Chapter 160: Obito Is Sweating Profusely! Uchiha Itachi's Waste Utilization

“Lady Kushina, are you truly going to agree to Uchiha Iizumi’s request and protect the women and children of the Hyūga Main Family?” In a quiet inn within Leaf Village, Shizune, cradling Tun Tun, asked Kushina with a curious tilt of her head. “Won’t that mean you’ll have to stay in Leaf Village longer?”

“Whatever,” Kushina waved dismissively, lounging in a carefree, ungraceful posture. Her loose robes hung loosely over her body, dangerously revealing. But with only the two of them—and Tun Tun, the tiny, grumpy pig—present, she didn’t care.

She continued, “That kid helped us find all that money on Takeshita Street. I’ve been gambling for nearly half a month and still haven’t lost it all. That’s at least a debt of gratitude. I’m just returning the favor.”

Shizune murmured, “I don’t know… it’s just that I get the feeling you’re not really thinking that way.”

Kushina lifted one eyelid and glanced at her. “So what do you think I’m thinking?”

Shizune hesitated. “You’re supporting Uchiha Iizumi’s Absolute Justice, aren’t you?”

Kushina froze.

Shizune pressed on. “Given your personality, you’d normally just reject Zetsu’s demands outright. Remember when you left Leaf Village? Even Third Hokage-sama, Jiraiya-sama, and Orochimaru all tried to stop you… but you still walked away.”

“But now, you didn’t turn down Iizumi. That only means you secretly accept his Justice. You want to support him—just can’t bring yourself to say it plainly, not with your elders’ pride in mind.”

“So you’re doing it this way—by stepping in whenever he’s in trouble, defending him against Hokage-sama and the others.”

Kushina said nothing.

After a long silence, she rubbed her smooth chin and muttered, “Am I really that obvious?”

Just then, light footsteps echoed down the hallway outside, followed by a soft knock.

Kushina raised an eyebrow. “Fast arrival.”

She quickly tugged her robe back into place, covering the exposed parts.

“The door’s unlocked. Come in.”

The sliding door slid open slowly, revealing Hyūga Hinata, clutching her younger sister Hyūga Hanabi’s hand, both trembling with nervousness. Behind them stood a few scattered members of the Hyūga Main Family.

Under Kushina’s steady gaze, Hinata whispered, “L-Lady Kushina… h-hello.”

Kushina gave a slight nod—enough of a response.

Her eyes then swept past Hinata, landing on Hyūga Keizuke, the special jonin from the Main Family. Her brow furrowed.

“You’re a Leaf Village special jonin. What are you doing here?”

Keizuke blinked. “I-Izumi-sama instructed the entire Main Family to take shelter here. I’m a member of the Main Family.”

Kushina waved a hand. “I agreed to protect the defenseless women and children. Not a special jonin.”

She paused, then added, “But since you’re already here… you can be my errand boy.”

She paused, then corrected herself. “No—wait. I already have an errand runner. You’ll be my errand runner’s errand runner.”

Shizune, still holding Tun Tun, blinked. “Huh?”

Keizuke: “…Yes, Lady Kushina.”

He forced a weak smile at Shizune. “Shizune-sama, please feel free to send me on any task.”

…

“Huff… huff…” Mitarashi Anko gasped, her breath ragged. She looked battered—her left shoulder dislocated, arm limp. A bruise darkened her right cheek. Her hair had come loose, and her mesh undersuit was torn in several places. Every muscle in her body screamed exhaustion.

At her feet lay dozens of severed black snakes. One massive, Shiro-colored serpent—once capable of swallowing a man whole—now lay broken and wounded.

“Tch. Go play by yourselves. They’re not even trying to kill you. Next time you’re overwhelmed, don’t drag me into it.”

The Shiro snake spoke through its maw, then vanished in a puff of smoke.

With its summon gone, Anko barely had time to react as a Root Ninja swung a blade down at her.

