Chapter 821: Masked Taruto: I Became a Substitute?
Chapter 821: Masked Taruto: I Became a Substitute?
"You're saying that Uchiha Taruto, who 'sacrificed' himself during the Third Ninja World War, has returned to Konoha? And then, a masked 'Uchiha Sasuke' launched a night attack on Konoha, causing havoc in the Root base, until Sarutobi Hiruzen and Uchiha Taruto joined forces to drive back 'Uchiha Sasuke'?"
After hearing Zetsu's report on Konoha's intelligence, even the experienced Masked Taruto, who had weathered many storms, was momentarily taken aback.
How could he not know that he had returned to Konoha and attacked the Root base?
"Hehe, it's quite mysterious, isn't it? Not only has a new 'Uchiha Taruto' appeared in the Ninja World, but also a 'Uchiha Sasuke'."
Zetsu chuckled.
"Dare to impersonate me."
Masked Taruto's eyes narrowed in displeasure.
Even though Uchiha Taruto was an identity he had abandoned, it wasn't something that just any cat or dog could use.
"But Taruto, don't underestimate these impersonators. They are both powerful. 'Uchiha Sasuke' can use a complete Susanoo, and 'Taruto' can wield powerful Sage Techniques."
Zetsu reminded him.
Although, from Zetsu's perspective as a third party, the sudden appearance of "Uchiha Taruto" and "Uchiha Sasuke" seemed connected, and the combat process might not be genuine, but the strength they displayed was indeed extraordinary.
"I'm well aware of that," Masked Taruto said calmly.
As the owner of the Mangekyou Sharingan, he naturally understood the value of being able to summon a seventy-meter-tall Susanoo.
This not only indicated that the opponent possessed the Mangekyou Sharingan, but also had considerable eye power, otherwise, the Susanoo's completion level would not be so high.
"Who could 'Uchiha Sasuke' be?"
Masked Taruto wondered.
The current "Uchiha Taruto" had not shown any signs of the Sharingan, and might not even be a member of the Uchiha Clan.
But since "Uchiha Sasuke" had used Susanoo, he was undoubtedly an Uchiha ninja.
Very few Uchiha ninjas could unlock the Mangekyou Sharingan.
In recent years, only Uchiha Obito and Shizui had awakened the Sharingan.
However, Shizui was dead, and Uchiha Obito did not have the strength to summon such a powerful Susanoo.
"Could it be Uchiha Fuka?"
A name popped into Masked Taruto's mind.
If he had to analyze who among the remaining Uchiha had the highest suspicion of unlocking the Mangekyou Sharingan, Masked Taruto would definitely choose Uchiha Fuka.
The reason was simple; apart from Shizui and Uchiha Obito, Uchiha Fuka was currently the most formidable and exceptional ninja in the Uchiha Clan.
Although Zetsu was an intelligence powerhouse, he couldn't monitor the entire Ninja World around the clock. Therefore, it was normal for him not to notice Uchiha Fuka using the Mangekyou Sharingan occasionally.
After all, Uchiha Fuka wasn't a primary focus of Taruto's attention.
"Then, what is his motive for doing this? To stop Danzo Shimura from taking action against the Uchiha Clan?"
Masked Taruto began to ponder Uchiha Fuka's intentions.
He found that this line of thought made sense. If Uchiha Fuka knew about Danzo's plan, he would undoubtedly not sit idly by and would find a way to disrupt it.
"From now on, closely monitor 'Uchiha Taruto' and Uchiha Fuka!"
Masked Taruto ordered.
Both of them were in Konoha, and Masked Taruto believed that with Zetsu's exceptional intelligence capabilities, they would soon expose their weaknesses.
...
"Those fools must be in a panic now, with so many unexpected events happening."
Taruto imagined the anxious expressions of Masked Taruto and Danzo and couldn't help but smile.
Without a doubt, the "Uchiha Sasuke" who attacked the Root base was his clone.
The real Masked Taruto couldn't use Susanoo, nor would he take action against Danzo at this critical juncture.
"With many Root ninjas injured or even killed, and that bastard Danzo also suffering severe injuries, the situation is dire. Danzo can only seek other methods to deal with the Uchiha coup or confront Hokage-ojiisan."
"But Hokage-ojiisan would never agree to the clan annihilation plan. We've resolved half of Danzo's problem."
Taruto began to review his salvation plan.
Danzo needed a sufficient number of elite ninjas to carry out the Uchiha clan annihilation, especially with Uchiha Sasuke's "betrayal."
