Chapter 69: Quietly Watching You Show Off
At the border of the Land of Fire, near a secret stronghold of the Dawn Organization.
Su Xiao stood before a rock wall, pressing the "Ring of Emptiness" in his hand into a recess on the wall.
Rumble, rumble.
The rock wall rose, revealing a passage leading into the mountain. He walked into the passage, and the rock wall slowly descended behind him, plunging the corridor into dimness.
Faint voices of conversation came from within the secret stronghold. Su Xiao walked toward the source of the sound.
"Lies... it must be lies. These are clearly falsehoods. Itachi protecting me? Nonsense. He nearly killed me several times."
The roar of the Second Pillar came from inside the stronghold. It seemed Obito was recounting the truth about Itachi to Sasuke.
"If Itachi had been serious, you would have been dead long ago."
Obito's voice came through, calm and steady.
"Impossible. He even used his Mangekyō Sharingan's ocular jutsu to kill me. His goal was my eyes, not protecting me. Say any more of this nonsense, and I'll kill you."
The Second Pillar's voice was weak, his words refusing to believe that Itachi would protect him. But from the trembling tone, he was wavering.
"Itachi had already calculated everything that would happen during the battle—your abilities, your chakra reserves, how you would respond to his attacks. His goal was to push you to the brink. The purpose of that... you've already guessed it, haven't you?"
Hearing Obito's words, Sasuke's mouth slightly opened. His mind recalled the scene of Orochimaru being sealed away—the feeling of relief in his body at that time was undeniable.
Obito continued to narrate the truth to Sasuke, whose protests grew quieter and quieter.
Su Xiao pushed open the door and entered the room. The masked Obito glanced sideways at Su Xiao, while the Second Pillar kept his head down, his gaze vacant, as if questioning his very existence.
"Smell of blood. Enemies nearby?"
"No. I went near Konoha earlier."
Su Xiao didn't elaborate further. Obito nodded.
Sasuke looked up at Su Xiao, his dull pupils filled with confusion, no longer holding the resolute hatred of before.
"Bai Ye, you've arrived just in time. Sasuke, this is the partner who hunted tailed beasts alongside Itachi when he was alive."
Sasuke's pupils regained some light.
"You..."
Sasuke started to speak but didn't know how to continue.
Su Xiao waved his hand. "I don't know much about Itachi's matters."
He lit a cigarette, and the smell of tobacco gradually filled the cave.
"Hey, I only have one question."
Sasuke's fists clenched tightly.
"Between Itachi and me... who is stronger?"
As soon as Sasuke asked this, Su Xiao and Obito exchanged glances. Both had the same thought: where did this kid get such confidence?
"With all due respect, that's the stupidest question I've heard recently."
Su Xiao exhaled a puff of blue smoke, his aura gradually shifting. It seemed a bloody mist emanated from the Dragon-Slaying Flash at his waist—an aura that made living beings recoil, causing Sasuke to tense his nerves.
"You and Itachi—who's stronger? Do you have the confidence to kill me?"
Sasuke hesitated for a moment, recalling his first meeting with Su Xiao. Back then, the tip of the other's blade had been pressed against his throat, ready to take his life at any moment.
"Maybe... not."
"Oh? So you think I'm stronger than Itachi?"
Sasuke nodded. After the previous battle, in his perception, Itachi wasn't that strong.
"Based on your level of three-tomoe Sharingan and Lightning Release ninjutsu, I could kill you within twenty minutes. As for Itachi... I don't want to fight him. There's an eighty percent chance I'd die."
Sasuke shook his head, seemingly unconvinced.
"Let's not mention other things. Just in terms of genjutsu skill, I've seen Itachi use genjutsu to control a jinchūriki. As for your genjutsu level, heh~"
Considering that Sasuke didn't understand the fighting style of jinchūriki, Obito spoke up.
"A jinchūriki can resist most genjutsu. Imagine this: a jinchūriki has a tailed beast sealed inside them, so two types of chakra and two consciousnesses coexist in one body. The tailed beast can release chakra to disrupt the jinchūriki's chakra structure, and the genjutsu collapses on its own."
Hearing this, Sasuke understood the difficulty of using genjutsu to control such a being—it was nearly impossible.
"Itachi really... could use genjutsu to control someone like that? Two chakras interfering with each other—how could genjutsu work?"