She raised her right arm, blocking with a kunai—already weakened from fatigue. The impact shattered the kunai, sending it flying.

“You’ve picked up a few tricks from Orochimaru,” Tsunade Konoha said coldly, stepping forward. “But I’m not some weakling. My Root ninjas are elite—drawn from the Tsunade Konoha Clan. Two of them are special jonin, one is a jonin, and the rest are elite chūnin.”

“You’ve held off six of us this long. No wonder Orochimaru took you as his student. Though now… you’re just a discarded one.”

Anko gritted her teeth, ready to speak—when a familiar voice rang out from afar.

“Root Organization! What are you doing?!”

Both Anko and Tsunade Konoha froze.

“…Izumi?!”

Anko turned sharply, her eyes widening. There, sprinting toward them, was a figure she recognized instantly—Uchiha Iizumi, the girl she’d parted ways with after leaving the dessert shop.

But how? Her home and Izumi’s were in completely different directions.

“Izumi-sama,” one of the Root guards whispered to Tsunade Konoha, “she’s the young prodigy who awakened Three Tomoe Sharingan at such a young age.”

Tsunade Konoha’s face darkened. If there was one person in Leaf Village she despised more than anyone else, it was Uchiha Iizumi. Second on her list? That ninja cat of hers. Third? Her subordinates.

She remembered the girl had mocked her—right to her face, with no shame. No respect for seniority. Just like her master.

When Iizumi arrived, she immediately stepped beside Anko.

The sight of Anko’s battered form made her youthful face harden.

Her crimson Sharingan swept over the surrounding Root ninjas, finally settling on Tsunade Konoha’s grim expression.

“Advisor Xiaochun,” Iizumi said, voice ice-cold, “is this how a Root leader attacks villagers without cause? Your actions tonight are a blatant display of Evil Offenders.”

“Perhaps Root is a dark abyss—so dark it corrupted Shimura Danzō, and now even you.”

She offered no mercy. To her, Anko wasn’t just a comrade—she was a believer in Absolute Justice, one whom Iizumi’s predecessor had personally acknowledged.

To attack Anko was to attack Justice itself.

“Don’t pin false charges on me,” Tsunade Konoha snapped. “I’m not Danzō. I don’t play your games.”

“If Root truly wanted to kill Anko, she wouldn’t be alive right now. My men held back. No one here had lethal intent.”

“Why? Because Anko, as a special jonin, failed in her duty. She knew about Orochimaru’s whereabouts… and she didn’t report it. If I hadn’t stopped her, how would I know if she still served him?”

Tsunade Konoha paused. “What if she’s Orochimaru’s sleeper agent? What if she turns on Leaf Village and causes irreparable damage? Who’d be responsible?”

She thought she’d silenced the girl.

Then Iizumi spoke—without hesitation.

“I’ll take responsibility.”

Her eyes locked onto Tsunade Konoha’s. The Three Tomoe Sharingan flared to life.

“Anko is not Orochimaru’s spy. This was confirmed by Iizumi-sama himself.”

She narrowed her eyes. “And besides… your story is just one side. I believe you’re hiding something.”

Anko, breathing heavily, suddenly spoke. “She tried to capture me with Genjutsu… to interrogate me. But since Iizumi wouldn’t hand over intel to the village, I couldn’t let Root succeed. So we fought.”

Iizumi’s fingers tightened on her ninja sword hilt.

So the village was obsessed with Orochimaru.

But were they trying to kill him?

No. If so, they’d have just watched. Because Iizumi would’ve dealt with him.

No—they wanted to use him. To exploit him.

As long as he served their purpose, any danger was forgivable. Past crimes? Forgotten.

That’s probably why Iizumi hates the village leadership so much.

Before she could dwell further, a figure flickered into existence—cloaked in Anbu gear, wearing a mask.

Anbu Ninja, directly under the Hokage’s command, whispered to Tsunade Konoha: “Advisor Xiaochun… Hokage-sama requests you not escalate this.”

