Chapter 79, Chapter Seventy-Seven

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"That concludes the story of Uchiha Yuki."

"It was a pleasant conversation with you all. Goodbye."

As soon as he finished speaking, his three-tomoe Sharingan beneath his mask slowly began to rotate. The space around him shifted, rendering the Wood Release techniques that had bound him ineffective. With a fleeting ripple, he vanished from their sight amidst the falling snowflakes.

Xue leaned against the railing by the window, watching the three people below with shocked expressions.

At that moment, Obito quietly appeared behind her.

"Why don't you go down and say hello to your old flame?" Obito's words were flippant and rude. Xue opened her eyes, revealing dark red Sharingan eyes identical to Obito's. Holding a kunai, she swiftly pierced Obito's right shoulder. Obito didn't even have time to use Kamui to enter his intangible state; he could only take the blow head-on.

After the kunai was pulled out, blood quickly seeped from the wound on his right shoulder, which was now free of obstruction. Obito endured the pain, frowning slightly as he clutched his right shoulder. Fortunately, with the help of Hashirama's cells, his right shoulder quickly recovered, with only the hole in his clothing where the kunai had pierced his clothes indicating that he had been injured there.

Xue did not respond to Obito's question, but coldly said, "We should go find Sasuke. He should have a hard time dealing with the Five Kage by himself."

Obito chuckled lightly. "So you're still worried about your little nephew, aren't you?"

Xue gazed out the window at the snow-covered streets, a chilly wind blowing into the room and ruffling her long hair. The chakra released from the broken seal within her surged and raged constantly, filling her with an overwhelming urge to kill the person beside her, even if it meant mutual destruction, even if it meant being plunged into endless sorrow afterward… A complex mix of emotions swirled within her, and Xue could only temporarily clear her mind, reminding herself not to dwell on it, and striving to control her inner impulses.

She still needs Obito to live, she still needs—

Is he temporarily running away because of revenge, or is he simply unwilling to take action...?

Support Sasuke so that he can kill Danzo with his own hands, thus clearing the obstacles for him to move forward.

Xue remained silent, her mind filled with countless thoughts.

"Don't you know very well that Sasuke's strength hasn't grown to that level yet?"

"Do you want to destroy Sasuke and cause your plan to fail, Obito Uchiha?"

Her hair always carried the faint scent of lilacs, the ends gently brushing against Obito's nose. Yuki smoothed her long hair, and Obito felt he didn't want to discuss Sasuke with her. He put his arm around Yuki's shoulder and activated Kamui. In an instant, they arrived at the location of the Five Kage Summit.

In the chaotic scene, the Tsuchikage's Dust Release technique caused Sasuke to vanish from sight. Sasuke had simply disappeared before everyone's eyes. Karin's eyes widened in horror, her mouth agape, her face filled with fear, tears streaming uncontrollably down her cheeks. She desperately tried to sense Sasuke's chakra, but to no avail. No, that kind of thing...

The situation only changed when Obito and Yuki appeared.

The tall man in Akatsuki robes steadily supported Sasuke, who was temporarily unconscious, on his right shoulder, while to his left stood a girl with long, curly black hair and exquisitely beautiful features, also dressed in Akatsuki robes.

Obito spoke up.

"My name is Uchiha Madara, and I would like to talk to you about my purpose."

"And the Eye of the Moon Project."

The Raikage quickly recognized the girl. His eyes widened in anger, and he pointed at Yuki, shouting, "Uchiha Yuki!"

However, the hot-tempered Raikage quickly lost his patience. "What Akatsuki plan? It's just another conspiracy! No need to listen!"

"It seems that besides Konoha, there are still people in this world who remember you, Yuki." Obito's voice carried a hint of teasing as Yuki's gaze slowly fell on the Raikage. It was him. During the Third Shinobi World War, she and Minato had encountered his team… However, she instantly used the Body Flicker Technique to nimbly dodge the Raikage's attack, while Obito easily avoided it using Kamui to become intangible. Yuki scooped up the lightly injured Karin from the ground. Karin blushed slightly and said guiltily, "I'm sorry, Yuki. I couldn't protect Sasuke, and he got hurt…"

“No, it’s alright,” Xue replied softly. “Sasuke still needs your healing right now.”

Obito appeared behind her and sent Karin and Sasuke into the Kamui dimension together.

Due to Obito's immense power, coupled with Yuki's reputation from the Third Shinobi World War, no one dared to act rashly. Mei Terumi asked Chojuro about Yuki's identity. Chojuro glanced at her standing on a high place, side by side with the man who claimed to be Madara Uchiha, and explained to Mei Terumi: "She is an S-rank rogue ninja from Konoha. During the Third Shinobi World War, she was a confidante of the Fourth Hokage. She is a genius Uchiha proficient in both genjutsu and swordsmanship. On the night of the Uchiha Clan Massacre, she joined forces with Itachi to slaughter the entire clan before disappearing. Only in recent years has she become active in the Akatsuki organization."

At this point, Chojuro hesitated, unsure whether to continue. He lowered his voice as much as possible: "This woman's love life is quite complicated. Not only did she date Kakashi the Copy Ninja, but rumors also suggest that she had an affair with every Fourth Hokage..."