Under Obito's "brainwashing," the Second Pillar became even more doubtful of his existence. Su Xiao and Bubu Wang sat by, quietly watching Obito show off.
"You've fought Orochimaru. Back then, when Orochimaru faced Itachi, he was defeated in an instant. After that, Orochimaru defected from the Dawn Organization and became obsessed with the power of the Sharingan. That was all part of Itachi's plan—to make Orochimaru wholeheartedly train you."
Obito delivered the "fatal blow" to the Second Pillar.
The Second Pillar fell silent. A peculiar chakra surged from within his mind.
"This is..."
Obito's single Sharingan spun, eventually transforming into the Mangekyō form.
"Itachi... the Konoha higher-ups. I'll kill those bastards."
Sasuke's head suddenly lifted. His three-tomoe Sharingan spun, eventually forming a six-pointed star shape—Sasuke's Mangekyō Sharingan had awakened.
"Awakening the Mangekyō, huh. First time I've seen it."
Su Xiao observed Sasuke. The Second Pillar had just awakened his Mangekyō when his body went limp and he collapsed, likely fainting from the intense emotional fluctuation.
"This guy has been unconscious for a few days. His final battle with Itachi was three days ago, right?"
"He's been unconscious the whole time."
Obito thought for a moment, then looked at Su Xiao.
"Thank you for assisting me earlier. But I still don't know your purpose."
"My purpose? Absorbing tailed beast chakra. That's why I joined the Dawn."
Su Xiao's bluntness caught Obito off guard.
"You noticed the tailed beasts I captured earlier, right? They were all half-dead."
"Oh? Aren't you afraid the leader will kill you?"
"Of course I am. The leader is too strong—I'm not his match yet. But greed never retreats from fear. Only with enough courage can one grow stronger."
Su Xiao vaguely sensed that Obito was about to say something important.
"I transplanted that Sharingan earlier."
Obito pointed to his own Sharingan. In truth, it was his original eye, not a transplant.
"Pretty good ability, isn't it? This Sharingan is a space-type."
"Very good. By the way, there's something else. The leader doesn't plan to let you participate in the plan to capture the Eight-Tails and Nine-Tails. You should know why."
"I figured as much."
The tailed beasts Su Xiao captured were all half-dead. Nagato's patience had a limit—two of them.
"What do you plan to do now? Leave the Dawn? Since your goal is already complete."
"I haven't thought about it yet. I've offended the four major ninja villages: the Mist, the Sand, the Rock, and the Leaf. Aside from the Dawn, no other faction would take in a villain like me. I'm just a homeless killer, and the Dawn happens to be a place to stay, so I'll remain here."
Hearing Su Xiao's words, a smile formed beneath Obito's mask.
If Su Xiao had been somewhat untrustworthy before, now he was very trustworthy. He had offended too many factions—this was the style of a reckless rogue ninja. But Obito didn't know there was a place called Reincarnation Paradise.
"How about working for me?"
"Working for you?"
Su Xiao grinned.
"You're also a member of the Dawn, on the same level as me. Why should I work for you?"
"Why? What if I told you my name is Uchiha Madara?"
Su Xiao sneered inwardly, thinking Obito's boast was truly loud.
"Uchiha... Madara."
Su Xiao stood up. He considered whether to temporarily join Obito's faction. Though the risk wasn't small.
If it were before, he would have refused immediately. But now that he had the means to protect himself, it wasn't out of the question.
Obito had been using Nagato all along to complete the Moon's Eye Plan, while Madara had been using Obito, and Black Zetsu had been using Madara. These people used each other in a complex web of relationships.
At this point, Nagato would no longer let Su Xiao hunt tailed beasts. Nagato's goal was to use the power of the tailed beasts to rule the world and stop wars. Su Xiao's constant absorption of tailed beast chakra had greatly displeased Nagato.
Obito was different. His requirements were much looser—absorb however you want, as long as the tailed beasts are still alive.
"If you really are Uchiha Madara, then I can understand... are you the true leader of the Dawn?"
"No. The leader of the Dawn is neither me nor Pain. It's a man named Yahiko, who has already died. That's the agreement between me and Pain."
Su Xiao extinguished the cigarette between his fingers and looked at Obito. "Anyone can claim to be Uchiha Madara. I'll think it over and give you an answer later."
"Of course."