Tsunade Konoha’s brows knotted. What did that mean?

…

Land of Rain

Obito was sweating.

Literally.

Cold sweat pooled beneath his sleeves, and he discreetly wiped it away with his forearm, careful not to leave a trace.

His mask hid his face, but beneath it, his expression was a storm. His muscles twitched uncontrollably.

—Uchiha Obito.

She said that name.

How did she know?

Why did she say it in front of me?

Did she discover my secret?

Does she know “Uchiha Sharingan” isn’t really Uchiha Sharingan?

Is she warning me? Threatening me?

A flood of impossible thoughts crashed through his mind.

He’d traveled all the way to the Land of Fire to kill Biwa Jūzō—to stop Konan from learning the truth.

Even if the assassination failed, he’d expected Biwa to flee back to Akatsuki in terror.

And yet…

How did she know my name?

“Uchiha Obito,” Obito forced his voice calm, speaking through a raspy tone. “A name I vaguely recall. A promising young Uchiha, one I followed for a time.”

“Pity. A victim of fate. He died in the Third Ninja War. Yet you speak his name… in front of me.”

He narrowed his eyes. “Perhaps someone’s impersonating him. Foolish enough to deceive Akatsuki.”

Did Iizumi really give me fake intel? Konan wondered.

Because the man before her was… terrifyingly confident.

Or was he faking it? Pretending ignorance, hiding the truth?

Just then, Nagato spoke—his voice weak, strained. “We may need to speed up recruiting new members and gathering funds. Iizumi’s existence introduces too much uncertainty. Delaying further could lead to disaster.”

He changed the subject—cutting off Konan’s line of questioning, refusing to let her press.

Konan frowned, glancing at Nagato’s impassive face.

Obito exhaled silently. She bought it.

Even if Konan didn’t believe him… Nagato had.

“Agreed,” Obito said, arms crossed. “But not because of Iizumi. The world is full of uncertainties.”

Lie.

He thought the same as Nagato—but he couldn’t say it. Not with the image of “Uchiha Sharingan” he’d crafted.

After a brief exchange, Obito turned, his face blank, eyes like Shisui’s—cold, unreadable—and walked away.

Minutes passed.

Then Konan turned to Nagato. “Why stop me? I could’ve exposed him. I saw the cracks. He can’t hide it.”

Nagato didn’t look at her. His gaze drifted to a root-like stalactite.

“Let him play the part,” he said slowly. “If he wants to be Uchiha Sharingan… let him be.”

He paused.

“For now, we don’t need internal chaos. We only need to know if he can help us complete the plan.”

“Konan… focus on the bigger picture. Don’t waste energy on trifles.”

Konan took a deep breath.

“…Understood.”

…

Outside Akatsuki’s hidden base, Obito rushed into the Spiral Space and tore off his mask—flinging it aside.

His face was drenched in sweat. His eyelids twitched uncontrollably.

And from deep within the space, the agonized screams of Kuro Zetsu still echoed—further aggravating Obito’s frayed nerves.

“Obito, you come to take a dump?” The Whirlpool-Faced White Zetsu appeared, tending to the wounded Kuro Zetsu. It crouched behind Obito, peering up at his backside.

Obito stiffened, turning sharply. “Don’t even think about it.”

“Uchiha Obito’s name… she knows it,” he growled. “She insinuated it. She knew I was pretending.”

“She’s implying Biwa Jūzō didn’t flee—he came back, told her everything.”

Obito wasn’t stupid. Even if his “wisdom” was weak, he wasn’t blind.

Konan had made it clear.

He just pretended not to hear.

“Huh?” The Whirlpool-Faced White Zetsu stood, scratching its head. “So what now?”

“Good thing I played my part,” Obito sneered. “They’ll think it was fake.”

They stared at each other—silent, helpless.

For minutes, neither spoke.

The one with the most brains was still screaming.