However, Taruto's attack had temporarily weakened Root, and Danzo's plan to eliminate the Uchiha Clan by force was now impossible. He could only discuss it with Sarutobi Hiruzen.
Hiruzen had never wanted to completely eradicate the Uchiha Clan, so Danzo's plan to use force failed.
"But that bastard will still find a way to cause trouble. We need to be cautious."
"Taruto recalled the deeds and personality of Danzo Shimura and felt that he should still be cautious.
Initially, Taruto had intended to kill Danzo during the attack, as he had the strength to do so.
After careful consideration, Taruto believed that letting Danzo die so easily would be too cheap.
Danzo was killed in the attack on Konoha by Uchiha Sasuke, and he might even gain a posthumous reputation for dying in battle for Konoha.
Taruto estimated that Danzo would probably feel self-gratification before his death, thinking that he had dedicated his life to Konoha, which was truly great.
To prevent this from happening, Taruto decided to collect and expose all of Danzo's crimes before killing him.
He wanted Danzo to die amidst the scorn of the people.
'Next, as long as I deal with the Uchiha Clan, it will be considered a great success.'
Although Taruto's attack on Root had deprived Danzo of the ability to use force against the Uchiha, the Uchiha still planned to carry out the coup as originally intended. They would undoubtedly be severely injured by Konoha's iron fist, but unlike the original story, not just Sasuke would survive.
So, Taruto's next focus was to eliminate the Uchiha Clan's coup d'etat idea.
Regarding how to achieve this, Taruto already had a plan in mind, and even his attack on Root as the masked Taruto had this consideration.
The Uchiha Clan's desire for a coup d'etat had complex and multifaceted reasons.
One crucial reason was that Konoha was indeed targeting the Uchiha, and it wasn't just the Uchiha's paranoia.
The reason for the Uchiha being targeted was not only because of Danzo's strong advocacy of the Uchiha threat theory at the upper levels but also because of the Uchiha's major criminal suspicion during the Nine-Tailed Fox Night.
What Taruto wanted to do was to sever the connection between the masked Taruto and the Uchiha Clan.
The Nine-Tailed Fox Night was indeed the work of Uchiha ninjas, but they were rogue ninjas, and it had nothing to do with the Uchiha Clan.
If the external targeting of the Uchiha Clan was not lifted, even if Taruto resolved this Uchiha coup, there would soon be another one.
'Finally, it's over.'
Sensing a rapidly approaching chakra, Taruto patted his buttocks and stood up.
'It's actually you!'
Uchiha Obito was surprised to see Taruto and quickly looked around with caution.
Not long ago, a stranger had mysteriously handed him a note that read, 'If you don't want Konoha to go to war, come to the depths of the South Border Forest.'
Obito immediately took the person to the side to inquire about the information.
But Obito soon discovered that the person who delivered the note was under an illusion and had no idea what they were doing.
Obito had no choice but to go to the depths of the South Border Forest as instructed.
'Can't it be me?'
Taruto asked with a smile.
'Who are you? What do you mean by war in Konoha?'
Obito asked in a deep voice.
Before this, he had suspected that Taruto had some secret he couldn't reveal, as Taruto knew about the destruction plan.
'Of course, I'm Uchiha Taruto. As for the war, now that the Root organization has been damaged, do you think Danzo's destruction plan is still feasible?'
Taruto asked.
Obito fell silent.
Without Danzo's help, he couldn't complete the destruction task alone.
If the Uchiha weren't destroyed before the Uchiha coup, a civil war would break out, and the other great ninja villages might take advantage of the situation.
'As long as you follow my instructions, not only will there be no civil war, but there won't even be a need for destruction.'
Taruto said.
'Give me a reason to trust you.'
Obito didn't agree immediately.
Taruto was full of doubts, and Obito wouldn't report him. How could he possibly listen to Taruto's words and obey him?
'You have no choice.'
Taruto burst with chakra and flashed to Obito's side, patting Obito's shoulder.
'Such incredible speed!'
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Obito's pupils rapidly expanded, and in his shock, he unconsciously activated the Three-Tomoe Sharingan.
Taruto didn't mind Obito's blood-red eyes and continued,
'Even without this attack, Danzo's destruction plan would not have succeeded because I would have stopped it.'
'Do you support the Uchiha coup?'
Obito silently gathered his chakra.
'Why are you so extreme? Stopping the destruction is the same as supporting the coup?'
Taruto was speechless.
'I won't support the Uchiha coup, nor will I let the civil war break out.
What I want to do is to mediate the conflict and let the Uchiha Clan abandon the coup, truly integrating into Konoha.
"This is something you can't do."