"What—" Mei Terumi couldn't help but exclaim in surprise.

Everyone turned to look at her. Onoki broke out in a cold sweat, thinking: What kind of time is this to be concerned about such gossip?

His words drew everyone's attention back to the tense scene.

"I never expected that Madara Uchiha would still be alive. Why does a man like you have to beat around the bush like this? With your abilities, any scheme should have been successful naturally."

“The battle between the First Hokage and me left me severely injured, and now I have very little power left…” Obito Uchiha turned his head to look at Yuki Uchiha standing beside him and said, “Otherwise, I wouldn’t need my junior to help me. I am just an empty shell now.”

Xue lowered her eyes, listening to Obito's fabricated stories without uttering a word to expose him.

"What exactly are you plotting? What exactly is the Eye of the Moon Project?!" someone in the audience questioned.

Finally, the exquisitely beautiful girl spoke, her voice as cold as frost. Looking down at everyone from her high position, her dark three-tomoe Sharingan slowly swirled in her eyes, exuding an indescribable coldness and allure: "All things in the world must merge with Madara, transforming into the perfect form of the unity of heaven and earth."

Everyone was startled, and Onoki pressed, "What do you mean by merging into one? What exactly is this 'unity of heaven and earth'?!"

Obito Uchiha explained, "The Uchiha clan has an ancient stone tablet passed down through generations, which still exists underground in Konoha. It records the secrets written by the Sage of Six Paths, which cannot be read without eye power. The content is continuously expanded as it is deciphered in the order of Sharingan, Mangekyou Sharingan, and Rinnegan."

The crowd questioned it.

"Do you know why he became a legend and was worshipped as the God of Shinobi? That's my purpose, the connection with this man."

Onoki floated in the air: "Go on."

"He once saved the world from the clutches of a monster. That monster was the combination of all the tailed beasts, the existence of the strongest chakra—the Ten-Tails."

"That monster is a combination of all the tailed beasts."

"I want to collect all the tailed beasts, revive the Ten-Tails, and then become the new Ten-Tails Jinchuriki."

"Release the illusion to all of humanity, and let them enter the world of illusion."

"To create a world without barriers or conflict, where everything is united with me, becoming the ultimate unity."

"This is my Eye of the Moon Project."

Obito's outrageous remarks shocked everyone, and the crowd chorused their rebuttals.

Raikage: "What a joke!! How could I possibly hand the world over to you!!"

Gaara: "The world in illusion is just an illusion; it only has real meaning when it is realized in the real world."

Mei Terumi: "What could possibly exist in such a world? There's no hope, no dreams, it's just escapism!"

Obito didn't expect the Five Kage to agree to his plan. He adopted an arrogant posture, resting his hands on his knees and propping his chin up, and said casually, "There is no hope left in this world. Give up resistance, hand over the remaining Eight-Tails and Nine-Tails, and obediently help me complete my plan. Otherwise, there will only be war."

Everyone: "War...?!?"

"What do you mean? Didn't you capture the Eight-Tails?" The Raikage's mouth dropped open.

Xue replied calmly, "The capture of the Eight-Tails failed; he escaped..."

The Raikage then realized that the Eight-Tails had secretly run off to play outside the village during this opportunity. Sasuke had even severed one of his arms for the Five Kage Summit he had initiated, and yet Killer Bee had gone off to eat, drink, and have fun!?

However, everyone stated that they would not hand over the Eight-Tails and Nine-Tails.

"Although I have little power left... I possess the tailed beasts I have collected so far, as well as the last remaining power of the Uchiha clan descendants. You have no chance of winning."

Gaara took a step forward and replied firmly, "We will not give up hope."

Obito interlaced his fingers, resting his chin on the back of his fingers, his tone relaxed and confident.

"Alright, then I will make this announcement now."

"The Fourth Shinobi World War is now underway."

"See you on the battlefield next time."

Just as Obito was about to activate Kamui and leave the scene with Yuki, Gaara spoke up.

"Why follow Madara Uchiha? Naruto misses you, Yuki Uchiha."

The snow stopped in its tracks; she didn't turn back, nor could she.

She replied, "I have already severed all ties with Konoha."

Obito chuckled as he activated Kamui.

The two disappeared from the scene.

"That's really resolute. How can you even say something like that?"

"Is this to show me your determination?"

The snowflakes falling from the sky are as white as ever.

It landed on the tops of their heads and shoulders.

“No, no. It’s true,” Xue said.

Images of my childhood with my parents flashed through my mind: late winter. It was Obito's birthday. Slender icicles hung from the eaves, reflecting the cold light of the morning sun. My parents surrounded her and Obito, a cake in the center with candles, their flickering flames carrying wishes. Young Obito, with cream stuck to his lips, calling her "sister." Scenes of missions with Shikara and Genma; Minato's bittersweet smile in the sunset; the days shoveling snow with Kushina; the tender days with Kakashi at the Hatake residence; Naruto's innocent smile in Iruka's arms…

Everything is irreversible; we can't go back to the past.