Chapter 69: Empire Obito's First Encounter with Sasuke

Chapter 69: Empire Obito's First Encounter with Sasuke

With these thoughts in mind, Empire Obito's heart stirred, and he asked, "The prey you mentioned earlier, are you referring to that scum, Itachi Uchiha?"

"Of course! That guy is my prey! I won't let just anyone take him from me!" Sasuke replied.

"Oh? What will you do if I insist on taking him from you?" Empire Obito asked, still appraising this world's Sasuke.

He had the same handsome looks as Sasuke from his world, but he was only about 5'7" tall and looked slender.

However, his aura and expression were equally formidable.

No wonder they were the same person from different worlds.

"What will I do?" Sasuke whispered as he slowly drew the Kusanagi sword from his waist, pointing it at Empire Obito. "Then I'll have to show you my strength and make you retreat."

"I am quite curious to see how strong you are now," Empire Obito acknowledged with a slight nod.

"You'll find out soon enough," Sasuke responded.

"Do you need my help, Sasuke-kun? This Jugo fellow seems like a tough opponent," Orochimaru remarked.

"No, stay back," Sasuke ordered.

"Hehehe... In that case, I'll just sit back and enjoy the show—a duel between two Uchiha clan members," Orochimaru said, licking his lips. He didn't seem upset as he leaped back and perched on a distant tree trunk to watch the upcoming battle.

"Don't need help? You're quite confident," Empire Obito commented.

"That's something I should be saying to you," Sasuke countered.

As his words trailed off, he instantly appeared in front of Empire Obito, sword thrusting forward.

With almost no resistance, the Kusanagi sword pierced through Empire Obito's body.

"Is that all? This is the survivor of the Uchiha clan? The guy who dared to talk big about taking on Itachi Uchiha? His strength is pathetic," the bystander who had lured Empire Obito here scoffed.

However, Orochimaru, perched on the distant tree trunk, looked surprised.

Sasuke, holding the Kusanagi sword, had a flicker of uncertainty in his eyes before he suddenly leaped backward, creating distance, and started scanning his surroundings.

The bystander was perplexed by this turn of events: "What's going on? Why did Sasuke suddenly retreat? And how come that guy wasn't injured even after being stabbed by the sword? What is happening here?"

He was thoroughly confused.

"Shh! Keep it down," Orochimaru whispered in the bystander's ear, prompting him to shut his mouth, but the confusion in his eyes only deepened.

"Why did you back away? I'm right here in front of you," Empire Obito asked, tilting his head in curiosity.

Sasuke paid no heed to Empire Obito's question and continued scanning the area.

"Are you ignoring me? In that case, I guess I'll have to get serious," Empire Obito said before rushing towards Sasuke. Sasuke still showed no reaction.

Even as Empire Obito's fist came straight for his abdomen, he neither dodged nor blocked, allowing the punch to land squarely on his stomach...

Boom!

"Ah!" Sasuke cried out and was sent flying several meters away. He twisted his body in midair to stabilize himself and slid back a few more meters.

Then, he looked at Empire Obito with disbelief.

"How... How did you do that?"

Even Orochimaru was stunned, his mouth hanging open in surprise.

"How did I do it? Do you really think I'd reveal my abilities to an opponent like you?" Empire Obito chuckled. His figure blurred as he rushed towards Sasuke again.

Three tomoe floated in Sasuke's eyes, and facing Empire Obito, he chose not to attack but focused on dodging and defending instead.

He was forced to retreat continuously, looking extremely disheveled.

But fortunately, Sasuke was still able to hold his own for now.

A minute passed.

When Empire Obito attacked again, Sasuke didn't dodge but instead countered with a sword strike, his blade piercing through Empire Obito's body.

Empire Obito slowly turned around and said,

"Have you figured it out? That's not bad. At least you're stronger than that dead last, Naruto Uzumaki, was when I first met him."

There was a hint of appreciation in his tone.

"You stopped? What's going on? Did you figure something out? What did you realize?" The bystander was even more confused.

Orochimaru licked his lips and said,

"As expected of Sasuke, to figure out his ability so quickly. However... This Uchiha Madara gives me a strange feeling. It's as if he... isn't even trying and is just playing with Sasuke.

His confidence borders on arrogance. Let's see what else you've got."

"An interesting ability, being able to freely shift between illusion and reality."

Sasuke, expressionless, acknowledged Empire Obito's praise and then asked, "Is that dead last, Naruto, still as weak as before?"

"I can tell that you care about him... Is this the bond of Indra and Ashura? Well, Naruto isn't weak anymore. If you didn't have your Mangekyou Sharingan, you might not even be able to beat him."

Empire Obito smiled.

"Mangekyou Sharingan!!!"

Hearing those words, both Sasuke and Orochimaru's pupils contracted, their faces reflecting shock and wariness.

"You, an Uchiha living in the wilderness, know about the Mangekyou Sharingan? Could it be... that you possess such eyes?" Sasuke asked, his expression guarded.

"Ah! Of course," Empire Obito nodded. In the next instant, Sasuke and Orochimaru witnessed Empire Obito's eyes shift, three tomoe slowly connecting to form a strange pattern.

"It really is... the same Mangekyou Sharingan as Uchiha Itachi! Uchiha Madara... This guy is a genius rivaling Itachi... This makes things tricky."

Orochimaru's chest rose and fell, his eyes filled with wariness and reluctance.

"It really is the Mangekyou Sharingan, just like that brat... " Sasuke murmured, "These eyes require the killing of one's kin to unlock. What have you done to obtain these eyes...?"

Sasuke's voice held a hint of agitation and disgust as he finished.

"Kill your kin? Who told you that?" Empire Obito was taken aback by Sasuke's question.

"What? You dare to do it but don't dare to admit it?" Sasuke added.

"The Mangekyou Sharingan is a powerful eye that an Uchiha can unlock when they undergo immense mental stress. In ancient texts, it is usually unlocked after the death of a close kin."

Empire Obito explained in a calm voice.

Sasuke's expression changed as he heard this, "You don't need to kill them yourself?"

"Of course. Do you know of someone who did that and unlocked the Mangekyou Sharingan? Wait, you don't mean that Uchiha Itachi, that scum, thought that was the only way and ended up wiping out his entire clan, do you?"

Empire Obito's expression turned strange as he spoke.

"He told me that I had to kill my kin with my own hands." Sasuke replied.

"That foolish scum..." Empire Obito frowned, "The key to unlocking the Mangekyou Sharingan is stimulation. For him to do such a thing is the height of stupidity and ignorance!

If handled properly, one could succeed even without the death of a close kin, but in your case, it turned out like this... How tragic. This is the result of a backward and ignorant era in the ninja world."

Empire Obito couldn't help but sigh.

(End of Chapter)

Chapter end