Unconsciously, Uchiha Itachi spoke.
"I haven't even tried, how do you know I can't do it?"
Taruto's words left Itachi in silence.
He didn't know Taruto well, so he couldn't explain it.
Itachi just felt that even with the help of the many Konoha high-ranking officials, no one else could accomplish what they couldn't.
"How arrogant."
Taruto saw through Itachi's thoughts.
"Since you're so confident, why don't we have a fight?"
Taruto's super wisdom told him it was time to use his superpower.
After half a minute of contemplation, Itachi agreed.
Taruto's mystery was no less than Uchiha Sasuke's, and even a glimpse of his abilities was important intelligence.
"Katon: Gokakyu no Jutsu!"
Itachi swiftly performed hand seals, spitting out a giant orange-red fireball.
Gokakyu was a powerful yet low-cost technique, perfect for testing the waters.
"Breath of Fire Chakra Mode!"
Taruto focused his breath to the extreme, entering the Breath of Fire Sage Mode in an instant, while also activating the Breath of Fire Chakra Mode, his body glowing red.
"Sage Technique: Gokakyu no Jutsu!"
Taruto joined his hands and released a large flame, forming a giant fireball over a dozen meters high.
In front of Taruto's Sage Gokakyu, Itachi's Gokakyu seemed like an egg before a football, instantly devoured.
Itachi had no choice but to activate his Chakra and flee.
"This is Sage Technique? So powerful!"
Itachi's face turned serious.
Even his strongest Katon technique couldn't match Taruto's casually unleashed Gokakyu.
In terms of Katon, Taruto could easily defeat him.
Whoosh! As Itachi dodged, Taruto seized the opportunity and rushed forward.
The enhancement from the Sage Mode, combined with the Breath of Fire Chakra Mode, made Taruto incredibly fast. Itachi's Three-Tomoe Sharingan couldn't keep up with his movements, forcing him to upgrade to the Mangekyou Sharingan.
Bang! Even with the Mangekyou Sharingan activated, Itachi was at a disadvantage. After a few exchanges, Taruto seized an opening and punched him, sending Itachi flying into a tree.
"Even if my eyes can see, my body can't keep up."
Itachi's face darkened.
He wasn't as adept at Taijutsu as he was with Genjutsu and Ninjutsu, but that was in comparison to himself. Itachi's Taijutsu had always dominated his peers, and even most adult ninjas couldn't match him in this aspect.
However, in front of Taruto, his Taijutsu seemed to have degraded to an amateur level, and even blocking Taruto's offense was challenging.
Itachi also tried using Genjutsu, to no avail.
"Do I have to use the Mangekyou Sharingan?"
Itachi hesitated.
Despite Taruto's strength, Itachi believed that using the Mangekyou Sharingan would turn the tide.
No matter how powerful Taruto's Katon was, it couldn't be stronger than Amaterasu, right? Could Taruto ignore not only regular Sharingan Genjutsu but also Mangekyou Sharingan's Tsukuyomi?
But the Mangekyou ability was Itachi's trump card, a secret he had never revealed to anyone.
"Don't hesitate. Even if you use Tsukuyomi and Amaterasu together, you can't hurt me."
Taruto spoke nonchalantly.
Indeed, Taruto couldn't ignore Tsukuyomi, but his eye power surpassed Itachi's, allowing him to break Tsukuyomi instantly.
As for Amaterasu, it couldn't even hit him, let alone cause any harm.
"How do you know that?"
Itachi was dumbfounded. How did Taruto know the power of his Mangekyou Sharingan when he hadn't told anyone?
"Because I'm Sage Taruto."
Taruto spoke with confidence.
Itachi conceded.
If it weren't for the initial overwhelming advantage in Ninjutsu, Genjutsu, and Taijutsu, Itachi might have thought Taruto was just bluffing.
But now, Itachi was more inclined to believe that Taruto was monstrously strong, and even with the Mangekyou Sharingan, victory was impossible.
After his defeat, Itachi contemplated for a long time before finally agreeing to help Taruto.
Taruto didn't want the Uchiha clan annihilated, so he couldn't be a Root member.
With Taruto's strength, it was impossible for him to be a brainwashed spy.
Given Taruto's power, he could single-handedly weaken Konoha without needing the Uchiha clan's internal strife.
So, Taruto wasn't a war maniac either.
This wasn't it, nor was that.
Itachi pondered, and in the end, he realized that Taruto might truly be a pure-hearted hero of Konoha.
He just wanted to solve the Uchiha problem as best as he could, nothing more.
(End of Chapter)
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