evaded the question. After all, this was just a short visit to Konoha, and he would be leaving soon.

Still, even a brief visit brightened Kakashi’s mood significantly.

[Ding! Kakashi Hatake’s favorability increased by 7 points! Current favorability: 96 points! You can now check in!]

[Ding! Obito Uchiha’s favorability increased by 3 points! Current favorability: 97 points!]

The two walked towards Touji, but soon stopped, both wearing awkward expressions.

"Should we stop them?"

"No need. They can handle this themselves."

"Times sure have changed. Something like this would’ve been unimaginable back then."

"Yeah, times have changed!"

With that, the two old friends turned and walked away with their arms around each other's shoulders.

An hour later, Touji caught up to them, and both Kakashi and Obito, now in a playful mood, burst out laughing.

"Oh? Done already?"

Touji twitched, tempted to give these two ungrateful guys a good beating!

But his priority right now was to check in!

"Check in with Kakashi Hatake!"

[Ding! Check-in with Kakashi Hatake successful! Obtained Sharingan! Favorability increased by 2 points! Current favorability: 98 points!]

Touji was ecstatic.

He felt like he’d been possessed by luck recently, with everything he wanted coming his way.

But instead of celebrating, Touji knew it was time to find a place to hide.

After all, the Eternal Mangekyō Sharingan and the Rinnegan were two entirely different things.

Even though he trusted everyone present, Touji chose to be cautious.

Using his space-jumping ability several times in a row, Touji found a cave to hide in.

Immediately, he felt a sharp pain in his left eye, followed by a surge of warmth flowing from his eye socket.

Soon after, the pain spread to both eyes, nearly causing him to pass out.

Half an hour later, the pain began to subside. Touji quickly wiped the blood from his eyes and pulled out a mirror.

Three-tomoe Rinnegan!

(End of Chapter)

Chapter 140: Uchiha Madara’s Next Target (Please Subscribe!)

Touji was overjoyed.

Even Uchiha Madara took several years to evolve from the Eternal Mangekyō Sharingan to the Rinnegan.

But Touji's evolution only took a few hours.

The only explanation was the system’s power.

Thankfully, the Rinnegan could still be hidden away. Otherwise, even wearing colored contact lenses wouldn't cover it up.

At the moment, Touji had learned to use gravity to some extent, but since it wasn’t obtained through a sign-in reward, his control over it was still immature and the power wasn't very strong.

To improve quickly, he needed to go sign in with Nagato.

After putting away the Rinnegan, Touji headed towards Konoha.

When he arrived at Konoha, he found Uchiha Obito and Yamanaka Ino together, but Kakashi Hatake was nowhere to be seen.

"Touji, thank you. If it weren't for you, I might still be misunderstanding things. From now on, no matter what, even if it’s a mountain of knives or a sea of flames, just say the word and I'll act!"

Touji gave a mischievous grin, leaned in closer to Uchiha Obito, and said, "You two haven't seen each other in so long, aren’t you going to have a little intimate moment?"

Uchiha Obito glared at Touji and retorted, “The one who should be having an intimate moment is you and this little beauty, right?”

Touji’s face turned red, while Yamanaka Ino wore a proud expression, looking quite smug.

"Just a moment ago, a pink-haired girl ran over, got into an argument with your girlfriend, and then took Kakashi away. She looked like she was in a hurry," Uchiha Obito added.

Touji frowned. The person Obito mentioned was probably Sakura Haruno. If she was in such a hurry to find Kakashi, it had to be because of something related to Sasuke Uchiha.

But even with all that, she still had the energy to argue with Yamanaka Ino? Touji couldn't help but feel exasperated with Sakura.

"Let's go check it out," Touji said.

Sasuke Uchiha had been entrusted to him by Itachi Uchiha. If anything happened to Sasuke, Touji wouldn’t be able to explain himself.

However, Yamanaka Ino’s face showed displeasure as she tugged on Touji’s arm.

"Can’t we avoid going after that big-forehead girl?"

"It's not about her. I think something’s wrong with Sasuke, so I have to go!" Touji said seriously.

