Chapter 48: You're Uchiha Obito, Aren't You?
"Damn it..."
Obito was completely shaken.
Because at this moment—
It felt like history was repeating itself.
Years ago, he had been defeated by the Flying Thunder God.
And now, it was happening again?!
This feeling of déjà vu hit Obito harder than anything else.
How?!
Why was it always Flying Thunder God?!
Why was it that, despite possessing Kamui, he kept losing to this technique?!
Did every user of the Flying Thunder God exist just to counter him?!
Obito's eyes burned with hatred and rage.
Gritting his teeth, he endured the pain and phased out of the battlefield, appearing atop a large tree.
From above, he glared down at Haruta with such intense malice that it felt like he wanted to tear him apart.
But Haruta simply shrugged.
"Don't look at me like that. I told you—I figured out a little secret of yours."
His tone was calm, and all the energy he had just activated had already faded.
Now, he simply looked at Obito with steady eyes.
"I can't quite understand how you have this ability.
By normal standards, the Sharingan shouldn't have space-time powers."
"But then again, maybe some bloodlines have unique traits.
Still, you only have one Sharingan exposed."
"The Sharingan's true potential is only fully realized when you have both eyes.
And your technique seems to require both as well—because I noticed that your speed isn't as fast as I originally expected."
Haruta's words made Obito fall silent.
Because it was true.
The Sharingan was always a pair.
Only a complete set could fully unleash its potential.
But he had given his left eye to Kakashi.
And to him, that was a gift he never intended to take back.
If he ever retrieved it, it would only be in the world he created himself.
Yet now—
That missing eye had become a weakness that Haruta exploited?
"Slower speed means there's an opening."
Haruta calmly spoke, standing against the moonlight with his kunai in hand.
"I also noticed—when you're attacked, you phase.
But when you go on the offensive, you have to materialize.
So all I had to do was wait until you attacked… and strike then.
Isn't that right?"
Obito clenched his fists tightly.
His own attacks were his biggest weakness.
It was the same problem he had against Minato.
Back then, his former teacher had figured it out within seconds.
And now, this brat had done the same—if not faster?!
"This bastard… is he another Minato?!"
Obito gritted his teeth.
He had just told himself that Haruta wasn't Minato.
Yet now, he was mentally comparing him to Minato again.
And just then—
Haruta casually spoke once more.
"Oh, by the way—I noticed something else."
Just as Obito's frustration reached its peak, Haruta pulled out a signal flare.
He lit it.
And fired it into the sky.
A flare?
Obito's eyes twitched.
Before he could process it, Haruta spoke again.
"Your Sharingan is interesting.
Kakashi's is in his left eye. Yours is in your right.
You always keep your left eye covered, which means…
You're missing an eye."
Then, his voice became playful.
"Say… you wouldn't happen to be Uchiha Obito, would you?"
"!!!"
Obito's entire body stiffened.
It was like a bucket of cold water had been dumped over his head.
He stared at Haruta in shock.
How… how did he figure that out?!
Even Minato hadn't realized it.
Even after attacking Naruto, even after unleashing the Nine-Tails, Minato never recognized him.
Yet now—
A total stranger who had only fought him for a few minutes… saw through him?!
"What nonsense are you spouting?"
Obito's voice was cold and strained, his body trembling ever so slightly.
"I don't know this 'Uchiha Obito' you're talking about."
"But I do know… you must have a death wish if you're actually calling for backup."
Haruta simply nodded.
"It's over."
He twirled his kunai in his hand.
"I think this is all the proof I need."
Obito's expression darkened.
Proof?
Then—
He suddenly remembered.
There was still a Flying Thunder God seal on his back!
Minato's "gift" from six years ago.
"A Flying Thunder God mark?!"
Haruta chuckled, avoiding eye contact with Obito as he spoke calmly.
"The Fourth Hokage just gave me the evidence I needed.
At first, I thought I was imagining it… but I was right."
His next words came like a hammer to Obito's mind.
"And if I'm not mistaken… you were the one behind the Nine-Tails attack, weren't you?"
"Otherwise, how else would you have that mark?"
"What a surprise—I caught a big fish tonight."
Then—
His voice turned mocking.
"Lord Danzo was right after all… the Uchiha Clan really is Konoha's greatest threat.
Uchiha Obito."
"....."
Obito had no words.
He never expected things to escalate like this.
This brat's Flying Thunder God was still new.
So how the hell did he pull this off?!
And worst of all—
The seal that Minato left behind had just helped Haruta completely ruin his plans.
Damn this brat.
Damn Danzo for training him.
Obito's eyes flickered.
He could already hear approaching footsteps.
Taking a deep breath—
He turned into a swirling vortex and vanished.
---
Haruta watched as Obito disappeared.
Then, he tilted his head.
"Huh. He didn't even try to deny it?"
That was basically an admission.
But he figured—
Obito must have been so pissed off that he didn't even want to face the Anbu reinforcements.
Especially Kakashi.
"He's probably thinking about how to get rid of the Flying Thunder God mark right now."
Haruta rubbed his chin.
Removing the seal wasn't easy.
Even in the original timeline, Obito never managed to erase it completely.
During the Fourth War, Minato still used it to mess with him.
Now that Haruta had the mark, it was undeniable proof.
Of course, his word alone wasn't enough.
But if someone else backed him up…
---
Haruta turned and walked toward the unconscious Itachi.
Then—
He kicked him.
"You've been listening for a while. Stop pretending."
"...."
After a moment, Itachi weakly opened his eyes.
"…Senpai, you kicked me pretty hard."
Itachi had already woken up earlier.
But when Haruta fought that masked Uchiha, he had taken another hit just to keep up the act.
Even though he was barely conscious, he had heard everything.
And secretly observed everything.
"That wasn't hard."
Haruta shook his head.
Then, he looked up—
The Anbu had already arrived, standing along the rooftops.
He chuckled softly.
"At least… it's better than dying alone in the wilderness with your corpse never being found."
"...."
"...."
The Anbu members fell silent.
Even Itachi had no words.
...