Obito wondered: When the jutsu wears off… will Kuro Zetsu even be human anymore?

…

Leaf Village

Tsunade Konoha glared at the sudden arrival of the Anbu ninja—Hiruzen Sarutobi’s man. The Anbu returned her gaze without hesitation.

Silence.

Then, Tsunade Konoha turned sharply. “Let’s go.”

Her Root ninjas retreated without further argument.

Izumi exhaled, her shoulders relaxing slightly.

She’d been ready to fight. But with so many Root ninjas and Anko injured… defeat was inevitable.

But her anger remained.

She helped Anko up, then called out to Tsunade Konoha’s retreating back.

“Advisor Xiaochun! You sent Root ninjas to attack a fellow Leaf ninja—just because she didn’t share intel? That’s a crime under Absolute Justice! And yet… not even a single apology?”

Apology?

Tsunade Konoha nearly laughed.

She turned, her face dark. “You’ve been around Iizumi too long. You’ve forgotten where you are. This isn’t your Absolute Justice. This is Fire Nation Will.”

“A ninja who knows enemy intel and doesn’t report it? That’s a fundamental violation of village rules!”

Izumi cut in. “Then tell me—what rule says a ninja must report all Akatsuki intel to you, Tsunade Konoha?”

She stepped forward. “Name the clause. Cite the regulation.”

“Third Hokage asking Anko about Orochimaru? Yes, she’d be breaking rules. But you—you’re just a senior advisor. You don’t rule the village. You don’t are the Hokage.”

Tsunade Konoha’s fists clenched. She wanted to scream.

But she couldn’t answer.

Because there was no rule. She’d made it up.

She’d hoped to scare them.

Instead, she was cornered.

“So you’re refusing to apologize?” Tsunade Konoha’s jaw twitched.

Izumi’s voice was steady. “No. Not only must you apologize to Konoha Rin… you must be judged by Justice. Illegally sending Root ninjas to attack a fellow villager? That’s at least five years in prison.”

Five years?!

Anko’s worst injury? A dislocated shoulder. Fixed in seconds with a simple reset.

The bruises? A few ointments, and she’d be fine in days.

She looked exhausted—not injured.

Five years? That’s not justice. That’s madness.

Tsunade Konoha inhaled sharply—her chest heaving. “This village isn’t your Absolute Justice! It’s Fire Nation Will’s! Don’t try to force your rules on us!”

She turned, storming off—Root ninjas following.

Anko exhaled, then laughed bitterly.

“You don’t think she’ll lose control? Attack us?”

“She runs Root—Leaf’s shadow. When she’s furious… she’ll do anything.”

Izumi nodded. “Yes. I’m afraid.”

“But if fear stops you from standing up for others… what kind of Justice are you even following?”

She reached for a scroll at her waist.

“Besides… if she does break cover, I’m not defenseless.”

Inside the scroll: a Seal Fire Incantation—sealed with a fragment of Uchiha Itachi’s Amaterasu Flame.

Uchiha Itachi—wasted for a purpose.

…

“In the Hokage Tower,” Hiruzen Sarutobi stood with hands clasped behind his back, staring at the night sky.

When the door burst open, he didn’t wait for Tsunade Konoha to speak—he cut her off mid-sentence.

“Old woman,” he said, turning slowly. “I told you—don’t use force. Especially not against Iizumi’s subordinates. It only burns you.”

Tsunade Konoha gritted her teeth. “So you knew I’d act. That means your people have been watching me all along.”

“You wanted Orochimaru’s intel too… but you’re afraid. That’s why you’re afraid of Iizumi.”

Hiruzen countered, “I don’t fear him. I fear you getting hurt.”

Tsunade Konoha’s voice was icy. “If sacrificing my life serves the village’s good… I won’t regret it.”

“Hiruzen… you’re too hesitant. I’m disappointed. Danzō’s words… maybe he wasn’t wrong.”

(End of Chapter)

Chapter end