"Sasuke? The guy you mentioned who’s that man’s brother? Then I’m coming too!" Ino declared.

In no time, the three of them sped off, and with Touji’s Byakugan, they quickly located Team 7.

However, things weren’t looking good for Team 7.

Naruto Uzumaki and Sakura Haruno were both down, while Kakashi was locked in battle with Sasuke Uchiha.

Touji’s brow furrowed.

Because of his intervention, Orochimaru had not come after Sasuke Uchiha anymore.

Yet without Orochimaru’s involvement, Sasuke was still holding his own against Kakashi, an evenly matched fight. Something was definitely off.

"Kakashi-sensei, you’re no longer a match for me. Are you sure you still want to stop me?" Sasuke sneered, kicking Kakashi away with a smug look on his face.

Kakashi, supporting himself on the ground, looked at Sasuke in frustration.

"Sasuke, don’t go down the wrong path. Naruto is your teammate; you can’t harm him!" Kakashi shouted.

Sasuke flicked his hair back and laughed.

"Once I absorb the Nine-Tails, my power will increase significantly! Then, not even Touji will scare me! In fact, he knows secrets from the past, and I will find him to make him tell me everything!" Sasuke grinned arrogantly and began to approach Naruto.

Sasuke wants the Nine-Tails?

Hearing this, Touji’s mind buzzed.

The only ones interested in absorbing the Nine-Tails’ power were members of the Akatsuki and Uchiha Madara.

How could Sasuke, who had stayed in Konoha all this time, know about the Nine-Tails' power?

Activating his Byakugan, Touji quickly spotted a shadow on a nearby tree.

It was Black Zetsu!

Touji’s heart sank.

Black Zetsu's presence could only mean that Uchiha Madara was behind this.

Touji hadn't expected Madara to make a move so soon.

It had only been half a month since Touji dismantled Obito’s device.

And now, with Black Zetsu involved, it was clear how seriously Uchiha Madara was taking this.

Shifting his gaze, Touji looked closely at Sasuke's chest.

His eyebrows furrowed.

A device!

A familiar device, just like the one Obito had!

Touji hadn’t anticipated Uchiha Madara moving so quickly, managing to deceive Sasuke into willingly wearing the device.

This meant that Sasuke would replace Obito in Madara's plans.

At this moment, Sasuke reached Naruto and performed a series of hand signs, causing a suction force that lifted Naruto into the air.

Orange chakra began to flow out from Naruto’s navel, taking the form of a fox.

"This kid is absorbing the Nine-Tails’ power!" Obito shouted in panic, turning to Touji.

At some point, Obito had begun relying on Touji, trusting his foresight and strategy to solve complex problems.

"Touji, what should we do?"

"Uchiha Madara has made his move. He sensed the device on your heart was gone and found a new candidate!"

"You mean this brat?"

Obito’s face darkened at the mention of Madara, his killing intent rising.

"Exactly. Black Zetsu is nearby."

"Then we need to act fast, or the Nine-Tails will be extracted."

Touji’s expression grew grim.

They were lucky to have caught Sasuke’s betrayal in time, but if they disabled the device, Madara would just find another target.

If Touji didn’t act quickly in the future, it might be too late.

Saving Naruto was essential, but killing Sasuke wasn't an option.

Sasuke, unlike Obito, wasn't some hardened criminal. He didn’t seem particularly smart either, so he wouldn’t be too difficult to handle.

"Let’s move! Ino, tend to the three injured. Obito, take care of Black Zetsu. I’ll handle Sasuke!"

"Got it!"

"Understood, boss!"

In an instant, the three split up and sprang into action.

Touji appeared in front of Sasuke, kicking him away.

"Sasuke, you’ve crossed the line!" Touji said coldly.

Sasuke, seeing Touji, was overjoyed but gave a mocking smile.

"Well, well, if it isn’t the rogue ninja Touji. What brings you back to Konoha?"

"It’s a clear day, the rain has stopped, and you think you’re tough again, huh?"

End of Chapter. Apologies for the late update today! And as usual, I’m asking for all the support: full subscriptions, donations, monthly votes, recommendation tickets—I want them all! Hehe~

(Chapter ends)